Basically, everything a newbie fears would happen at a new fitness class, happened to me.
PLACED IN THE FRONT
I was assigned to a bike that was front and center of the class, bike number 5. At first I just accepted this awkward placement and did some tapping therapy on the inside of my palms to calm me down. But when the class began and the instructor said for the beginners in the back to look towards the experts in the front for guidance, I wanted to die of embarrassment. I almost wanted to yell, “Except for me! Don’t watch me!”
WRONG CLOTHES
Word of advice, don’t wear shorts to SoulCycle. Considering I was front and center with a mirror reflecting my every move, my normal running shorts looked embarrassingly tiny on the SoulCycle bike. Everyone around me was in some form of fitness pants or biking shorts that were tight to the thighs as they don’t ride up while sitting on a stationary seat. Learn from my fashion faux pas – don’t wear running shorts.
HOW THE HELL DOES THIS WORK?
I stood beside my front and center bike before the class for a solid 5-8 minutes having no clue how to adjust or “clip” myself in. Desperately searching for someone that worked there to help place myself on the bike properly. Fortunately, from the first class I knew adjustments had to be made but I had no idea how to work the damn thing.
DROPPED MY WATER
During SoulCycle one sweats every last ounce of h20 from their body, so water is extremely important. I had brought my handy dandy pink water bottle that kept me hydrated throughout the class until I kicked it out of the cup holder and onto the floor. It was like a slow motion train wreck, hearing it pop out of the holder and tumble to the ground as my little legs continued to pedal. Since, the rider has to “click” on and off the bike with their shoes, a technique I had not mastered, I was trapped without water. I rode on for about 15 minutes without any water, the instructor passing by my bike, clearly seeing my water and not helping to pick it up. Being without water was really making my blood boil. Finally I said f* it, and struggled to click out of my bike to reach down for my water and struggle to click back in while the class lights were still dark. The struggle was real.
SURVIVAL
In the end I survived. I had a great work out. And since I can laugh at myself, I don’t really mind if anyone else laughed at me. At some point I realized that my surviving SoulCycle was a part of the sitcom that is my life.
What about you? Have you ever done SoulCycle or had everything go wrong in an exercise class? Post in the comments and let me know.
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