GRIT Fitness: Revolution Class Review

How exactly would one describe the Revolution class at GRIT Fitness? Think spin meets strength training meets cardio.

The Design District location had their Revolution launch party on Friday and I could not resist going, especially with such empowering women (Murphy, Annabelle, and Megan!) teaching the class. As a newly redesigned studio space, it was aesthetic perfection. The pitch black rear wall was embellished with sketches of empowering, don’t-mess-with-me badass women in fluorescent paint spanning the entire wall. It definitely set the tone for the Revolution class!

Something I was very appreciative of was the fact that the bikes were not crammed in to every nook and cranny in the studio; instead, they were thoughtfully laid out with clear visibility of the instructor in mind. There was even ample personal space between the bikes without having to worry about getting in  another rider’s way.

If it is your first time taking their class, make sure you arrive at least a few minutes early so an instructor can help you with bike adjustments prior to the start of the class. One of the things I love about Revolution in particular is that the instructors actually take the time to ensure that you are comfortable on the bike before the mayhem class commences.

It was definitely a no-fooling happy hour. Right off the bat  – after warming up safely, of course – we started with an interval training-style workout. This consisted of maintaining various RPMs (revolutions per minute – essentially analogous to the speed at which one rides) at different resistance levels whilst simultaneously getting on and off the seat. It may sound confusing but the upbeat music and the general vibe of the instructors and the class makes it fairly easy to get into the rhythm of things, even if you are a novice to spin or haven’t taken such a class in a while (like myself over here).

We also branched out into sprint intervals, both on and off the seat. These were definitely killer (thank you, Murphy!) and my sore quads can certainly attest to that fact! Monotonous, however, they were not. The fast pace and the fact that the repetitions were short (oftentimes a maximum of 4) and the exercises constantly changing made the class engaging and interesting.

The next part of the class transitioned into very much of a “grunge-type” workout. What do I mean by this? Well, Annabelle had us rock & rollin’ pretty hard with sprints and a series of push ups on the handlebars; one half of the class sprinted whilst the other maintained a certain pace, and then we switched roles. A rock-off, if you will? This was where things began to escalate and the burn truly set in. Jamming to Limp Bizkit while getting in your endorphin rush ain’t half bad either.

We then eased off the cardio during the last portion of the class but don’t let this fool you regarding the level of challenge! The heart rate may not have been skyrocketing but Megan still had us pushing hard. We used resistance bands to work the upper body whilst maintaining a constant rhythm on the bike. This may actually have been my favorite part of the class – I am definitely a fan of total body workouts and strength training.

In all, the class was a unique experience, combining strength training, endurance, and cardio in a novel way. The trio of instructors played off one another’s energy seamlessly and it only attests to the strong community that is GRIT Fitness. Plus, it’s FUN! It’s hard to go wrong with glowsticks and stellar music.

If there is one thing I would dock a point for, so to speak, is the resistance levels on the bike that we periodically adjusted throughout the workout. It’s not very intuitive. Sure, there’s a knob that you can turn to ease off or ramp up the resistance and the intensity of the workout. But when you’re told to stay at a resistance level of  7.5 whilst maintaining your RPM at 90-95.. what exactly does that mean? You often hear the words, “resistance is where the magic happens” in a spin class but it’s a subjective measurement between riders and possibly even between bikes. The resistance setting is easily something a novice rider could over (or under!)-do, leading to an imbalanced workout. Is it something I would lose sleep over? Of course not! It’s just simply something to be mindful about.

So if you’re on the fence about taking the Revolution class, I urge you to hop your couch for a sweaty, endorphin-filled hour ..go give it a spin!

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Have you taken a spin class before? What was your experience like?