Boom! Cycle - Ridin' to Old School Garage

One of the greatest things about fitness is the variety of activities it offers - there is so much to try out, and so many things you can participate in to maintain that balanced lifestyle. Many of us aren't built to run long distances, but maybe shorter faster sprints are better and more effective for you. If you struggle to cycle long distances, why not try out your local spin classes for a speedy, powerful way to cycle? We truly believe there is something for everyone, which is why we try and mix up our range of fitness activities to find that one thing we strive at, and what we need to work harder at. Plus, it keeps it fun and fresh - fitness shouldn't be a chore.

Last week we were invited to try out Boom! Cycle, the indoor cycling studio in the heart of Shoreditch. Obviously I opted for the old school garage session for my first Boom experience! As a massive fan of garage - taking me right back to my teenage years *sobz* - having the opportunity to do any sort of work out to the hypest genre of music was a no brainer for me.

Music is the best way to motivate your body and mind during any fitness activity. It takes your mind off the activity, gives you rhythm, provides a pace to work against and, most importantly, delivers that powerful boost when you need it most. When you add that one song to your playlist, you will feel as if there is no stopping you.

For me, old school garage is what gets me most excited! It gets my body moving, my brain hyped up, my arms in the air, and gun fingers at the ready - inside and out, I'm ready to skank out...make space on that dancefloor, I'm coming for you.

Now, apply this version of myself perched up on a fancy stationary bike, and you get an idea of what I look like. Thank the fitness gods, this class was in the dark - because you would have seen me fail miserably trying to skank out, rap along to the likes of Oxide and Neutrino (can everyone stop getting shot-shot-shoooottt), and (silently) proclaiming "I don't smoke the reeffferrr" whilst getting told to turn up the resistance and pedal faster.

One cannot skank out whilst spinning, and there I was thinking I had rhythm - clearly not on a bike.

Half way through the class, I kept the rapping and skanking to a minimum and concentrated on the beats of the (SICK) tunes to keep my legs moving faster and faster as our instructor, Carli Goss, told us to crank up the tempo, get our butts off the seats for some sprints and climbs, and threw in a few synchronised push-ups to get our upper body working. To say I was sweating is an understatement, normal people have a few beads of sweat, sweat patches on their back etc. I, on the other hand, had sweat dripping into my eyeballs, puddles around my bike and a new darker version of my top. Oh, I also found out in that class my ankles sweat. TMI? Well, you get a better (visual) idea of how hard core spinning is.

You might not physically be going anywhere, but your calories will most definitely be - guaranteeing you an epic workout. Especially when you spin to tunes like these:

Of course, with most fitness class, what you put in is how much you get out of it. To get the maximum benefits of your spinning class you need to really push yourself - it is way too easy to skip turning up the resistance or only adding a quarter turn when your instructor tells you to add a full turn. Carli was a great instructor and watching her push as hard as she is telling everyone to push motivates you to dig deeper, especially seeing her spin and move in rhythm to the music! I also had a chat with a few of the other regulars who couldn't rave on enough about how good and motivating the other instructors are.

This was Boom! Cycle's first ever old school garage themed class, and I seriously hope they consider another so everyone can experience it. Going to keep my eyes peeled on Boom's timetable to find any fun music themed classes - heard the hip-hop and diva's class was fun!

You may be a sweaty beast after, but panting and sweating away in a dark room where your fellow spinners can't see you takes away that embarrassing element many are conscious off.

Plus, cycling indoors means no helmet which equals no helmet hair.

FYI. Avoid making any sort of plans after a session at Boom! Cycle. I got a +1 to Aluna George's gig in Brixton which meant I had to take my sweaty, gym-clad self down South LOL. Not anticipating such a hardcore workout, and last minute plans meant I didn't bring any shower bits. Wet wipes kind of saved the night.