What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about a “cycling class”… fun?… torture?… your favorite cardio workout?… maybe all of the above? If you’ve ever taken a cycling class you know how rough they are, shit even if you haven’t you probably have a pretty good idea! So, what I’ve gathered from my cycling experience thus far is cycling is just one of those things we love/hate doing. I’ve taken a few cycle classes at various studios around LA and elsewhere and I’ve decided if you’re gonna get me to “climb” any hill or “run” my ass off, on a bike, it better be in an upbeat entertaining environment, with an upbeat and entertaining instructor, or fuhgetaboutit.
So that doesn’t seem like it’d be too hard to find right? True enough, but there’s one studio who really stands out to me, one that I always choose over the others, and that my friends is Kinetic Cycling in Brentwood. Kinetic was where I actually took my very first cycling class, I, like many people I’m sure, was very intimidated by this cycling thing. I’ve never been a fan of cardio, let alone cardio for a very long, extended period of time, but I was drawn to the idea of being able to burn a crap ton of calories in 45-50 minutes.
Walking in to Kinetic on my first visit was entirely surprising; I was mesmerized by the changing colored lights in the studio, the rows upon rows of pristine bikes, the two big screens playing music videos, and of course the surprisingly loud and surprisingly hip EDM music carrying on as people shuffled (no seriously you walk like an idiot in cleats) in to the studio.
I was fortunate enough to have Rene as my instructor during my first class, he not only helped me figure out how to “ride” that bike properly, but he calmed all my nerves by assuring me it was not possible to make an ass out of myself on my first day and that the class wouldn’t be as grueling as I was anticipating. He strapped my tennis shoes in and off I went on a cool, sweaty hot mess of a ride. I fell in love with cycling, indoors, that day. Yes it was rough, but Rene’s class was just plain fun. He chose music I was familiar with and music I was not familiar with, but now cannot cycle without (yes, Electronic, Dub Step, ecstasy music). The best part of that class, and any of Rene’s classes, is his general attitude towards cycling; it’s way to positive for my black heart but his upbeat happy outlook on life totally rubs off on you, there’s no fighting having a good time in his class.
For me personally, I keep coming back to Kinetic because I love supporting this studio. They work really hard to keep up and stay ahead of strong competitors like Soul Cycle, but really their classes are very similar (if not identical) to any of the top notch/hot indoor cycling studios. Truthfully though, Kinetic is more affordable and definitely more worth the price. Don’t get me wrong Soul Cycle and those other studios rule?! But, for people on a tighter budget I’d say check out Kinetic, you’ll get the same quality of classes, same quality in instructors, and same quality in equipment. Another big reason I keep coming back is because I love the staff; the studio is small and privately owned so everyone there really make a point to get to know every single person who comes in for a class. Jessica, John, and Spase are seriously incredible instructors, but Rene will always be my main squeeze, he taught me how to ride a bike and how smile while climbing up a hill at gear 17 (crazy mother f*cker) for cryin’ out loud. If you’re looking for a new cardio class where physical pain is seriously uplifting and fun, take the time to check out Kintetic.
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