SoulCycle are probably doing the best social media of any of the studio fitness brands out there at the moment. They are managing to be both exclusive, yet available to the mass market across the US. Classes fill up days before to their tribe of fitness enthusiasts.

Trying a SoulCycle class was high up on must-do list for NYC, so bright and early on Saturday morning Zoe, Meaghan (aka The Fit Crasher) and I hit up West 27th Street to celebrate their 1st Birthday.

We joined Sunny’s 10.30am class for some sweat and soul. The packed out class was filled with regulars however the staff were really helpful to use newbies too. I had my phone in hand to take some pics however was asked to turn it off so that it didn’t distract during class which I loved.

It was a candlelit ride with absolutely banging music although I’m a little sad we didn’t make it to a Taylor Swift ride, how amazing would that have been?! However Sunny more than made up for it with loud encouragements, positive feedback and motivation. There was cheering, whooping and support from our trainer as well as the other riders and I think this is a key difference between SoulCycle and other spin classes I’ve taken in the past.

My knee hurt quite a bit during the ride so I kept it really easy with a low resistance, but went heavy with the arm weights. I did really enjoy the various push ups that felt more like we were dancing on the bike than doing press ups, plus the weighted arm sections that we did in class however I didn’t think it was as varied at a Psycle class.

I would love to go back to an early morning SoulCycle class, I feel the positivity and encouragement from the SoulCycle trainers would be an amazing start to any working day. I’ve heard that each trainer suits different individuals, and they all make their classes personalised. I enjoyed our class however it wasn’t as mind blowing as I thought/hoped it could be. I’ll definitely try another class on a future trip to the US- maybe I just haven’t found my trainer yet.

Been there, bought the t-shirt.

I couldn’t resist, I wanted to be part of the tribe. I think the SoulCycle devotees and the ‘celebrities’ they make of the instructors set it apart from other fitness studios. Give them a follow on Facebook for regular motivational updates and try a class if you’re in the States- it’s $20 for your first class which includes clip-in shoes. They also have great changing and shower facilities at their slick studios although it does get busy between classes.

They also do birthdays pretty well with a PhotoBooth, tattoos, and free juice…