Go Core @ Go Cycle

Studio: Go Cycle

Class Name: Go Core

Address:  525 w. North Ave, Chicago IL

Location: Old Town

Sweaty Reviews Fitness Level: Beginner-Advanced

Instructor: Sara Baker

Reviewer: Ariel

Class Review: Trying to get into spin? Love spin but want more than just cardio? This could be the perfect class for you. Go Core is a 30 minute spin session followed by 20 minutes of an intense core workout.

The spin section was filled with hills, sprint intervals and great music. It got my heart rate going and I worked up a sweat quickly. The “core” section was made up of fun yet challenging moves that utilize both weights and your own body weight. By the end of the 50 minutes I felt like I got in a great full body workout and the time flew by.

Go Cycle is a boutique studio and the classes are almost always full. After a couple of classes you  start to recognize familiar faces. The combination of dedicated clients and personable instructors makes you feel like you are part of a team.

Instructor: Sara is an awesome instructor. She is full of energy and super attentive. She makes sure everyone is putting in their full effort and really engages the class. Her music is also on point which I find extremely important in any workout class.

Attire: Normal workout clothes. I suggest pants rather than shorts for spin, but that is all personal preference. Spin shoes are provided if you need them, but sneakers are also needed for the core section.

Extras:  The studio has a locker room and showers. The building is the home of Go Cycle, Go Row and Go Spa so you can take spin classes, row classes, and spa treatments all under one roof. Go Cycle and Go Row are on Class Pass and you can attend each 3 times.

Would I recommend?:  Yes

Website: http://gocyclestudio.com/

Go Row @ Go Cycle

Studio: Go Cycle

Class Name: Go Row

Address:  525 w. North Ave, Chicago IL

Sweaty Reviews Fitness Level: All Levels

Instructor: Emmy Rigali

Reviewer: Ariel

Class Review: 

If you have ever used a rowing machine, you know it provides a full body workout. Go Row is an interval class that combines cardio and strength to work your body from head to toe.

The class began on the rowers with a warm up to get us acquainted with the machines and several rows of varying speeds and distances. Rowing seems like a breeze until you are going full force. After the first cardio block we moved to the floor to do a strength/core section which was one of the more challenging ab workouts I had done in a while. Then it was back onto the rower for a variety of distance and sprint intervals followed by an ab section performed on the rowers.

This class was a fun and refreshing workout. I left feeling exhausted and accomplished.

Instructor: Emmy is the owner of Go Cycle  and is one of those spark plug instructors that just gets you motivated. She watches your form and helps you get comfortable in your strides. She is also hilarious which makes the workout fly by.

Extras: The studio has a locker room and showers. The building is the home of Go Cycle, Go Row and Go Spa so you can take spin classes, row classes, and spa treatments all under one roof. Go Cycle and Go Row are on Class Pass and you can attend each 3 times.

Would I recommend?:  Yes

Website: http://gocyclestudio.com/go-row/

Total Body @ Shred 415 Old Town

Studio: Shred415

Class: Total Body

Location: Old Town

Address: 230 w. Division St, Chicago, IL 60605

Sweaty Reviews Fitness Level: Advanced-Beastmode

Instructor: Jacob Greathouse

Reviewer: Ariel

Class Review: If you have lived in Chicago for a bit, you have most likely heard of Shred 415. It is a workout that consists of four sets of (you guessed it!) 15 minutes, alternating between floor work and the treadmill.

This was my first class and I went in pretty nervous. I am in decent shape, but running is my weak spot, so a total of 30 minutes on the treadmill was very daunting to me. The class I signed up for was Total Body, so I knew the floor sections would give me a great overall burn.

The class format was not as rigid as I expected, in that it was not 15-15-15-15. I started on the floor. The floor station consists of a step and set of weights.  15 minutes of work-doing things like lunges, presses, and planks. Then we switched and the next set was 15 minutes on the treadmill. Jacob slowly built us up to a nice paced run which he referred to as our “base” pace. Then the intervals went up and down between sprinting, and jogging on an incline. Definitely no walking.

After the first 30 minutes the instructor split up the sections into intervals of 5 minutes back and forth between the station as opposed to a straight 15 minutes which I was happy about because another full 15 minutes on the treadmill would have been a lot for me mentally. Each floor section got more rigorous and the treadmill section got more intense. Overall I was EXHAUSTED after the class. NOTE TO FIRST TIMERS: go with a friend. Having Erica whisper words of encouragement to me in the mirror definitely helped me to carry on.

Instructor Review: Jacob was very energetic and made me feel comfortable going into class for the first time. I liked his selection in music and his class was definitely challenging.

Extras: Shred415 currently has 5 different studio locations (South Loop, Bucktown, Old Town, Lincoln Park and Northshore). Classes are offered around the clock, but make sure to book in advance because they fill up quickly!  There are locker rooms, towels and 1-2 showers in each studio. Select classes are offered on ClassPass.

Shred class pricing: $25 (drop-in), $145 (monthly new client), $205 (monthly), $195 (monthly auto pay). Better deals are offered if you’re shredding to get rid of your baby bump or for your wedding day.

Would I recommend: Yes. You need to try it at least once.

Website: http://www.shred415.com/old-town-location.html

Shred 415 w/ Mark Beier & Sean Higgins

Studio: Shred415

Class: Total Body

Location: Old Town

Address: 230 W Division Street.  Chicago, IL 60610.

SweatyReviews Fitness Level: Intermediate – Beastmode

Instructors: Mark Beier (Director of Training) & Sean Higgins (Old Town Studio Manager)

Reviewer: Lauren B

Class Review: Shred415 is high intensity interval training that is unlike any other workout.  All classes begin with half of the people on the treadmills, and the other half on the floor.  Intervals can range anywhere from 1 minute to 15 minutes depending on the class and instructor, but each class consists of 30 minutes of interval treadmill routines and 30 minutes of strength training utilizing free weights, medicine balls, bosu balls, resistance bands, TRX, etc.  Every class is designed to target all muscle groups and shred your body.

Instructor Review:  Mark Beier will push you to your limits and then push you to go beyond that.  He will motivate you to lift heavier weights than you knew you could and run faster than you thought your legs could move.  You might hate him during class, but you will love him afterwards.  I never thought a guy singing Taylor Swift could make me run so fast!   Also, he’s the founder of Mark Bar, which is an all-natural quinoa bar that comes in four flavors and available at all Shred415 studios.

Sean Higgins loves to run fast and will get you to love to run fast as well.  He motivates you to “push plus” while running on the treadmill when you think you might die.  The energy in his class is tangible and he’ll be sure to remind you that you’re the one who created that energy.  Also, Sean always has the best music!

Extras: There are six studios located in Chicago – Old Town, South Loop, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, North Shore & Hinsdale.  Most of the studios offer themed classes every month or so such as Country Night, It’s Britney B*itch, Beyonce & Jay-Z On The Run and even a live DJ.  Also, Tracy Roemer and Bonnie Micheli, co-founders of Shred415, offer on-the-go workouts online so you can Shred anywhere!

Would I recommend: Yes.  I think everyone should push themselves outside of their comfort zones and experience a Shred415 workout, but be sure to sign up well in advance because classes can book up quickly!

 Website: http://www.shred415.com/

Flywheel @ Flywheel Old Town (w/ Everett)

Studio/Class: Fly45 @ Flywheel Sports

Location: Old Town

Address: 1653 N Wells St. Chicago, IL. 60614

SweatReviews Fitness Level: All Levels

Instructor: Everett Moran

Reviewer: Erica K

Class Review: Here’s the deal. If you’re familiar with Flywheel, you know that this is one of the most productive 45 minutes of your life. If you are skeptical about a $25 dollar cycling session, well this is what you should know.

Flywheel is a high intensity interval-training (HIIT) workout on a bike. This indoor cycling studio is equipped with bikes that allow you to see exactly how hard you’re working at any given second. Throughout class, the instructor cues you to adjust speed (RPMs) and intensity (Torque) on your bike for a series of pushes that encompasses sprint and hill work. Occasionally, the instructor will cue you to change your Current number (a combination of RPMs and Torque). The goal of class is to work towards a final Power number, which is a reflection of how hard your ride was.

In class, you ride to the beat of 11 different songs with one song allocated to working arms given a weighted bar. The class is held in a dark studio, the music is loud and bumping and the instructor will intermittently display your class ranks on a Torque Board (option to opt out).

Instructor Review: I have taken Everett’s class numerous times and I keep coming back for more. Everett does a great job of making you feel completely empowered throughout the whole ride. At the beginning of this class, he said to us, “I don’t care what you do, just give me your best.” This was exactly the type of motivation I needed to get through my workout today. As the ride got stickier, his words of encouragement kept me pushing and even laughing (“Relax, it’s just indoor cycling.”). Everett’s playlist was a collection of up beat songs that I loved (Brittney, Beyonce.. I mean come on). Overall, his positive energy and excitement about Flywheel is what made for an amazingly hard but fun ride.

Would I recommend: Is that a serious question? Pretty sure I recommend Flywheel to everyone. This is 100 percent not a regular indoor cycling class and there are very few gyms/studios that will offer you a workout quite like this. I have to say, I get both excited and nervous for this class every time. Excited because I know how fun it is, but nervous my legs and lungs will legit give out. I actually think Everett said it perfectly today, “It never get’s easier, but it definitely gets better.”

Extras: There are two studios in downtown Chicago (Old Town and Gold Coast). You can book classes in advance through the Flywheel application (classes fill fast) or through ClassPass (select times available). The Old Town studio is my favorite. It’s large and spacious and definitely trumps all other cycling studios I’ve been to. All flyers are welcome to free apples, bananas and towels. Cycling shoes are provided with the booking of each class. Water bottles are sold for $2.

Flywheel also has a great application that tracks performance in each class (total distance, calories burned, avg torque/rpm), shows class rank and keeps track of each class you’ve ever taken.

Website:  https://www.flywheelsports.com/locations/old-town

Go Pump @ Go Cycle

 

 

Class Name: Go Pump

Teacher: Emmy Rigali

Address:  525 w. North Ave, Chicago IL

Sweaty Reviews Fitness Level: All Levels

Would I recommend?:  Yes

Website: http://gocyclestudio.com/

Reviewer: Ariel

Studio/Workout Review: If you’re into boutique studios, this is the one for you. It’s new, clean and chic.

Forget the spin classes you are used to. This one feels like you’re in a mini club. There is dark lighting, awesome music, and even a disco ball from time to time. The room is small and so the class feels much more intimate… and it makes you want to push yourself even more because you know the instructor is watching!

I am still getting back into spin so this class was definitely challenging for me. My issue with spin classes is that I feel like I’m not working EVERYTHING, so Go Pump was pretty perfect. The hour long workout begins with a 40 minute spin complete with all of the sprints and hills your heart could desire. After the 40 minutes you then move into the attached studio for a continued workout consisting of 20 minutes of weights. Think bicep curls, presses, and even some abs. No muscle goes untouched in this class!

All in all this class will make you sweat, torch calories, and then tone you up. And leave you feeling great.

Instructor: Emmy is the owner of Go Cycle and is one of those spark plug instructors that just gets you motivated. She’s been teaching spin for over 20 years and it definitely shows in her class structure and in the following she’s built up. She’ll set you up before hand to make sure you’re settled into the bike and then coach you along the whole way, so if you’re new to this type of class, she’ll make you feel comfortable. She also sings along to the music which makes class even more fun.

Extras: The studio provides complimentary clip in shoes for you, so you don’t have to bring anything with you. They offer a number of spin combo classes so be sure to bring sneakers if you are doing anything other than a strictly spin class. The studio has a locker room and showers. Looking for more than spin? They recently expanded and opened Go Row (full body rowing classes) and Go Spa all under the same roof!

Flywheel @ Flywheel Old Town (w/ Candy Morales)

Class Name: Flywheel

Teacher: Candy Morales

Address:  710 N State (River North) or 1653 N Wells (Old Town)

Sweaty Reviews Fitness Level: All Levels

Would I recommend?:  Yes

Website: https://www.flywheelsports.com/

Reviewer: Lindsey

Studio/Workout Review: I have been to both Gold Coast and Old Town Flywheel studios and I have to say Old Town definitely takes the cake. It is bigger, has more bathrooms/showers , and has FlyBarre (which I have yet to try!). They have complimentary apples & bananas for a pre or post workout snack, toiletries (from hair bands and deodorant to ear plugs and face wipes), complimentary shoes (which ehem Soul Cycle charges for), and a water stand to fill-up your water bottle (they used to give complimentary water bottles too, but stopped doing so in late May). Overall, this is one of my favorite studios in Chicago!

All flywheel classes are the same at a high-level. They all have 11 songs (for the 45 minute classes), have a 1 song arm section, and consist of races and hills. Anyone from a beginner to a beastmode fitness level can benefit from a Flywheel class.

Note: If you are a Newbie, make sure you get to class at least 5 minutes early so someone can assist you with setting up your bike! Also, opt-in for the toque board if you want to get competitive!

Instructor: Don’t let her name (Candy) throw you, she is anything but sweet when the lights go down in that stadium! I have had many different instructors at Flywheel, but none of them kill me the way she does.  Her class has multiple 45/60 second pushes where she demands RPMs of over 105. She will even walk the floor and stare at you until you give her what she asked for! This lady means business! Candy is also super aware of what is going on with all the riders. One of my friends foot unclipped from the pedal and Candy saw and immediately ran to his assistance. Overall, her energy, fierceness, and attention to all of her riders makes her undeniably one of the best instructors I have ever had. I will be back for more!

Extras: Candy also does personal training sessions outside of Flywheel if you are lucky enough to find a slot. If not, look up your local Flywheel location and book her class now, I SAID NOW!

Candy Morales! (Photo from Flywheelsports.com)