Last Thursday I got invited to attend a spin class at Revolve DC, a new cycling studio in Arlington, VA.

I was pretty excited to check out the class. It's been ages since I've been to a spin class, even though it's one of my favorite indoor workouts.

When I went online to reserve a class, I had the choice of three different styles:

• Real Ride - A spin class designed to mimic outdoor cycling conditions
• Complete Body Ride - Heavy on the cardio with strength and flexibility work added in
• Barre Ride - 30 minutes of spin followed by 30 minutes of barre-based exercises

I thought the Barre Ride sounded really cool, but I opted for the Real Ride since I was looking for something more cardio intensive to fit in with my tri training.

Revolve requires that you use clipless shoes when you take their classes, and they allow you to rent them for $2, which is perfect for newbies like me who have never touched clipless shoes.


I couldn't believe how much of a difference clipless shoes made in the class. Now I understand why real cyclists are so into them. My movement felt really smooth on the bike and I got the benefit of pushing down on the pedal as well as pulling up.

The people at Revolve were great about walking around the studio in the beginning to make sure everyone could get set up on their bikes and get clipped in without a problem.


Surprisingly I had zero trouble clipping in to the bike. (It helped that I knew the bike wasn't going to fall over.)

However unclipping at the end of class was a different story. I was able to get my left foot out without a problem, but for the life of me couldn't get my right foot out. I ended up having to take my foot out of the shoe and then yank the shoe off the bike with my hands.

The class itself was pretty stellar.

The instructor led us through a solid warm up before taking us through some really challenging drills. We did high intensity sprints, long slow climbs and plenty of quick riding on flat roads.


She played great music, and she dimmed the lights, which is something I always appreciate in a spin class.

I actually couldn't believe how quickly the 45-minute class flew by.

If you're in the Arlington-area I definitely recommend that you check out a class at Revolve. I really can't say enough good things about my experience. I just wish the studio was a little bit closer to me because it's tough for me to get out to Arlington on a regular basis. (Although rumor has it they may be looking in to adding additional locations in the future!)