CycleBar - Southwest Plaza
Hot Buttered Rum. Holiday Mimosas. Spiked Eggnog. Turkey. Ham. Gravy. Bread. Pies. CANDYCANES. CANDY CORNS. SYRUP. It’s hard to stay in shape during the holidays!
You want to stay in shape while enjoying all the festive treats Christmas and New Years has to offer? Just go visit Kate at CycleBar Southwest Plaza!
CycleBar is a cycling studio with instructor led classes that incorporate bar weight lifting into a cardio focused cycling class. Kate was a sorority sister of ours at CSU and we were so excited when she invited us to take one of her classes! Needless to say, she kicked our asses into high gear (pun intended). & when you look as good as Kate does, we’ll allow a butt kicking cycle class of hers to eventually look half as good!
As we entered the CB Southwest Plaza, we were greeted by the friendly staff and a vibrant red color scheme. If you pre-register for your cycling class, you select your bike online and check-in via the iPads in the lobby. We were not pre-registered, so the front desk staff helped us get signed up and checked in.
CycleBar has a few awesome options for new riders. You can try out a class for $10, buy a 5 pack of classes for $59 ($12 per ride) or buy an unlimited rides/month pass for $109! The unlimited pass is a fabulous price because if you go to CB every single day during your unlimited month, your per class price is under $4! That’s an AMAZING deal!
Once we were all checked in, we were given clip in cycling shoes and locked up our belongings in the CB's locker area. CycleBar’s lockers have built in locks and most importantly BUILT IN USB PORTS. That’s right! You can charge your phone while you work out (talk about like the most convenient thing ever!).
Once we were set for our workout, we entered the red and purple lit cycle room, found our bikes, adjusted the seat and handlebar heights, clipped our feet into the pedals, and began warming up. The CB instructors are always readily available if you need help adjusting your bike to your body frame! We encourage you to arrive to class early so you have ample time to get set up on your bike (especially if you aren’t familiar with the settings!).
Soon it was time for class to start. Kate dimmed the lights and started us off on a killer ride with lots of motivational whoops of encouragement. CycleBar calls their instructors CycleStars for a reason; these trainers HAUL on their bike while effortlessly leading everyone in their classes.
CycleBar is the perfect workout for competitive riders out there (cough, cough Treslyn lol). One of the signature features of CycleBar is their leader-board. Every so often, Kate would flash the leader board up on the CB screens to show everyone where they were in their workout. Your rank in the class is determined by your power output (a combination of RPM’s and resistance level).
During our class, Kate instructed us through various types of cycling such as hill climbs, sprints, endurance, and weights, all while pedaling to the beat of the music.
You guys, Kate’s music was ON POINT. I’m talking throwback Deadmau5, Down with the Sickness by Disturbed (THE workout jam), and Bodak Yellow by Cardi B to name a couple of jams that were played. For my sister and I, we cannot get a good workout in without a solid playlist so Kate’s music kept us motivated . Kate’s music also mirrored the pace of each point we got to in the workout, making for a strong auditory connection to the exertion we were putting out.
For example, during a slower point in the workout, the music changed to country and Kate had us take a moment for positive thinking and gratitude. We pedaled unhurried during this section of class and got a moment of yoga like zen which I really appreciated.
Soon the pace picked back up and we rode to the rhythm while Kate diligently instructed us through handle bar pushups, seat tap backs, and up-downs.
The weights section of the workout is where the studio gets its name, CycleBar. Don’t let the 3lb or 5lb weighted bar fool you, these exercises are no joke. You use the weighted bar to perform the instructor led exercises as you pedal. Kate got off her bike and led us through a series of bicep curls, shoulder presses, and the dreaded tricep extensions (but seriously OW and seriously no). This grueling weight training had me complaining with each lift so I was thankful for the loud music lol #helpme. We were legit dying by the end of the weights section and could not wait to put our bars down.
Once we were done with the bar, it was time for some group competition! Kate broke the studio out into groups - Row 1 vs. Row 2 vs. Row 3. Kate then led us through two sprint competitions and we were able to watch our progress as a group on the leader-board screens. These friendly competitions usually last for a song and are a fun way to compete as a group. I personally like the group leader-board much more than the individual leader-board. Why?
I tend to be close to last place on the individual leader-board... lol #oops. I'm far from the intense cyclist to say the least!
After class was over, we were sent an email with our “CycleStats”. These CycleStats included our total calories burned, average and maximum RPM, average and maximum wattage, and our class rank. My sister and I both burned a huge number calories in Kate’s class and felt that bike burn over the next few days.
As if we didn’t love CycleBar enough, they have certain classes that are "Happy Hour classes". After a Happy Hour class, CB provides adult beverages after the class is over! & trust us, you’ll have earned that adult beverage after a CB cycle sesh.
There are several CycleBar locations in Denver but classes at Southwest Plaza are obvi our favorite (not to be too biased but Kate is the best!). We can’t wait to get back and ride with her again soon. Hoping to you see there!
Happy cycling my denv.her. bbs!
