Express Spin: The 30 Minute Exercise Class We Reckon Will Really Work Off Those Extra Pounds

For my sins, I’ve decided to challenge myself to a different fitness class a day for the next month, in a bid to see which ones work and which ones, er, don’t.

Personally, I’m pretty active; I love cardio, I like running, the cross trainer and the step machine, but I’m not too keen on weights and, confession time: sometimes when I go to the gym I just do my own thing. I lose motivation and stamina and it’s kinda a half-assed job, so that’s why I wanted to set myself this challenge; to push myself just that little bit further than I normally would.

The first class I went for was a 7am express spin class at Crunch Fitness. Express spin is a slightly more intense version of your average spin class. It’s 15 minutes shorter than a regular session, but that in no way means it’s easier – hell no!

There’s an emphasis placed on hard climbs and sprints which can be pretty challenging, especially with the instructor roaring at you to increase your resistance.

The 30 minutes were harder than I imagined and I left the class drenched in sweat with my heart beating fast.

It took a while to get going but soon my heart was thumping and the sweat was pouring. I felt the class environment was encouraging, especially as everyone else seemed to be struggling with the exertion as much as I was. I found it hard when we had to up the resistance but it did make me push myself more than what I would have done if I was doing my own thing.

The 30 minutes were harder than I imagined and I left the class drenched in sweat with my heart beating fast. My cheeks were pretty red and I looked like I was on the verge of self combustion.

But here’s the thing: After I’d cooled down and showered, I felt great and it was nice to get in the burst of exercise in before work.

My Verdict:

Positives

If you want to lose weight, this is definitely a class worth trying out. I’d imagine if you were to do it a few times a week, you would notice a change really quickly. You really do work up a sweat. The 30 minutes aren’t so unmanageable either; just think, that’s only 10 minutes three times. You can do this!

Negatives

For beginners, this could be slightly tough at the start and it might be worthwhile trying regular spin first. I was panting for breath afterwards and purple in the face. I also didn’t feel like I was working my arm muscles that much, despite the lean ins that we were doing. If you wanted a class more focused on toning, then you should probably look at something different.

Will I be back?

Yes, maybe after a weekend of over-indulging or a holiday to get myself back on track again. I give this class a 6/10.

• body
• exercise
• Express Spin
• fitness
• health