Taking New York City’s Drill Fitness for a Spin

The envy I feel toward people who are able to motivate themselves, to not only workout more than twice a week, but also give it their all each time, is palpable. Often times I will hop on the treadmill, with the best intentions of busting out a drenching five miles, only to get bored and hop off after one. While I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m simply not a self-motivator when it comes to working out, and I know that a lot of people out there can agree, I do actually enjoy it when I give it my all. I’ve discovered the best way to not only get myself motivated to workout but also to give my workout 100 percent is to find fun fitness classes lead by motivating instructors that hold me accountable and keep me going. This year since I’ve resolved to eliminate exercises excuses and also try new things – I decided to kill two birds with one stone and take New York City’s Drill Fitness for a spin… literally.

Drill Fitness, where our very own fitness expert Michelle Lamelza instructs, recently opened in Tribeca. Inside the bright, spacious studio guests can choose from Drill Body HIIT and FIT,  boot camp-inspired full-body workouts, or the Bootcamp Ride 45, a spin class. Since I’ve never gone spinning before I thought that my visit would be the perfect opportunity to try something new, so I grabbed my pal (and YouTube co-star) Amina and we headed down to try out the Bootcamp Ride 45.

Once you get your bike (it’s best to register ahead of time for the class online because the smaller group classes fill up fast) you’ll lock in and get ready for class to start. For the next 45-minutes your instructor will lead you on a great ride with lots of ups and downs, in a club-like, dimmed setting complete with heart-pumping tunes and a disco ball. I loved how the room was dark since it allowed me to focus on myself and the instructor and not worry about how I was comparing to the people around me. Which was good, because frankly… I couldn’t really keep up. A lot of the ups and downs were a bit much for me as a beginner and someone who truly doesn’t work out as much as I should but thanks to the motivating music, lighting, and amazing instructor constantly giving encouragement and never making me feel bad – while I couldn’t do it all, I gave it my all and had a blast doing it. In fact I realized that I had a lot more endurance than I even thought! After class I enjoyed a delicious and healthy smoothie at the smoothie bar, because well.. I earned it! I’ll definitely be back to try one of the other classes and recommend that if you’re in the New York City area or even if you’re just visiting you stop by for a spin!

Drill Fitness provides you with a locker (showers are also available), spin shoes if you don’t have your own, and a towel to wipe away the sweat. Bring a water bottle for the class (a big one, I ran out early and definitely wished I had more) and wear tight-fitting, breathable workout clothes. You’ll also rent a $1 heart rate belt that will track your heart rate during the class so you’ll know how hard you are pushing yourself! Classes are $32 each and the schedule is really accommodating.