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Flywheel: A new Fitness Sensation
 The
Flywheel experience was crafted by Ruth Zukerman, a legendary instructor and
driving force behind the New York indoor cycling phenomenon. Zukerman, one of
the original founders of SoulCycle, left to open Flywheel in 2010, alongside
co-founder Jay Galluzzo, an industry wiz who coined the term �flywheeling� to
describe their spin experience. Since opening, the company has expanded
substantially, opening several other locations in NYC, The Hamptons, and eight
other states across the country.
Heart pumping playlists, dim lighting and bikes that display your RPMs are just
a few ways Flywheel Sports is making indoor cycling one of the hottest new
fitness trends.
An experience that lasts 45 or 60 minutes and includes climbs and descents,
while working arms with weighted bars. It's an amazing escape that challenges
your body and relaxes your mind. These studios offer stadium-style seating,
making every seat in the house a good one.
Music is also an integral part of the Flywheel experience. The playlists are
created by instructors from a collection of music carefully curated by their own
in-house DJ. Instructors choreograph their own classes, syncing their rides to
the beat, assuring a fresh ride every time, and showing a little glimpse of
their unique personalities.
In a Flywheel class, your instructor will lead the way, suggesting target
resistance levels and RPM's to strive for. But you decide exactly what's right
for you by controlling the technology on your bike. If you're feeling pumped,
ride harder and faster than the targets. And if you're just beginning, you can
take it down a notch.
Your Flywheel bike is tailor-made and can be customized for you. Not only do you
set the positions that fit your body and comfort levels, but you control your
"tech-pack". Each bike has a tech-pack that displays your resistance ("torq"),
your speed (RPM's) and your power output (current and cumulative for the class).
This allows you to know how you're performing at all times.
If you're the competitive type, you may opt in to participate in our in-studio
Torqboards - large-screen displays that occasionally flash leaderboards that
show how you're performing.
Your stats for every ride are recorded and made available in your private
account on their website. You'll see your own metrics for every ride you take
with Flywheel, including RPM's, Torq, Speed, Power, Distance and Estimated
Calories. This will allow you to set your own goals and measure your performance
over time. And of course, you should expect all the extras including free
towels, bike shoes, lockers and more to keep you comfortable and riding at peak
performance.
While indoor cycling has been around for years, studios like Flywheel Sports are
putting a new spin on this intense workout. Each cycling studio features bikes
set up in stadium-style seating and theatre lighting that dims to help riders
tune out their to-do list and focus on their workout.
 Flywheel�s technology allows riders to track workouts on and off the bikes. Each
bike is equipped with a small screen that displays RPMs, resistance (Flywheel
calls this Torq) and power. Instructors cue target numbers for these metrics
during class so riders know when to back off or increase their intensity.
Competitive types can send that information to the Torqboards in the front of
the room and see how they stack up against fellow riders. After class, these
performance metrics, along with estimated calories burned, are sent to a private
web account where riders can track their progress.
Instructors use popular music to craft each workout and take special care to
create the most motivating playlists. �Everything we do is driven off of the
music so it makes it that much more fun and intense. It feels a lot like your
dancing when you�re on the bike.�
Throughout the 45 minutes, riders complete a combination of sprints and hills
totaling 20 to 30 miles. Two and four pound bars are used to tone the upper body
with exercises like bicep curls and shoulder presses. While the weights might be
light, riders work through a high number of repetitions to tax the muscles. Each
class burns about 700 calories, increases cardiovascular fitness and provides a
total body workout, sculpting muscles in the legs, arms and core.
While Flywheel classes are intense, instructor Tommy McCarthy says they are
actually for every fitness level. Plus, inside the darkened room riders don�t
feel like they are on display, allowing everyone to exercise at their own
intensity. Indoor cycling is great for the mind and body, but according to
McCarthy, it�s the sense of fun and community that keeps people coming back to
Flywheel.
�You get to see people not only change their lives but also change their
attitudes about working out,� said McCarthy. �I want people to succeed and I
want people to have fun.�
Weinstein says it�s Flywheel�s combination of energetic classes, encouraging
instructors and motivating music that makes the workout so enjoyable. �This is
the best workout I�ve ever had,� said Weinstein.
Fast-forward fifteen years and indoor cycling is having a renaissance.
Spinning�s second generation marries athleticism, house music, and inspiring
platitudes borrowed from the yoga world. The result is a cardio workout tailored
to 30-somethings and up, who want sweaty intensity without the joint-pounding
that accompanies running. The race for indoor-cycling dominance is taking place
in high-end boutique studios.
Video
Dated 22 January 2014
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