22 Days | The Pursuit: Burn

the Saturday spin class that's all about circles

NYC Gyms

Are a mixed bag. You get what you pay for. There’s Crunch, Blink, and Planet Fitness for the budget friendly options. Then you have gyms like Orange Theory, Tone House, and Mid-City in the, um, middle. And for those that prefer facilities nicer than the apartments they live in, as is the case with yours truly, you have the Mercedes Clubs and Equinoxes on the high end.

I joined Equinox back in 2018 and am grandfathered in to an “All Access” pass at a rate that I’m too embarrassed to share. To put it in perspective, I know exactly when their billing cycle hits (the 23rd of every month), and subconsciously avoid looking at my checking account around the same time. On the one hand it hurts my wallet. On the other hand, missing a gym day is the equivalent of something like nine bucks depending on the month. When the little Devil on my left shoulder whispers “you should skip today”, the Angel on my right is lighting money on fire while looking right into my soul, he needn’t say words.

All Access

Is sort of misleading when it comes to Equinox. You would think I have access to all 35 Equinox Sports Clubs in the city and surrounding boroughs, but I don’t. There are a select few that are too nice for average joes and are reserved for just the CEOs. Fine. Whatever. I don’t need them anyways. Nowadays I actually live about equidistant from the two Equinoxes that offer the facilities I value most. There’s one that’s about five blocks from my apartment, where I go on a weekly basis for weights and cardio. The other one is a bit further, about 10 blocks in the opposite direction, and has two basketball courts that I’ll use every so often to get a Saturday morning run in. I say every so often but it’s more like once a quarter. Because ever since my Fianće moved in, and I convinced her to pay up for a single club membership, Saturdays are for Spin.

Cycling & Circles

One of the perks of the ol ‘Nox is their class offerings are inclusive of the pretty pennies you pay them. My Fianće and I take advantage of one such class, every Saturday, at 10:30am. The class is called “The Pursuit: Burn” and is run by an instructor whose name is Candance and who is as cool as the other side of the pillow. Candace has the perfect balance of energy, motivation, and professionalism that results in the class being fully booked every week. I wish I could say it was Candace alone that makes the class so great, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the other thing; there’s games.

Candance’s class has a run time of 45 minutes and consists of 3 total mini-games and 2 breaks in between called “Flash Points” where riders can follow her instructions, but there’s no competition. What makes the mini games and competition all possible is the fact that each riders bike is digitally connected to a projector at the front of the class, and shows their respective output in real-time. Riders are represented by circles that correspond to the number of the bike they’re on. Output is measured by the color and fill of their circle. The harder you pedal, the brighter and fuller your circle becomes, and vice versa. It’s a competitors dream.

Circles of Truth

The mini games are randomly chosen right before they start, so you never know what’s coming. What you do know, is that once the game starts, your circle, and by association your effort, is out there for all to see.

When something is gamified like this, with attention to detail and intuitiveness, I will play like my life is on the line. I simply can’t help it. I have to win. Or at least be on the leaderboard. When Candace’s class ends after the 3rd game, I have to get off my bike and quickly get to a bench outside, because I’m usually on the verge of passing out or throwing up. My vision goes blurry and it takes me a full 15 minutes to return to my resting heart rate.

This doesn’t mean that I’m also the best. Truth be told, there’s plenty that are better (shoutout Francis T for his absence today which allowed me to snag some wins). But when people are watching, and there’s winning to be had, you best believe I’m gonna make my circle burn bright as the sun.

Until tomorrow!