When the music cranks up and the instructor yells “HERE WE GO”, there is no turning back; it is 45 minutes all in. You are going sprint, you are going to climb, you are going to sweat, you are going to burn in the legs and arms, you are going to push passed comfortable and you are going to walk out of that room feeling like every second was worth it. You’re going to want to come back for more.
Athletes take note, if you like spinning, interval training and like to work hard, really hard then we highly recommend getting your butt to Flywheel in Back Bay. The music isn’t going to win you over, but you’ll be so busy turning your dial and chasing the leaders that you won’t even notice. There will be no time to light candles or have a therapy session. You will work hard for 45 minutes; go fly.
Flywheel is a statistics driven workout. All of the bikes have their famous “Torqboard”. There are 4 numbers on the Torqboard that you need to know about. Upper lefthand corner is the “Torq”, that is how much resistance is on the wheel; its a love hate relationship. In the upper righthand corner are the RPMs; how fast you can move your legs. The bottom lefthand corner gives your “”Current Power”” output. And the bottom righthand corner is your “”Total Power”” output throughout the entire class. This is the number that everyone talks about, compares and brags about. Go big or go home.
Statistics drive people to be better and become fitter which is exactly why Flywheel created a workout that not only is hard as hell but gives proven results. Their website and app enable you to go track all your workouts and progress. If all goes according to plan your Power Output should increase every class, if you are putting in the time (and not drinking beer).
The workout itself is 45 minutes of interval based training on a bike. You will go through a quick warm up just to get the legs rolling and then work for 30 minutes in intervals. Such as, sprint all out for 20 seconds back it off for 10 and go again. Climb for 40 seconds, come down the mountain for 10 and then right back up. At the tail end you will do some arms (don’t take them lightly) and finish with a last hard push, hop off the bike and stretch it out.
Meredith doesn’t mess around. When the music kicks off and she says go she means business. Her class is like having a personal coach in your ear for 45 jam-packed minutes. Every second you know where you need to be. There never is a questions of how hard you should be pushing. Meredith makes you push…hard. (Side Note: Her arms are AM-azing. Even if you don’t like spin, just go and check out her arms)
In comparison to other spin studios in Boston, the space at FlyWheel is large. There is plenty of space to put your things in lockers or sit on couches to velcro in before class. Inside the studio there is plenty of space to get to and from your bike without climbing over people. So in that sense the space is great, but if you need to go to the bathroom or take a shower you are going to have to wait in line. I suggest showering at home or leaving class early and sprinting for the showers. Get ready to throw elbows.
800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02199 Back Bay Spin $$$
FlyWheel Sports Back Bay
Back Bay Spin $$$
800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02199
Get the latest reviews, hot classes, go-to instructors, must have gear and pumping beats delivered straight to your inbox every week.
FlyWheel SportsSpin
Jessie is one of Back Bay’s newest instructors, making her podium debut last October, but you would never know that from the outrageous hills, technical isolations, and crazy fast races she cues throughout the ride. Although properly warned at the beginning of class, Jessie’s music is LOUD. Thankfully, we’re into that – especially when its blasting classic hip hop and catchy Latin hits. This Costa Rican native’s brings her passion for dance and seamless rhythm to the bike, encouraging you to find your own “swag” no matter how sweaty and uncoordinated it may feel in comparison.
FlyWheel SportsSpin
Melinda means business. After you clip in and the lights go down, she introduces herself as the pilot and prepares you for take off. Spoiler alert: for the next 45 minutes you’re in for a tough flight – even for a frequent flyer. The warm up song started with high torque and low rpm, and it only became more difficult from there. Despite being extremely challenging, Melinda’s focus on form and her witty personality kept the ride high quality and entertaining. Watch out for self-proclaimed “Melinda” seconds, where an 8-second sprint sneakily drags out to double the length.
FlyWheel SportsSpin
Colin’s class is a way to take your cycling to the next level. His inspiring yelling doesn’t hold you back, but pushes you further than you ever thought was possible. It is no surprise he was named one of ClassPass’s “Most Motivating Instructors”. In our opinion, Colin feels like a personal, down-to-earth coach who sweats right there with you, and before you know it you have set yet another power point PR. The class completes with a well-deserved, sweaty high-five from the man himself.
Advice: Expect heavy torq and lots of hills; Be ready to sweat from every pore in your body; Sign up early, his classes are always packed!
FlyWheel SportsSpin
From the music to the cues, Rachele mixes up her class so much that we never knew what to expect. The eclectic playlist of throwbacks combined with current jams surprisingly worked well with the rpms, yet the ever-changing torq and bike position kept us on our toes. Her ride was endurance based with a ton of 60 and 90 second pushes. Although longer than our sprinter legs would have liked, it allow a chance to get lost in the beat of the music. Rachele’s class is so unpredictable that when the 45-minutes were up we walked out of the stadium with both a brain and body workout.
Expect: the unexpected
FlyWheel SportsSpin
We know who is going to make the playlist at our next party. Catie. Macken. Ever heard the cheesy saying “time flies when you’re having fun”? – well, it’s actually true for her class. Blurring the lines between “work-hard, play-hard”, Catie brings an uplifting energy no matter how many riders are in the stadium. Which makes sense given she’s also the head yogi over at Corepower Comm Ave. Bottom line: Come for the music. Stay for the grind. Leave with some feel good vibes.
She’s typically on the schedule everyday but Sunday (*not sure if this is true – they only have the schedule posted out until the 15th), so there’s no excuse not to get yo’ booty in the saddle.
Advice: Check out her epic theme rides! Macklemore-Eminem? We’re in.
FlyWheel SportsSpin
As Boston’s Master Flywheel instructor Christina consistently delivers a quality ride. Her style of teaching is effortless, as if she could do it in her sleep. However, her class is anything but a snoozefest. She tells you exactly where she wants you. You lock in. And you ride to the rhythm of her perfectly picked song. With her precise planning of torq and rpm, Christina does all the thinking for you – making her an ideal choice for both first time riders and stadium junkies.
FlyWheel SportsSpin
We weren’t really feelin’ it when we entered Jessica’s class – it was 7:30AM on a Monday morning and we entered the studio eyes half shut. But 45 minutes riding with Jessica left us motivated, alert, happy, and ready to take on the week. Jessica was clear, authoritative, and continually reminded us to keep our form, even through the toughest parts of class. “Core tight, shoulders back” she would say as she fixed her own form and showed the class how we should ride properly. Jessica knows her stuff – and she knows how to make the class really, really tough. Between sprinting at a low resistance to pushing against the heaviest resistance possible, we felt like we couldn’t catch a break! We were still waking up in the back row as we fought against a 40 torque (for flywheel newbies, this is heavy, okay) as we were about to give up she yelled “20 more seconds, your mind gives up before your body!” We trusted her that we could do it, and pushed for those 20 seconds as hard as we could. It hurt, but it was such a good hurt.
FlyWheel SportsSpin
Like a boss, Laura Mucci made sure she got maximum effort out of us during her FlyWheel 45 class. We can happily say she delivered the same effort in return, with an intensity that matched the torque and power that she coached us to, and a personality as bold as her badass tattoos.
We were all about this relatively choreography-free ride, built with plenty of speed and resistance. Like Laura’s favorite mash-up songs, this class had us guessing what was coming up next for the full 45 minutes — both of which we digged. Some occasional tap backs, mixed in after our legs were burning from hills, allowed for just enough swagger on the bike to keep us satisfied and eager to check out another one of her classes (teaching at both FlyWheel & EveryBodyFights).
FlyWheelSpin
If there’s a new kid on the block at FlyWheel, best believe we’re excited to give their class a spin. Instructor LJ Jacques definitely had the poise and motivation factor to deliver a solid ride. And whatever arm routines she’s doing, we wouldn’t mind borrowing a page out of that playbook.
LJ’s teaching style can best be described as a friendly swagger. She was welcoming and upbeat when we entered the studio, but turned on her game face as soon as she cued the music and the torque boards turned on.
The course was fast and hilly, with a lot of out-of-seat work that left our quads no choice but to bring their “A” game. LJ’s cues were easy to follow, choreography was minimal and smooth. Intensity was steady throughout class – not necessarily the same level you might be accustomed to with some of the veterans instructors, but LJ absolutely held her own, fits right in at Fly, and brought her own unique style to the mix.
