Trammell knows how to get the room going. Although he didn’t ride with us, he still managed to fuel the ride with his energy. During the first song (our warmup), he and the front desk/management staff had a full on dance party to get us going – they really got into it! Throughout the ride, Trammell pushed us to try harder, add a little more, etc. He would occasionally stop in front of a rider to give them personalized attention and encouragement. Trammell’s class was a heart pumping workout, urging us to test the boundaries of our abilities in a supportive and fun environment. Catch his class if you can.

Mike Press showed up ready to work just as hard, if not harder, than the riders in his class. He seemed soft spoken at first, but perhaps he just needed a warm-up as much as we did, because as class progressed he became more and more alive.

Mike did the entire workout with us. We did some standard choreography but Mike had some atypical moves on the bike that we loved. We did full cross body oblique crunches, rode with one weight extended in front of our body (switching off between hands), and did cross body handlebar switches (our right hand was on the left handlebar and then the left hand was on the right handlebar). The core engagement required to do this move was a challenge alone, and then we had to keep up with his pace!

Mike applied decent resistance throughout the entire class – there was nothing light and fast and at times it was really heavy. He kept us riding to the beat of the music and added resistance as needed. His arms series included several moves: double arm and single arm punches, straight arm raises and bicep curls, and predominantly worked our bis and shoulders.

He waited until the “going home” song to really drop some inspiration on us. Something that stuck with us was when he challenged us to go through our day without making excuses. He went on to say that not making excuses is his 2017 resolution – he has been trying to do that every day since January 1st. Challenging, impressive and thought-provoking…

Sometimes trying a new instructor at SoulCycle can be daunting – we totally get it. However, it shouldn’t deter you, especially if that instructor happens to be Claire J. Claire’s class started out with a proper warmup and though it began a bit on the slower side, the resistance and pace varied throughout the class and she tricked us into getting a hard workout. Claire was a supportive instructor from start to finish and kept us motivated to push through when the going got tough. We will definitely be taking more of Claire’s classes!

Daniel is outgoing and started by greeting people as they checked in at the front desk. Upon entering the studio, it felt warm before class even started, and we were the first class that day … Daniel acknowledged the temperature and assured us they would get it cooled off, which they did. We started class with a two song warm up, nothing too strenuous. During class, we definitely got our sweat on. We tackled some sprints, a couple of moderate hills and hit up some choreography – love those sexy corners. His playlist was good and, while we didn’t recognize many of the songs, there was always a great beat to ride to.

Between the air situation and his laptop, Daniel seemed distracted. He faced his computer (not class) about 50% of the time, but when he dialed into the class, the energy in the room was great. When he was distracted, the energy dipped, the room was out of sync and it was hard to stay engaged.

Olivia is the epitome of inspiration both in and out of the studio (ICYMI, she won the Biggest Loser in 2011). Her own personal fitness journey infiltrates her Soul teaching style and we drink that up. Olivia has a ton of energy and she works the room (she didn’t ride in our class). She used her movements off the bike to help keep the room in sync: she was the conductor and we were her orchestra. There was a good amount of choreography (mostly tap backs and push ups) which worked with each song fluidly, and her playlist was on point! Olivia had several tips on form and offered different perspectives on how to think about and achieve proper form throughout class. She was vigilant about checking in on our form, giving tips or giving riders shoutouts for riding with proper form. Olivia is big on gratitude and her inspirational tidbits will give you all the feels. When you leave Olivia’s class you will be drenched in sweat, riding  that Soul high with a smile on your face.

If you like dancing on the bike at Soul, you should check out Emma’s class. Every song (even in our warm up) had choreography. There wasn’t a Soul-inspired move we didn’t do! The ride was not dominated by fast runs or crushing hills; it walked the fine line between the two, making for an even-keeled yet challenging ride. Emma played with intervals, varying the intensity with purpose. But her cue to add resistance was a bit confusing: “add a centimeter.” Consistency is key. “Put a little on”, “half turn”, “quarter turn”, etc. should be the Soul gold standard, just sayin…..

The weights portion of the ride was a full upper body workout, and we even got into the abs with some of her moves – not mad about that!  Emma’s playlist was good but some songs were a bit obscure. At least they all had a beat, making it easier to ride to the rhythm as a pack.

Emma didn’t ride with us and roamed the room as she taught. She had great energy but it can be hard to command all of that space from the floor. That’s not to say she didn’t give it her all! There was a lot of YES!, WHOOP! and GO! Emma is definitely there to cheer you on. Overall, Emma’s class is what we have come to expect from SoulCycle – definitely a solid option if you are up for it!

Amanda is all energy. The energy she exudes fuels the class from start to finish and it’s infectious. What’s even more impressive is that she had this much energy after teaching a class right before us! She rode about 75% of the class with us and the other 25% she was running (literally) around the room showing her riders love. She was highly engaged and gave props to the class for bringing their A game. Her class is like her: high energy. She must know her class is on the harder side because there were a few times where she mentioned modifications for newer riders. Amanda pushes you in all the right ways during class: from her choreography to her moments of inspiration, she keeps you motivated to move when you think you may be spent.

Sophia is a long, lean, spinning machine. She is very energetic and will work you hard and whip her ponytail back and forth in emphasis during the ride. Her jams were on point and so was her vibe. It didn’t take long to break a sweat – song #2 to be exact. Her class was packed and her warm up was effective. She did incorporate a lot of choreography but made it clear that if we weren’t comfortable with moving on the bike, the moves should be left behind. Be prepared to do tap backs all day – our fave.

Sophia moves fast – it was hard work just to keep up with her, not to mention the choreography. She provided a varied ride with some hills, faster runs with moderate resistance and some fast sprints – you’ll hit it all. The variation is so appreciated: it provides a well-rounded workout and helps the class go by more quickly! Her arm workout was hard – we definitely had to take some breaks. But again, she made it worth our while and got the best out of us when we didn’t think we had much to give.