Pandemic 15 anyone?
Right after my fourth (and final) baby was born, I had finally just started getting enough sleep to return to my fitness gym when COVID hit.
And like everyone else, we ate out a lot to support local restaurants and we baked a lot to support yeast and flour manufacturers (or so we tell ourselves). I had originally planned to do another round of fitness reviews to shake off any extra baby weight, but one year later, it was to get after those pandemic pounds.
And like the previous fitness reviews I did here and here, I have a lot to weigh in about Spenga, F45, CycleBar, Club Pilates, and One Gym:
SPENGA Review
What’s Spenga you ask? A portmanteau for Spin + Strength + Yoga and that’s exactly what you should expect when you go here.
Walking into Spenga feels more like a boutique than a gym, however, the moment you walk through the gym doors it’s game time. The lighting is dark, the music is fast-paced and there are….flashes of lightning.
Not really, but they have cool effects during your ride that mimic lightning.
The first part of the workout is a 20 minutes, moderately intense bike ride where your goal is to reach your “sweet spot”- a personalized and calibrated power training zone based on your heart rate and bike output.
From there you hit strength on the floor, it moved through timed movements where the entire class was generally doing the same thing at the same time. Lastly, you end up doing 20 minutes of yoga to stretch with the last 2 minutes reserved for meditation.
So you probably figured out the class structure- high intensity cardio>moderate intensity strength>straight up taking a nap. Kidding, sorta.
The yoga was different for me. I’m used to work, work, work until the clock stops but it forced me to be more intentional about stretching and bringing down my heart rate. And let’s be real, we probably could all use a little more stretching in our workout routine.
One of my favorite parts? One of the Spenga staff members goes through each station as you finish and wipes everything down. How’s that for service?
How long is a Spenga workout? 1 Hour
Who would like Spenga? If you’re at any fitness level and want a lower impact workout and incorporating more stretching into your routine then Spenga is perfect for you.
What is the cost of Spenga? Unlimited is $159/month, 8x a month is $119, 4x a month for $79
Want to try Spenga? Click Here
F45 Fitness Review
I had heard so much hype about F45 that I coudn’t wait to try it out. What’s F45 you asks? It stands for Functional 45 which means functional workouts for only 45 minutes.
You enter through the doors and immediately you’re paired or grouped up with people who rotate through the workout with you. Everyone starts off on the green turf while a coach and assistant coach do a class-wide demonstration of the workouts and class flow.
During my week there, the format changed between types of workouts- Cardio, Strength, or a hybrid of the two. The Saturday workout, however, was the hybrid and 60 minutes instead of 45.
Oh yeah, did I mention they have a live DJ spinning music? Because it’s as fun and cool as it sounds.
If I were to describe F45 in an elevator pitch, I would say there are some echoes of a CrossFit workout while incorporating both circuit and HIIT style training.
Don’t blink because the class goes by so fast you’ll have no time to talk yourself out of the workout.
How long is an F45 workout? 45-1 Hour
Who might like F45? If you’re looking to mix it up and add more strength to your cardio or just don’t love tons of cardio then this is for you.
What is the cost of F45? $165/unlimited or $140/month for 8
Want to try F45? Click Here
CycleBar Indoor Cycling Review
For those who own a Peloton and never have experienced a live, in-person class then CycleBar is the closest you’ll come in Omaha to that. When you walk into CycleBar there is an extremely friendly and welcoming atmosphere, like “Nebraska Nice” written all over.
You’re provided shoes with clips and they help you get situated if you’ve never clipped into a bike and sized correctly. As you walk into the dark workout studio the room starts to come alive. People are chatting and catching up and the instructors are actively engaged with the members.
You might think that a 45-60 minute ride on a spin bike sounds boring and you would be 100% correct if that’s all it was. Not the case here.
I was amazed to find the amount of variation that they were able to incorporate in a ride. Tapping in and out, swaying left to right by bending your elbow, and lifting a weighted bar (which by the way are no joke even at 4 or 6 lbs).
And again, for those familiar with Peloton I would say the intesity at CycleBar resembles a Kendal O’Toole workout which is who I always chose when I wanted a “hard” workout. The difference was this was a person you could actually talk to and even make song and ride theme requests ahead of time.
What I thought I signed up for was a intense cycling workout. What I also got was a 45-60 minute pep talk to start my day.
How long is a CycleBar workout? 45-1 Hour
What is the cost of CycleBar? $159/month for unlimited, $119/month for 8 rides, or $69/month for 4 rides.
Who might like CycleBar? If you were looking to intesify your spin workout or looking for a “real life” Peloton atmosphere, this is it.
Want to try CycleBar? Click Here
Club Pilates Review
Remember that one time I thought Barre would be easy? Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson.
I assumed Pilates would be a piece of cake, too, because you’re lying down on a pilates reformer which is pretty much the same thing as taking a nap, right???
Well don’t make the same mistake and assume low impact means “easy”. Sure, at the start of the workout they definitely ease you into the movements but as it progressed, it became increasingly more difficult. There was a tiny learning curve for getting in and out of movements, however, a little patience and some direction from their instructors and I picked up on it in no time.
My confidence level in my physical abilities was really high at the start and lost momentum as I went 😉 In fact, there were several times I had to come out of movements because everything was burning!
But what I found during my week at Club Pilates was the methodic and intentional movements forced your body to strengthen muscles that often are overlooked and disregarded.
By slowing down and working through these areas, I felt increasingly stronger without all the sweat.
How long is a Club Pilates workout? 50 minutes
What is the cost of Club Pilates? $89-$199/month
Who might like Club Pilates: If you prefer a much more low impact that targets a full body toning then you’ll love it here.
Want to try Club Pilates? Click Here
One Gym Elkhorn Review
I tried CrossFit once before and lived to tell about it. You might not immediately recognize “One Gym” because it was formerly CrossFit Elkhorn. Part of the rebrand meant incorporating other workouts and styles that were complementary to CrossFit to appeal to a broader audience.
I’ve said it before but the CrossFit community is one of the warmest and inviting fitness cultures out there and that’s a good thing because the workout is not as warm and inviting.
Let me explain.
I generally consider myself “in shape” for as much food as I eat, but CrossFit always has a way of bringing me back down to earth. Is it difficult? Totally. Worth a try? 100% yes. You are pushed beyond your limits by the coaches and the other members and there is no judgement for those not as strong (cough…me…cough).
During my week at One Gym in Elkhorn, I tried an “OGX” class, CrossFit class, and OG Cardio. Three totally different workout structures all encompassed in one building happening simultaneously.
The OGX is a weekly progression of workouts that builds up in intensity, CrossFit is a pretty straightforward class with strength and sometimes cardio, and the Cardio class had a high emphasis on maintaining certain (and very high!) heart rate levels.
They were all challenging in their own respects and it was nice to have the option of doing whichever one I wanted. One member put it best by saying, “There are a ton of classes offered with your membership and you get to cherry pick what you want.”
The best part about One Gym? At the end of each class, though, I was impressed by how members continued to work out, run together, and stretch together. Everyone there went out of their way to make me feel welcome and I’m certain you’ll experience the same.
How long is a One Gym workout? 1 Hour
What is the cost of One Gym Elkhorn? Call for pricing.
Who might like One Gym Elkhorn? If you want to enter the CrossFit world (or are already in it) and want the option to do multiple types of workouts then you’ll love it here.
Want to try One Gym Elkhorn? Click Here
What was my favorite workout?
In the past I used to “summarize” these posts, but I think people are always itching to know which one I liked the best. For me, it was F45 all the way.
I encourage you to give any of these gyms a try if you were ever on the fence about any of them.
If you happen to want to try F45 for a free week, drop my name when you join and get a special promo that I worked out just for my readers.
Have specific questions about each gym? Hit me up!
Did we work out together? Let me know below my commenting below.
