Post by Shawna Page.
The first thing that pops into my head when thinking about my experience at Wheelhouse Cycle is the song “Bicycle Race” by Queen. For those of you that are not familiar with the song the beginning goes like this; “Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle, I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle.” And at wheelhouse Cycle that is exactly what you get to do!
Upon entering the new spin gym, located at 1279 Wellington Street West, you are greeted with an energy that can only be described as electric. The passion and positivity felt as soon as you enter will make your day brighter. Heather Andrews and Nadine Hogan (co-owners) are huge reasons behind this uplifting experience. Each have their own reason for their love of spinning and this love brought them together through a mutual friend.
Heather was an avid runner for the longest time, which started to take a toll on her joints. Her doctor told her to try spinning as it’s a much lower impact exercise for your knees, and so she did.
Nadine has been into the spinning scene for quite some time. She also enjoys Yoga, which she has been able to integrate into her spin classes.
Once these two connected there was no looking back. Heather and Nadine decided to build an intimate, high energized environment to encourage people to pursue their health, wellness and fitness goals. They called this place Wheelhouse Cycle. They have been working day and night to make this dream come true. Personally training each of Wheelhouse Cycle’s 13 other spin instructor’s from Heather’s basement and opening the doors of their studio for the first time early in March has kept these two very busy.
From the moment I put my shoes on I knew I was going to be in good hands. Heather got me all set up on my bike for my first ride. She made sure my seat was adjusted properly for my height and that I knew how to clip my shoes in; then walked in our instructor…Ginny Robinson. As soon as Ginny walked in the room the energy level went up about ten notches. She introduced herself to everyone in the class and made sure everyone was all set for their 50 minute spinning session. Once Ginny was convinced everyone was ready she started her playlist and the class began.
Every playlist at Wheelhouse Cycle is choreographed to be exactly the right length and to provide the optimal workout. Each song is the precise length it needs to be to push the class just the right amount. One thing that separates the classes at Wheelhouse Cycle from any other spinning class is that you ride with the beat of the music. Therefore the thought that goes into each playlist is of the utmost importance. This must be why hours and hours go into making each individual playlist.
From the playlist that Ginny put together for us, it was apparent that she meant business. We started with a nice road race to warm-up our legs. Once ready, Ginny held nothing back! She made sure we pushed ourselves to our limits by getting us to increase the resistance, getting up off of the bike seat, and adding in some weighted exercises for our arms. As someone who is not foreign to weight training I was unsure at first if the small 5 pound weights would have an effect, but Ginny put that unsureness to rest. She ensured that we not only worked our legs and core, but that we got our arms into the mix allowing for a full body workout.
I can definitely say that by the end of the 50 minutes I was sweating, smiling and re-energized.
The atmosphere, music, instructors, and owners at Wheelhouse Cycle make you feel at home from the moment you step in the studio. Each rider is given undivided attention before, during and after each session making them feel at ease and comfortable. In all my experience at wheelhouse was great! I left with a smile knowing I had worked as hard as I could.
If ever you need a pick-me-up or some high energy exercise I would highly recommend going to see the ladies at wheelhouse.
