Pushin’ the Pedal to the Metal at Bear Cycle!
I visited an old favorite, Bear Cycle, for this week's studio. Bear Cycle is a part of Baylor University's FitWell program and is in the Russel Gym on campus. I took many Bear Cycle classes during my freshman year, but this past academic year, I stopped going due to scheduling.
A new instructor, Maddie, led the class. Before class started, she helped me adjust my bike and gave me a refresher on terminology she would use during class. Maddie did a great job of explaining what gears are and RPM.
Courtesy of Baylor University
*Pictured is the inside of Bear Cycle. The lights are dimmed during the class, and there are two rows of stationary bicycles.
Maddie told me she is also a sophomore and used to attend many Bear Cycle classes, then one of the instructors left, and they asked her to fill in. At first, it was hard for her to juggle classes and teaching, but it has been a good challenge for her.
As we started class, we began with a challenging warmup, and the goal was to warm our legs and increase our heart rate. I already felt tired as we started to do "sprints," where you peddle as fast as you can in multiple intervals.
Throughout the workout, we would increase resistance to make the pedals feel heavier and stand up to "climb." A climb is where you stand up to imitate biking up a hill. About halfway through the class, my thighs were starting to burn. Maddie would call out a number for an ideal RPM, the resistance per minute, the amount you can pedal in a minute. Thankfully this would be a broad range, and she made sure to cater to the new students and those who go frequently.
Maddie incorporated push-ups in the workout, which I did not think would be hard to do but definitely was. We also would do "tap backs," where you hover from your seat and then slide back and forth. At the end, we did a stretch to finish the workout, and we mainly stretched out the legs.
Cycling is one of my least favorite workouts, but I enjoyed my time at Bear Cycle. Some other cycle classes are more intimidating, like showing your statistics on a screen for everyone to see if you are out of range. At Bear Cycle, they do not have that on display for everyone. Maddie encouraged us to push ourselves rather than overdo it.
Bear Cycle and the FitWell program as a whole is an excellent option for students at Baylor. To get unlimited FitWell classes for the semester, not just Bear Cycle, is $15. I have only tried Bear Cycle, but they offer barre, yoga, water aerobics, Zumba, and even Bollywood dance classes.
I would return to Bear Cycle, and I wish more students knew about the FitWell program. Only three of us were in the class! Not only is Fitwell convenient since it is on campus, but it is affordable. The instructors are knowledgeable, and it is a great way to make new friends.
