It’s 6.30 pm on a Friday and we’re at Bengaluru’s newest spinning studio, Chakra. While the concept is not new, the studio is among only a handful of its kind in the city. Started by siblings Nastassja and Nikhil Suri, it exclusively offers spinning workouts with state-of-the-art equipment.
Before we begin our 45-minute session, we pick out our cycling shoes, which clip on to the pedals of the machine to give you a better grip so you don’t fall off the bike. As one can imagine, picking a shoe of the right size is vital, as the wrong fit can affect your entire workout.
Spread across 3,700 square feet, the studio is spacious and split across two floors. The workout room has 30 cycles, but only 15 are used at a time to adhere to social distancing norms. The rhythm-based cardio workout begins with a medium-paced song, and our instructor tells us the speed at which to cycle - 60 rpm (revolutions per minute). We find our pace in a few seconds and work towards maintaining it. It is challenging (in a good way) to stick to the rpm (which is measured in a small screen between the handles), as we adjust the gears in our bike. Lower gears are great for weight loss and building stamina, while higher gears work on strength building and shaping your glutes, quads and hamstrings. In addition, the core is constantly engaged during these sessions, so you’re also working on your abs.
The next song is 120 rpm, and we’re asked to spin standing up. As we move our feet to keep pace with the rpm, so does our heart beat! It’s high intensity cardio and despite the level of difficulty, we’re not complaining. Another song comes on and this time, we’re either doing push-ups on the handles or working on our triceps by lifting dumbbells, while simultaneously pedaling to the rhythm. A few more songs, with varying speeds and multiple additional moves, later we are cooling down. While this is usually our favourite part of any workout, we find that the complete session was quite enjoyable.
Ideal for both newbies and long-term fitness freaks, this workout is a great way to change things up a bit and set yourself a new challenge.
Rs.714 per class. At Infantry Road.