A few weeks ago our Brighton Girl, certified personal trainer, spin instructor and self titled ‘fitness guinea pig’ Alice went to Rox Life Fitness to test one of their classes.

Rox Life, which opened in September, is a brand new fitness boutique located on Western Road. It is close to the centre of Brighton and Hove and is near bus stops and cafes. It is a fitness studio with a premium offering of indoor cycling, high intensity interval training, boxing inspired fitness and Vinyasa flow yoga.

The Studio

At the entrance of the boutique you can find the reception and the studio on the right. Upstairs there are the changing rooms with lockers, showers, towels, razors and hair products free for you to borrow.

The Class and atmosphere

The class I tried out was the indoor cycling class. It was a special 45 min ‘live garage’ class. I was excited to see what was planned for us!

We had to give our shoe size at the reception and we were given a pair of cycling shoes to click onto the pedals while cycling. The shoes are good as they prevent you from sliding off the pedals while you spin, but are hard to put on. I had the instructor put it on AND off for me… then again I guess it’s a question of getting used to it.

There was a drummer next to the instructor to play to the music. It sounded like a great idea, but as far I am concerned, I didn’t feel the drums were necessary. The music was way too loud and I struggled to hear what the instructor was saying. At first, I thought bringing a musician to the class was going to be enjoyable, but I found it hard to follow the rhythm whilst riding.

It included a couple of spins, but it wasn’t high intensity. To my surprise, I did not break a single sweat and had to set the bike resistance a bit higher each time, but still couldn’t fee thatl I was working enough. Maybe I would have worked harder if the music was Techno or House, even pure hip pop, but no drums.

A set of kg-weights are provided with the bike and we got to do a lot of arm exercises. With the many repetitions, I could feel the burn towards the end. That’s when the lactic acid kicked in – yay! I was so happy to feel a bit of a burn.

However, the atmosphere was great and the instructor was motivating and all levels are welcome here. As the class wasn’t too high in intensity during this class, I think it would have been great for beginners in fitness or indoor cycling.

What To Wear:

A simple short sleeve top and a pair of leggings, shoes are provided on the spot.

PRICE :

Single session : £15

10 sessions : -20% off all packages (expires 3 months from date of purchase) - £108

20 sessions – 20% off all packages : £192

Memberships : 4 sessions a month for £48

ROXstar – 20% off – 9 sessions/month for £77/month

The Ultimate ROXstar : - 20% off : £114/month

CONCLUSION :

I have been to countless spinning classes and even if it’s not what I am teaching, I am actually qualified as a spin instructor. Spinning is so beneficial in so many ways for the lower body. However, I don’t see the point in working the arms as it is a cardiovascular and lower body focused sport, but each instructor is different and I fully respect everyone’s point of view. There are so many ways you can play with the rhythm with pauses and accelerations, resistance, up and downs and so on…

The price range is quite high and I can’t afford that much even for a single session. However, knowing it is offering a wide option of memberships and services, I understand it suits other people’s expectations and needs. If I were to test out another one of these classes I would definitely choose the boxing or the HIIT to see how it would compare to other classes U have been to.

So, if you are a beginner in fitness or in spinning you must try this class out, because it is a good way to learn the basics and it seems like Rox Life organises a few cool classes with live music and that’s different and fun!

Written by Alice-Rose Brard

Photos by Rox Life