I Tried the RYDE Spin Class on Carnival Cruise Line
The RYDE studio on Carnival Vista can accommodate about 15 cyclists for a grueling and fun workout.
The sweat starts rolling down my face around Minute 5. My heart really starts racing moments later after our instructor Filip orders us to pick up our RPMs. I'm already wondering "Why, oh why, do I do this to myself?" as the five of us in the RYDE spin class Carnival Vista still have a full 40 minutes to go.
The best (worst) part of this whole ordeal is that there is nowhere to hide. If you're like me, you have taken part in your share of spin classes over the years. No one else really knows how high or low you've set the resistance on your bike controls. Not quite feeling it, you can take a few minutes here and there throughout the class and dial it down a little.
Not in RYDE. The class is simple and revealing. The instructor prods, encourages, sets the pace and gives signals for the RPM levels he wants you to keep and for how long. Ramping things up and down in intervals to simulate hill climbs and descents.
We alternate time spinning while in the seat with sessions standing and mashing the pedals.
Filip even plays DJ while leading the class, flipping through his music selections to get just the right tunes to set a proper beat.
A heart-rate monitor tracks your work, so everyone can see how much effort you are putting in to your workout. The output is shown in real time during your workout on a big screen (pictured above).
All the while, there it is up there on a big screen monitor at the head of the studio for all to see: your work output. It's not necessarily meant to make the riders in class compete against one another.
But c'mon! What do you think will happen when you list a "points" score and a measure for exertion levels on the screen? A heart monitor strap around our chest shows our individual readouts.
That's all part of the fun, though. It's not meant to embarrass the riders. Everyone is encouraged to do what they can, and any competition that emerges can only help to make the class more enjoyable and your workout more effective.
For the RYDE spin class on Carnival Vista, you get special shoes to use. They clip into the pedals to keep your foot in place and maximize your efficiency.
It's easy to wonder who would self inflict this type of physical torture on themselves while on a cruise vacation. Apparently enough people to make this quite the popular new fitness class on Carnival Vista. Lines are adding more and more space to their cruise ship gyms and finding innovative fitness classes to offer on cruise ships as more passengers are interested in wellness and living healthier lifestyles.
I took the class with four others — all women — including one person who had taken all three sessions of RYDE offered during our 8-day cruise (she crushed us, by the way, obviously a serious cyclist).
The RYDE studio is on Deck 12 near the fitness center in Carnival Vista's Cloud 9 Spa facility. Classes cost $20 and are available on other Carnival Corp. ships, too.
Good thing it was in staggering distance to the treatment rooms. After beating myself up on the bike at that early-morning hour, you bet I was going to get a massage.
Thanks for reading,
Travel fit! Travel happy! Travel often!
JR