[solidcore] Review
solidcore is what happens when you let a SoulCycle instructor teach a class in a BDSM dungeon. At it’s heart, it’s a bodyweight fitness class with the added energy of SoulCycle . I’ve been wary of flashy classes like SoulCycle and Orange Theory, but, when I had the opportunity to go with my team, I had to try it out. Here’s the skinny on the fitness class that is solidcore.
You enter solidcore and it looks like pretty much every other yoga studio. It’s well lit and there’s a check-in desk along with some changing rooms. After getting changed, we were ready to embark on our fitness adventure. Note that you are expected to ditch your shoes and socks, rather walk around barefoot. As a traveling consultant, this is nice since you don’t need to pack an extra pair of shoes.
A few minutes before the class begins you enter the dimly lit studio, with distinct accent lighting, and receive training on the reformer machines. The reformer machine is essentially two platforms, one of which is on a sliding track. The moving platform can be attached to different bungee cords which provide varying levels of resistance.
All in, there nine or so reformer machines in a solidcore studio, which creates for a pretty intimate setting. At first, I was worried about looking like a fool amongst my new coworkers, it was quickly evident that everyone else becomes too preoccupied trying.
The class consists of a 50-minute workout in which you go through a variety of slow bodyweight exercises. The exercises themselves aren’t intense, but holding them for extended duration can be challenging. For example, you’ll have to hold a plank while the moving platform is trying to pull you further apart. Furthermore, it worked muscles I otherwise wouldn’t have touched. I definitely felt sore in my inner thighs the next day.
Paired with the workout is an energetic instructor who is all too ecstatic to keep you holding your plank to catchy dance music. It is definitely an encouraging (if not a bit intimidating) environment which will want you to perform. Above all, it is a very supportive environment. I definitely do not have the motivation to perform fifty minutes of body weight workouts on the regular, so having an engaging instructor was helpful.
That said the instructor didn’t do much other than provide encouragement. There were a couple of times that the instructor vaguely corrected my form, but not nearly as most classes would. There was a secondary instructor who also participated in the class with us, but it was hard to look to her for guidance while doing your workout.
For me, the big takeaway from solidcore was the power of body weight workouts. I’ve done my fair share of push-ups and pull-ups, but solidcore helped me realize that there were so many other bodyweight exercises I can start incorporating. I’ll definitely be doing more weighted crunches and sideways planks.
Is it worth the $30 bucks that each class costs, probably not, but it is a unique experience and a good reminder of the power of bodyweight workouts.
