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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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Pure Barre vs. SoulCycle

May 30, 2017 by Taylor Leave a Comment

Pure Barre vs SoulCycle - Espresso and Ambition

Confession time: I really love group fitness classes. While I used to generally prefer working out on my own, I’ve come to love the atmosphere created by a workout class. Plus, the reserved times give me an incentive to not bail on my workouts, because I’ve already paid for them and don’t really feel like throwing away money (seriously, Pure Barre’s $15 cancellation policy is the ultimate motivator). I first got into these classes through the Pure Barre in Athens, which was and is to this day my absolute saving grace as far as workouts go. But while I’m in DC this summer, I decided to branch out a little bit and try out a new variety of workout class. Enter: SoulCycle. Now that I’ve gotten a little bit of experience with both, I figured I’d share some of my thoughts on each. If you’re trying to decide on a workout program, hopefully this post can provide you with a little guidance.

 

The Learning Curve

Pure Barre: Some of the concepts in Pure Barre just don’t come naturally to most people. The workout is centered around isometric movements, which means you’re generally only moving your body about an inch at a time. This can be a bit of an adjustment for some people, and it definitely requires a bit of concentration to make sure that every part of your body is in the right position. The instructors are super helpful with this, though, and often come around correcting people’s form to make sure you’re getting the most out of your workout.

SoulCycle: Of the two, I’d definitely say the learning curve for SoulCycle is steeper. In addition to learning the movements, understanding how to work a stationary bike, and the idea of moving to the beat of the music, there’s also a base level of cardiovascular fitness that the class requires. If you’ve got that background, it makes the learning curve a little easier, but the class a whole definitely requires a lot of new skills.

 

The Environment

Pure Barre: Here’s our first big contrast. Pure Barre studios are generally pretty well-lit, have carpeted floors, and the walls of the room have, you guessed it, barres. You’re usually pretty spaced out, because many of the exercises require at least a little space for your legs/arms to move.

SoulCycle: The SoulCycle studio rooms, on the other hand, are pretty dark. Usually, there are just candles providing light, and the instructor may have control of a few small spotlights. The bikes are packed pretty close together as well, because the class emphasizes the concept of “riding as a pack.” This definitely fosters a real sense of closeness with your neighbor, because you’re only a foot or two away from them.

 

Pure Barre vs SoulCycle - Espresso and Ambition

 

Instructors

Pure Barre: I can only speak for one location, but I adore the Athens instructors. They’re the perfect combination of encouraging and relaxing, and definitely know what they’re doing. They’re constantly checking people’s form and making sure that everyone’s challenging themselves (I’ve had more than one instructor make me go lower on a leg workout because they could sense I was being lazy and not really pushing myself in the moment).

SoulCycle: The instructors yell. A lot. In a good way, of course, but they’re definitely high-energy people. In a class like this, that’s exactly what you need, because, well, it’s a pretty high-energy class. They’re generally on the bikes themselves, which makes it easy to follow along and catch on to the beat if you’re not quite sure what pace you’re supposed to be keeping (which is fantastic if you’re like me who, even after being both a cheerleader and in chorus in high school, still can’t find the correct beat on a pop song).

 

Workout Gear 

Pure Barre: Pure Barre attire is pretty simple. Workout tank or t-shirt with leggings, and special Pure Barre socks. I’d advise against wearing shorts, because you use resistance bands that would probably hurt against bare skin. You also have the option to wear your own socks, but the “sticky” bottoms on Pure Barre socks work wonders for making sure that you don’t slide all over the place while you’re in different body positions.

SoulCycle: SoulCycle has pretty much the same uniform, clothing-wise, but it’s also acceptable to wear shorts and sports bras given how sweaty it can get. The biggest pain, however, is the cycling shoes because they really up the cost of the workout. You have two options here. You can buy a pair for $150, of you can rent a pair every time you go for $3. I ended up buying a pair, because if you’re planning on going to more than 50 classes, which I probably will, it’s more logical to buy them. If you somehow already own cycling shoes though, you’re in the clear here.

Pure Barre vs SoulCycle - Espresso and Ambition

 

Workout Type

Pure Barre: As I mentioned earlier, Pure Barre really is about little, isometric movements. That being said, it’s not very cardio-heavy and generally focuses on strength training – lift, tone, burn is the motto. If you read that thinking that there’s no way Pure Barre could help you lose weight, though, you’d be totally wrong. Something about that type of strength training, while not particularly heavy on the calorie-burning side, helps build up lean muscle that increases your metabolism and translates to weight loss (this is my best interpretation of what it does based on past experience, at least).

SoulCycle: It’s a spin class, so it’s just as cardio-heavy as you’d expect. Maybe even more so. There’s a lot of upper body movement and fiddling with resistance levels that all challenge your body in different ways and ensure that the workout isn’t all just in your legs.

 

Special Classes 

Pure Barre: Pure Barre’s main “special” class is Platform, which is a modification of Pure Barre that uses, shocker, a platform. It’s much more cardio-focused, and those isometric movements get a little bigger in order to support that goal. They also occasionally offer “intensives,” which are longer classes (usually around 90 minutes or so) that have a specific target.

SoulCycle: There’s a ton of themed classes, often based on the artists featured in the music. I’ve been to a Beyoncé’s Lemonade-themed class that was just phenomenal, and I’m planning on going to an “Evolution of Kanye West” class next week. The class itself isn’t all that different, but it’s fun when all of the music follows a specific theme. They also have classes, called Soul Survivor and Soul Challenge, that are essentially SoulCycle classes but longer (60 and 90 minutes, respectively) if you’re really looking to challenge your endurance levels.

 

Post-Workout

Pure Barre: Another big contrast here. After a Pure Barre class, I’m totally fine to go hang out at a coffee shop or meet a friend for lunch. You break a sweat, but not enough so that you need a shower immediately.

SoulCycle: No joke, I very closely resemble a drowned rat post-SoulCycle. The tightly-packed room plus the high intensity nature of the workout means you’re pretty much dripping sweat by the end. I almost feel guilty riding the Metro home because my shirt is positively soaked and my face closely resembles a tomato.

Pure Barre vs SoulCycle - Espresso and Ambition

 

 

I’m not going to give a final verdict on which class is better, because it really depends on what your interests are. If you want a calmer class that really works to tone and define every part of your body, Pure Barre is for you; if you’re one of those people who weirdly loves cardio (don’t worry, I’m one of them too) and doesn’t mind dishing out some extra cash on shoes, you’ll probably prefer SoulCycle. Whichever one you choose, you’re guaranteed a great workout and a high probability of getting hooked.

xo, Taylor

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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