Cycle With Abigail Beck
You might recognize Abigail Beck as our new cycle instructor at the Downtown Sun Devil Fitness Complex. She’s taken the initiative to create two new programs this semester, Cycle Beat by Beat and Cycle Rise and Reset. In both classes, Abigail is working hard to create an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome at the gym and can take a mental break from the stresses of college.
“So I have Cycle Beat by Beat and Cycle Ride and Reset. Cycle Beat by Beat is just intense, party on the bike, absolute rave, because that’s what I like to do—really intense cardio workouts,” said Abigail. “Ride and Reset is a calm down. It still has a little bit of energy to it—because I don’t want it to be a dull class—but it has softer songs, and the workouts are a little bit slower. Some of them are still kind of intense, but they are not anything crazy, just so that you are still getting a workout in.”
During classes, she focuses on inspiration, motivation, and perfecting your form. She starts off class with a good quote or words of encouragement for getting through a tough week of school and then ups the intensity, taking riders through sprints and hills with high resistance and complex choreography.
In Cycle Ride and Reset, Abigail has designed the class to be an intentional workout. She sets aside an entire song toward the end of class for riders to reflect on their week, goals, and what they want to improve on during the next set. “To me, wellness means being well within your body, but also within your mind. I think that’s a really big part in especially group wellness because basically I just want people to able to come in and be like, ‘Okay, even if I had a bad week, at least I can do this little thing for myself, and I’m waking up on a Friday morning and pushing myself to do something,’” said Abigail.
Abigail started cycling in January of last year. After a first semester of feeling lost at the gym, she found that group fitness classes were a way to feel excited and happy about working out again. She wants others to feel confident and welcome in group fitness and know that there is no standard or expectation they need to meet. “I want people to want to work out and not feel like they have to look a certain way. Over the summer, I was so intimidated walking into the gym, and I’m a fitness instructor…But then I realized I’m working as hard as I can, and I’m doing what my version of a workout is, and I want people to know that there is no standard,” said Abigail. “You don’t need to lift weights, you don’t need to be a runner, you can do dance, you can cycle, you can do all these things, and that’s why I like group fitness, because it motivated me to be happy and want to exercise again and to not feel like it was a chore.”
There is a lot that college students feel like they have little control over, but one thing that Abigail reminds fellow students is that you are in charge of how much time you spend on yourself and that you can do things that make you feel healthy and good about yourself.
If you are interested in coming to one of Abigail’s classes, Cycle Beat by Beat is on Wednesdays at 5 p.m., and Cycle Rise and Reset is on Fridays at 9 a.m. Come with an open mind, and don’t be scared when things get a little crazy!
Get to know Abigail, our cycle fitness instructor @ Downtown!
