At a Glance:

Website: http://madeinlafitness.com
Address: 1710 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Class length: 45 min
Price: 1 class/$20, 10 classes/$180, month unlimited/$149 (3 month commitment)
Sweat Scale: high
Energy level: medium

For Day 3 of my morning workouts, I decided to look for somewhere that was within walking distance. This was a great idea because I assumed it would take less time than driving (I was in for a rude awakening…and an accidental jogging sesh). I also wanted something that would get my heart rate higher than barre so spin was the perfect fit.

Pre Sweat

If I hadn’t looked at Yelp before I walked/ran over, I definitely would have missed this place. To get to the gym you have to walk to the back of the building that Starbucks is in and enter a black gate. After you go through the gate, you will see some signs and an open door. Walk up the stairs and you will be in the gym. Since it is right in the heart of Hollywood Blvd, parking is pretty insane. They validate for a lot across the street, but, even with validation, it is $4.

While looking for the front desk, I ran into Lena, one of the personal trainers. I told her I was there for the spin class and running a bit late. She kindly got me some spin shoes and a towel and helped me set up my bike.

Sweat

Coming from a recent FlyWheel session, I realized that I have accidentally become a bit of a cycle brat. The bikes at Made in LA were normal spin bikes without the fancy technology to show your resistance or RPMs (revolutions per minute). This made me feel like it was way easier to cheat and I ended up not challenging myself as much as I would have liked. It also didn’t help that I was barely awake when the class started.

Made in LA definitely has a rocker feel to it, which was apparent from the music throughout the class. While the tunes weren’t particularly my style, the instructor was enjoyable—singing along to the music, encouraging us to drink water after each song, and stressing that it’s not a competition but a personal relationship with our bike. This was a nice thought but it made me slack. Halfway through the class, this music came on singing the word “intermission”. I’ve never heard that before and it was kind of a nice time to just pedal leisurely and get some more water. My main complaint is that throughout the 45 minutes I never felt like I was going to throw up. Yes, that’s a strange complaint, but what I love about spin is how sweaty and pumped up you get while working soooo hard.

Post Sweat

Located in the heart of Hollywood, there are many post class options to take advantage of. Directly under the studio is a Starbucks and one block away is the Hollywood and Highland shopping center. Read more about this area on my Exhale post.

Tricks of the Trade

• Try to get a bike that is out of the sun. During the second half, the sun was coming through the window, bouncing off the mirror, and blinding me!
• Make sure you leave a lot of extra time to park and find the gym.
• They have candlelight rides at night that I definitely want to check out.