les mills: the trip

Today is my birthday.  To celebrate, I decided to try a new class at the gym called The Trip which I’ve been wanting to do for some time, but never managed to fit into my schedule.  Les Mills recently created a 3-D virtual indoor cycling experience.  My local gym is in Howick and the class is offered on a big screen without an instructor.  However, it is possible to take the class with an instructor at the Newmarket branch, which I hope to do in the future.  Apparently, this makes for an even better ride!


As the name indicates, The Trip takes you on a journey through some futuristic towns and a number of challenges in “chambers”.  The graphics are amazing.  You really do feel as though you’re on the cycle track displayed on the screen.  As the road twists and turns, you find yourself veering sideways.  As you see hills approaching, you naturally feel inclined to add more resistance and stand, even before the cues.  When it’s downhill, you automatically release resistance and speed up.  There’s music playing in the background and a voice-over gives you instructions and encouragement from time to time.  The Trip lasts for 40 minutes.  I found it much more challenging than a regular RPM class.  By the end, I was absolutely exhausted.
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I really enjoyed The Trip.  Apparently, there are currently eight different versions of The Trip at the moment, which ensures a different experience if you take the class regularly.  My only slight criticism is that it can leave you feeling a little nauseous.  From time to time I found myself looking away from the screen and then I felt better.  I highly recommend The Trip and can’t wait until my next experience.