WNiF Magazine - Winter 2018 Edition | Page 29

STUDIO By Craig Mac PROFILE: I t’s ride time, and on entering the Bodhi & Ride reception, it’s very evident that this is no ordinary studio. Explaining I had in fact forgot my kit, I caught up with cycle obsessed studio owner Michaela Fellner to find out why this Melbourne based boutique was proving so popular with the locals and what inspired her to create such a totally unique cycle experience. Craig Mac: How would you best describe Bodhi & Ride? Michaela Fellner: Bodhi & Ride is a revolution in the Australian boutique fitness industry, combining immersion in a nightclub environment with fitness for a whole body and mind experience. We don’t Spin, we RIDE. Bodhi & Ride has taken traditional spin classes to a totally new level, by turning the standard ‘spin class’ into a full body workout on a bike, which we call RIDE. CM: What influenced or inspired you to create your cycle studio? In this space we have 28 bikes nestled in close to one another, much like a crowded dancefloor. Our 45 minutes classes are choreographed to DJ-sampled music providing an intense and exhilarating cardio and weight training for upper and lower body. MF: I have to say my own passion for creating an innovative, next level fitness experience. Having worked as an instructor in ‘big box gyms’ for many years, fuelled the desire to create an experience that was above and beyond what was on offer. I get bored so early, and I have high expectations, so whilst teaching RPM classes I’d always think “This is so dull. How can you take that next-level”, and so it came together for me and I finally launched my own studio brand 2 ½ years ago. CM: Take me through the journey for a rider? MF: A typical RIDE class is set in our custom built RIDE CHAMBER which resembles a nightclub. WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - WINTER 2018 Fifty different light settings (including strobes) and DJ-mixed soundtracks create an energetic (and sweaty) fitness experience where riders can find a release in near darkness. Outside the RIDE chamber, there’s a 29