Grab some popcorn — it’s time for a show.
But also grab a water bottle and a towel because at Cycle Cinema, there will be a show, but there will be sweating, too.
Cycle Cinema is a one-of-a-kind fitness studio that combines the energy of a traditional cycle class with the visual and sound experience of the big screen. Located inside Theater 5 at B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel – The Grove 16, owner and operator Nick Walton removed all movie theater seats and replaced them with stationary bikes to provide morning and evening spin classes.
Those stationary bikes sit in front of the big screen, include surround sound and participants can get a great workout with the help of a trainer and visuals on the screen that include trails, routes, motivational images and more.
“The visual aspect is a big thing,” said Walton, who also is executive director of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation in Zephyrhills. “That’s the hook that gets them in the theater.
“We’re in that category of boutique studio fitness, but there are no other spin studios in Wesley Chapel, so maybe you can get spin classes at a gym like EōS, but there’s nothing else like this out there.
“Certainly not another cycle studio with a full-size movie screen in front of them,” he said.
Persuading people that there’s actually a studio inside a movie theater is the biggest challenge, he added.
Most expect a spin studio to be in a strip mall but, of course, those can’t provide the big screen.
“They also think we’re in here watching movies,” Walton said. “When people realize what we’re doing, that it’s actually cycling classes, then they’re even more interested — because it’s still an intensive spin class, and once people realize that then they’re less apprehensive to come to a movie theater to work out,” he said, with a laugh.
When Cycle Cinema isn’t using the screen to show routes or trails, it will hold movie-themed nights, tapping into current releases showing in theaters just next door to the fitness studio.
For example, there was a boxing-themed class to go with the showing of ‘Creed 3’ and the ‘Rocky’ franchise. Another was doing a Mario-themed class, in which the screen showed ‘Mario Kart’ tracks to riders.
“People really liked that,” Walton said. “Especially the Mario class.”
Walton says classes are, for now, mornings and evenings on weekdays, as well as classes on weekend mornings. However, if there were requests for more classes at specific times, Cycle Cinema would be amenable to changing its schedule.
But riders now like the convenience of a spin class before or after work.
Wesley Chapel resident Sasha Glover, who was the first person to join Cycle Cinema, said she enjoys that benefit, plus the aspect of going to a non-gym.
“I love the indoor cycling atmosphere, I love the screen, I love the people, I love what they show and I love it’s not really going to a gym,” Glover said. “I love that there’s the screen and the instructor in front of you, especially since it’s dark in there (laughs), and everyone can’t look at you. Sure, it’s a little self-conscious thing, but once that is gone, then you can just focus on working out and riding.
“At a gym, everyone is there looking at you and … ewww. Here, you’re in your own little world and just work out. That’s much better for me.”
As a mom of two, Glover says she attends up to four classes a week, which has resulted in getting in great shape and losing weight. She also appreciates being able to bring her two kids, both of whom enjoyed what was on the big screen.
“My son,” she said, “loved Mario night and he even jumped up on a bike and rode some.
“It’s just so totally and completely different and an amazing experience every time I come and ride,” she added.
Especially since the cyclists are there for a workout — not a popcorn flick.
“There’s no one else doing something like this in a movie theater, possibly in the world,” Walton said. “Exercise should be fun and engaging, and I don’t know what could be more fun and engaging than working out in front of a giant screen at a movie theater.”
Cycle Cinema
Where: Inside B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel – The Grove 16, 6333 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel
Details: A one-of-a-kind fitness studio that combines the energy of a traditional cycle class with the visual and sound experience of the big screen. The studio is located in Theater 5, where all movie theater seats have been removed and replaced with stationary bikes. Morning and evening classes are offered on most days. Cycle Cinema also offers a free trial for the first class as an introductory tryout.
For more information, visit TheCycleCinema.com.
Published June 21, 2023
