Back in the Spring, I started following Studio 3 on Instagram (@stuido3.fit). I was immediately intrigued. Who doesn't love a studio where everyone appears to be best friends (not just co-workers) and looks genuinely happy to be there, even at 5:00 AM?!? Not to mention they have a studio mascot who is literally one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen.
Studio 3's philosophy is pure genius - create a space where your members can get any combination of workouts and truly sweat it out while they do. The space has three studios that cover yoga, power/strength and cycle. Depending on the day and what your body needs, you can choose from a range of different workouts and in the case of a lot of their members, you can double up to get a full body workout. The studio runs a bit warmer on purpose with the intent to allow you to truly sweat it out.
The studio is located in Queen Anne behind the Seattle Center where parking was not an issue on Sunday morning or early mornings on the weekdays. As soon as you walk through the door, a set of steps leads you down to the check in desk, locker area and sitting area. Unlike a lot of the other studios I have visited, the area is spacious and designed with a much more homey feel. There is plenty of space for two couches, a table and a TV in the sitting area. And I'm not kidding, the place was decorated so beautifully with a modern, chic feel that I asked them who helped decorate the space. I wanted to hire the person to do my living room. Believe it or not, they did not hire a decorator but Kyle (who is one of the owners) did it himself. Note to Self: Call Kyle for decorating tips!
One of the things I appreciate about Studio 3 is regardless of what time of day you walk in and what is going on at the studio, every single person working the front desk stops what they are doing, looks up and greets you with a huge smile and a friendly 'Hello!'. They know all the regulars by name and when you are leaving, they give you the same type of friendly send off. No one leaves without a "See you later!" or "Have a good day!". If you know me, you KNOW, I love this. It's all about the small things and I think in a world full of emails, texts and DMs, we forget the importance of eye contact and a friendly "Hello". Kudos to the Studios 3 Team for recognizing that the little things make a huge difference!
The three studios are laid out so:
- The Cycling Studio (aka The Dome) is located directly across from the Front Desk. There are 3-4 rows of bikes set up in your standard stadium seating style.
- The Strength Studio is down a long (magical) hallway on your right and is set up with risers, rowers, TRXs and weights. (I'm not kidding about the hallway. The lighting is amazing and the lights changes colors.)
- The Flow/Yoga studio is down the same hallway but to your left. This is by far my favorite space. It is beautiful, warm and serene.
I've been lucky enough to take 3 different classes with 4 different instructors:
- 30 Minute Cycle with Rachel
- Studio 3 has a 30 minute, all out cycle class. Perfect way to kickoff your morning. So Lindsay and I signed up for a 5:30 AM class and headed in. Rachel greeted us in the doorway of the studio and made sure we were comfortable setting up our own bikes. When I found my bike, I immediately noticed that there are no computers. You guys know I'm a numbers girl so this immediately stressed me out. But I had to remind myself that classes like these are a good opportunity for me to listen to my body and ride based on feel.
One thing I noticed as soon as I got on my bike was the mirrors. There are three big mirrors on the stage behind Rachel but they are angled in towards the center of the stage (think wedding dress shopping mirrors) so you cannot see your leg strokes in the mirror. Not a big deal, just something small to note.
Right out of the gates, I knew it was going to be a full energy class. I am telling you, if you have never met Rachel, you have to find a reason to meet her!! She is the real life Energizer Bunny. She is AMAZING. She is all energy, all smiles and all speed. You literally cannot help but smile when you are around her.
The class is a mix of full out fast peddling, with speed intervals and some resistance rides. Rachel is full on energy so you'll move quickly through and there are not slower hill rides or Connect Songs (if you are a CylceBar rider). You have to be ready to give it your all for the full 30 minutes.
One thing to note about the Dome (and really all the studios) is they run warmer so bring a towel. You will sweat A LOT during this ride. I was only there for 30 minutes and I was dripping by the end.
Workout Scale:
Cardio: 4/5
Core: 2/5
Legs: 3/5
Arms: 0/5
- S3 Strength with Zack
- The Strength class at Studio 3 can be any combo of TRX, risers, rowers, cardio and body weight exercises. Each week Studio 3 publishes the strength workout for each day. I got lucky and happened to sign up for a day where it was full body workout (which you know I love!!).
The Strength studio is set up so the TRXs are in the front of the room by the mirrors and the rowers are at the back of the room. The workout that day did not incorporate the rowers but instead we had risers set up in front of the rowers. When you sign up for the class, you'll sign up for a number that either correlates to a TRX or a rower. There are two TVs in the room - one on each end, which show you the workout for the day.
We were the first ones there so had a chance to chat with Zack one on one. He and Lindsay know each other from work so he was excited to have her in class. Zack has a kind, sweet demeanor to him but I also got the sense that he had a no nonsense side to him. He was going to make us work!
The class starts off with an overview of the workout. That day, for the TRX station, it was a combination of TRX rows, pull ups and high shoulder rows. We would then move into a ab series which included plank hip dips and plank jacks. The riser station would incorporate 5 different workouts - hop overs, decline mountain climbers, decline push ups, one leg squats, one leg Bavarian squat jumps.
Zack started us with a warm up of squat jumps, jumping jacks, high knees and push ups. Then moved us into the workout. The workout itself breaks down into 13 minute sets. So we would start at the TRX or risers and work through the workout for 13 minutes before taking a break for a minute and switching stations. Lindsay and I started at the TRX station and while it seemed like a good idea, my muscles were definitely tired at the 10 minute mark. The format allows you to take breaks when needed but the Tabata lover in me never takes breaks until I'm told to take a break (I know, it's awful). When time was up, we moved to our risers, at which point the 13 minute starts all over. We ended up going through 2 rounds on the TRX and 2 rounds on the risers. Zack then had us end with a 3 minute ab workout. Which, at that point, felt like a 30 minute ab workout.
It was a GOOD full body workout. I am not sure if I would love a focused (for example, legs only) workout as much but I LOVED this workout. You worked hard and it was the right mix of strength, core and bits of cardio. I could have gone for a bit more cardio but let's be honest, it's a Strength class and I am a cardio junkie so I always want more cardio!
Workout Scale:
Cardio: 3/5
Core: 4/5
Legs: 3/5
Arms: 4/5
- Shred with Kelsie
When I first walked into Ma'ono and had their fried chicken sandwich, I had a moment where I realized my life was finally complete now that I had discovered the most amazing fried chicken sandwich ever. That is how I feel about Shred. I NEVER knew something was missing from my workout routine until I experienced Shred. That is how much I love the class.
The Shred studio is by far my favorite studio of the three. The first time I turned the corner and walked into the doorway, it nearly stopped me in my tracks. The dimly lit room with candles spread across the floor immediately has this warm, calm and incredibly serene aura to it. I LOVE It. The space makes me so happy.
The candles have a number on them which corresponds to the spot you reserved when you signed up for the class. You'll need a mat for the class (you can rent one at the front desk if you don't have one or forget yours). Kelsie introduced herself to us and asked that we grab some weighted balls, dumbbells and a band.
The room is heated so you'll feel warm as soon as you walk in. Kelsie started the class with a nice warm up of squats, butt kickers, high knees and some push ups. I knew as soon as Kelsie started that she was a Mom. She has a kind and easy manner to her but you know she's there to get the job done. She's efficient in her descriptions and movements throughout the class. The class is meant to truly burn out the muscles (think hot pilates or hot barre). Kelsie started out with a leg workout incorporating the band (so think lots hamstrings, quads and gluts), moved us into a core series on our back and then moved us into a arm series utilizing the dumbbells.
Then came the unexpected kicker and the reason why I LOVE this class - a TABATA set!! I Have to admit, it was so hot in the room that I could not do more than one full/true Tabata round in that heat. Fortunately, we only did seven 20 second sets with a 10 second break in between each set. Kelsie incorporated squat jumps and burpees to get our heart rate up. Then went back to burning out our muscles with the same target areas - legs, core and arms. We ended with a core series on the ground. It was SO. This class is the reason why I ended up signing up for a class pack. I loved it SO MUCH.
Workout Scale:
Cardio: 2/5
Core: 3/5
Legs: 4/5
Arms: 3/5
- Shred with Moses
I loved Shred so much, I went back for a second time the following week with Moses. I always think it's good to try different instructors. Everyone finds motivation in different ways and for me, a big part of motivating myself and pushing myself comes from the instructor's energy.
Moses has a genuinely kind and thoughtful manner about him. It's clear that he is a Studio 3 Fan Favorites (it took me 3 weeks to get into one of his classes due to the waitlists) and he knows all the regulars by name.
We started with a warm up incorporating squats, lunges and push ups. Out of the gates, I knew we were in for a treat. Moses was NOT messing around. We started with a leg series incorporating the band and weights. The core series was no joke - have you ever tried to draw circles with your upper body while keeping your shoulder blades off the ground?! But the arm series was where he hit the jackpot. The shoulder burnout was probably a 2 minute series but it felt like 20 looonnng minutes. There was definitely a moment where I had to go to my happy place t avoid crying out in pain. Thank God for Moses' consistent motivation and words of encouragement. I had to hone in on his words to get me through to the end. It was SO GOOD!
The golden moment - the Tabata series was hands down, the most memorable. You guys know how much I love 'new' or creative moves. Moses had us do high knees WHILE HOLDING A DUMBELL OUT IN FRONT OF YOU WITH ONE ARM!! Yes, I am yelling because it was THAT GOOD. I remember thinking my arm was dying from holding the weight out. Then I looked down. My arm was not straight out in front to me, not even close. In fact my arm was completely bent and resting against my body. You know I'll be practicing that move again until I'm strong enough to perfect it!
The class ended with another round of legs (combo of side lunges and curtsey lunges), core (supermans and a crunch series) and wrapped up with a plank.
It was my favorite class to date at Studio 3. SO GOOD. If you only try one class at Studio 3 you HAVE to try Shred!
Workout Scale:
Cardio: 3/5
Core: 4/5
Legs: 4/5
Arms: 4/5
Few notes on Studio 3, the schedule changes each week. They publish their strength workouts in advance so you can plan which classes you want to attend but instructors and class types appear to change weekly. So you'll always have a Wed 6:00 AM class but it may be a different instructor from the week before. They publish their schedule on Friday and I would recommend setting yourself a reminder so you can reserve your classes that day. The morning classes (5:30 AM - 7:00 AM) fill up FAST. I was hoping to go to Shred or Strength this week but all of the morning classes had waitlists by the time I logged in on Sunday.
Don't forget to bring a towel. You are guaranteed to sweat and they do not provide towels. You can buy one for $5 if needed.
Tell the Instructor if you have injuries. None of the instructors asked in advance if anyone was nursing an injury so if you are, make sure to arrive 10 minutes before class so you have a chance to grab them and let them know.
If it wasn't clear, Studio 3 is MAGICAL. I love this place and will be back. J.Lo may be a Triple Threat in the Entertainment Industry but Studio 3 is the Triple Sweat of the Fitness World. You MUST check it out. It is a game changer!!
