I recently started working out at SPENGA, located on Westheimer in the heart of Montrose and wanted to share my experience so far. I’ve only gone to ~10 classes, but have been getting questions about the workout. 

First, I love the location. It’s less than five minutes from my apartment (Encore Montrose), which is key. If I’m going to hit a gym 3-5x/week, it needs to be close. Houston has so many amazing gyms, but since I work from home, getting into a routine near my apartment is a must.

SPENGA workouts are broken down into 20-minute segments, which I find easier to push through.

The first is 20-minutes of spin. In an effort to be fully transparent, I will say it’s not your typical spin class. Personally, I have no rhythm, so when spin instructors try to get you to tap back and pedal to the beat, I get lost. I spend more time trying to choreograph my spin moves and not fall off the bike, that I’m not usually putting my best cardio effort in. You can still do that here, but it’s more about hitting zones, and for those who love tangible goals and numbers related to your workout and watts, this is you. 

One of the reasons I started going to SPENGA is because of the spin. Cardio is an integral part of my workout routine, but with 10+ knee surgeries, running in the “tread and shred” type classes was taking a serious toll on my knees. I still miss running, even though I’m not a good runner, but I know spin is helping the longevity of my knees. (Also, I’m not giving up running, just changing things up.)

The next 20-minutes is strength. Y’all, this is no joke. The deal with these 20-minute intervals is that you have to get all your reps in, right in a row, with barely any breaks. It’s not your typical, do 12 and then rest and repeat for 4 sets. This is: here’s the move, pick up a weight, do it for 30-60 seconds, take a 10 second break and do it again. And again. And again. I’m not used to doing so many uninterrupted reps, so it’s taken a while to painfully realize I need to use lighter weights than normal. I know I can use 15lbs for a dumbbell curl, but doing it one million times in 3 minutes is more like 10lbs. Seriously.

The last 20-minutes is yoga. If you think this is finally the end and you can coast through, you’re wrong. I was of the belief yoga wasn’t that hard, but again, this is no joke. As I said in my first impression SPENGA blog (linked up top), I don’t want to do yoga enough to commit 60-minutes of my day or have an entirely new gym membership, so this is perfect for me. 

Some days it’s more yoga and warrior pose type stuff that confuses me, and some days it feels more like an extended and well-needed stretch and hold. There are people to the left of me that have likely practiced yoga in Bali under some famous master and there are some (like me) who barely know what a chair pose is. (I’ve found a list of yoga poses to help us all.)

Overall, I enjoy SPENGA. It’s hard, I sweat a lot and the friends I’ve brought have all loved it. 

SPENGA doesn’t offer FREE classes, however if you call to schedule and mention me (Jayme or The Blonde Side), you’ll get a FREE class (call 713.588.2315) at the Montrose or The Woodlands locations only. 

This is part of a sponsored series with Encore Montrose, sharing all the amazing things I love about living in Montrose area, including this new Montrose gym that is kicking my butt on the daily! I can get a nice dog walk in, my favorite morning coffee and my gym, all without having to leave Montrose.

I have lived in these luxury Montrose apartments for about 8 months and am loving everything about this community, especially being so close to so many fun things like these Montrose wall murals. If you’re looking for a new luxury apartment in Montrose, be sure to visit Encore Montrose and mention me (Jayme or The Blonde Side) for an extra incentive. Oh, and ask for the Champagne Tour!