Fitness Studio Review: Feel the Burn at Burn Cardio Studio

Burn Cardio Studio is a brand new studio in North Dallas. The studio offers core-based classes such as spin, barre, yoga, TRX, boot camp, Pilates and other variations. Classes are 30 minutes each and BCS has a continuously growing and shifting schedule. I really liked the concept so I was excited to check it out.

The Class(es): I took quite a few classes including spin, barre, booty boot camp, and yoga. The short classes are great for squeezing in a quick workout in your busy day, but I think the appeal here is to take two classes back-to-back for a more intense workout. The hardest combo for me was the booty boot camp followed by spin. Legs did not want to spin! The 30 minute model is great for the high intensity classes such as TRX, boot camp and spin. I actually wished the barre and yoga classes were a bit longer. Perhaps 45 minutes or so. For those classes that are typically slower paced, it seemed difficult to squeeze an hour’s worth of class into 30 minutes. It was interesting to see how well all the instructors managed their time, but they did great.

The Space: Cute space. Simple decor. Open, bright and clean. It’s located off Frankford and Tollway next to the Albertsons. There are two studio rooms where all the classes take place. The smaller more enclosed room is designed to muffle outside noise so classes such as yoga, Pilates and barre can take place at the same time as the louder TRX, spin, and bootcamp classes in the loft style studio area. The rooms are modular and if needed can accommodate almost any class. It’s a clever and efficient use of all the space.

The Instructors: Owner Jessica Ross is super friendly and really enthusiastic. We hit it off quickly and became fast friends. She takes a keen interest in every thing she does at the studio and you can see how passionate she is about her new business. #GIRLBOSS. As an instructor, she’s there working out hard alongside you. The other instructors I had the pleasure of meeting are also approachable, friendly and attentive. No egos here, but I would like to see a little more confidence when leading the class.

Larger loft-style studio for TRX, boot camp and spin classes.

How it went: I enjoyed the booty boot camp class the most. It’s definitely more my cup of tea. I love interval training and strength training and 30 minutes goes by so fast! Love the burn. For spin, despite an awesome private lesson, it’s a class I would love to take with more people. I thrive off other people’s energy. Spin is always going to be challenging for me, but it feels very rewarding to make it through each class. Within the 30 minutes of spin (or any class actually) the flow is broken up into 3 different 10 minute segments. For spin, the segments alternate between high speed at lower resistance and high resistance at lower speeds and the classes are a little different each time. The lower intensity classes such as barre and yoga were great to take after a more intense class like boot camp or spin. I find it is a great way to recoup and begin healing and stretching muscles out.  I’ve never taken barre before, so I don’t have anything to compare it. I did wish it was more challenging.

Second studio for yoga, pilates, and barre classes.

All equipment is new and sanitized frequently.

Loved? Hates?: I really like the boot camp class and also having the opportunity to pair it with a class like yoga. Also, everything is new and shiny!

I didn’t dislike anything. Being pretty new, there are some kinks to iron out as Burn Cardio gets into a more normal flow of things. Music cueing is a little haphazard. I wish music and light adjustments were more seamless. When instructors are adjusting volume or changing songs, it can be a bit distracting, particularly for yoga or barre. A more curated music list would be something I’d like to see beyond top 40s. A great list can be a powerful way of adding to an experience.

Difficulty Level: Great for beginner to intermediate fitness levels depending on the classes or combos you choose to go with. All the classes are open to all levels. Burn Cardio caters to both men and women of all ages. I was told a spartan-esque class will be added to the schedule sometime next year.

The Next Day: Felt that lovely soreness in my legs from spin and boot camp. Barre and yoga weren’t as intense, but provided a nice way to focus on core and stretch out my very tired muscles.

FYI: Cost/Parking/What to bring: This holiday season, you can buy 5 sessions for $50. Your first class ever is free and drop-in classes are $20 each. You can see other pricing here and book it all online (including the free class). Jessica is also running a New Year’s promo where you can earn all of your classes in January for free. All you have to do is show up.

Parking is plentiful. Water and towels are provided at no extra cost and you don’t need to rent shoes for spin. Lots of cubbies to store your things. Grippy socks for barre and Pilates are not provided so bring your own, but normal socks do work. Every month the schedule will shift slightly, so members who can only attend certain times will have an opportunity to try out other classes.

Pictured with #GIRLBOSS and badass Jessica Ross

In order to review Burn Cardio Studio, Deep Fried Fit attended several complimentary classes from Burn Cardio and also used her ClassPass to sign up for classes.