Sweaty Betty x Richard Nicoll Collection Launch at Psycle London + Review
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Following the unveiling of the Sweaty Betty x Richard Nicoll collection at London Fashion Week back in September, I was invited down to Psycle London for a sweaty morning spin with Sweaty Betty before seeing the 9-piece capsule collection for myself.
Sweaty Betty x Richard Nicoll Capsule Collection
My day-to-day outfits reflect my huge love of sports luxe clothing, and I was really excited, and immediately captured, by the Sweaty Betty x Richard Nicoll capsule collection.
As well as looking super elegant, in part due to the soft colour palette, a sporty edginess has been achieved with reflective touches and high performance fabrics and features. Even from a distance, technical and functional aspects of the designs were obvious, from zipped pockets to headphone loops. All of the pieces possess the premium quality that I would expect from the collaboration of such inspiring brands.
The stunningly beautiful pieces are available to buy from February 2015, and I’m especially eager to get my hands on the Muiura tee and the Nui layered tank.
Psycle London Review
I’d popped into Psycle London on Mortimer Street before but had never had the chance to stop by for one of their bike-based workouts until now. I couldn’t have imaged how much I had been missing out!
From my previous drop in, I knew that the facilities are amazing (even the changing rooms are super sleek-looking and have towels and other essentials provided) and that the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, but now that I’ve had the chance to get a taste of the classes, I can 100% recommend this fitness destination.
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The Workout
Cleated shoes are worn by everyone in all classes, which increases the connection between the leg and the bike. Along with spending most of the time out of the saddle and in the hover position, the increased connection really helped to get my hamstrings and glutes working more than they have in any other studio cycling class I’ve been to - exactly what I love!
What I didn’t expect though was to get such a shoulder workout from a bike-based class. After variations of handlebar press ups, as well as an upper-body focused track using handheld weights, my arms were pretty sore!
Our instructor, Rhian, was amazing and her enviable physique (including ultra-sculpted arms!) kept me motivated throughout the session. She looked incredible modelling some pieces from the SB x Richard Nicoll collection.
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The Music
With my exercise background mainly revolving around dance, I love working out to music. While lots of studio cycling classes have music playing, I’ve yet to experience any classes that really use the rhythm in the way that Psycle do. They compose playlists, not just with BPM in mind, but to influence the mood and energy levels of the class, which definitely helps you to forget how hard you’re working!
In fact, the playlists are such an iconic part of the workouts at Psycle that some of them have been made available on Spotify.
On their website, Psycle say that:
“with the lights turned down, the music turned up and everyone working together, an energy is created that inspires people to workout to the best of their ability”
- I definitely can’t argue with that! I can't wait to book onto another class.
If you're a Sweaty Betty fan, you might also be excited to know that ‘The 12 Sweaty Days of Christmas’ competition is back for another year as of 1st December. Everyday, on the Sweaty Betty Facebook page, there will be prizes to be won, from spa breaks to SB gear to personal training sessions. Get involved!
Wearing: Dedicate Luxe Vest* - Sweaty Betty, Leggings - Vie Active
**Photo credit: Sweaty Betty/Natalie Watts