Ascent Fitness

I loved the spin class here, It was a very unique and fun experience. I thought the instructer was very helpful and motivating, and I loved being able to my performance numbers. The bikes are great, studio is clean and everyone is friendly. I can’t wait to go back!

This studio has the absolute BEST bikes I’ve ever taken class in and I’m a seasoned spinner. Riding along the on screen avatar of yourself is a lot of fun. I just wish the music selection was more up to date from what’s currently playing on the radio.

I just tried a spin class here and enjoyed the experience very much. The staff were very helpful and the studio was very well maintained and well stocked.

I recently attended the outdoor Zumba class with Juan as the instructor. It was my first ever Zumba class. I was able to take 2 of my friends and it was their first time as well. I can not express how much fun we had. It was cool outside but we were able to warm right up very quickly with the routine. The instructor made the workout so much fun. His attitude and over all excitement for the workout really made me feel welcome and ready to sweat! I haven’t had so much fun working out in a long time. It was very easy to catch on with the steps and to have a great time. The event was outside and afterward everyone was offered free beer, which allowed us to stay and socialize. It was a great experience. I also received an email to attend a free class at Ascent. I choose to try the virtual cycling with Juan and this was my first time taking a cycling class as well. I truly enjoyed every second. When your instructor is having a good time and cheering you on it makes you feel right at home and work even harder for great results. I am looking forward to continue to attend classes here and refer as many friends and family as possible!

I came to Ascent for their free Zumba session last night which was about an hour long or more. This was meant to be like a rave but felt more like a let’s try to spot the instructor with all these people in front of via the glow sticks in the dark. The lighting was poor and the floor was uneven which caused my friend to have an already bad knee to become worse. My experience was ok. Not too terribly exciting/​not too incredibly bad. I will consider coming back to try one of the better sessions that are not designed to be outdoors as it didn’t work the way they planned it. Since it was outdoors on the uneven pavement, my guess is that this was their normal parking area. If you are going to be playing loud music outdoors you have to be considerate of your neighbors (at least that’s what I think) — so in the middle of my zumba sesh when I heard one of the neighbors shout «F YOU ALL» it was a little disconcerting. Another negative was that they told us that they will be emailing us a newsletter and send us details on how to avail a cycling class session with the lead zumba instructor that day but that hasn’t happened yet either. Overall, it was a great effort but it wasn’t executed well. I will definitely like to come back and try one of the actual classroom sessions where the grounds are paved evenly.

I have been to several indoor cycling centers and one thing I have learned (which came as a huge surprise to me) is that there are different philosophies on indoor cycling. I’ve been to classes that have preset loops to songs and are standard focused mainly on RPM. I’ve been to some that somehow believe push-​ups on the bike (despite the fact that in cycling placing your weight on the handle bars is not good form) is the key to the workout. I’ve been to some that report performance metrics and some that don’t.
Ascent is the best absolute combination of mimicking real cycling with multiple visual incentives (i.e. Seeing your avatar on screen, noting your mileage, wattage, rpm, mph). I believe the instant performance feedback is key to getting the most out of your workout!
I wish I had Ascent in my hometown! I guess I’ll just have to visit more often! :)

Hands down the best cycling studio in Houston! I wish I had found this place sooner. I have been attending spinning classes at a few other studios in Houston (shall not be named). They were fine (good music, upbeat) but I was never a fan of doing push-​ups and dancing on a bike. My workouts at Ascent are way better! The avatar keeps you focused on your cadence and the music is great. Best part? No silly push ups and dancing. This attracts both novice and serious cyclists. Even enough that my husband is willing to attend with me. Lastly, the owner Karyn is great. She takes time to get to know everyone and gives that much appreciated personal touch.

Living in LA spoiled me as far as spinning studios go. When I was there I was lucky enough to train with one of the best spinning coaches in the city (Chris Plourde) — so my expectations were pretty high when I started looking for studios in Houston. I tried pretty much all the spin classes available but wasn’t having any luck finding a studio that came close to what I was used to in LA.
Close to a year after my search began a little gem called Ascent opened down the street from where I live and here I am talking about it (not something I normally do) but I can’t say enough good things about this spin studio! By far the best spinning classes in the city-​nothing even comes close! FYI-I’m a personal trainer and this is true athletic training that delivers serious results. I’ve pushed myself harder than I ever thought was possible in this spin studio, with its large scale screen it becomes a race against my classmates-​its crazy fun and the most challenging cardio I’ve ever done! Today I burned 521 calories in 45 minutes!
What sets this studio apart from the others is the investment made on the best spin bikes available, the Matrix IC7 Bikes — basically the Ferrari of spin bikes. Another thing to mention is the Spivi system which sends you your stats at the end of the ride letting you know calories burned, miles ridden, max heart rate and lots more info about your training session. I love this stuff! No one else in town does this. Truly a unique experience, not your every day spin class here. By the way my husband who I could never get to exercise loves this place too and has lost 10 lbs in the past 5 months!

On a whim, I decided to go to yoga yesterday. My trainer had been suggesting it for some time to help with flexibility and balance, and in general it feels like something that I should like. I’m from San Francisco after all, yoga should be in my blood. But it isn’t. And after a bad experience at another studio here in Houston, I had hung my yoga mat up to dry… until yesterday.
Booking online was easy and the studio wasn’t hard to find. There’s a parking lot in back. I think it could use a bit more lighting for safety at night.
On arrival, I met the owner who was very nice. The studio is new so they don’t have a big customer base yet. It turned out that I was the only person signed up for the class.
The instructor, Patrick, made me feel super comfortable and didn’t make me feel bad at all about my lack of skill. It was great to have so much personal attention. The room is small so they said at max the class will have 10 people which is awesome.
I could see if I stuck with this regularly that my core strength would really improve. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll ever love yoga (it’s just so slow moving I start making to-​do lists in my head and thinking about work emails, etc…) but I didn’t dislike it here and I think that’s saying something.
If I could make one suggestion, it would be the membership options. There are too many, it’s confusing. There are 3 different options (All classes, yoga only, express only) and then 4 packages with different expiration dates (1 class, 5 classes that expire in 3 months, 10 classes that expire in 8 months, 20 classes that expire in 1 year) plus an unlimited monthly membership. I was ready to purchase a package at checkout, but I got so overwhelmed as the manager explained everything that I had to take the paperwork home to think about it.
Pricing is comparable to other studios in the area.
After reading the other reviews on here, I think I might give their cycling a try as well. She did mention a 20% discount for new customers.

I’m new to cycling, and I wish I would have started here sooner. I am riding a two day ride coming up, and these focused, effective workouts are awesome.
I haven’t done a spinning class in 10 years, and wasn’t too excited to give it another try, but I’m glad I stumbled upon this cool little studio through Groupon. I don’t remember enjoying spinning when I tried it out before, but at Ascent it’s a completely different vibe. No squirrelly maneuvers, just getting to your color (cool science of training and colors and visuals!) and feeling the burn.
They care about your comfort and safety. Try out a free class and what your number is, and watch your little avatar go.

This is quite the lil hidden gem. I recently bought a groupon and talked to Karyn and did the threshold class. It was a bit difficult to understand at first. All I knew it was getting harder and I was sweating a lot more. I was surprised to be the only one in the class but, but it’s typical for this threshold of a class. You do it once and you are done. I attended a fusion spin/​yoga class next. I can say that this was the best spin and yoga class I have ever done. The class was small and I got a lot of attention. The music was pumping, the lights were flickering and I was in my zone changing colors on this spin bike. These bikes are like no other bike. I’ve done spin at 24hr, rev, etc and these bikes are like my Lexus. Fast furious and ready to kick some butt. Jamie gave the most amazing yoga practice as well and I’ve never slept better after taking this class. I’m addicted, the best hour workout I have done in a long time. My watch said I burnt 680 calories which is an all high time for me. I’m addicted!!!

Feel the burn!
Karyn has started an amazing cycling studio at Ascent. When you get them dialed in, the Matrix IC7 bikes feel like your own (I’ve gone through extensive fitting sessions with my own bike, and these are pretty good). There is a free initiation class where you learn the set up and what your personal Functional Threshold Watt rate (FTW, aka FTP) is for the machines. This ensures good workouts in the future– just make sure you try hard when you are being tested!
The power-​based training was simple, color based, and individualized. The lack of numbers to follow allowed me to get in the zone and yet be working at an optimal FTW range– this is crucial because being too cerebral while mashing on your pedals isn’t really a thing. Everyone in the class can have a different FTW rate and be working their butts off, and the only thing that you have to pay attention to is the color of the zone you are in. Overall, this studio provides a good honest, concentrated workout.
A great thing about Ascent is that they offer classes that enhance your overall fitness and performance, not just spinning. There are yoga classes, and many of their cycling classes combine a half hour on the bike with strength or flexibility (which you know you need).
There are also amenities such as purified water, and cold towels after sessions, etc. that are nice touches for sure. The staff are knowledgeable, certified (!!), and lead wonderful classes that are varied in muscle groups and music. I couldn’t recommend any other gym I’ve been to higher than this.
Update– 1.5 months. About 12 – 15 pounds lost, and I keep getting stronger on the bike. This place is amazing!
Update #2– ~7.5 months. I have lost ~25−30 pounds, have toned up a ton, and have gotten a lot stronger on the bike. Continuing to up my FTP to have each session on the bike tough/​challenging has really helped in this process. The instructors keep getting better, and really have kicked it up a notch with music and programming. They are starting an MS150 series soon, have free stretching classes every other week, and their yoga is pretty good/​necessary too =)

I am really enjoying working with Karyn and it is such a pleasure to work in a personal training space. I also work out at a bigger gym but I much prefer the personalized touch.
Karyn really knows her stuff (about diet as well as body work) and I highly recommend you try her out.

If you want an amazing personnel trainer look no further. Karyn is an extremely dedicated trainer. I have worked with her for two and a half years and can not get over the results. She does not just tell you what to do, she teaches you how to incorporate exercise and diet together which has transformed my life.

Karyn helped me reach my goals to shed some weight and build up my endurance. Karyn was able to give me a personalized plan to help me reach these goals. Karyn made sure to address all my concerns (including how to exercise properly to protect myself from injury). She helped me learn how to safely exercise and helped make me a personal nutrition plan. Most importanly, she taught me about life-​long fitness and wellness and how to maintain the great results I got from working with her. I’m very grateful for her help, she is understanding and kind, but will help push you to reach your goals. I highly recommend her!