Test Drive: The Grind Mpls

Well With: Amy Klobuchar

As the new kid in Nolo, this stylish sweat space packs its trendy repertoire into an efficient ground-level studio. Before its official opening later this month, we donned our biker shorts and got a little sweaty. Here are our takeaways.

by Natalie Larsen, Jamie Korf

June 7, 2023

5:00 PM

Photo by Natalie Larsen

The Grind's vibey North Loop lobby reflects the trendy classes inside the studio.

What's black, white, and sweaty all over? The Grind Mpls is softly open in the North Loop, ushering all the cool kids through its glossy glass doors for the official grand opening on Friday, June 16.

Photo by Natalie Larsen

The bathrooms and locker rooms got a glam-up at The Grind Mpls.

Located on the ground floor of the sleek, all-wood T3 building, the mega aesthetic Grind studio is tucked just inside the main doors. The 3,026-square-foot space includes two studios (one for cycle, the other for stretch and sculpt), plus a locker room with adjacent showers and a few bathrooms, a retail shop, and community spaces for before and after classes. The locker room and bathrooms are equipped with makeup counters and sinks reminiscent of Hollywood—think, bulbous vanity lights and large mirrors. The clean space clears your mind of any clutter you may have dragged in from your day.

The thorough schedule gives no excuses for skipping your sweat: eight renditions of cycle and sculpt each day, Monday through Friday, plus four times on Saturday and Sunday, and three stretch classes a week. Membership includes access to all types of classes, and—to flex those muscles—your first two Grind classes are free.

GrindCycle is a 50-minute class, which includes a 5-minute cooldown and stretch. The cardio-heavy class includes hand weights and bumpin’ beats, and the Grind even has a podium rider beside the instructor, pedaling to the beat throughout class, so the instructor can roam and give more specialized tips and help. Bonus points, here: Membership includes shoe rental, sweat towels, and cool, wet towels at class close.

A weight-based workout, GrindSculpt utilizes an all-in-one Fitbench. Each of the 17 benches in the studio holds four sets of dumbbells, a kettlebell, slam ball, and fit bands; floor mats accompany each sweat station. These muscle toning seshes are typically 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the schedule.

Call GrindStretch your Goldilocks class: the gentler fit, filled with dynamic and static stretching (psst, low impact and zero weights). The focus, here, is on increasing range of motion, flexibility, joint mobility, muscle prepping, and injury prevention. Options include heated and non-heated 30- and 60-minute classes.

Before the grand opening next week, we donned our biker shorts and sweat it out. Here are our takeaways.

Jamie: I haven't done a group fitness class in a long time (motherhood, COVID—ya know), so what better way to break myself in than setting my alarm for 5:30 a.m. to make it to a 7 a.m. sculpt class? The first-time jitters that had percolated over the A.M. commute were quickly extinguished, thanks to our instructor, who set the tone. She went to lengths to ensure we felt comfy, encouraged us to go at our own pace, and offered modifications. I did not, at any point, feel like an amateur fumbling to find my footing, five steps behind everyone else. This was important to me, as I usually am that guy.

Something about the 50-minute format seemed to defy the laws of time—the series of 4-minute, targeted workouts felt doable and lightning fast, thanks to the strategic breaks and constant changes. While I am sore AF today, my body feels like it got a balanced muscle treatment. No part was worked harder than the other. When the going got tough, the infectious beats blaring over the speakers did their own heavy lifting, giving us fuel to keep movin’ and groovin.’ (Note: I have been to places where the music is so loud, you practically leave with an ear infection. This is not that.)

Constructive criticism: The space felt squeezed when it came to executing certain movements; I was paranoid that I would accidentally donkey-kick someone in the head or elbow them in the rib. The instructor seemed to have a hard time finding room to demo the moves as we went along. It wasn't necessarily disruptive, just a kink in the format. Also, I am all about mood lighting (not that kind), so being met with fluorescent lights was a bit jarring. Granted it was temporary and the lights were eventually dimmed—but it was … slightly intense.

Would I go back? Yes. Will I ensure to stretch every fiber of my being before the next session? Also, yes. (Pre and post stretching cannot be overstated, folks.) Overall, I’d give the experience an 8/10. Getting in a session at The Grind was a nice break from the actual, typical grind.

Natalie: Honestly, I was surprised that I enjoyed this class. I’m a yoga instructor on the side, and I know what I like, which tends to mean that I filter workouts through a more critical lens. It's easy for me to fall into the mindset of "you’ve done one buzzy Nolo workout, you’ve done them all." I’m happy to admit, I was wrong.

The clean, black ’n’ white aesthetic at The Grind Mpls was fresh and snappy. Our GrindSculpt instructor was positive and encouraging—no "motivational yelling" here!—and each movement was taken more or less at your own pace. The lighting was low but not blackout, the beats were loud but not earplug-warranting. I’ll call this format gently guided. It's great if you already know your gym basics and want to get a good sweat on without the nightclub vibes offered by other HIIT-style studios.

I’m a big proponent of full-body workouts. I don't want leg day—I want a balanced workout that hits all my soft spots (pun intended!). The Grind answered. The sculpt format worked my legs, arms, and abs with a little stretchy moment at the end. The class warms up with a few rounds of unweighted dynamic movements, and then moves into two 10-minute rounds, followed by two four-minute rounds and a short ab blast. Each round is comprised of several exercises that you do for the duration and never come back to (we like hearing that!). We’re encouraged to go at our own pace and track our own reps. I’m fine with group-tracked reps, but it was nice to bang through things at my own pace.

This format also meant variety galore. My brain loved it—remembering what came next and working in sets of 10 reps kept me on my toes and prevented me from getting too in my head about anything (which can make me feel discouraged or like time is snailing). The workout seemed to fly by. At the beginning of each new set of movements, I felt a renewed sense of energy and motivation—mini adrenaline bursts peppered throughout the 50-minute class to keep me forging forward.

I have one minor observation that I’ll file under constructive criticism—something to be aware of, but not a make or break. The benches hold dumbbells from 10 to 25 pounds. That's a healthy range for most. For arm toning, I might desire a set of fives. I didn't ask, so that's on me—I would ask next time, just to have the option (especially later in class, when my arms began wanting to give up).

Bottom line: I would Grind again! This sweat was well-formed and hit on all the things I normally look for: form tips, modification invitations, and a decent pace with variety. Form tweaks were given one-on-one, which shows huge intentionality and awareness (big brownie points!). I left feeling sweaty—exhilarated but not exhausted.

Grand opening June 16th. The Grind Mpls, North Loop, Mpls., 763-344-2123, thegrindmpls.com

Natalie Larsen is the associate editor for Studio MSP.

Jamie Korf is a deputy editor for Studio MSP at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.

June 7, 2023

5:00 PM

Your health and well-being.