Beyond 500 is a great fitness studio. First of all, the instructor was suuuper accommodating. I didn’t feel singled out, she explained both machines twice before class started, and before our 8-minute intervals began she checked on me as well as everyone else. I loved it and the class is affordable if you have a ClassPass.

Soooo basically this is a very plus-size friendly class. I have a horrible knee and haven’t been able to run in years because of the pain, but the treadmills at Beyond are:

1) self-propelled. If you wanna go fast you can, if you wanna slowly walk you can do that too.  

2) the treadmill is comfortable on my knees, and...

3) there’s no pressure to be faster than you’re comfortable moving. They kept encouraging class participants to do “your personal best,” which I loved.

The hardest thing about this class is the Pilates chair, where you use your lower abs to lift your butt over your head. I am bottom heavy so this is something super hard for me, but it has become a goal that I will reach. They offer variations which is awesome and I certainly use them. Since I want to master the chair I at least try the chair every session though.