Fit: Spinning Spin

HOUSE BEATS CYCLE at Vida Fitness (Fri., 6 p.m., 601 F St. NW; 866-382-8432) was always meant to mimic a club — but the twirling glow-stick variety, not the health kind. Now it's even more convincing, because at the back of the weekly class, DJ Darryl Strickland and his turntables are, yes, spinning during spin class.

"He has access to more cutting-edge music," says instructor Heather Cohen, who collaborates on the playlist. Kim Boortz, 23, who attended the debut DJed session two weeks ago, was a fan, even if it wasn't so different from listening to a CD: "It was cool to have the steady stream of music. You almost feel like you're dancing on a bike."

DJ Darryl will be popping up more at Vida in coming months — he's also pumping up the volume at the Body Blast class (Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m), and one night a month, he'll rock the whole fitness floor.

Photo by Michelle Repiso/Express