Back in 2014, the fitness landscape in Singapore was nothing like it is now. At the time, having moved back to their homeland, siblings Calvin, Bebe, and Valerie Ding found the space decidedly lacking—especially after having grown up in health-obsessed Los Angeles. 

Determined to bring a bit of SoulCycle style to Singapore and inject the fitness space with something new, they established CRU. It launched in 2014 with indoor rhythm spin-cycle classes— aptly named CruCycle. The workouts started trending immediately, thanks to their high-intensity, dance-like routines and ‘party on a bike’ atmosphere, complete with curated playlists and sleek surroundings to match.

But the trio didn’t stop there –  in 2016 they expanded globally with their first international space in Los Angeles. It was at the Melrose Avenue boutique that they spearheaded a different discipline, too; this time combining their dance-like workouts with boxing

Find out more about CRU here.

Both Bebe and Valerie trained at the renowned boxing gym West Card Gym for three hours a day over four months to learn the foundations of the high-intensity training exercises they envisioned for CruBox. When they opened the LA space, celebrities including Hailey Bieber, Usher, and Nicole Scherzinger became devoted attendees—CruBox even featured on an episode of Keeping up with Kardashians. The Singapore CruBox, which opened not long after, sits above the CruCycle spin studio on Duxton Road.

It’s not just indoor cycling and boxing that CRU has become renowned for – Cru also offers three levels of yoga classes. There’s the high-intensity version—YogaSculpt— that uses weights and resistance bands to intensify the practice and has a pace that gradually increases in speed for a full-body workout (and detox). For something a little less intense, there’s  Yoga Flow which follows the Vinyasa discipline, and Foundational Flow which teaches the basics of yoga for those new to it. And just as the carefully curated playlists of hip-hop and 90’s pop are a defining feature of CruCycle and CruBox, here the practitioners also use music to set the mood of your flow. CruYoga is conveniently available on CRU TV so feel free to get loose in the comfort of your own home.

Like any good business that has the ability to adapt to the changing needs of its consumer’s environment, over the pandemic CRU used the opportunity to develop its online space, with CRU TV, a vast library of online classes, as well as giving their customers the ability to purchase their own CruBike for those who prefer to sweat it out at home.

CRU has become such a fixture in Singapore’s wellness space that Bebe Ding is now a Lululemon ambassador and headlined Singapore’s Glow wellness festival with a CruCycle class that took the title f0r the biggest indoor cycling event in Asia. 

Keen to join the wolfpack (the brand’s name for its like-minded, loyal community)? You can purchase a two-class trial pass for $50, or a two-week unlimited trial pass for $150, and either can be used for CruCycle rides (excluding 60-min rides), CruBox, and CruHIIT.

Find out more about CRU here.

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