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Spin classes
I went to my first ever Spin class this evening. I thought that I would do one a week throughout the winter instead of going outside and getting cold and wet.
The guy had us doing all sorts of weird stuff. Bouncing up and down out of the saddle. Doing 'press ups' on the handle bars. Doing arm stretches as we were cycling.
About 80% of it was done out of the saddle and a lot of it was done with a really high resistance so that the cadence was really low. Several times I watched the instructor turn his resistance up so high that he almost couldn't turn the peddles, he stopped each time the peddle got to the top and had to put all his weight on it to get it moving again!
Anyway, I sure it is good general exercise, but it is pretty useless for bike training, isn't it?
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Comments
Grrrr.....
Yup you had "spin" and its crap.
Try to find an RPM class near you... none of the press-ups nonsense... IMHO the instructors are better (as they have to qualify to pass to teach RPM), and the routine/programme is written now by a pro cyclist/ex pro time trialler at Les Mills.
Love RPM.
sounds horrendous Kryten!
mr goes regularly and it doesn't sound anything lik eyou had
they do sprints and some getting up anddown out of the saddle
it's not designed for cyclists though i don't think
more a CV exercise
I love spin classes but have to agree some instructors just aren't up to much!
never done any of the handlebar press up things though have to admit
Sounds like I was a bit unlucky then. I will look out for an RPM one.
To be honest after the first ten minutes I just ignored the instructor and did my own thing! But it was a bit embarressing to be the only one in the class not doing what we were told.
I know 4 different instructors in spin some are just better at it than others. Some are more motivational, upbeat and in tune with their audience some unfortunatley just go throught the motions!
Not done a class where the resistence is all the way up though either - kinda tough on the kness that really!
it should be tough but fun and pretty fast throughout!
hope you have more luck next time
You need to find an instructor you like! There are a classes every day at my gym but one woman (the manager) only does 3 of the classes a week and you have to book a week ahead to get in them as she is so good! It also means that you get a high standard of fitness in the class and lots of 'real' cyclists as the class has a good reputation.
The other instructors are rubbish - I have walked out of classes before now!! Can't quite get the whole jumping up and down on handlebars nonsense!!
But a good spin class is great for fitness...
You need Cougie - he's a spin instructor I think...
Cougs?
yeah but he's northern Nic ... cant trust him
well no ... Cougs has 'that look' as well
never trust a smiling bloke. Or Gavo.
lol - I'm tellin'!
(he's jetsetting on business at the moment. Or drinking beer. One of the two)
Why not just get out on a local chain gang - it's free, it's better training, it's more fun, you'll learn how to ride a real bike better than you will in a gym on a spin bike.
I do RPM at Virgin Active. One of the instructors turns up with a full on cyclists all-in-one thing and clips himself in and scares the crap out of me. But he knows his stuff - he came and adjusted my bike - I'd had the saddle too low for months it turns out. Raised my real bike saddle too after that!
It's usually a mix of high and low resistance, and different leg speeds.... nothing like what you described though, and they seem to talk you through it as if it's real terrain...as in we're gonna climb three hills and then race down again type thing. no press ups, just the occasional upper body stretch to ease tension. think I've been lucky in that all the instructors there seem pretty good...not that I'm an expert mind....
Hic ! Hola from sunny Barcelona !
I have to admit that there are a lot of crap 'spin' instructors out there.
Basically its indoor cycling - so I wont ask my class to do anything that they wouldnt do on a bike. So no silly popcorn jumps, no press ups, no pedalling backwards, hovers, leaning to one side, cadence less than 60 or spinning with no resistance.
However - just about every class I've dropped in on has had at least some of that rubbish. I just dont do it and stick to what I know and keep it and my joints safe.
Low cadence is rubbish - you wouldnt willingly do that on the bike, so why let your students strain away at 10rpm ? Press ups are no effort at all - so just dont bother. If your classes are that boring that you need crap like that to spice them up, then dont teach.
There are decent teachers out there - you just have to find them. In the meantime - always ask yourself - 'would i do this move on a real bike' ? If not, then don't do it in the class.
And Pops has it right - no amount of spin can teach you bike handling, but if you only have an hour to spare - heck - I'd have spent 15 mins getting ready to ride in the English Winter. Its no excuse for the real thing, but its better than nothing.
Eccentric - you didnt have a fling with me did you ?!?
It obviously pays to shop around then - I will keep looking.
(Makes mental note to look for classes with attractive female instructors!)
I know that popsider is right and that I should just get out on the road on a proper bike, but I was looking for one day a week when I could avoid getting wet, cold, muddy and having to clean the bike all the time, etc. Yeah, I know, it's not a knitting club.
Totally agree with Cougie - our spin instructors say they will only do something that you would do on the bike. That said we do hill attacking so we spin at 90rpm at medium to high resistance then turn it up, stand up and go hard for 15 secs then sit down and try to keep that sprint up for another 30 secs.
We do mostly seated climbs at 60-80rpm, standing climbs, running with resistance (so standing climb but 80-110rpm) and high cadence at low resistance.
I love my spinning classes but now spring is well on its way I like to be on the road.