Spin Class Kicked My Ass

Man. I've never ridden in an organized spin-class at
the gym before. But Tuesday it was cold and rainy, so I
couldn't ride outside, and when I got to the gym it was
just in time for a class to start, so I thought, what the
hell, let's see how boring this could be.

Holy exothermic activity, Batman! That woman ran us up
one hill and down the other for a solid hour.

Of course, it's semi-self-paced; I had total control of
the resistance level. And the lady next to me indicated
my ride might be a little maladjusted so it "goes up high
pretty fast". When the instructor was calling out levels
(50, 60, 70%, etc) I may have been 10-20% over. Maybe.

So while I (barely) kept up on cadence through the surges,
sprints, and two-minute standing grinds, maybe I was
actually doing more work than I was supposed to.

Good side: the instructor complimented my form after
the class; no bouncing, no bobbing, nice and supple;
she pegged me for a cyclist come in from the cold, but
she was still surprised when I said I'd never ridden in
a spin class before.

I also realized I'd never seen myself riding in a mirror
before, either. I'm way bulkier on the bike than I thought.

--Blair
"I'll have to do that again some time."

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 20:09:55 +0000, Blair P. Houghton wrote:

Holy exothermic activity, Batman! That woman ran us up
one hill and down the other for a solid hour.

Ditto. Just got back from the (packed) Thanksgiving Day class.

Probably unlike you, I'm a pretty slow (real) bicycle rider, but riding
18-20 miles a day, I thought I was getting a decent workout. Well, I think
a lot of things that aren't true. Mistress Paula has the ability to leave
me wobbling in a puddle of sweat, pathetically trying to do what she calls
the "hereditary stretch" (either you can or you can't) at the end of 60
minutes. It also seems to me that there is an excessive emphasis on
standing in the pedals, and bike-thing number 17 has too much float in the
right SPD, and number 8 has a bad left pedal spindle, and, and ... forget
it, I'm weak.

Good things about spin class:

- you can watch yourself if you get there early enough for a front-row
bike-thing

- you can ride with your eyes closed for as long as you want

- music from my generation (sometimes)

Bad things about spin class:

- you can watch yourself if you get there early enough for a front-row
bike-thing

- no coasting

- music from my kids' generation (sometimes)

I do think it is helping my real bike riding - we'll see tomorrow after
the 3 bears ride. At least it helps me gauge whether I'm putting my best
effort into the ride. Now I really want an HRM.

Blair P. Houghton wrote in message . ..

I also realized I'd never seen myself riding in a mirror
before, either. I'm way bulkier on the bike than I thought.

--Blair
"I'll have to do that again some time."

Does your spin class have not only music......but flashing lights
while you are riding?? The gym I used to go to in my town thought
that was just a fine idea. I had to keep my eyes closed. (As for the
mirrors all around. I went to a casino hotel and stood in a shower
stall which had clear glass doors and the bathroom was all mirrors.
Now that was a nightmare. ;-)

BTW My instructor in spin class was also my personal trainer at the
time. Her name was Michelle and I still have nightmares about her. But
she was the only person who ever pushed me hard enough to work out
properly. Her spin classes were torture. I should go back to her.
After Thanksgiving yesterday......I need to ride a few hundred miles
to work off the meal I cooked for the familia...but I have to work
today and sit at my desk. Oh well. The weekend is almost here. Maybe I
will sneak a guest pass at my friends gym and go after work today.
Then ride tomorrow. I have already lost 10 lbs since I started riding.
I can't believe it. Amazing.

http://www.geocities.com/lindaannbuset/mypage.html

I've been spinning for about 5 weeks now...it's getting progessively easier to
handle. The first class I was a blubbering mass of sweat drained jello.

Now I find myself wanting more time.

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 20:09:55 GMT, Blair P. Houghton wrote:

Man. I've never ridden in an organized spin-class at
the gym before. But Tuesday it was cold and rainy, so I
couldn't ride outside, and when I got to the gym it was
just in time for a class to start, so I thought, what the
hell, let's see how boring this could be.

Holy exothermic activity, Batman! That woman ran us up
one hill and down the other for a solid hour.

Of course, it's semi-self-paced; I had total control of
the resistance level. And the lady next to me indicated
my ride might be a little maladjusted so it "goes up high
pretty fast". When the instructor was calling out levels
(50, 60, 70%, etc) I may have been 10-20% over. Maybe.

So while I (barely) kept up on cadence through the surges,
sprints, and two-minute standing grinds, maybe I was
actually doing more work than I was supposed to.

Good side: the instructor complimented my form after
the class; no bouncing, no bobbing, nice and supple;
she pegged me for a cyclist come in from the cold, but
she was still surprised when I said I'd never ridden in
a spin class before.

I also realized I'd never seen myself riding in a mirror
before, either. I'm way bulkier on the bike than I thought.

--Blair
"I'll have to do that again some time."


When I tried my first spinning class I thought to myself, "I bike a
lot so how hard can this be?" Boy, was I ever humbled by the
experience! Resistance set high, out of the saddle for a good amount
of time, I felt my legs turn to rubber about 3/4 of the way through
the class. Now, I find spinning an excellent supplement to regular
biking when it's too cold, raining, or too dark to get some miles in..
I've been going twice a week in the early evenings and it's getting
easier as my muscles tone up. Most of the time there are about 25
people in each session so there's the feeling of being with others on
a group ride, staying together, and suffering through the same
"climbs."
-Richard

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 13:05:41 -0800, Erik Freitag wrote:

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 20:09:55 +0000, Blair P. Houghton wrote:

Holy exothermic activity, Batman! That woman ran us up
one hill and down the other for a solid hour.

Ditto. Just got back from the (packed) Thanksgiving Day class.

Probably unlike you, I'm a pretty slow (real) bicycle rider, but riding
18-20 miles a day, I thought I was getting a decent workout. Well, I think
a lot of things that aren't true. Mistress Paula has the ability to leave
me wobbling in a puddle of sweat, pathetically trying to do what she calls
the "hereditary stretch" (either you can or you can't) at the end of 60
minutes. It also seems to me that there is an excessive emphasis on
standing in the pedals, and bike-thing number 17 has too much float in the
right SPD, and number 8 has a bad left pedal spindle, and, and ... forget
it, I'm weak.

Good things about spin class:

- you can watch yourself if you get there early enough for a front-row
bike-thing

- you can ride with your eyes closed for as long as you want

- music from my generation (sometimes)

Bad things about spin class:

- you can watch yourself if you get there early enough for a front-row
bike-thing

- no coasting

- music from my kids' generation (sometimes)

I do think it is helping my real bike riding - we'll see tomorrow after
the 3 bears ride. At least it helps me gauge whether I'm putting my best
effort into the ride. Now I really want an HRM.


Do the bike machines still have that troglodyte "Q" factor that used to be
universal - about 10 inches between pedals?

Ron

On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 11:27:19 -0500, wrote:

Do the bike machines still have that troglodyte "Q" factor that used to be
universal - about 10 inches between pedals?

Thanks for sending me back to Sheldon -

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_tp-z.html#tread

I'm pretty sure you meant Q-factor in the sense of "tread", rather than
the Fit-Kit definition. To answer: I don't feel any difference in tread
compared to my high-tech and extremely well-fitted Trek 520. Someone who
is more fit, and more aware of the effect of bicycle shape on performance
might notice a difference. I'll try to remember to take a ruler next time
I go. If it helps, I think it is called an "Avenger".

Blair P. Houghton wrote in message . ..
Man. I've never ridden in an organized spin-class at
the gym before. But Tuesday it was cold and rainy, so I
couldn't ride outside, and when I got to the gym it was
just in time for a class to start, so I thought, what the
hell, let's see how boring this could be.

Holy exothermic activity, Batman! That woman ran us up
one hill and down the other for a solid hour.

--Blair
"I'll have to do that again some time."

Did your instructor tell you about the five core movements in the
Spinning class. They were developed specifically for the Spinner to
simulate cycling terrain, conditions and techniques encountered on the
road. I was told by the instructor when I took classes that if I
wouldn't perform a movement on a real bike, don't do it on a Spinner.
The only problem was, I had not been on a real bike for a long time
when I took the class. Now that I have been on a real bike again, I
am going to sneak a guest pass to the gym in the morning with a friend
for their 9:00 a.m. spin class. I was also told that there are winter
spin classes sponsored by the Bicycling Club. The Clases run from
November through March. I know some cyclists do not believe in spin
classes, but in my opinion, living in Jersey, its a great alternative.
Plus the Bicycle Club runs them for free. :-)

On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 16:52:56 -0800, Erik Freitag wrote:

On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 11:27:19 -0500, wrote:

Do the bike machines still have that troglodyte "Q" factor that used to be
universal - about 10 inches between pedals?

Thanks for sending me back to Sheldon -

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_tp-z.html#tread

I'm pretty sure you meant Q-factor in the sense of "tread", rather than
the Fit-Kit definition. To answer: I don't feel any difference in tread
compared to my high-tech and extremely well-fitted Trek 520. Someone who
is more fit, and more aware of the effect of bicycle shape on performance
might notice a difference. I'll try to remember to take a ruler next time
I go. If it helps, I think it is called an "Avenger".

No biggy, just sorta curious. I remember stationary bikes being a very
non-cycling experience and not well suited for anything like "spinning" big
couch saddles and pedals way too far apart.

BTW, "tread" strikes me as a much better word for that measurement. It doesn't
have the weenie-factor of Q-factor.

Ron

Ronsonic wrote:
On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 13:05:41 -0800, Erik Freitag wrote:
- no coasting

Not only is there no coasting because it's never in the
lesson plan, but if you forget and try to coast, the bikes
are essentially fixies, so you'll snap an ankle hard.

Do the bike machines still have that troglodyte "Q" factor that used to be
universal - about 10 inches between pedals?

They are a bit wide, but it's maybe half an inch wider than my bike.

I am getting pretty lucky though in that both my SPD-R
cleats for my bike and the SPD cleats I got for the
spin class will adjust to the right position for my old
strapped-in foot alignment.

No pain in either regime.

And I've been meaning to mention, if you need a cheap,
decent pair of road shoes with universal cleat mounts built
in, either as a backup or as spin-class kit, I recommend
the Exustar SR920, available at PerformanceBike.Com and
other outlets at rather deep discounts (I got my two pair
for $29.95 each.) Light enough, plenty stiff, and they
have air channels in the soles that probably stop a lot
of foot-sweat. But all those mounting holes in the built-in
adapter plate are the prize.

--Blair
"I bet I could bolt a set of
crampons to these things."