Nice day for a bike ride vicar! (Indoors) (Spinning)

Member Name: Fishbulb

Product:	Spinning
Date:	13/03/03 (2265 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good exercise (if there is such a thing), Go at own pace, Good fun for men, women et al

Disadvantages: Seats DO hurt, Bikes not everyone's cup of tea, Ah, it's exercise, not as much fun as beer-er-cise!

Well, it was only through chance that I came across Spinning, well chance and cowardice. I recommended to the woman in the office a few doors down from me to join my gym, she did and started going to the spinning class on a Tuesday lunchtime. I happened to remark that "I'd quite like to go!" and one day, she signed me up for it and off we went. I wasn't quite sure what to expect and didn't look forward to it one bit, but I'm glad I went and let me tell you why.


Let me start at the beginning as it's often the best place to start. Spinning is an American concept (as so often is with these new-fangled aerobic stylee things - does anyone remember taking 'slide' classes? Nope? so it was just me then) Anyway, originating back in the fashion-conscious 1980's (1986 to be presice) by a man named Johnny Goldberg. While training at the time for the RAM (Race Across America) he obviously saw a niche in the market, as he and his cycling friends wanted a way to train indoors in bad weather and conveniently, not unlike cleaner that invented the hoover - anything to make your life easier has got to be a good thing. Two years later Johnny G (as he's more commonly known) set the record for the 554-mile non-stop race across Arizona (29 hours, 46 minutes) That's 4 hours less than it was and it still stands today. (Fact taken from www.spinning.com)


In a nutshell, spinning is an aerobics class that is taken on a spinning 'bike' (it doesn't actually spin though, so don't be too disappointed when it stays stationary) which is similar to a standard exercise bike (details later) originally classes were 40 minutes long, most of the American ones still are, but I'm (un) fortunate enough to attend a class, which is 45 minutes long. This seems to be the norm here in the UK.


Your Bike

Your spinning bike is a fairly standard(ish) exercise bike. You set the sa
ddle to be level with your hips when standing on the floor and the
handlebars to be level with the saddle. The handlebars are in almost a W shape as you look at them from the seat with a half moon in the centre. The pedals have secure straps on them and are kind of 'half shoes' to keep your feet secure. It's important to ensure that your feet are safely strapped in, as you will be standing up and cycling together at some points.

There's a holder for your water bottle on your bike on the crossbar (which runs on a diagonal to a woman's bike - I assume for safety reasons as there's lots of standing, sitting, cycling, standing and sitting again that goes on in this class.) You'll also find just under your handlebars on the crossbar a small dial with arrows on it. This is your resistance which aids you in making the pedals harder or easier to push. If you pull this wheel towards you it will slow down the wheel (and your feet) this is most handy if you're sprinting and are told to slow down to stop your little legs doing a Wile E Coyote™ like mine did in the first class because no one told me about it.


The Class

Spinning classes usually are held for up to 15 people at a time. They are held in air-conditioned aerobics studios with fairly low lighting. Your instructor will also be on a spinning bike at the front, but facing you. Some classes are held in semi-circles around an instructor, but ours is set up like a standard aerobics class. The class is treated a lot like a Sunday bike ride with your friends. You'll travel up metaphorical hills and down them too. Standing to sprint or to get up the hill and sitting when you're on back on the flat ground (you'll need to use your imagination a bit here folks). You adjust the resistance on your bike by turning the dial I was telling you
about to reflect the terrain you're crossing. The bikes are supposed to be such a goo
d simulation of a regular bike more so than the standard exercise bikes you'd find in the Argos catalogue or in your gym. But with
out the wobbly handlebars and bits of brick/stick/old beer bottles in the road, waiting to take you down. Not in Argos, but out in the real world.

The important thing about spinning is to constantly be on the go, even if you need a break, just sit yourself back down and keep those legs moving. This way, your heart rate doesn't drop too much and you don't have to work yourself back up to your exercising heart rate. This makes the class more productive for you, where as in a standard class, sometimes you loose the energy to keep marching on the spot etc.


Typical Class

You'd come in, adjust your bike, putting your water in the holder and towel over the handlebars (for easy access). After this, you'll start with a casual ride, followed by a sprint, then back to the casual ride again. There are three main positions on the handlebars. #1 is the centre under the middle point of the W. #2 is the bottom points of the W and #3 are the top points. You will be asked at various times throughout the class to put your hands in these positions when riding. Then, we usually, as we're riding in time to the beat, we'll stand up for 8 counts, sit down for 8. Up for 4, down for 4. Up for 2, down for 2. Then singles - which is a real killer if you're not in time with the music, so do be careful! Then back onto the ride.....

The best thing about this class for me personally is there's no having to keep up with the other participants - not that I'm a fat lazy pie-eating.. beer swilling..oh wait...I've lost my train of thought..hmmmm...beer... You can literally go at your own pace. Although a lot of the work is done in time with the beat of the music, you can at any point,
turn down the resistance on your bike or turn it right off and sit back, have some wat
er and you won't feel out of place as you're still working out. Because the lights are low means you aren't so conscious of your efforts/non-efforts! (And more importantly, neither are your contemporaries) You won't be grapevining to the left when everyone else is going to the right, you won't fall over (unless you're seriously unlucky) and you'll be working at a level that's good for you and reflects your own level of health and fitness. This class is bespoke for you by you.


There seems to be a bit of a stigma attached to men and aerobic classes, but not this one. Our class is equally divided between men and women, in fact sometimes there's more men in there than women. Which is great to see. There are also a couple of old blue haired ladies who come along too. It is a class for everyone as it's so dictated by what you wish to achieve and how quickly.


Other bits and bobs.

Water

Very important that you take a bottle of water along. The original selling point for this was called 40 for 40. 40 fluid ounces of water before, during and after your 40 minutes exercise. I assume that this is 40 ounces in total and not 120 cause that's a lot of water. Even for a camel like myself!** I drink water like it's going out of fashion. Actually, I drink most things like they're going out of fashion.


Towel

I actually take two, one for my face and one for my bum. No, you dirty-minded ork, not to wipe it, but to pad it. The one for your face is fairly important though, even if you're not a sweaty person, it's nice to have one there for your hands and for fanning yourself.


Padding.

Well, anyone who's ever ridden a bike for 40 minutes straight will know that they're not the worlds most comfortable things to sit on. You can wear padded cyc
ling shorts if you wish, or you can fold up a towel and stick it on the
seat a la Fishbulb. Be warned though, that the towel option doesn't always work, they can and do fall off with all the sitting and standing you will do. Padding is VERY important. The first time I did this class I spent the rest of the week and a lot of the following week looking like a Spaniard that had had his donkey stolen from underneath him!!! You can buy special spinning gel pads to pad the seat out for between about £7 - 10 each. Although why they couldn't just pad the seats out when they built the bikes is beyond me. Actually, it's not beyond me it is a ploy to get you to purchase specially tailored bits for your hobby/comfort.


Trainers/Clothing

Sounds like an odd thing to say, but make sure you wear proper aerobic trainers. None of these 'fashion-come-trainer' things. Good solid shoes with a hard base. The pedals only cover the front half of your feet, if you don't wear decent shoes you will be crippled!

Try and wear something light and either designed for cycling or with a cotton base to it or open weave. You want to stay as cool as possible in this environment.


Price

As with any aerobics class it will vary from centre to centre, but expect to pay around £3.50 - 4.00 per class, the same as a normal one. I'm fortunate enough to have a gym membership that covers all classes in the cost. I believe in our gym a guest pass for a spinning class is around the £5 mark.


Of course, there are certain injuries that it's probably not advisable to take this class with. If you have particular problems with your knees, ankles or back you should probably try and avoid this class. However, I suffer from a terrible bad back, which not so many weeks ago, I could barely walk and I have coped perfectly well within the realms of this class. Please know your limits. Any good instructor worth his or her
salt will ask these questions at the beginning of the class an
d at that point remember and advise you what portions of the class to be careful with and or omit.

You should always speak with your physician before taking any up any exercise regime.

You should be able to purchase all suitable accessories from your centre that provide the spinning classes, failing that most good sports store will stock the products. You can order spinning related apparel through a link off of off http://www.spinning.com.

I hope you give this class a go. I'm not a bike kinda person normally, but I thoroughly enjoy it. The very best thing about this class, is even I managed to not get lost or abandoned along the way.


**Contrary to popular myth, I am not and have never been a camel, however, I'm led to believe that there may be camel in my family somewhere.

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