OK, so the quest for a healthier new year has begun. Tonight is my first spinning class. I am going to eat a light dinner now cus it will be too late to eat when I get home..oh sorry, I digress. So has anyone taken a spinning class (arrggg my dog just farted ooof, I know better then to let him play at the neighbors) before and did you like it? I signed up for beginner because of my current fitness level and because I assumed (hopefully mistakenly) that it's nothing like cycling on the road.

So ladies, gents....anyone got comments or advice re spinning?

OK, so the quest for a healthier new year has begun. Tonight is my first spinning class. I am going to eat a light dinner now cus it will be too late to eat when I get home..oh sorry, I digress. So has anyone taken a spinning class (arrggg my dog just farted ooof, I know better then to let him play at the neighbors) before and did you like it? I signed up for beginner because of my current fitness level and because I assumed (hopefully mistakenly) that it's nothing like cycling on the road.

So ladies, gents....anyone got comments or advice re spinning?

I was a certified Spin instructor for years before work got in the way. I think it's a great compliment for cycling and will help you keep the pounds off as well as keep your aerobic base alive through the winter. The instructor makes all the difference. Try a variety of classes to see which one clicks with you. If they make you do tons of fast jumps and scream like cheerleaders the whole class look elswhere. FWIW...I don't take many classes these days, but I have a Spin bike in the basement I ride when I can't get outside.

I was a certified Spin instructor for years before work got in the way. I think it's a great compliment for cycling and will help you keep the pounds off as well as keep your aerobic base alive through the winter. The instructor makes all the difference. Try a variety of classes to see which one clicks with you. If they make you do tons of fast jumps and scream like cheerleaders the whole class look elswhere. FWIW...I don't take many classes these days, but I have a Spin bike in the basement I ride when I can't get outside.

Check; jumping and screaming is not up my alley though I've been known to cry out at the top of a particularly hard climb, sort of like the cheesy version of Kung Fu movies.
They offer a few different instructors and a number of different styles so I'll run the gauntlet, thanks for the heads up.

Cheers,
S

Before I went to my first spin class I was told that I'd hate the first time, and it does a good job of mimicking riding a real bike. Not true! but if you don't like your first spin class, go back anyway. Although it isn't at all like riding your own bike, it's a fabulous workout and can be loads of fun.

What BoJo said; the instructor makes ALL the difference. Hi tension low rpms are to be avoided as well as "jumps". Try to find an instructor who is also a cyclist; hi rpms and time-trial simulations will kick yer azz and jump-start your fitness. It CAN be fun with the right instructor.

I agree. I just started spinning in the fall and quickly became addicted! Because of my schedule, I can only spin once a week, but I look forward to every Wednesday night when I know that I'm going to get my butt kicked in class. It's the hardest (but definitely the best) workout I've ever had. Have fun!!

As a former cat 3 racer I was away from any biking for over 3 years and decided to start doing spin classes back in September. It was the only thing that I found motivating at the gym. I usually do 3 to 4 one hour classes a week. The weight loss and increase in fitness motivated me to go out and buy a Cannondale caad8 last month. Oh and I have now lost 50 pounds as of today! :D

As a former cat 3 racer I was away from any biking for over 3 years and decided to start doing spin classes back in September. It was the only thing that I found motivating at the gym. I usually do 3 to 4 one hour classes a week. The weight loss and increase in fitness motivated me to go out and buy a Cannondale caad8 last month. Oh and I have now lost 50 pounds as of today! :D

WOW, congrats Toyota! I hope I can claim similar soon. I loved the first class. It kicked my ass and I can't believe how tough it was but I loved it. I must say the seats suck, too wide and made my tailbone hurt.
Are jumps when you stand and sprint then sit down again? Standing on the spinning bike was really hard to get used too. We had long "flats" with high cadence which was really awesome. The music wasn't bad and the instructor seemed good. :thumbsup:

I'm glad you enjoyed your first class!
Yes, jumps are when you stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down over and over again. Everything I've read on this board and other boards say to avoid jumps, but all three instructors that I've had have used jumps regularly.

We stood up and stayed up for about 30 second before sitting again and only did it twice so it didn't seem bad.

Are there any spin instructors who avoid jumps? I agree, they all seem to use them. I just try to keep my heels down so as to avoid too much pressure or pain on my bad knees. Glad you enjoyed the session!

That's not bad; plus, you don't HAVE to do what they do all the time. It's your $$:)

I think spinning is terrific. It really helped my power and aerobic base when I was faithful to it (which I haven't been lately).

I use jumps in the classes I teach at work as climbing simulation. There's no jumping, you just stand up to simulate a climbing effort. I start everyone at 15 seconds and then move them to 30 seconds after a few weeks. But you really have to make sure their form is good when they stand. I'm lucky because the classes I do are very small, 2-4 people, and I keep close eye on their fit and form. They all think I'm insane for all the details I fret over, but no one has been hurt and they've all progressed very well. I spin twice a week myself at lunch. It's not translating exactly to the bike, but it's a good approximation and keeps my cardio at a decent level. All the spin bike climbing doesn't do bumpkiss on a real hill though. bleh

Just curious, what are a basics needed to go to a class? What kind of shoes? Shorts? etc...?

You can really wear whatever you'd like to class. In the classes that I've gone to, most people wear regular workout wear. I believe most bikes have two-sided pedals, one side for clipless pedals, the other side has straps so you could wear tennis shoes. I wear my bike shorts (because I like the longer length), a tank top, and my clipless shoes. Definitely bring water and a towel, but otherwise you don't need anything else.

Or...you can put all those gazillion bike event t-shirts to use and wear 'em in spin class!

.....

You can really wear whatever you'd like to class. In the classes that I've gone to, most people wear regular workout wear. I believe most bikes have two-sided pedals, one side for clipless pedals, the other side has straps so you could wear tennis shoes. I wear my bike shorts (because I like the longer length), a tank top, and my clipless shoes. Definitely bring water and a towel, but otherwise you don't need anything else.
Cool. At least I'm okay for the clothes.

What kind of clipless pedals? I use Campy Profit pedals. Are they Shimano SPD or Look?

The bikes at my gym are SPD. You'll want to check with your gym to see what they have... I don't know if all spin bikes are the same since this fall was my first time spinning.

They will always offer SPD and sometimes the two-sided (Look on one side, SPD on the other) pedals. So I keep an old pair of mt shoes with SPDs as my spinning shoes.

For me that's a real blessing. When they announce a series of jumps, I stand up and ride like I'm climbing a long hill on my fixie. 30 seconds doesn't get me over much of a hill; I almost never sprint standing and I'm more concerned with riding better than in getting the maximum workout per minute so a long climb makes more sense to me and I do it.

For me that's a real blessing. When they announce a series of jumps, I stand up and ride like I'm climbing a long hill on my fixie. 30 seconds doesn't get me over much of a hill; I almost never sprint standing and I'm more concerned with riding better than in getting the maximum workout per minute so a long climb makes more sense to me and I do it.

I like to let everyone know what's coming too. I think it makes it bearable and keeps them focused. I agree that 30 seconds is not a long time to stand, but most of the people I have in class only do it for the cardio benefit and could care less about the cycling aspect. When I am doing sessions for myself, the standing time is a lot longer, up to 5 minutes or so.

They are SPD at my gym too. I wear my "city" shoes which I use with my SS/fixie. Also my instructor put up a paper that had an ouline of the class so you can see the whole workout. It sounds like I got a good one. At the end she led us through a really good set of stretches too.
I need to find out if I can ride the spinning bikes when there isn't a class, they are so much better then the stationary bikes.
I wore bike shorts and shoes and a comfy t-shirt. I also wore gloves and though I noticed noone else was wearing them I'll continue to do so. I need the padding because of my carpal tunnel.

They are SPD at my gym too. I wear my "city" shoes which I use with my SS/fixie. Also my instructor put up a paper that had an ouline of the class so you can see the whole workout. It sounds like I got a good one. At the end she led us through a really good set of stretches too.
I need to find out if I can ride the spinning bikes when there isn't a class, they are so much better then the stationary bikes.
I wore bike shorts and shoes and a comfy t-shirt. I also wore gloves and though I noticed noone else was wearing them I'll continue to do so. I need the padding because of my carpal tunnel.

gloves make my hands sweat too much indoors, but if ya need em you need them. Many gyms won't allow the use of the spin bikes outside of class for liability reasons, but then again some do. I'd ask.