Feeling Classy: Spin Me Right Round

Good morning! Happy Hump Day!!

So, I realized I’m always going on about Spinning here, but a lot of people have never attended a class. I’ve taken quite a few friends for their first time, so I thought I’d talk about why I love it and what the experience is like. I think a lot of people would love it, but are just too intimidated to try it.

First, let me explain exactly what it is. Spinning is a group exercise class that is taught on a special kind of bike. It’s not like your basic stationary bike….it has a front wheel that spins extremely easily, and is specially designed so that you turn a knob to add resistance.

You ride the bike in one of three basic positions: sitting down, standing up straight, or standing up and leaning forward over the handlebars. You can adjust the resistance so you’re riding on a flat road (low resistance) or a hill (a lot of resistance). When you turn the resistance up higher, you generally enter one of the standing positions, and “climb” that way. When you’re in the standing positions, you’re using your core and lower body to stabilize and support yourself, so it’s great for toning your legs and lifting your ass.

You can also “jump” between positions, and this is a hard movement, one that until you get in shape (or even when you do) can be the most challenging. You move quickly from a seated position to a standing position, which really challenges your legs and your lungs.

A typical class is 45 minutes and includes climbing, jumping, and sprinting on a flat road. It’s low-impact, although if you have bad knees, you have to be careful on some of the jumps. It’s also great for athletes and runners looking to cross train. Usually intervals are included, which is great for building endurance. And in a single class you can burn 500 calories, so it’s great if you want to drop weight.

Still, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s nearly impossible to walk out of a class not red-faced and drenched. I didn’t know my body was so, um, efficient at staying cool.

The first time I attended a class, I was in high school and pretty overweight. I went to my gym at the time and the instructor was (sorry) a skinny bitch. I went early to learn how to set up the bike, as is recommended, and she helped me with that, but wasn’t exactly warm and fluffy. The rest of the class members were beyond self-righteous, in their padded shorts and special shoes. The class was incredibly hard, and she took to  frequently screaming, “IF YOU’RE A BEGINNER DON’T DO THIS!” Not in a “I don’t want you to get hurt way,” but in a cruel way. (Especially beause there were like eight people and I was obviously the only beginner.) I did not go back. I tried Beginner Spinning a couple years later at a gym in Chicago. It was only 15 minutes of actual riding, and I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

I made it my New Year’s Resolution to try it again in 2007. I was in really good shape in terms of cardiovascular ability, but I needed something to mix up my routine. Right after second semester started that January, I took two of my good friends to our gym and we gave it a try! It wasn’t easy, but I loved it. I stuck with it, going twice a week. After about a month, I could make it through an entire class and feel like I was actually keeping up the entire time. Not only was the class challenging, but I finally learned what I was capable of (and what “vigorous exercise” means), and I started to work a hell of a lot harder during my other workouts too. I loved our instructor–a good instructor, I’ve found, can make or break whether you like Spinning! She was so down-to-earth and normal but she worked you hard. In all my classes since, even in NYC, I’ve never had a challenge as tough as her Ms. New Booty jumps.

When I moved back to NYC, it became a regular part of my workout routine, and I tried classes with tons of different instructors. I found what I liked and what I didn’t. the classes there were often packed with 60 people, pedaling together in sync to amazing music in a completely dark room. They called it, “The Ride,” and it really felt like one.

Now I’m planning to get certified to teach in September. I love it, and I think that I could teach an effective class and help people love it as much as I do! It’s honestly my dream to open a small Spinning studio where there were a variety of Spinning classes each day. I could teach everything from beginning classes to Motown rides. It’s definitely part of my five-year plan!

Even though the class is hard, understand that anyone can do it. Because you control your resistance knob, you control how hard the class is. If the instructor says, “You should be at a level 6 right now,” he means YOUR level 6, not your neighbor’s! If you can’t jump, don’t. You can sit down and just pedal it out on a flat road any time. Sometimes, you just can’t add any more resistance, and that’s OK. No one is judging you–trust me.

If your first instructor doesn’t blow your mind, try another–there are some people who just do not have the charisma to run a class like that.

I can’t recommend trying it enough, but here are some tips for your first time:

• Arrive early so you can introduce yourself to the instructor and ask for his or her help setting up your bike. The seat and handlebars are adjustable, and you need someone to show you the first few times where everything should be.  They can also keep an eye on you throughout the class, to make sure you’re OK.
• Take water and remember to drink it! And make sure you have a towel. You’re going to need it.
• The biggest complaint new people have is, honestly, that it makes their crotch and butt hurt. I never had this problem, fortunately, but know that it does go away after a few classes. The best way to prevent it is to sit back on your sit bones as opposed to straddling the seat. Some people are into padded seats and shorts, but that’s just not my thing.
• You can wear regular sneakers, or upgrade to special shoes if you are Spinning regularly. With sneakers, make sure you strap them in to the cages tightly. I’d say if you are doing it twice a week for more than a month, get the shoes. They help you really fly.
• Check your body. Three major things to remember: don’t lock your arms or hunch your shoulders, keep your back flat and allow it to stabilize you, and keep your feet flat and heels driving down.
• When it gets tough, it’s tempting to want to whine. But as one instructor would remind is: It’s only a bike! Don’t look so stressed out…it’s only a bike!

Even if your gym doesn’t offer it, it’s worth getting a guest pass to a gym that does or asking to tag along with a friend, just to say you tried it. Trying Spinning and sticking with it honestly changed how I work out. (It also made my ass more resemble that of a reindeer, which we all know I strive for.) I learned that variety is the spice of life, that great music makes the workout, and that I can work a hell of a lot harder than I thought I could. I also began to appreciate the friendships that form when you attend classes regularly. After Spinning, I started challenging myself more on every machine and my whole gym attitude changed.

Tagged as: classes, Feeling Classy, spinning