First Spinning Class

That's great! Spinning classes can be really enjoyable, but a lot can depend on your instructor. Just be sure to start somewhat slowly, as you don't want to get injured going full bore right off the bat.

Good idea to get the instructor to help you out with bike fit, as proper fit can make all the difference in the world. It'll probably take a few more sessions in the saddle until the soreness down there starts to go away. Doesn't help being male either!

Yay! You survived your first spinning class. Now, I will get kinda bossy. I am not an instructor, but someone who has ridden a lot at one gym. My experiences: Your instructor MUST fit you to the bike. That is crucial! Measurements vary between spinning bikes too. For example I am a 5-3-5 on a Spinner bike and a 4-2-4 on a Schwinn. Your instructor is a valuable resource. Re: The seat issue: it gets better with each ride. I promise. Some in my class use a gel seat cover ( may be available to borrow in the classroom), but I find them to be uncomfortable. If you do use a gel cover, you may have to adjust your bike fit as the cover will make you a bit higher. You can also wear bike shorts, that will help too. I have been spinning long enough to be able to comfortably ride a whole class w/o any padding-seat, shorts or otherwise. I still try to wear bike shorts as they do feel luxurious.

Remember, it is your own ride. Keep in the HR zone you want to work in. Nobody should laugh at you if you aren't doing jumps with the rest of them. All were beginners once. At my gym, a daily ride is usually one of  three types: endurance, strength or interval. Each has a target HR zone with endurance being the lowest HR zone. Drink your water and you may want to bring a towel to keep from dripping sweat everywhere. And finally, as a common courtesy, clean the bike after you are done (if the cleaning supplies are available). At my gym there are cloths and spray cleaner. I clean off the seat and handlebars. Some Swiffer the floor if they are "drippy" riders.

Hang in there and have fun!


Edited by lifesgreat 2005-02-07 11:23 PM

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Thats the plan for next trip..


I Imagine bike shorts are something i'll eventually purchase.. If the fanny problem doesn't get much better soon.. It'll be sooner than later


No worries here. Much of the workout was really hard and when I felt it too challengeing I slowed down a little and just kept my revolutions up. One of my other problems was I felt like, at times, the bike was getting away from me. I'd be sitting down spinning away.. and then we would start some of those crazy moves (read: stand up) and I would start flying! I'd up the resistance and manage the jump or stand or whatever it was. When it was over.. I'd sit down and the resistance would be so high that I'd have to ease it up just to keep going.. I guess I'll learn more about how to work the bikes in my next few sessions..


Seemed to me like this class was some of all of those.. although probably less strength


Towel... check
Water.. ouch.. must take water next time..


We were instructed to wipe our bikes down using the provided spray bottle and our towels (not sure it did that much good seeing as my towel was pretty filled with the stuff I was trying to remove from the bike.. oh well..


Thats the plan! Now that the first one is out of the way I'll feel much more comfortable in there and be ready to own the class!!!! Now if only my tushy would stop hurting..

Thanks All!

Will

Double check what kind of workouts each instructor does as well.  For example, at my old gym they offered probably 20 spinning classes a week, but there was one on Wednesday afternoons in the winter taught by a guy who was a road bike racer.  He didn't do the crazy jump stuff, just rode for 45 min. as one of the workouts mentioned above.  His class was full until about May, when it was warm enough to bike outside in Wisconsin.  Then he just stopped teaching until November.  I couldn't make it when he taught, but a lot of road-riding friends raved about his classes.

You know... I was looking forward to doing my first spinning class at my gym. But then I got discouraged by another gym member who said it might be too hard for me at first. That I should try doing the uphill programs on the stationary bike. I'll admit, I am a beginner - but I figured I could do what I could during the spinning class. Now I'm a bit confused. The rider controls the gears, right? If everyone else is climbing the hill, but I feel I can't just yet, I can just spin, right?

I am a firm believer in spinning classes! I hated the first one and now I am addicted! The instructor should be able to tell you/show you how/what you should be doing.

It gets better with time I promise!

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exactly - and having something structured like a class gets you out there for an hour, or whatever the duriation of the class! And you get surrounded by enthusiastic people.

carisima..


That is mostly what I did. And the instructor said in the beginning before initiating some of the moves that they were optional.. well.. i figured out really fast that EVERYTHING was optional. Don't get me wrong.. I went to the class for a good workout and certianly got one. Do what you feel comfortable with and you will have a good time. It sure is a helluva lot more fun that riding those electronic jobs with all the fancy lights and numbers (although I wish I knew how 'far' we 'rode')

On the bikes we had there was a knob right below the handlebars that controlled the resistance. Everyone in our class was at a different level so there was not one resistance level for everybody. I would recommend going and spending a little time on the electronic bikes just to get the feel of riding again if you haven't in a while. Or you could even just go to the class and spin the whole time and watch what goes on around you so next time there won't be any suprises.

It's lots of fun and I'll certianly go back.