Fifty Plus (50+) - Training for a spinning class?

Hello newbie here.... I am 55 and trying to get in shape. The gym I belong to has a spinning class. They don't offer any beginner ones. It is an hour long. Can anyone recommend how I should prepare for this class? Any tips or suggestions? :) I tried to do it a while back. I couldn't do the stand up portion but just kept pedaling.... I bought some padded shorts to minimize the pain for future use.

I am not an active cycler "yet" but plan to work on that too. Thank you.

Get hydrated before you go and just try to keep up. You will eventually hang in there. Road riding is different than spinning, spinning is good training for road riding because you never really coast while spinning. I put the bike on the stand tonight as it has not gotten too dark for my morning training ride, I will spin in the mornings now. Boring - but it does keep my legs in shape. By the end of October it will be the only riding I will get until April.

I hide in the back near the fan.

I find training on a trainer (spinning) to be very good. Road biking or Trail biking offers many distractions or excuses for not meeting certain goals. No such problem with stationary bike training.
I set it up for 16.5 MPH @ 90 RPM with a HR of 125. This is a very good workout and if I do it for one hour I am feeling that I have done some good for my conditioning.

As part of a training program we got it up to 6 hours or 100 miles.

Standing up biking on a trainer is also good training. I can now do it up to 5 minutes at 20 MPH. My early condition was such that I could do only seconds.
This training comes in helpful if you bike up a short hill.

I'm 52 and did a Compu-trainer class last winter. The real problem I had with the class was that I was the only one over the age of 30, and the only guy (that wasn't a problem, except to my wife.) If you think you know what is going on with the 20 something crowd, guess again.

find out if they start this class out fast or they give you a chance to get into the swing of it. My first class was mostly a warm up session.

Get there a little early next time and spend some time adjusting the bike to fit you perfectly. This could take several minutes, as there are up-and-down and back-and-forward adjustments for the seat, and the same for the handelbars. Put your heel on the pedals and pedal backwards; your leg should be straight out on the lowest part of the downstroke. (But don't stretch to do it.) That will give you the correct amount of bend when you then put your foot into the toeclips.

Adjust the tension to where it's very easy to pedal. Warm up like this for five or ten minutes, even before the class starts. Get comfortable on the bike. Loosen up. If you want to make some more adjustments, do it now.

When the class starts, adjust the tension gradually; don't feel like you have to make it a hammerfest just because the instructor's yelling feel the burn or go all out. All out for you is going to be very different from what it might be for the person next to you. The instructor does not know how high you've set the tension on the bike, only you will know how hard you're really working. When you stand up, make the tension high enough to enable you to do that, but you don't have to be climbing Everest, mashing pedals that feel like lead weights.

In the middle of the class, after you're thoroughly warmed up, push it a little. See where that's at. By the end of the spin class, you should feel tired but wonderful, spent but not wiped out. (This is for newbies; some people aim for being wiped out. You probably do not.)

Spin classes are a great way to get fitter. Take it gradually, and this will happen. Good luck!

Whats spinning? I'm going on a class for gym in school.

Hello newbie here.... I am 55 and trying to get in shape. The gym I belong to has a spinning
I'm 61 and spin quite frequently, last winter I was doing three classes a week. I started with one a week. During the first one I couldn't keep my eye off of the clock, I thought that I was going to die! After the third week it became a little easier and time went by a lot quicker.
Everything depends on the dynamics of the instructor, your willingness to stick to it and improve the quality of your life.
Enjoy
Mud

You guys are so amazing and welcoming.... I actually felt pretty silly for posting here. Afterall, I am 55 and working my way to getting healthy and more fit. Not a cyclist by a long shot. I have to admit that I am attracted to the spinning class. Also I would like to start doing some family biking. There is so much good information on here that I am going to read it a few times and maybe even cut and paste some of it.

The instructors do spend some time being sure the newbies have the bikes adjusted to them. I am glad to know that this will help prepare me for cycling. Now that it is cooling off a bit in Southern CA, I will have to get a bike rack and get DH, DD and I moving. Do you think I should work up to the spinning class by some other form of exercise. I use an elliptical trainer and a treadmill and do some weight training. I was wondering if I should be at some "specific level" of fitness before beginning.... The trainers do say go at your own pace. I wish they had a beginner class or one that was just 30 minutes but they don't....

Thank you...... as our "Governator" says.... "I'll be back...."

Jo

I hate exercise bikes. 20 minutes on one and I want to kill something. I would much rather get out on the bike and ride where I can see something new.

Now if the rider in front was 20 .....:p

Thank you...... as our "Governator" says.... "I'll be back...."

Jo


Of course we want to know how the classes go for you:)

Spinning classes are quite different than riding your trainer indoors.

I do a bit of trainer riding in the winter, and use the Spinerval tapes as guides. But, a spinning class has a whole lot more standing than either real cycling or a Spinerval training video.

That was what killed me on my one and only experience with a spinning class. And I was in a room with a lot of ladies in their 50's and 60's who calmly did the whole thing without a sweat, while I was absolutely dying!

I plan on doing some spinning this winter, as the gym is only a mile away, and I can walk easily. I also hope that I will be more motivated to spin than I am for the trainer, which I do but absolutely hate.

Try just hanging in there, and increasing a bit each time. Hopefully, your instructor is aware of your situation - I can bet you aren't the first, and almost everyone else in that class has gone through the same process.

Good luck!

Let us know.

What sort of resistance levels are set for folks who don't sweat. I use the trainer in the winter to retain some leg muscle and for a little cardio but I set the resistance so that it feels like I am climbing a hill forever. 30 min and I am soaked, whipped and rubber legged. Maybe I'm doing it wrong but I hate riding indoors so much I can't see spending all day there spinning the cranks against little resistance while wearing out the bike and the rear tire.

What sort of resistance levels are set for folks who don't sweat. I use the trainer in the winter to retain some leg muscle and for a little cardio but I set the resistance so that it feels like I am climbing a hill forever. 30 min and I am soaked, whipped and rubber legged. Maybe I'm doing it wrong but I hate riding indoors so much I can't see spending all day there spinning the cranks against little resistance while wearing out the bike and the rear tire.

It's not the resistance so much, and as each is individually set, so I wouldn't know. It is the standing -like a LOT of standing. Try it, and you will know what I mean.

Well, spin classes are not hard to prepare for. Unlike road cycling, you can not be dropped ever. Just ride at a pace that you can sustain in your first classes. If you get in better shape, than you can actually crank harder and do all that stuff. Some people who take spin classes don't really get much exercise. It is pretty easy to look good but to actually be loafing. One lady comes to mind who looks like a world beater in spin class but can not sustain even 17 mph on the road. So you never know.

We have a resident and very experienced cyclist / spin instructor – Red Rider. She should chime in and give you some tips. I go to spin class at the gym occasionally during the winter for the music and energy of the group. With respect to spin bike saddles, they are not great. I wear old bike shorts to class and gut it out. Standing occasionally is a good thing to get circulation to the skin and nerves in your butt. Our spin bikes have toe clips and SPD / Look cleats. I wear my old biking shoes with SPD cleats so that I can work on spin technique.

Hello newbie here.... I am 55 and trying to get in shape. The gym I belong to has a spinning class. They don't offer any beginner ones. It is an hour long. Can anyone recommend how I should prepare for this class? Any tips or suggestions? :) I tried to do it a while back. I couldn't do the stand up portion but just kept pedaling.... I bought some padded shorts to minimize the pain for future use.

I am not an active cycler "yet" but plan to work on that too. Thank you.

I'm a Spinning instructor and our fellow 50-plussers have offered good advice.

I suggest you talk with your instructor(s) and share with them your goals. Find out if they're outdoor cyclists at all -- if so, their ride profiles will be substantially different from those instructors who aren't outdoor cyclists. Avoid any "hover" exercises; they're really hard on the joints and don't have anything to do with cycling anywhere. Work at your own speed and resistance and be patient if you don't feel as though you're making progress as quickly as you'd like.

Padded shorts are a good idea. So's a big water bottle and a towel. Spinning will help your transition to the road, as well as give your fitness level a big boost.

Have fun!

We have a resident and very experienced cyclist / spin instructor – Red Rider. She should chime in and give you some tips. I go to spin class at the gym occasionally during the winter for the music and energy of the group. With respect to spin bike saddles, they are not great. I wear old bike shorts to class and gut it out. Standing occasionally is a good thing to get circulation to the skin and nerves in your butt. Our spin bikes have toe clips and SPD / Look cleats. I wear my old biking shoes with SPD cleats so that I can work on spin technique.

GMTA! Thanks, Hermes!

Hwy 40 Blue nailed it. Red Rider- question wrt hovers- any lit or documentation on that? Our club's instructors all use hovers quite a bit, and if it's screwing us up, I'd like to let em know. Most of our "instructors" are club members who've attended a few seminars; a few are just members who have the time to lead. I don't think there's any formal certification or training for them.

Spinning classes are quite different than riding your trainer indoors.

I do a bit of trainer riding in the winter, and use the Spinerval tapes as guides. But, a spinning class has a whole lot more standing than either real cycling or a Spinerval training video.

That was what killed me on my one and only experience with a spinning class.................................. .

I like to know how much "standing" a spinning program has as a % of total and at what RPM.

The reason for this question: I found it useful to train for out of saddle biking (standing) to accelerate and slowly come down from that peak sitting biking. I can bike several minutes standing up and have exceeded 5 minutes on a trainer at about 60 RPM. How does that compare with spinning?

Avoid any "hover" exercises

OK ..I will bite. What are hover exercises.
Our spinning instructer has one good bit of advice for every newcomer ... work at your own pace and level. It's pretty much that simple you will know when you are ready to turn that resistance up. Your 55 so by now you know you do not have to do what Johnny is doing. Stand, don't stand,do your own thing and spin at a level and position you feel comfortable at.
Regards,
Randy


Regards,
Randy

I like to know how much "standing" a spinning program has as a % of total and at what RPM.

The reason for this question: I found it useful to train for out of saddle biking (standing) to accelerate and slowly come down from that peak sitting biking. I can bike several minutes standing up and have exceeded 5 minutes on a trainer at about 60 RPM. How does that compare with spinning?


Sorry, didn't take my stop watch and calculator. However, it was a lot more standing than I ever do while cycling, and the instructor advised me of that before we started, advising me to go at my own level.

What sort of resistance levels are set for folks who don't sweat. I use the trainer in the winter to retain some leg muscle and for a little cardio but I set the resistance so that it feels like I am climbing a hill forever. 30 min and I am soaked, whipped and rubber legged. Maybe I'm doing it wrong but I hate riding indoors so much I can't see spending all day there spinning the cranks against little resistance while wearing out the bike and the rear tire.

My trainer has a non-linear resistance, it is set up to increase the resistance one would feel as if they were encountering wind resistance. I use the gears on the bike and the cadence to adjust the amount of energy I produce. I do intervals on it building up the speed in 2 minute steps with a total of 5 steps up and back, I do this routine several times. In the end I am pretty drenched and my legs are well tired out.

However in the end I have the satisfaction of knowing I did no work. :)

Hovers, at least at our club, are where you raise your tush just off the saddle, and keep it at that level and as "still" as possible, while doing all the work with your legs.

I've become pretty good in spin class, keeping up with the best of instructors. On the road I don't think that my average speed has increased BUT, my stamina has gotten really good!:D:D:D
Mud

Uh - cheat. Watch what the instructor does. Watch what the other people do, and do what you feel comfortable doing. If you don't feel comfortable standing up, don't. If you don't feel comfortable spinning fast, don't. If you want to leave early, do. The key is to stick with it. It gets to be fun.

I still do not understand what the difference is between a trainer and a spinning class (except the girls, I got that one and that is a point of importance).

If you live in Southern California, why not just get a bike and start riding? Outdoor riding is different than spinning indoors. Did someone tell you that you need to be conditioned to start riding outdoors?

If you want to start spinning classes- Then just go to one. An hour long class may seem a long time but Even the hard ones at our Gym have some relative newcomers going to it.

No training required but Do not push yourself hard for a couple of lessons. Try to stay in your "Effort" zone and be prepared to slow down when the others get to the BIG sprint. It will probably take about 6 lessons before you feel that you are improving but Stay with it.

Make certain you are hydrated before the class and don't forget the Water bottle and the towel.

I started spinning last February in Houston at the YMCA to lose weight. 45 pounds later, I bought a road bike to 'give purpose' to the spinning. At least that's the story I told my wife, and I'm stickin' to it!

Two comments:
1. I'm in Irvine CA on business a lot, and go to the YMCA there to drop in on spinning classes to keep up my weekly training. They ride HARD and FAST in Southern CA! So like everybody here says, do your best to keep up, but don't kill yourself. Eventually you'll realize that you're hangin' in for the whole class.
2. A month ago, two days after getting my first road bike in 30 years, I went on a 22 mile ride with a buddy who rides 20 miles every day - not fast, but every day. We also play golf together, etc. He confessed to me in the first couple of miles that his dream is to drop me on a hill (I still weigh 195 at 6'3, he weighs 155 at 5'X) - just leave me in the dust. At the 18th mile, we crossed then recrossed a 2-mile bridge with a steep grade to allow shipping to pass under it. Without trying, I left him WAY WAY behind - I never wavered off 16mph, and he couldn't hold it. We finish the ride, he has one comment: "That's IT! I'm going to spinning class!!!"

Just do it!

My experience with Spinning was that you can start slowly, but you will quickly respond to the workouts and be able to do more. You are in control of the resistance knob, so you can tailor the workout to your fitness level.

OT, but I was going to spinning classes at least three times per week until the weather warmed up in June, now I ride my bike at best one or two times per week. The result... a 3 pound weight gain. Now that fall approaches, I have no excuse not to get back to the gym. I'm also hoping to stretch my riding for a couple months on each end - say into October, then starting in March. Around here that's down to 40F. Actually, that will be tomorrow morning's wake up temperature. :(

Hwy 40 Blue nailed it. Red Rider- question wrt hovers- any lit or documentation on that? Our club's instructors all use hovers quite a bit, and if it's screwing us up, I'd like to let em know. Most of our "instructors" are club members who've attended a few seminars; a few are just members who have the time to lead. I don't think there's any formal certification or training for them.

I've been researching my manual -- Johnny G has a specific program (the trademarked brand "Spinning") that is very different than Cycle Reebok and other cycling programs. I can't find the direct quote that my workshop trainer used, but as best as I recall from April, the rationale for avoiding hovers is this: On the road the bike and the continuous unevenness of the road absorb energy and offer a kind of "cushioning" to the body, wherein it makes many micro-adjustments to maintain balance, speed, and strength. While standing and sprinting or running on a relatively flat road, the bike moves side-to-side in opposition to your pedal stroke. You're constantly adjusting to imperfections in the road, as well as in your pedal stroke, so that the forces applied to the joints vary continuously.

On a Spinning bike, which goes nowhere, there is nothing to help "cushion" the forces you apply to the pedals, except your own side-to-side movement. A hover drill requires your body be as still as possible, except for your lower body. There's nothing against which to make micro-adjustments, nothing to absorb the forces applied to your joints, except your joints themselves. These drills are really hard on the joints, especially the knees and often the back.

Now, we know that overloading a muscle group is a way to improve strength, and hover drills certainly overload the quads, and to a lesser extent, the glutes, hamstrings, and adductors (inside thighs). However, the overload to the muscles in this exercise is contraindicated by the amount of force applied to the knees. In other words, the gains you may see aren't worth the damage done to your knees.

I'm surprised that your club doesn't require its instructors to be certified by a nationally-recognized course. Usually liability insurance demands that. Your instructors would do well to invest the time and money in some kind of cycling certification/group exercise certification -- they'd know what to do and what not to do, and you, the members, would certainly benefit from that as well.

I emailed my workshop trainer to get more specific information about hover drills. I'll post it when I get it. If anyone else out there has other resources, please chime in -- we can never be too smart, can we?

.................................................................................................... ...............................................On a Spinning bike, which goes nowhere, there is nothing to help "cushion" the forces you apply to the pedals, except your own side-to-side movement. A hover drill requires your body be as still as possible, except for your lower body. There's nothing against which to make micro-adjustments, nothing to absorb the forces applied to your joints, except your joints themselves. These drills are really hard on the joints, especially the knees and often the back.

Now, we know that overloading a muscle group is a way to improve strength, and hover drills certainly overload the quads, and to a lesser extent, the glutes, hamstrings, and adductors (inside thighs). However, the overload to the muscles in this exercise is contraindicated by the amount of force applied to the knees. In other words, the gains you may see aren't worth the damage done to your knees........................................................

This sounds reasonable to me and I certainly do not want to damage my knees.
I recently got carried away on an ideal paved bike path. It was flat, no one there and conditions were perfect. So I decided to test my max speed by powering up over 30 MPH standing and later hold it for a short while.
That little exercise cost me knee pain for over one week and I had to take Advil to get sleep.
This means that I will not knowingly add more stress on my knees than necessary.

How to hover on a spinning bicycle: http://www.ehow.com/how_2073889_hover-spinning-bike.html

Here are some quotes from spinning.com as to contraindicated movements:

Riding tri style.
Why it’s done: You’ve probably seen triathletes riding with their forearms on the handlebars, which makes it seem like is must be OK.
Why it shouldn’t be: When you’re riding a road bike, this position is not as potentially harmful because your bike moves. But because the Spinner bike you ride in class can’t move, your body needs to be relaxed enough to dissipate the energy you’re creating. Keeping your back or any part of your body completely still can place excessive tension on the hips, lower back and/or neck

Isolations or “freezing.” Why it’s done: Instructors interpret the burn that accompanies many of these movements as a strengthening or anaerobic workout.
Why it shouldn’t be: When the body is held still on a stationary bike, tension is transferred into the joints—especially the knees and lower back—which can lead to injury. Your body must be relaxed enough to soak up energy that has nowhere else to go. Want your students to go anaerobic? Teach a Strength, Race Day or Interval Energy Zone™ ride.

"...and hover drills certainly overload the quads, ..."
amen to that!
"...I'm surprised that your club doesn't require its instructors to be certified..."
I'll doublecheck, but I'm reasonably certain at least one of them is not. Maybe it's in progress...
And I'll take the info you provided to them- I know I won't be doing hovers anymore (but man, what a workout they are). I at least want the info out there so others can decide for themselves.
Thanks so much!

Hello newbie here.... I am 55 and trying to get in shape. The gym I belong to has a spinning class. They don't offer any beginner ones. It is an hour long. Can anyone recommend how I should prepare for this class? Any tips or suggestions? :) I tried to do it a while back. I couldn't do the stand up portion but just kept pedaling.... I bought some padded shorts to minimize the pain for future use.

I am not an active cycler "yet" but plan to work on that too. Thank you.Don't do "jumps", don't do the "increase the tension and stand up", don't do the sprints.

Find a tension that you think will allow you to get the heartbeat to aerobic limit at a high cadence (high is subjective, esp for beginners, but soon you'll be targetting 90-100 rpm, prob), and pedal. The entire time. Adjust for warm-up and warm-down. Do NOT go anaerobic.

Stop early if you have to.

If anyone gives you dirty looks for comments that you didn't do the "workout", ignore them. If the instructor is the one doing the dirty looking / commenting, tell them you are just beginning, trying to get in shape. If they do dirty looking / comments a second class, complain to management, and find classes with a different instructor.

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Remember, most people and quite a few instructors treat a spinning class as if it were an old-style aerobics class on a stationary bike. (The Jane Fonda "do it 'till it burns" bad advice is still lurking out there.) Cycling on the road is about transfering power to the road without "burning" yourself (out), not jumping and sprinting and pedaling too big a gear.

Use the gym's regular stationary bikes.

Make sure it displays RPMs, and accustom yourself to "spinning" at 90-100 rpm for a given period of time. Slowly increase the time and the resistance, until you reach something like the length of the spinning class and the resistance of the spinning bike. Don't expect to reach these marks right away if you're not in good shape. When you've reached those goals, you should be able to complete the spinning class.

[QUOTE=skiffrun;5262531]Don't do "jumps", don't do the "increase the tension and stand up", don't do the sprints.

Find a tension that you think will allow you to get the heartbeat to aerobic limit at a high cadence (high is subjective, esp for beginners, but soon you'll be targetting 90-100 rpm, prob), and pedal. The entire time. Adjust for warm-up and warm-down. Do NOT go anaerobic.

Okay, I'll bite. Why not do jumps? Why not "increase the tension (that word's forbidden in my class) and stand up"?

I can understand not doing the sprints, although seated sprints require less strength than standing sprints. And why not go anaerobic?

If the OP is fairly fit than none of the above are contraindicated. The OP would just perform them with less resistance, less time, less speed than the experienced folks in class.

One can be a rank beginner and still perform the safe movements, at their level. Why you'd encourag someone to not perform the above movements -- which are not contraindicated -- seems purely subjective to me, and not based on fact.

Have you data to support your claims? I'm open to learning, so post away.

Many thanks for all the great information and advice. I have read them all and will re-read them probably more than once. This board is an incredible resource.... I will go at my own pace and hang in there as long as I can. I won't worry about standing or hovering.... Not sure what I should do re the tension.... guess I'll figure it out. I am hopefull that as you say after about 6 classes I will be adjusting and getting used to it. I will also wear my heart monitor.... Again thanks... :D

Oh and I did register...not sure why that message popped up. I don't think I could post if I didn't....??

Oh....one more thing...sorry.... After I am in it a while would it be wise to invest in biking shoes that snap in? Do they make much difference? OK...that's it... thanks.

Oh....one more thing...sorry.... After I am in it a while would it be wise to invest in biking shoes that snap in? Do they make much difference? OK...that's it... thanks.

You don't need to buy shoes right away if at all. The bikes have toe clips and those are fine for now. I think most people that have the bike shoes that clip in probably use them outside too. What I find really beneficial is a Heart Rate Monitor. You can get the lower priced Polar ones for I think 50-60 bucks.
It's nice knowing how hard you are really working and seeing how quickly you can recover. Also, if you want to incorporate walking as an exercise the HRM will let you know if you are in your target range and therefore getting aerobic benefit. And tell the instructor you are a newbie and need help setting up the bike. Almost every class of any type I have ever taken at the gym the instructors ask if anyone is new. Don't wait, go right up to her/him and say I am new and need help setting up the bike please.

Good luck in your quest to get fit and post back.

Barb