Road Bike Racing - Spin class for intervals?

I have a hard time motivating myself to do intervals as often (and as hard) as I should. Even when I was competing nationally as a junior, I relied on group interval sessions on the velodrome with my coach ringing the bell and shouting at us to go harder. My wife wants to join a gym with me and asked if I would do spin classes on top of weight training. It got me thinking, would finding a spin class that does intervals be a good solution?

Haven't tried it, but a guy I sometimes ride with is a big fan. Interestingly, he can hammer for exactly one hour.

Haven't tried it, but a guy I sometimes ride with is a big fan. Interestingly, he can hammer for exactly one hour.
lol I hadn't thought of it that way, but I guess that's a good thing considering almost every Cat 4 race around here is a 40-50 minute crit.

spin classes are what you make of them. i frequent them, and love them, though i find the 50 minutes generally too short.

ive used them for recovery and for intense training. basically, the instructor tells you when you turn it up, and when to turn it down, when to come out of the saddle, and when to really push it. you make it as hard as you want by tightening or loosening a pad that grinds against the spinning wheel.

you might want to consult the instructors about what style of classes they teach though, my favorite instructor generally does hill repeats, and another does an all around ride, and yet another is an idiot and just asks you to do 15 second bursts for an hour with next to no resistance - i just use the resistance much more than she asks to get some good work in. most gyms also will give you a few days free trial, maybe that is an option?

expect to sweat, a lot. its also good for spinning (pedaling, that is), as it is a fixed wheel.

I take spin classes in LA. How much of a workout you can get in a spin class depends on the instructor. When the instructor tells the class to turn the knob once, I'll do it twice. Just to have to push yourself a little more than others in the class. I actually wear a heartrate monitor to make sure I'm not going to easy.

I did a few spinning classes. Unless the coach is a real cyclist, most aren't, they don't do real intervals. They vary cadence a lot but you're going hard the entire hour. It was a hard workout but less effective than a Spinervals DVD by far. Plus I hate that my gym only has SPD pedals and there's no time to switch your own.

I kept the resistance light and treated it more like a roller ride than a trainer session.

I also hadn't thought about the pedal issue. Thanks for the comments, maybe I'll just stick to weights in the gym and maybe ride there and back to do intervals.

another idea is to convert trainer dvds to put on your mp3 and watch the videos while on the stationary bike at the gym... Takes the boredom of doing them at home since you get to check out when during the rest phase.

I have a hard time motivating myself to do intervals as often (and as hard) as I should. Even when I was competing nationally as a junior, I relied on group interval sessions on the velodrome with my coach ringing the bell and shouting at us to go harder. My wife wants to join a gym with me and asked if I would do spin classes on top of weight training. It got me thinking, would finding a spin class that does intervals be a good solution?

if you've got an instructor who knows what they're doing, and has videos of bike races to spin to (like i did last fall) then it's possible.

not as good as the road, but...

Hmmm, I miss the velodrome. The second worst thing I ever did in college was selling my track bike. The worst was selling my road bike.

Hmmm, I miss the velodrome. The second worst thing I ever did in college was selling my track bike. The worst was selling my road bike.

$299 incl shipping from THAT guy.

another idea is to convert trainer dvds to put on your mp3 and watch the videos while on the stationary bike at the gym... Takes the boredom of doing them at home since you get to check out women during the rest phase.

$299 incl shipping from THAT guy.
That's about $299 more than I have (remember I'm married :D ). Seriously, I will probably buy a track bike eventually if and when I move back to the San Fernando Valley. I suppose "that guy" would be a decent choice, especially since hipsters in Los Angeles have driven the cost of older track bikes to far more than that. :rolleyes: