Spinning Class - Oy vey
 

Ok so today i was off from work and thought I would go on a Group ride. Turns out it is sweltering here in the ATL (high 90s) so I decide to go to spinning class! Wow that was really hard. Does it get easier? Has anyone found improvement in their ability in Spinning Class or on the bike? It seemsed really hard to turn the bike wheel! I felt like a wuss!

Oh well - just needed to vent

Nothing Beats the Real Road Riding.
Ride # 163 Galveston County Tx.
Temps on the bike 74* to 98*
Cleaned the chain, wheels, bike last night. Put on a New rear tire.
74 miles a Total:

Dave signals Car Right:
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...ireFlat003.jpg

Mile 30, Flat in New Tire:

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...s/wireflat.jpg

Mile 41, re pumped up tire and got some Ice Water form local Light Co Workers:

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...ireFlat007.jpg

Railroad Crossing 18 % Grade:

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...ireFlat010.jpg

Temps up to 98*, Had to SAG a ride home from Chuck.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...ireFlat014.jpg

Now that's some ride!

I agree, nothing beats real road riding and you won't have to listen to all that loud music. :)

The spin classes are usually rough, but the (relatively) short, high intensity effort pays off when you are back on your bike. (Hopefully a morning ride to beat the ATL heat.) :)

MissBumble - I started off in spin classes only, Les Mills to be exact. I think its what allowed me to transition to the bike so much easier.. My first ride outside was 20 something miles i believe. i'm 365ish but i was around 420 something when i got my bike (450 when i started working out). I've completed 2 centuries and several metrics. I started april of last year ... spin classes are how i got invited to ride with my riding buddies. Spin away! i think it really helps!

Spin classes are a great alternative for when weather makes it tough to be outside, or just as a change of pace. One thing that they really helped me with is climbing out of the saddle. That takes a whole different set of muscles, and spinning class does a lot of out of saddle work.

I do 2~3 spin classes a week during my lunchtime workout. They can help as a side dish but should never be the main course as far as training goes. Most folks that do spin classes as a staple are not fast on the road for some reason.

Any cardio workout is good for you at this point so keep it up and try not to overtrain.

-Scott

Spin classes have helped me tremendously, especially as I was recovering from a heart attack almost exactly 2 yrs ago. They are not a replacement for road riding ... it's a very different feeling than riding an actual bike. With spinning you can control your heart rate much better -- you and your buddies can have very different rides, and nobody gets dropped ;) I have found that spinning classes can be either much easier than road rides or much harder because you control both the tempo and the resistance all the time.

I've found my range of comfortable cadence on the road has become much broader since starting spinning (riding a fixed gear has helped that, too). And what I find them great for is when I know it's going to be much less convenient to get out on the road, I can still get in a great workout.

If I want to spin like a madman, I'll take my fixie to the velodrome. :)

Spinning class will definitely work on your aerobic engine, and your basic pedal mechanics. But nothing is really like really riding. It takes more resistance than most of those spin bikes can handle long-term without starting to have mechanical issues for me to simulate "real" hills on a spin bike (usually stripped brass resistance-pad screws at my gym, and they have some of the more sturdy spin bikes).

When there is snow on the ground during the winter around here, spin class is my primary aerobic exercise. It does not "prepare" me for riding outside on hills, dodging traffic and potholes, etc., but it is also a lot less boring than sitting on a stationary bike trainer. It beats the hell out of that, for sure.

As for high temperatures? I ride anyway, and alter my route to be able to stop at a gas station or convenience store if I need more than 2 bottles of water during the ride. Well...sometimes I will skip if it is over 100 degrees and the air quality is so bad that they have a warning on television about it at the same time, but otherwise I ride.