BarryJo

These classes work, I get shelled by the folks I ride with that do them. But at $150-200US/ month they are somewhat cost prohibitive, for me anyway. For that kind of money you can buy a good trainer, a trusted training book (Time Crunched Cyclist or Friel's "Training Bible") and DIY in your own home. Of course training alone you lose the competitiveness of training with/ against others, and the accountability that comes with getting your fitness measured at certain increments during the program.
I suppose it comes down to personal cost/ benefit analysis.

woodcraft

I did pretty much first spin class last week.

My buddy has been going, & I finally made it to one.

We appeared to be the only actual cyclists in the room, including the instructor (who was bouncing all over the place much above 100 RPM), but I got a good work out, & will go back.

I can always tell when my buddy has been doing the classes, because he has power to spare up the hills.

At home, I usually get distracted after 1/2 hour & go eat or something.

Machka 

I wonder how many here have actually done a winter of spinning classes.

Classes, not just getting on a spin bike at the gym on your own.

Classes, not just one class.

txags92

Spin classes make a great high intensity compliment to longer road rides to build base. You can do the low intensity long duration work on the trainer or on the road. But for putting in the high intensity interval efforts that will make you faster, spin classes taught by a competent instructor are an excellent training tool if you don't have a hard group ride available before or after work. I started doing spin classes after work about 7 years ago and they are great for me because I don't have room to leave a trainer set up at the house and work hours that don't allow me to get on the road much during the week. I am fortunate that our gym has mostly instructors that are road cyclists or triathletes. It definitely makes a difference if you have a competent instructor versus having a random "aerobics instructor on a bike" who has never been on a road bike.

colnago62

It sounds like the level of benefit is dependent on the rider's experience, fitness, goals, and focus.

Machka 

Yes ... absolutely ... it very much depends on what you put into it.


I tend to get carried away and put a whole lot more into it than I think I'm going to ... and I've observed that others seem to do the same thing.

But I've also observed that some hardly put any effort into it. One was on a spin bike next to me during one class a few months ago ... she sat there, barely pedaling through the entire class, but she was very busy texting the entire time. In her case, the spinning class probably didn't benefit her very much.

Bunyanderman

I feel like it helps out those who are uncertain in improving their fitness. People who don't have riding friends to turn to, or someone to ask questions about improving.
I think I could train just as well on my trainer at home, then paying someone to tell me how and when to pedal.

gif4445

Yes they do help, BUT.... I've taken spin classes the last few winters and I think, properly executed, they are great. Good social environment and exercise during the cold, dark winter weather in Nebraska. At least it has helped me to be in better shape for the spring. BUT, I have to modify. There are things my 57 yo knees are better off not doing. Unfortunately you learn this after the fact. Thought I had a good handle on it, until a little over a month ago, I injured a tendon while doing the one-legged stuff pulling up. Basically tore a tendon at the site of an old, old laceration. Weird thing was, I didn't even realize it at the time. Started to hurt after 12 hours and long story short, a few days after, I ruptured it completely just trying to stand up out of a crouched position. So MODIFY as you have to is my advice, but they are a good deal if you are smart. At least smarter than me. I will be lucky if I'm only out a few months with this injury.

txags92

Yeah, there are definitely things some instructors will ask you to do that may not be right for your body. It is just like any other activity...or group ride for that matter...you have to honor your own body and know when to not follow the pack. I have been battling Achilles tendonitis for about 2 decades. I am well aware by now what kinds of things tend to aggravate it and make it a problem, and I have to have the discipline to not do those things. One of them is long duration efforts out of the saddle. If the instructor wants me out of the saddle for more than 1 minute more than once or twice in a class, I just sit down and do my own thing. I can do the shorter standing efforts, but I just don't follow along for the longer ones or I know I will end up at home that night icing my heels.

Spin classes are just like any other exercise in that you get out of them what you put in, but what was said above is true...the group setting motivates you to do more than you would have done by yourself. You can get that group dynamic out riding with friends or in a group...but then you will either not be working as hard (drafting, riding with slower group/buddies, etc) or you will wind up going harder than you wanted/getting dropped. The beauty of spinning is that you can "ride with a group", but go exactly as hard as you want...and nobody gets dropped and nobody has to wait up for the slower riders.

patrickgm60

My gym has decent spin bikes (Keiser.) The classes are a bit ridiculous, from a serious road cycling workout perspective, but I do "spin" once a week, either during class or not. For me, there are two workouts that work well on the bikes: prolonged standing climbs and TT. On the climbs I can choose a resistance that, at approx. 250 watts, gives me ~70 rpm; I like to hold that for 2 or 3 10-minute intervals, which is not practical/possible on the road. It has helped my standing climbs on the road, no doubt.

I can also slam the bars, slide the crappy saddle forward and get a decent TT position.

caloso

Curious: is this because of traffic or stoplights?

patrickgm60

Standing climbing for 10+ straight minutes, at a steady pace: not many places to do that. I know you can stand on flat grade, but it's not the same. (To me, anyhow.)

txags92

I personally think most long duration standing work on a spin bike is pretty useless. Standing to climb on the road is less efficient than seated climbing. So unless it is just physically too steep to climb seated, most riders will be more efficient if they spend most of the time seated and only stand to provide a change of pace and rest their muscles a bit. Now I say that as somebody who lives in a very flat area. If I lived in the middle of an area with lots of long steep climbs, I might feel differently. What I do find useful is to train for coming out of the saddle for short high intensity bursts (10-30 secs) that would simulate accelerating to catch a paceline, dealing with yo-yoing in a group, or accelerating away from stop signs or turns. But that is something that can easily be done on the road as well. I don't particularly think spinning allows you to do things that you can't do on the road, other than allowing riders of different ability levels to get in a great workout side by side without anybody getting "dropped". What it does do is take out the issues that typically keep people off the road...cold weather, darkness, rain, etc. If I had the choice, I would be outdoors on my bike 3-4 days a week. But for about 9 months out of the year it is dark (or will be within an hour of so) by the time I get off work and have time to ride. Some weekends that I have set aside to ride, it rains and storms all weekend. So spinning allows me to go get a 1 hour or 90 minute "group ride" where I can hammer as hard as I want, right next to my wife, who would otherwise be struggling to keep up if I were doing the same thing outdoors.

patrickgm60

Yep.

LGHT

I'm one of those who don't have an indoor trainer, and really enjoy taking the spin class. I personally don't like just riding on the spin bike alone, but in the class I do enjoy the loud music, great views, and pushing hard when asked to max out the tension. My only drawback is the class is too short at only 45 min, but it's not a big deal since I just continue riding when others stop. The class I take is given by a really good instructor and it's rare someone leaves the class without having to mop up their area due to all the sweat on the floor.

txags92

We actually have quite a few 60 and 90 minute classes at our gym. You might ask at your gym and see if they would do some longer classes.

milkbaby

OP, spinning probably isn't detrimental as long as you aren't getting overuse injuries or are spending time in spin instead of actually riding. In the case of the latter, even if it is taking time away from riding your bike, as long as you're having fun and enjoying it, why not keep doing spin unless you have some other larger bike riding goal you're aiming for?

I did them for a while and almost always had to set the resistance higher than the instructor suggested to get a hard workout. I just don't enjoy it much, so I don't do spin any more. I live in Florida, so I basically can ride outside any day of the year and prefer that.

Carbonfiberboy 

My wife and I took spin classes for several years, once a week. Our instructors were good: 2 TT specialists and a Cat 1 track racer. The classes were free with our gym membership.

It's certainly better than not working out. It was convenient to do a spin class at the gym and then lift weights. I don't think they help as much as spending the same amount of time on a set of resistance rollers. There are several reasons I say that:

1) Our spin classes varied a little with the instructor, but they are certified spin instructors and they have to teach by the spin instructor book to some extent. That's the deal they make.

2) The intervals are too short with rest periods too long. The instructors don't want anyone to die in their class, right?

3) Spin classes aren't periodized. For example, sometimes you should be doing straight zone 2, sometimes 15' zone 4 intervals, sometimes 4' zone 5 intervals, depending on your progression toward your A events or races. Spin class takes the energy you should have been devoting to some particular goal and sends it off in an unwanted direction. If you are just going to do your own thing in a spin class, you'd still be better off at home on your trainer or resistance rollers, because:

4) A spin bike is not the same as a bike with a freewheel. It's a fixie. Because it has that heavy flywheel, it corrupts your pedal stroke. This is the reason that racers don't ride fixed in the winter anymore: their coaches have found they do better if they stay on freewheel bikes. For example, on a spin bike, I can easily hit a 150 cadence, while it's hard for me to stay over 130 on the road, and hard to hold 120 on my resistance rollers. Out of the saddle, the flywheel forces your feet around so you don't have to defeat the dead spot at TDC and BDC. A spin bike is simply way too easy, no matter where you have the resistance set.

We aren't doing spin class this winter. Instead, we are riding indoors at home and are doing better for it.

All that said, if you don't have the will or knowledge to create and stick with a training plan, then a spin class will certainly be more helpful than just noodling along on your trainer or on the road. It's a lot of encouragement to get outside your comfort zone.

soccerpig70

Without going through every post my suggestion would be to keep it as close to being on your bike as possible. Which for me means no jumps, or working out one leg at a time, stuff like that. I find them useful and I personally like the group aspect. I also take them really early, 5 am. I can go in for an hour be home shower and then start getting kids ready for school and myself ready for work. It also helps that the instructor has a clue, doesnt matter to me if they are crap on a bike so long as the class makes sense. You would be surprised at some of the stuff instructors have asked, I just ignore that and do my own thing in those circumstances.

txags92

One thing a bunch of folks have mentioned, but it is worth saying again, is that you need to have a good instructor. I have been totally spoiled at our gym, because while they are all "Spinning" certified, they don't have scripted classes they have to teach or anything like that. I had no idea until a few weeks ago that other gyms actually have scripts and set profiles that they make their instructors learn and use. Before you go sign up for a gym or a spinning location, take advantage of the "free class" coupon on the spinning website and go try a few different places out. Find one you like and then give it an honest month of going regularly and you will find out for yourself if you think it is beneficial.

LGHT

It's a 24 hour gym in a large room that gets used often. You actually have to get a "pass" to get into the class and it often fills up.

I don't mind though since I just move the bike back and spin while the zumba class worksout in front of me.. Again the view isn't anything to complain at!

shyonelung

So I'm three weeks in and I've done 2-3 spinning classes a week and 3-4 rides (twice I did a ride and a spin on the same day). I've also been crosstraining three days a week (weights, squats, rings, core, etc.) which is part of a program I've been doing for going on about 9 months now. I did a 30-mile ride with about 10 other riders yesterday that was, at times, much faster than my average. I felt strong throughout, especially climbing and found it easier to stand up and pedal when I needed to do that. There were segments during the ride where I improved my average time by as much as 3 mph. So I'm going to say at this point that the spinning combined with my other workouts is helping me so far. One other side benefit is that I feel really good today. My legs feel like they've done a good workout but nothing is sore or painful. I really like the spinning classes too so I think I might keep doing at least one a week (it's getting nicer out and the days longer so I'll be able to get out on the road more now). But, of course, YMMV.

Btw, I'm newly unemployed (got laid off from a job on New Year's Day) which is why I presently have time to do two-a-day workouts.

caloso

How has it improved your bike handling?

txags92

How does riding on a trainer by yourself in the basement improve your bike handling?

Carbonfiberboy 

Which is the reason that many serious riders use rollers. Rollers with resistance are the way to go. So they cost $400. Amortize that out over the 20 or 40 or whatever years you'll use them. It's a no-brainer. Get a set for your wife or girlfriend, too.