nobodyhere

Winter is coming and I likely will be attending a spin class or two. Here are some thoughts.

1. Even at 76yo without hearing aides, I hear pretty well. Why does one need to turn the music up to "super blasting" and then shout instructions even louder?

2. I bicycle a lot, and hardly ever stand up. Why do the spinning classes have about 1/2 of the time standing up? (BTW, I handle this by not following your instructions, as it hurts my back and hip joint - bursitis - to stand up)

3. I am not a part of your "family" as one instructor claimed of her class. You are an instructor, I am a participant. Period. I don't need nutrition info, either.

Otherwise, all is fine.

striegel 

The western world is filling up with people who have their earbuds turned up too loud, so they are losing hearing acuity faster than you and I.

I carry earplugs with me almost everywhere now and use them quite often. Every movie theater I've been in lately uses a painful volume level.
The "Alpine Hearing Protection MusicSafe Classic Earplugs for Musicians" work really well for me.

GlennR

It's a Spin class and spinning is not cycling.

They both might have pedals, but they are not the same.

I don't do "jumps" or super high cadence. Turning up the tension does not simulate climbing.

I attend classes to stay in shape, burn some calories and be in the back of the class where I can observe the young ladies in tight yoga pants. (yes, i'm a dirty OLD man)

nobodyhere

Interesting, because the instructors are continuously mentioning bicycling and making comparisons with their spinning activities to bicycling. I.e., "We are climbing a big hill now," and "Let's pedal fast with our tension low as we are now going downhill."

Maybe someone needs to tell the instructor!!

GlennR

Last winter I attended spin classes 5 times a week. when Spring came i went out on the bike and figured i'd KILL the large hills..... NOT. No hill has a consistent grade. No road is perfectly smooth. No ride has zero wind, no sun and no cars. Then add in gravity and balance.

Road riding is very different from spin.

Yesterday when i went to class it was the first time there since mid March. It was the same instructor, she welcomed me back and asked how many miles i rode. i told her 3800 and asked how many she did... she said she only rode a few times and then not very fast or far. it was only recreational riding.

So she's a spin instructor but doesn't really ride a bike.

Carbonfiberboy 

I did one spin class a week for a few years, but didn't get much out of it, partly because spin class isn't designed to fit into someone's training program. I find I get better results on my rollers. Also, a spin bike is not a real bike. It's not even a real fixie. It will make your legs lazy and mess up your pedal stroke if you have a good one. Of course if you don't, it won't make you any worse.

Be that as it may, spin class is supposed to be a swiss army knife exercise period: strengthen your legs, your core, your aerobic ability, and your anaerobic ability, and all of these both in and out of the saddle and all in one hour.

It's loud because that turns a lot of people on and because it makes it harder to hear your neighbor groaning. Most of our spin instructors are local racers, either TT or track. No roadies for some reason. They're pretty sure that making you hurt a lot is good for your and their conditioning, so that's what they do. A lot of people seem to complain about that, but hey, it's the whole idea. You don't have to go.

nobodyhere

It varies here - we are a bicycling community - and most of our spin instructors are also avid bicyclers. However, I totally agree with you about the lack of good correlation between spinning training and bicycling proficiency. I do find the Spinervals, which I use at home on my trainer, to be better preparation. It is just that I can hardly bring myself to watch them and "ride" to them in my basement.

Carbonfiberboy 

One really good thing about spin class: it's a great warmup. Hey, you're already at the gym. So after spin class, lift some weights. An hour of full-body strength training will go a long way toward keeping some fitness over the winter. There are a zillion different routines, but they all work. Friel's routines are about as good as anything.

nobodyhere

Great idea. However, I have a complete gym in my basement and am an early morning person, so I generally reverse the procedures, working out and then I partake of a brisk 1 mile walk each way to and from the spin classes at the rec center, where I also throw in about 1/2 hour of swimming. Works well for me.

Of course, if the trails are cleared of snow and ice, and other things being equal, I go for a ride.

FrenchFit 

1) Always, always take ear plugs to spin. If you forget them, stick earbuds or tissue in your ears.
2) I like standing, so I stand when the rest of the class is sitting for long pulls; the instructor ignores me.
3) Spin instructors are deer in the headlights, they come and go and are often desperate to develop a "following". Ignore them, and they'll ignore you.

I say -- go in with a plan and follow it. To share how wacky I'll deal with these classes I go in 30-40 minutes early and watch a Suffervest video while spinning, then use the class as a cool down. I've yet to have an instructor comment.

StanSeven

Loud music is motivational for a large proportion of the class.

You work harder, burn more calories, and get more aerobic benefits from standing. You can reach a high heart rate by just sitting but it takes much longer.

trailangel

I love those Yoga pants. Utah is trying to outlaw them!

Marcus_Ti

Yea well, it is about motivating kids and breaking up the dullness of being trapped in a room with mental imagery. Also spin classes are more for cardio than real on-the road fitness. Like home trainers, they keep you fit and keep your legs from bottoming out over the cold months. They can also give you a headstart in fitness for the spring.

"Music" cranked loud enough to caught permanent hearing damage is something that is incredibly common these days...and frankly most kids have such bad hearing they need it that loud to hear. I work as a stagehand and every year one "christian" "rock" group comes, this year we actually pulled out our calibrated professional sound gauge and it was pinging 100dB 10m away backstage behind the firewall and behind the speaker stacks (we could feel our internal organs vibrating as well as the 4500lb counterweight steel stacks in the arbors). All the venue staff had broken out the ballistic hearing protection headsets we keep in the productions shop, all the kids were getting full bore nailed by it for hours on end for a week. They're all gonna be deaf by the time they're my age.

Dave Cutter

+1 Just like Zumba doesn't help you with dancing at weddings... don't expect spin class to help with riding a bicycle.

I just wonder though.... if the cycling-spinning offered at places like Performance is a little more relevant to cycling (than exercise classes called spin). You take your own bike and trainer. It might be a little more social than sweating alone in the basement. I ride a trainer a little in the garage and also in the basement.... and honestly hate it. But at least it "feels right". It isn't cycling... but at least I sit on a saddle and my legs move.

ddeand 

While spin classes can't come close to duplicating the characteristics of a quality ride, they do offer some tangible crossover benefits. In my neck of the woods (Minneapolis/St. Paul), it really isn't feasible to get out on the road in the winter for many of us. So, I go to the "Y" a few times a week and spin. The instructor plays a good mix of tunes and is a pretty hardcore cyclist (she suggests all sorts if rides for us). The core of people is pretty consistent, so we usually chat a bit before, during, and after the sessions. And for me, there has been some carry-over - I find myself in better condition at the beginning of the season, and I have dramatically increased my cadence on my rides. Unfortunately, I'm in a sling right now (rotator cuff surgery) and won't be able to do the classes for a few weeks. But these sessions keep me fired up when there's snow and ice on the roads and it's 0 degrees.

Gerryattrick

I used to do spin classes a couple of years back and enjoyed it for a while but found that I was taking it too seriously and trying to compete with the youngsters (sad, I know, at my age) so I stopped.

Many in the class were club riders who would turn up in their full kit including clipless shoes. I wasn't too concerned about being aerodynamic, as we weren't going anywhere, and just wore baggy stuff.

BigAura

Spinning is a group exercise for fitness.

The music is loud for motivation. Wear earplugs if you're concerned.

Some people need a instructor/trainer to provide training, motivation, support, and camaraderie. If you don't like other people use the spinning room by yourself when nobody is there.

Mvcrash

I never thought of just wearing ear plugs...I feel like an idiot. I don't do spinning class but use a spin bike during the winter.

I do HIIT on the spinner and it works well. I still suffer going up hills, but my legs give out before my lungs these days.

I wear baggy on a bike as well. No Spandex for me.

GlennR

They should outlaw only the larger sizes.

3 years ago i attended a "Power Spin" class run by my son's Tri coach. He had 30 trainers so you would bring YOUR bike and ride it. He did interval training and would instruct you when yo get up, when to sit down and how many gears to move up/down.

donheff

I like spinning for winter exercise. It is not the same as cycling but neither is a trainer in the basement with your own bike sitting on it. I used to do a few classes but those ladies kicked my a** and I found the hour long classes boring. I switched over to periods when the classroom is empty and I do 30 minutes of HIIT (with a podcast in my ears) and then move over to the weights.

Looigi

I always wear earplugs in spin class.

If I don't like the routines or part of a routine of a particularly instructor, I'll take a bike toward a back corner and modify the activity as desired.

I've found spin bikes and bikes on trainers to be very effective training tools.

StanSeven

That means only the larger women will wear them

MinnMan

Not everybody would agree with that. There are many winter cyclists here in the Twin Cities. Admittedly, the winter ride workout is commonly quite different from the dry road or indoor/spin experience.

Some winters I get out more than others. And I admit that in any given winter, there are days when I resort to the trainer in the basement.

Pamestique 

The loud techno music, the shouting, the standing while spinning... all reasons why I now avoid spin classes.

I am fortunate to belong to a gym where the bikes are available all day (except when classes are running) and I can go in and ride 2 hours using my own music and doing my own routine. When I first started spin classes (a hundred years ago) they were all done by actually roadies, who understood what other cyclists needed in order to supplement outdoor riding.... now the classes are taught by young 20 something, who have never ridden a bike and take classes to be spin instructors... their audience are alot of young 20 somethings who like listening to loud music EVERYWHERE (why do I have to go into every store and restaurant and hear loud music????)... they don't get some of us still have our hearing and just want to work out... it's not intended to be a social media experience... and uh yeah, GET OFF MY LAWN!

ddeand 

Of course, there is a great winter contingency here in Minnesota. I live very close to the River Bottom trails, and every day sees a large number of riders out on their fatties - it's been a huge growth segment of the biking market here. This is one of my favorite biking sites here in the Twin Cities:

MN Bike Trail Navigator: Winter '14-'15 Minnesota Fatbike Events

But at my age and stage in the sport, I feel that the potential for damage overrides the lure of buying yet another bike (as well as the gear to go with it). And the number of people who ride and commute often during the winter is quite small compared to the non-snowy months - at least, that's what I've observed. I admire those with the desire and fortitude to get out a lot during the winter, but for me, I feel safest in a spin class during the snowy season.