Did a spinning class last week and although it did not bother me- I joined the gym today.

Spinning classes are not the best cycling exercise for me as I get more effort on a real ride than this false one in a nice air conditioned room. I do not like spinning classes---FULL STOP.

But the class last week was just a tester to see if I enjoyed the thought of exercise--without doing any. I know it will take about 6 lessons to get into the swing of them so next one is tomorrow morning.

But the real reason for joining the gym was my experience since I retired. Weather has not been playing ball and any "Good" days that we had were spent on the house and garden chores. Sun came out a couple of times so do I go for a ride? or Get the house painted?- proof the shed?- build the new chicken Run? or any of the other important jobs that have to be done soon or the lack of maintenance will start to cost me money? Cycling got put on the back burner.

Problem is that now I am nowhere as fit as I should be. Looks as though the weather is going to be as bad for the first part of the year so one of the alternatives is join a Gym. Today I did my induction but everyone seems to have this attitude that if you cycle- you have to do the spinning classes. No I don't--I can get bike fit by riding a bike. What I need is a Cardio Vascular workout on a regular basis so that I can improve my cycling. My plan is to club ride on Sundays and Gym twice a week for the CV side. If there is any time and the weather is good- I will get out for a few bike rides. However if the weather is like last year- I will be able to exercise without being washed or blown away in the floods and storms we have been having but in the comfort of the Gym.

Just hope that the weather improves a lot so I can cut the gym and get back to some proper exercise on the Sussex roads on the bike. Then providing the fitness is there- I might enjoy the 100 milers I have got planned.

Sounds like you need to take a more advanced class.

I've done three classes, over three winters. The first was great ... the instructor was a triathlete and he put us through our paces. We were dripping by the end of each class. The second wasn't very good ... she did a lot of odd and pointless stuff ... and I ended up choosing a bike in the back and doing my own thing. The third was somewhere in between ... she didn't do any of the odd and pointless stuff, but didn't really push us like the first guy did.

It's all a matter of how high you crank the resistance and how hard and fast you push the pedals - some classes are more "interval" oriented and some more "endurance" but I like to get completely out of breath at least three times during the course of a class. I cycle and spin for general fitness, not training to race, so I don't mind the "pushups" and other "odd and pointless stuff". I spend 15 minutes on the gym machines and do upper body stuff before the class so while spinning isn't the greatest fun (wish I could choose the music!) I'm probably fitter during the winter than in the spring/summer/fall when I just ride.

I find the spinning instructor to be immaterial. I adjust the resistance and choose the cadence to achieve the workout I'm looking for. I'll usually sit and stand along with the instructor just for a bit of conformity, but not if it doesn't suit me at the time.

I used to do spinning classes and, while I can't say that I enjoyed them, I've never worked as hard in 45 minutes on a real bike. At the end of each class I felt that I couldn't have gone on for another minute.

It does depend on the class leader, and also on the other riders, especially when you've got fit cyclists half your age alongside you using it as part of their training regime.

No substitute for real cycling, but a great workout.

'I was taking spinning classes and enjoyed them, but more recently I invested in a trainer and signed up for trainerroad.com and I find I get more of a workout through those rides than the spinning class. I will say that the "scenery" at the spinning classes was part of the enjoyment. If they ever came out with that video for trainerroad it would be the best of both worlds.

I belong to the rec center at a local university and it's a great place to work out, especially during the week. Great equipment, fairly empty in the mornings, plus it has a NCAA competition-level pool that is hardly used on weekdays. It tends to be "my" group of fit retirees (many tri-athletes) and of course the students (who never get any older from year to year!).

The spinning class is OK, but what really has gotten to me lately is the music that the instructor plays. I like classical, jazz, blues, rock, and other genres, but head-banging rap music with unintelligible "lyrics" is just not my thing apparently. Next time I attend I think that earplugs might be in order...

I've been doing Tabata on my trainer in the garage using 50/19. They've been beating the snot out of me.
If you're looking for effort...

One thing to know is that there are spinning instructors that have never ridden outside of the spinning room. Seriously. Our instructor is one of the founders of the cycling club in town. He tries to make spinning relevant to cycling on the road. And, he does a good job. It's not as good as actual road riding but it's very worthwhile for staying in shape when combined with a weightlifting regimen. I use both to maintain muscle tone and general health.

Yes, that's true... But also lack of maintenance on the body -- as in cycling and the gym -- can cost you a whole lot more money...
(Ooops, I forgot, you English blokes don't have to worry about the cost side of that equation -- but the idea still holds)

I tend to think of 'regular' exercise as a way to supplement what I get on the bike (such as weight training and such)...

But, I think the most important thing is that it is both enjoyable and NOT a pain. My rule is that the gym should always be within 15 minutes drive -- otherwise, if it's too much of a hassle I can always find a reason why I shouldn't go tonight... And if you don't find spinning enjoyable, then do something else. It's one of the advantages of belonging to a fully equipped gym: there are always alternatives.

Uh wait a minute, driving to the gym to take a spin class,

Instructors matter if they are into "jumps" and similar utter nonsense. You begin to wonder why you'd bother with a class if just about everything you do is going to be completely different from what the instructor is suggesting. You might as well just get on a spin bike in another part of the gym and do your own thing entirely.

But get a good instructor, and yes, you can adjust your resistance and cadence as you like ... and still follow the program that they're teaching.

I presume you've heard of ice and snow??


It's better to drive to the gym to take a spinning class than to sit on the sofa and wait till the ice and snow melts to get back on your bicycle again.

Here is an article that might be helpful

https://www.active.com/cycling/Articl...or-Classes.htm

Ice and snow, no problem, just need the right tires

I think Machka was one of the pioneers of doing ultra-cold centuries...

Like others have said, your spin workout depends on you, how hard you set the resistance and your cadence.
It is very difficult to get as much of an aerobic workout on a real bike versus a spin class as the real world has stoplights etc where you aren't working every second of the hour, like you do in spin class.
Real bike is certainly more fun but spin class is great workout IMO.

fwiw - spinning got me back onto a bike, after far too many years of not riding. I was fortunate, and the class was based on the heartzones cardiovascular training, and several of the class regulars were in training for the yearly MS150 ride. I'm not sure if I would have stuck with it had it been the "bad music and jump until you feel sick" type of classes

Gym is 5 minutes ride from home or 15 minutes walk. NO car involved.

My problem right now is Cardio Vascular so it will be a gradual increase in weight- effort and time on the CV machines to improve that.

Spinning can be fun but not for me. You have a bike that cannot be set up perfectly for you and it does not offer the same challenges as a ride will give. You sit there and pedal and you put more resistance on and increase cadence for an hour of doing basically the same thing. I am not competitive so beating the bloke or bird on the bike next to me is of no importance.

Now a 30 mile ride out on the hills taking in about 3,000 ft of real hills- That is a different matter. When I was training for the big ride I used to do-It was down the gym from January to May and two one hour sessions a week of CV and two 30 mile rides in the evenings. Those evening rides were proper training rides and when we did the 30 miles at 12mph we were fit. This was mountain biking by the way so when the weather improved- it was 3 evening rides and one Gym session aswell as the 60 miler at weekends.

But spinning did nothing to improve my cycling. I was Bike fit but cycling does not improve body mobility- add to upper body strength or exercise the parts of the body that cycling does not do. Why do it? Far better to spend the time at the gym building up the things you lack in than just add to the things you are good at.

Current problem is the CV side and for a while then a spinning class will assist on that. But as soon as the weather improves- I will be spending my time out on a bike doing a proper ride and facing proper challenges.

As usual Stapfam, you have a goal and plan on how to get there -- and it all seems pretty well thought out... That's a pretty good recipe for success!

In the winter I have to take some care to not get overly sweated up. If I have a flat 8miles from home and I'm badly sweated it's going to be really hard to change a flat and continue in spite of having extra clothing with me. I ride if it's over -20F or so and really can't push myself hard on a regular basis outside when it's that cold so a spinning class allows me to really push hard in a controlled manner and when I'm done I'm usually soaked and exhausted. I can work that hard on summer rides but they are typically 50mi and I do the hard HIT stuff toward the end of the ride if I'm going to do it at all.
I loathe spinning on one level but doing it in a class is much better for me than trying to push myself alone at home. Our spinning classes do a good job of pushing me and I try to add to that by pushing myself a bit harder than required. indoor riding is not good for me in terms of building hours on the seat, but it is for doing HIT work and other basic training stuff.

That is because you never saw the one I used to have. There was nothing immaterial about her. And she was a good spin leader too.
I do pretty much the same thing, if I need more, I'll add more, or I'll stay standing longer.
Remember it's YOUR workout.

Down the Gym this morning for an hours Cardio. Not too fierce at the first attempt and it was mainly to get used to the new machines they have.One of them is a cross-trainer that you can alter the length of stride and also turn into a Stepper with just a different leg action. That took some sorting to get my technique right but it will come. but 10 minutes on a Recumbent to warm up- The stepper- rowing machine- Cross trainer- Upright cycle and then back to the stepper/cross to try and get technique better. Felt fine and down to the Sauna. Almost danced into it with the adrenalin but crawled out 30 minutes later absolutely shattered. Found every pull on every muscle that I had overworked and then had to cycle home.

Tomorrow will be a rest day and due to Snow expected Sunday- or if no snow it will be Rain and cold- I will be down for another Cardio session Saturday and a Spinning class Monday. Been home for 4 hours now and feeling a lot better but rest day may not come- I have the Grand Kids tomorrow.

This!

I have yet to experience a spinning class that was not challenging to me. It is a different workout however. I love to tour, do 50-120 miles and the spinning class is far different from that. More of an aerobic workout. And it got this novice out of the saddle for extended periods, which helped me over mountain passes and the like. In winter, it's just part of a varied list of activities I do. Basketball, weights, flex, core, skiing. And yes some biking when the weather allows. In the warm months, biking is king and little else for exercise.