Small Ring Only Training, Spinning?
 

So I just got back from my usual 26 mile loop from San Francisco to Mill Valley and back, but this time I decided to try other peoples advice and start training only on the small ring. What a difference it made, I felt like I had way more power on the hills and sprints then I did when I used both the small and big rings. Would someone please elaborate the bonus' other than this factor? Also, what is "spinning"? I know these are kinda newbie questions, but please help. Thanks.

Spinning means pedaling with high codense in a lower gear vs 'Mashing" which means pedaling slowly and putting more force on the pedals in higher gear (Ring/cog).

spinning means:
1) less lactic acid build up which means both aerobic and anaerobic system work more efficiently and less burning pain
2) less use of muscle glycogen which means that when you do need that big burst of energy you can do it.. for racing, when that attack comes at 100km you can go with it.

but there is no free lunch... you are off loading work from your anaerobic system to your aerobic system (heart and lungs).. but as long as blood sugar levels are kept sufficiently high (you keep eating) your aerobic system can keep going basically forever... when your muscle glycogen is gone it takes long time for it to be replenished... even your aerobic system functions better in the presence of lots of muscle glycogen. you do need a good aerobic system though to sustain your cadence to get the same power output

spinning is actually less 'efficient' than "mashing" since your legs must move themselves (their weight/inertia) more in a given amount of time... so you should actually use more calories (may need to eat and drink more). just like you are going to use more gas driving on the highway in 1st gear rather than in 5th and why engine brakes work etc... but that being said, cycling fast (or car racing) is not about being efficient it's about getting from point A to point B the fastest. it's quite individual but given a person's physiology, "spinning" has a lot of advantages over "mashing"

i prefer the higher gears because i feel like i'm getting more power to each turn of the cranks, but in a certain middle ground, it gives me room to move up, increases my cadence, and uses the motion of my legs efficiently without asking too much from them, as constantly mashing the pedals would...

i know i'm sort of a n00b, but that's something i've noticed. it's probably different for each person, but finding a middle ground where you put forth enough but not too much, efficiently use what you put forth, and can move either direction if need be is probably pretty much the ideal, right?