What's the use of 'running'?
 

No, I don't mean THAT kind of running, but the 'running' you do during spinning sessions.
It doesn't seem like anything useful to me, but just an aerobics trick they do in class.

I've been attending spinning classes for 3 months now and while I've slowly become accustomed to most exercises there, running still is uncomfortable.. or rather, I can't make myself spin fast while standing up. It is probably the body weight that 'weighs' me down plus perhaps my short legs..
I'd feel better when I hear that there's no real use to it.

In the first 4-6 weeks I'd simply sit down and spin as fast as possible. Later I did try but have not succeeded to improve cadence a lot. The latest I've tried is to grip the barends with a death grip, thus force down the elbows and thus keep my upper body in a stable position.... only then I'm able to keep a decent cadence going.. It's actually quite tiresome, so it's a good workout I guess.

Any comments??

Ivana

P.S. did my very first 'squat' exercise on Thursday evening.. am still sore, even with only a small weight..

Now I'm not quite suer I have it right, because the spinning classes I go to are in French... but "courir" means to get up out of the saddle and pedal at a VERY high cadence.

The value? In terms of muscles, you tend to use your hamstrings and calves more when you stand on the pedals than when you sit in the saddle. Cyclists' hamstrings tend to be under-developed, and that can be a disadvantage in out-of-saddle climbing and sprinting. The high cadence helps train your muscles for leg speed, something that cyclists always have to train for or lose [or, so says Greg Lemond]. The combination is supposed to give you leg speed and strength.

In terms of CV conditionning, you'll note that your heart rate usually goes way up when you get out of the saddle. If your spinning class is doing threshold training, that can be a good way to quickly get you up to your anaerobic threshold. At my spinning class yesterday, the instructor had me up to 175 for five minutes. It was not fun. [I think my maxHR is around 190].

Funny, I used to be fanatic about wearing a HRM but nowadays I leave it at home.. it distracts me and I know that I'll do my best anyway and when I don't I must be tired..
But it's interesting how the max HR has crept up with the spinning lessons.. always thought it was around 170bpm, and I've seen 176bpm as a max now (lowest seen ever was 32bpm in the morning). A girl in our class has a range of 50/55-220, she's fenomenal.



Ivana

My range is 45-@190. I've never done a Conconi, and the age-adjusted formula gives me 182, but I've seen 186 without dying in non-controlled conditions, so I think I'm a bit higher [188-190ish]. I like the HRM, it gives me valuable biofeedback and lets me set specific training goals.

Missed this...

Good question. I'd say it couldn't hurt and, since muscle engagement is very much a question of angles, I don't think it would diminish the hamstring workout... On the other hand, it's not like I ever studied biomechanics... :)

Yeah. I don't do it unless I enjoy it. Now, I enjoy a wide range of things, include getting my muscles tired and feeling progress. But, I also don't do things that are of seeming little benefit and tiresome. I am not sure that "running" or riding out of your seat is necessary at all. I rode many mountain passes without ever getting out of the seat, and a number of folks do not even recommend getting out of your seat. I do believe that folks such as I, with short legs and a very long upper body (29 inch legs, 6 feet tall), have a more difficult time riding out of the seat - my much heavier upper body tends to get things off balance a bit, it seems. So, is simply is not an enjoyable experience for me, and I just don't do it much.

Don't misunderstand me.. I absolutely love the spinning classes but the running bit is very difficult and even though the others have practiced a lot more than me, it seems that I won't master the technique because of my heavy body..

But it looks a bit silly when there are 20 others in class who ride out of the saddle in 'running' position when you keep seated all the time.. I wonder whether to keep sitting down and spin my legs silly or to assume that sprinting position where I hold on to the bars , locking elbows as if life depends on it, thus diminishing the weight that rests on the legs and then 'run' like mad...

Ivana, who'd like to do what other sheep do.. baaaa baaaa.. :D

At 62 years old, I simply don't care any more how I look to others. I guess this is one of the reaons I enjoy riding solo or just with my wife. I do what I want, when I want, no questions asked. If I want to put on my Levis and ride in an old sweatshirt, I do exactly that. If I want to get all dolled up in in biking paraphernalia, I do that.

I like not caring. It makes life a lot easier.

Well, I'm pretty competitive, which is one of the reasons why I ride -- if there's a sprint for beer at the 120 km point of a ride, I'm in there [last wheel pays], if there's an attack on a 15% grade climb, I'll grind like hell until my eyes are popping out of my head to keep from getting dropped [I'm not a great climber]. The spinning classes I've been taking are run by competitive cyclists [the guy who runs them overall was on the 1992 Canadian Olympic team and was a top national racer] and attended by a diverse group that includes a good number of racers. I don't race, but I like a challenge, so I try to match the racers stroke for stroke. I care about keeping up -- and being seen to keep up -- it's part of the fun.

And that is what is so great about biking. There truly is an activity or a niche for everyone - racers, competitivie types, recreational types, nature lovers, commuters, relaxers. It all fits in. Isn't that a neat sport??

I'm with Denver on this one, I just ride where and when I want. I don't even bother with classes or anything else. My body will tell me if I'm doing anything wrong (like this morning when I had to re-adjust my seatpost because it had, over time, become too low).

Heck, I can survive rides exceeding 200km, so I must be doing something right.

The few times this commuting cyclist has stood up on the pedals (in traffic,) I have found myself naturally standing and spinning at the same time. Though I'm not able to continue this for long, it sure is fun while it lasts! (a few seconds...)

Training that includes "running" might really pay off if you are able to use it on the road.

There's a distinction between what they call
- running
- climbing in a standing position
- jumps
For jumps you alternate between being seated and pedalling while standing up... it can be from 1-4 revolutions seated and then 1-4 revs standing.. looks very much like a quad exercise. Builds strong legs, but has no real 'every day' equivalent in cycling.
The climbing mimicks the everyday position, as the only way how I cycle standing up is, by pedalling slowly or perhaps in a fairly normal pace.. this is the way how I nearly always 'sprint' away from traffic lights and occasionally climb hills, especially short hills.

But I never, ever have 'run' , that is, spun circles like a mad woman while standing up... it's so much easier to do this seated.. oh well, I suppose it works yet other muscles..

However it still leaves me with the question
- should I try to do the same desperately
- should I do an 'assisted' run, by supporting my upper body more
- should I refrain from doing this and spin my legs silly while seated...

Ivana