Spinning

Sewinman

Joined a gym recently and have observed the spinning classes with interest. It looks attractive, especially if sat in the second row of bikes - a vibrant panorama to say the least.

I wondered what your views were of its usefulness for 'real' cycling. Seems to me to be a convenient way of training during the winter months....or is it different in some way that I do not currently comprehend?

TIA

asprilla

I used to do it my my last role as they had spinning classes on site. I did the morning session as soon as I got to work as it meant I was getting 2hrs of continuous exercise as opposed to my usual 1hr. From that perspective it was useful; more straight CV than cycling specific.

EssexSuffolk

I go to a spin class with my tri club. Definitely useful for cycling fitness, in my opinion. The coach also makes the programme specific to our sport i.e. includes sprints and hill climbs etc. We've also done sessions where we find our optimum power output etc in relation to cadence. I enjoy it for an hour a week anyway!

Clever Pun

As mentioned good for CV work and will probably help you get your ability your cadence up.

I don't really bother with them anymore as it just wasn't doing enough for me.

Give it a go... Spend a little time getting the bike set up right as well. Positioning wise sit opposite someone cute who's facing you... you'll understand why.

t4tomo

I've done it in the past - good CV, good for the leg muscles and as you rightly say, often a cracking view from the back row.

Kieran_Burns

t4tomo wrote:

I've done it in the past - good CV, good for the leg muscles and as you rightly say, often a cracking view from the back row.

When you say cracking.... :shock:

HamishD

What others have said.

There are a couple at my gym though which are very good (run by a cyclist) - having us doing hard intervals and 1 hr average power tests etc . . .

Give it a go, each class is different but well worth it if you get a decent instructor. . .

KnightOfTheLongTights

yep I like them during the winter - and sometimes even in the summer for interval / threshold sessions to target high-end aerobic fitness

but try and get to a class that is run by / for cyclists cos some gym spin classes are frankly a bit crap

the better ones are more like doing a group turbo

if you're in south / west London, check this place out:
http://www.pedalstudio.co.uk/

Sewinman

Great, thanks all - sounds like an obvious choice for rainy winter nights.

sketchley

Try RPM rather than SPIN if your gym does it. RPM particularly when the instructor is a good road cyclist focuses on interval training and bike riding technique. SPIN is more about an exercise routine on a bike so you'll find yourself doing push up on the bike and things like that.

il_principe

There's a cycle-specific palce in Putney http://www.pedalstudio.co.uk/ Meaning to give them a go this winter. I used to spin a few years ago, didn't think it did anything for my cycling tbh, but as others have said it does help the the CV.

Would love to find somewhere in SW London that has Wattbikes.
]

jzed

Il Principe wrote:

There's a cycle-specific palce in Putney http://www.pedalstudio.co.uk/ Meaning to give them a go this winter. I used to spin a few years ago, didn't think it did anything for my cycling tbh, but as others have said it does help the the CV.

Would love to find somewhere in SW London that has Wattbikes.
]

http://www.starsgym.co.uk/en/news/go/right-column-wattbikes-at-stars-gym

il_principe

Cheers, but £100/month is ridiculous. Grrrr, I fecking hate gyms.

Sewinman

Il Principe wrote:

There's a cycle-specific palce in Putney http://www.pedalstudio.co.uk/ Meaning to give them a go this winter. I used to spin a few years ago, didn't think it did anything for my cycling tbh, but as others have said it does help the the CV.

Would love to find somewhere in SW London that has Wattbikes.
]

Presumably though you are using the same muscles as when road cycling? Also, is not cycling largely about having good CV fitness?

il_principe

Sewinman wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

There's a cycle-specific palce in Putney http://www.pedalstudio.co.uk/ Meaning to give them a go this winter. I used to spin a few years ago, didn't think it did anything for my cycling tbh, but as others have said it does help the the CV.

Would love to find somewhere in SW London that has Wattbikes.
]

Presumably though you are using the same muscles as when road cycling? Also, is not cycling largely about having good CV fitness?

Presumably. All I can tell you is that I didn't find it much use. I found it did nothing for my endurance etc. Problem is it cannot recreate being out on the road, where wind, surface quality, constant changes in gradient etc all play a factor. IMHO, you simply can't being out on the road.

Still planning on spinning this winter though, mainly to keep the weight off. I wouldn't want to train for a big ride in the spin studio...

coopster_the_1st

Il Principe wrote:

Sewinman wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

There's a cycle-specific palce in Putney http://www.pedalstudio.co.uk/ Meaning to give them a go this winter. I used to spin a few years ago, didn't think it did anything for my cycling tbh, but as others have said it does help the the CV.

Would love to find somewhere in SW London that has Wattbikes.
]

Presumably though you are using the same muscles as when road cycling? Also, is not cycling largely about having good CV fitness?

Presumably. All I can tell you is that I didn't find it much use. I found it did nothing for my endurance etc. Problem is it cannot recreate being out on the road, where wind, surface quality, constant changes in gradient etc all play a factor. IMHO, you simply can't being out on the road.

Still planning on spinning this winter though, mainly to keep the weight off. I wouldn't want to train for a big ride in the spin studio...

The bit in bold was the biggest thing I noticed when I got on the road bike after a few spin sessions.

I was pretty CV fit from the spin bike but having a constant resistance is easier even if it is set to high. Getting out on the road I immediately noticed how tiring the constantly changing gradient is, even on what you would expect to be a flat road.

It is good for CV fitness and I will probably do it again this winter to keep some fitness but you need a couple of rides on the bike to get use to the above again...

rick_chasey

It's only worth doing if you are barely concious, lying in a pool of your own sweat afterwards.

Don't be one of those 'sights' who sit there glass cranking and barely breathing.

KnightOfTheLongTights

Rick Chasey wrote:

It's only worth doing if you are barely concious, lying in a pool of your own sweat afterwards.

I think this is pretty much right. No point messing about in the lower heart-rate zones. Turn up the resistance too.

W1

Sewinman wrote:

Great, thanks all - sounds like an obvious choice for rainy winter nights.

The other option of course being to MTFU....

meanredspider

KnightOfTheLongTights wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

It's only worth doing if you are barely concious, lying in a pool of your own sweat afterwards.

I think this is pretty much right. No point messing about in the lower heart-rate zones. Turn up the resistance too.

A touch-test (be careful) of the wheel on each bike tells you how hard you've been working compared to other people - the hotter the wheel the better. Amazing how many stone-cold wheels there were in my class. I used to enjoy it but prefer commuting properly and it saves me £25 a month in gym fees too.

First.Aspect

meanredspider wrote:

£25 a month in gym fees too.

What does £25 a month buy you in Inverness? Here you get membership of the barn they used for the Rocky IV training sequence, but most of the farm equipment is getting a bit worn out now.

EKE_38BPM

I remember Lance saying that he likes training on the road in winter as he knows his rivals are spinning in a nice, warm, comfortable gym whilst he's on the road in the wind, rain/snow and gradient and it makes him harder than them.

I believe the Royal Marines have a saying "Train hard, fight easy", same principle applies. Spinning seems to easy in comparison to a hard session on the road, but its better than nothing, I suppose.

rick_chasey

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I remember Lance saying that he likes training on the road in winter as he knows his rivals are spinning in a nice, warm, comfortable gym whilst he's on the road in the wind, rain/snow and gradient and it makes him harder than them.

.

Either that or he always happened to perform better when it was cold.

It's no coincidence the toughest days he had in the Tour were during searing heat.

(he also said a lot of other stuff, repeatedly, that is probably not true either )

Applespider

Sketchley wrote:

SPIN is more about an exercise routine on a bike so you'll find yourself doing push up on the bike and things like that.

RPM is great but if it's a proper spin (TM) class, it shouldn't have push-ups and other stupid things in it. The problem is that spin has become a bit generic so gyms all offer their own program called something spin or something cycle, and they're not all trained the same. I have a buddy who is a proper SPIN instructor and rants about what goes on in other classes.

It's not the same as being outside but on wet miserable days, you can put your head down and go for intensity which is good. It can't recreate hills though - regardless of your resistance settings, it just doesn't compare to a proper hill where gravity and stability also play their part at the steepest points. It is good for helping work the quads so that you can sit in the saddle easier on long less steep drags.