New ideas for my spin class?

PT_Craig

I currently take 2 spin classes per week, I try to make them as cycling specific as possible (so no press ups on handlebars!) but im struggling to think of new sessions to do! My current class looks something like...

5min W/U working through the gears with some seated and standing
Tabata sprints at 100rpm
Seated climb 40sec 80rpm stand 20sec 60rpm x 4
30sec sprint 100rpm with 15sec rest
Standing climb 40sec high resistance 60rpm 20sec seat pushing hard x 4
Pyramid climb highest gear you can push 80rpm....45sec at 80 30sec rest, 45sec 85rpm 30sec rest, 45sec 90rpm 30sec rest
4 Tabata sprints 100rpm
Big climb going from seated to standing and adding resistance every 30sec=6mins

Would really appreciate any new ideas you guys have or workouts that you currently use on the turbo!

dw300

What sort of consultation fee are we talking about here?

secretsqizz

Don't normally do this... (bein' helpful, I mean) but you have my sympathies, sunshine dealing with feckin' gym bunnies..take a gander at this.. it 's not half bad if you like that type of thang. Might give you fresh ideas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiDD_aqd ... re&index=1

xavierdisley

Turbo sessions don't generally translate well to a spin class, where the focus is more on maintaining fairly high bursts of intensity with short rest within a long total duration, rather than targetted longer intervals with adequate recovery (turbo).

When I've run spin classes with cyclists rather than fitness riders, it can be fun to split people up and get them to work in teams, so for example groups of three and get the room to do a "team sprint" (first rider stops pedalling after 20sec, second after 40sec and third after 60sec), then swap roles. We also did the same with a "team pursuit", 3-4min of solid riding but every 15sec one rider in each team raises the cadence up 15-20rpm.

The turbo sessions I run are quite different - lots of rest and incredibly difficult, for example we have a modified Tabata session which is grim death but only 3min20sec of maximal effort within a 50min ride. Even traditional shorter intervals (1-6min) will run 10-25min worth of work, spinning is more of a constant effort interspersed with bursts, where to be honest anything you do* will get the riders breathing a bit, it's more important to keep it fun.

Xav

*yes apart from press ups on the handlebars

volvo_fatboy

I find that turbo sessions don't lend themselves to spin classes very well.

My spin classes are all music/resistance based matching rpm to beat of music. I mean; choose a playlist mixing up the tunes for standing climbs, seated race, then add in the odd one or two off the wall tracks (comedy/amusing).

Use each track as you see fit, I've listed what I do and what has been appreciated by my class. I aim to get the class to hit the beat on every track. I mix tracks, alternating between seated & standing, and also alternate riding position and pace during some tracks. If there are lulls/lower pace sections in a track, I use them as recovery sections.

I use the following tracks quite a lot and change one or to tracks now and then, mixing up the order.

Seated Fast Tunes:
Voodoo Child - Rogue Traders - hit the beat fast rpm seated.
Mr Jones - Counting Crows - fast rpm seated.
Flashdance - Deep Dish - fast rpm seated.
Gangnam Style - Psy - fast rpm, when the beat subsides reduce rpm and resistance, increasing again to the beat.
California Dreamin - Royal Gigolos - find the beat, seated or standing, your choice, or alternate between using breaks in music to change riding position.
Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm - hard and fast.
Frozen Flame - Jeckyll & Hyde - hard and fast.
Are you gonna be my girl - Jet, fast pace
I feel love - Blue Man Group ft. Venus Hum.
We found love - Rihanna - fast pace.
Jump - Girls Aloud.

Standing/High resistance
Tainted Love - Marylin Manson - Start standing w/resistance, every 15-20secs +1 notch, last minute seated @ high resistance.
Proper Education - Eric Prydz - Standing and hit the beat.
Sexy & I know it - LMFAO - Standing or seated just match the beat!
Baddest Ruffest (radio edit) - Backyard Dog- Ideally standing - match the beat!
Take a look around - Limp Bizkit - standing climb, increasing resistance and pace with music!
Teardrop - Massive attack.

Comedy:
If I had $1million - Barenaked ladies - low resistance chilled rpm.
Zorba the Greek - start standing reasonable resistance find the beat for 1min 30, increase resistance and rpm with music til 2min 20, remove most resistance and drop to all out seated race till end
Everybody Needs somebody to love - The Blues Brothers.

Eple - Royksopp - My standard Cool down.