Spinning classes?

steg666

Hi guys, first time poster. Just wondering if many of you guys use local spinning classes to help with fitness levels? I suppose in the summer it's better to be out on the bike but when the weathers abit rubbish (most of the year ) there could be some real benefits. Do they help with cycling technique on the road or just really for the cardio workout.

I'm an MTB'er but have found that I've getting more inclined to take it out on the road and in the nice weather.

As I've been enjoying that it always makes me think, "How much faster could I go on a road bike" "How much further could I go on the road bike" so I'm going to be getting one soon.

Dippydog2

I did a bunch but stopped. Problem for me was that the bikes had manual resistance control but how much you dialled in was down to you. Even with a heart rate monitor I had trouble doing a meaningful workout. I was either flat out or lazy.

If it was a spinning class with power feedback and proper workout profiles I would jump at it. That's what I do on my turbo and Trainer Road, but it's somehow easier to work hard if others are suffering around you.

jgsi

Spinning s ok... not much like riding a bike though... even though its the same action.
If you do take up road biking.. seeing as you are from where you are.. then think about getting in touch with these guys
http://sthelenscrc.co.uk/index.php?page=about-us

meanredspider

I've read loads of time that Spinning classes help build your cadence. I used to enjoy them a lot when I did them but then decided commuting by bike made far more sense.

steg666

Thanks everyone,

I'll look up that cycling club as the should be based pretty close by. I did fancy the idea of commuting to work on my bike but the downside (and you guys might say this is an excuse, not a reason) is that I start work at 6am and already struggle to get up for work at that time. Throw in 45/60 minute ride and I might just collapse in a coma each night when I get home .

hypster

I found spinning classes didn't really help with cycling fitness. The main problem for me was on a static bike with no air flow I would get incredibly hot with even average effort. My heart rate would go through the roof just trying to cool me down even though I wasn't working very hard. An hour interval session on a real bike is much more productive than the two hours it took me getting to and from and doing the spin class.

davidof

They are good for hooking up with birds.

steg666

hypster wrote:

I found spinning classes didn't really help with cycling fitness. The main problem for me was on a static bike with no air flow I would get incredibly hot with even average effort. My heart rate would go through the roof just trying to cool me down even though I wasn't working very hard. An hour interval session on a real bike is much more productive than the two hours it took me getting to and from and doing the spin class.

I know what you mean, it's sounds like a sneaky way of making you think you've worked harder than you have.

When I got home last night my wife said I had a 'berry head' - my face was that red.

I blame the gyms rubbish air-con - not my fitness .

danlikesbikes

steg666 wrote:

Hi guys, first time poster. Just wondering if many of you guys use local spinning classes to help with fitness levels? I suppose in the summer it's better to be out on the bike but when the weathers abit rubbish (most of the year ) there could be some real benefits. Do they help with cycling technique on the road or just really for the cardio workout.

I'm an MTB'er but have found that I've getting more inclined to take it out on the road and in the nice weather.

As I've been enjoying that it always makes me think, "How much faster could I go on a road bike" "How much further could I go on the road bike" so I'm going to be getting one soon.

1) yes use a local class & as the bikes have power & are able to swing from side to side they do give a more bike like feel, over a turbo so it makes up some good targeted training for me.

2) as an MTB'r you should find the stop start repeated nature of off road riding helps with your road fitness too

3) kinda how I moved from MTB's to road (still ride off road a bit now) you will find the speed difference and feel of the bike quite different. For most they like it for others they just prefer the feel of slower wider tyres and of the offer road suits them

See if you can borrow a mates road bike and give it a go before you plunge in and buy a road bike

JayKosta

I doubt that 'spinning training' will help with bike handling, but it can be good for power and endurance training.
A lot depends on the group's leader to choose good workout programs, and also on your own ability to choose a good intensity.

The social mix of the group is also important, since there can be quite a bit of chat happening ...

Before signing a contract for multiple sessions, do a single pay (or free) session to determine if it is appropriate for you.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

Bar Shaker

The quality of spin classes varies dramatically. At my current gym the best instructor's classes are almost always completely full. The not so good instructor can have less than 10 people in a studio with 50 bikes. A good instructor will motivate you to throw everything you have at it, for the whole hour. Doing it in a packed room, with banging house and trance tunes, definitely adds to the motivation.

Are they beneficial? Absolutely. You can interval train in a way that just isn't possible on the road, you can also develop strong quads for climbing out of the saddle. Spin classes aren't a replacement for steady cadence endurance rides but they are excellent for building leg strength and for developing climbing ability.

You will only get out what you put in and if you aren't prepared to crank the resistance up beyond your comfort zone, you might as well go and sit in McDonalds.

handful

I've never been spinning myself but a mate who does and rides in our group used to struggle badly with fitness but now is faster than all of us now! (I would add he's also quite a bit younger!) I would say that in his case it was because he was working from a low base fitness so saw rapid gains. Somebody reasonably fit would benefit less I would imagine. I may try it sometime though and I also echo others comments about the quality of the instructor because at the gym my mate goes to it's one instructor that seems to get the best out of people and is therefore always fully booked.

cougie

I teach spin so I might be slightly biased...

My classes are very much like turbo sessions - but with concessions. Non cyclists aren't going to be up for doing long steady intensities in a class so the longest interval I do with them is two minutes or so. But it is all useful for cycling - just not brilliant for stamina - if you only do 45 min classes - then your legs will know once you hit 50 miles or so...

And as someone else has pointed out - you get out of the class what you put in. If you're not breaking sweat then you're not doing it right.

Instructor is the biggest thing though - if a teacher is giving you silly stuff to do like pressups on the bars and leaning from side to side - then they aren't teaching spin. Its aerobics on bikes and the pressups are there to distract you. Proper cycle classes dont need any distractions.

steg666

cougie wrote:

I teach spin so I might be slightly biased...

My classes are very much like turbo sessions - but with concessions. Non cyclists aren't going to be up for doing long steady intensities in a class so the longest interval I do with them is two minutes or so. But it is all useful for cycling - just not brilliant for stamina - if you only do 45 min classes - then your legs will know once you hit 50 miles or so...

And as someone else has pointed out - you get out of the class what you put in. If you're not breaking sweat then you're not doing it right.

Instructor is the biggest thing though - if a teacher is giving you silly stuff to do like pressups on the bars and leaning from side to side - then they aren't teaching spin. Its aerobics on bikes and the pressups are there to distract you. Proper cycle classes dont need any distractions.

Thanks it's interesting to hear the viewpoints of a class instructor.

The gym I go to has three or four instructors but there is one in particular who runs a double session with a fifteen minute gap between them. His classes are always full. As posted earlier, that should tell me enough about him as an instructor. There is none of that press up stuff. The only 'odd' thing he does is the low squatted position slow rpm. It's very very hard on the quads but you tell it's benefitting you.

The instructor will really push you (I presume he can tell you are push able). His normal ways of doing this are to turn up your resistance and his favourite party piece is sticking his shoe on the 'wheel' during a sprint. It's a killer!

KnightOfTheLongTights

If you keep the resistance up I think spin can be a good aid to fitness - specially through the winter, when the alternative might be... not going out on the bike!
I used to do double sessions (two hours) of intervals and I really knew I had done something afterwards (i.e., had trouble descending stairs).
Don't forget there is no let-up, no lights, no stopping - so while it may not be quite as good as getting out on the bike, I don't think it's all that far off.
But as said above, heart rates can be misleading as overheating will raise it probably by 10bpm.
There are a few specialist spin studios across London - they will tend to be better / more orientated towards cyclists than the average gym spin class.