Can I plug a very good spin class in SW London please?

KnightOfTheLongTights

I'm not a relation of the instructor or involved in any way in her business (except as a happy punter) but I think these spin classes in Battersea are superb:
http://www.fit4cycle.co.uk/
Like most spin, it's best for high intensity interval training, but you can take it how you want. She mixes classes up, so some replicate hilly rides at at slower cadence / higher resistance (but still with intervals), and I reckon she has the music spot on mostly.
I rarely bury myself on my bike as much as I do in these.
Anyhow, just started going again for the first time since March, now the nights have drawn in, and it seems to have gone a bit quiet - so apart from the altruistic motive, I'm trying to make sure they keep going!
Recommended.

Grill

What can I do in a spin class that I can't accomplish on my turbo?

diamonddog

Grill wrote:

What can I do in a spin class that I can't accomplish on my turbo?

^^This

KnightOfTheLongTights

diamonddog wrote:

Grill wrote:

What can I do in a spin class that I can't accomplish on my turbo?

^^This

Jesus... right:
Did I post "I think spin is better than turbo, here is what you should be doing..."?
No, I didn't, so if you want to have that argument, go and start it somewhere else.
In the meantime, a few pointers: Some people don't have turbos, some people don't want turbos, some people prefer the motivation of a group class.
Not rocket science.
Next!
:roll:

Grill

Can I just take a minute to plug the turbo sessions in my living room? They're performed by me and are absolutely brutal. On my last one I sweated out over a pint and my legs were in such a state that sleep was difficult. The big ass TV makes it bearable, and you can't argue with the company. My favourite part is the price. Highly recommended.

PerformingMonkey

Grill wrote:

Can I just take a minute to plug the turbo sessions in my living room? They're performed by me and are absolutely brutal. On my last one I sweated out over a pint and my legs were in such a state that sleep was difficult. The big ass TV makes it bearable, and you can't argue with the company. My favourite part is the price. Highly recommended.

Mmm, sweaty living room...

diy

Grill wrote:

What can I do in a spin class that I can't accomplish on my turbo?

- stare at cute girls bottoms and boobs
- get bullied in to working harder
- rag the nuts off the bike without fear of damaging your bike
- feel all elite and powerful next to the non cyclists
- grind with very heavy load
- compete with the person next to you and eyeball them when you've crushed them
- make friends with non-geeky internet nerds

its a long list

Seriously though, given that nuffers membership is normally about 50 quid a month with a bit of haggling, you'd not need many weekly classes before you were much better off with full membership and the ability to use the rest of the gym..
.. to stare at cute girls bums n boobs

Grill

Besides the social interactions (which are, let's be honest, distractions), the others make no sense. I can rag the nuts off my bike and grind with a very heavy lead without issue.

Plus I've always found most social interaction in gyms to be tacky. I'm there to workout, not increase my social following.

diy

Silliness aside, I can't get anything like the load on my turbo that I can get on a spinner. Its also a lot easier to rapidly change resistance.

Grill

Get a Kurt!

diy

Do you have the rock n roll?

Grill

Yup.

jgsi

You can plug away.. but a gym is nothing to compare with your very own 'pain cave'
http://www.thesufferfest.com/sufferland ... e-chamber/

KnightOfTheLongTights

Thanks for keeping the thread going fellers anyway

hypster

"very good" and "spin class" - bit of an oxymoron.

A bit like "jumbo shrimp" or "virtual reality".

VmanF3

JGSI wrote:

You can plug away.. but a gym is nothing to compare with your very own 'pain cave'
http://www.thesufferfest.com/sufferland ... e-chamber/

How some people live? :shock:

KnightOfTheLongTights

To enter into the spirit of things then, I’ll just explain why I go to spin classes over the winter rather than turbo:
1. I have a small one-bed flat, which I share with the GF – I don’t have room to set up on a turbo and it would be massively intrusive for her, and the downstairs neighbour.
2. I don’t *want* a turbo anyway: they’re noisy, I pour sweat more than anyone I’ve ever known and would have to put down towels and clean up etc, I would have to spend time and effort devising my own intervals and other sessions, music to go with it etc. I’d rather let someone else do all that and spend my time either exercising or relaxing.
3. The music, group situation, and instructor's orders in a *good* spin class make me push harder and more likely to do it full stop. This is the main thing: I don’t have a problem with self-motivation, I’m out on my bike on my own in the evening all the time from Spring to Autumn and at the weekend right through the year rain or shine or cold, and I ride 18 miles a day commuting every weekday right through the year. But on dark evenings, if I was faced with the prospect of going home to get on a turbo, I just wouldn’t bother: it’s about as appealing as sandpapering my ballsack.
4. Riding there and back is either a good warm-up / warm-down or an extension of the training – I ride an extra 4-8 miles on top of my commute to get to the classes.
5. The spin classes I go to (not just the above) are cheap, IMO, at £6-8 a go (pay as you go) and of a decent standard. If they were crap or more expensive I might not bother.

KnightOfTheLongTights

6. Yes, you get to look at girls.

diy

I do 6 a week and it works out £2.50 per class - less if I take account that I also do bodypump, weights and use the pool.

but I did start out doing pay as you go until I wanted to start going more than 2 times a week.

I think a lot of cyclists dis spin classes, because of the Mad Dogg (Spinning) and les Mills (RPM) branded versions which has all the stupid press-ups, jumps, stretching mid class and hovering crap that doesn't really help cyclists.

However, in my experience few freestyle cycle group instructors do this nowadays and just create there own structure, often set around the folks in the class. IMO avoid Spinning and RPM and go with a class with a good instructor, who knows about cycling and can put a structure together that complements your training rather than just a dance class on a bike.

cougie

I teach spin and also do turbo sessions myself.

I try and make my spin classes like turbo sessions as much as I can do and get away with. I have to bear in mind that of my class only a few are proper cyclists so you have to keep the interest up. A 40 minute steady session would bore all but the hardcore.

If you have a turbo and the willpower - do your turbo sessions. It will be personal to you and you can follow a plan - check out the trainerroad for example.

If you don't have a turbo or the willpower- or a plan- then find a spin class and as above - avoid the aerobics versions with press ups etc... I find that just with a couple of sessions in the week help a lot with fitness. A spin class will be the best thing in the gym for your cycling after all.

liversedge

When away from home spin classes are much more fun than the hotel gym.
The schedule of classes helps to form a routine when you don't have one travelling and what not.
The bikes/kit is provided, you just turn up.
The environment is usually motivational and non-judgemental, everyone is there to suffer and get fitter.
It keeps you grounded and normal; no-one there is remotely interested in your FTP.
The kit is setup for riding; I often find even gym bikes are crap or have shit tied onto them with cableties etc that makes them awkward to use for one reason or another.
You don't wait to use the kit; its scheduled.

.. there are probably lots of other reasons