Spin Class Training For Outdoor Cycling May 2, 2007
Posted by Lisa Sabin in Crosstraining, Endurance Training, Fitness Goals, Spin Class, Spin Class Training For Outdoor Cycling, cycling, fitness.trackback
I took my first spin class in 2001. I remember having really sore hamstrings after my first class. I have used spinning as a crosstraining workout to supplement my running, since then. I began doing a few triathlons a year around the same time. Spin class helped keep my legs in “cycling shape”.
In 2003 I signed up for an endurance duathlon at Pacific Crest, in Bend Oregon. My friend, Bucky talked me into it. I saw her at the St Paddy’s Dash in Seattle in March of that year, she signed up for the Pacific Crest Endurance Duathon in June. She and her husband, who is an elite runner, live in Arizona, and I love seeing them whenever they are in Seattle. Bucky went to the UW with my husband, Phil. We’ve known each other for over 20 years. Bucky and I have been through a lot together. We have trained together, ran lots of races together. She inspires me to do crazy things.
I didn’t realise that you were one of the people from the FRONT of the class . . . so here’s a question for you as a spin class instructor:
Do instructors generally run with less resistance? With only one exception at my local gym, the instructors barely seem to break into a sweat during a 45 minute session, leading be to believe that they’re either super human . . . or secretly slacking off. Which is it?
I personally don’t take it easy in class. Some instructors do though. The people who are teaching 10 classes a week, probably just don’t have it to give. Plus, the point is to provide a quality work out for the class. Good instructors will get off the bike to make sure people are set up properly and using good form.
One of the challenges I’ve had is getting some of the women in class to put resistance on the bike. They want to put in lots of miles. What they don’t realize is that the resistance is making them stronger and increasing their lean body mass, which translates to a faster metabolic rate.
Stay away from spin classes if you want to improve your competitive cycling. If you do not care about power, technique, or track/road specific fitness—knock yourself out.
If you want to IMPROVE your cycling, pedal effeciency, breathing, power, muscle development—-do this instead:
Go outside. Get arm & leg warmers and ride 4-5 days per week. A 73 inch rollout or lower.
Ride a fixed gear bike once or twice a week. (1-2 hours tops)
use a 73 inch or lower rollout gearing.
On your 10-speed road bike just ride in one gear (eg: 53/17) steady tempo for 3-5 hours twice a week. Do not shift—-torque up hills, rollout cadnce on the desecents.
Do SFRs (slow frequency repeats) twice per week for 20-60 minutes. Over geared for 3-6 minutes on, 3 minutes off, building up to five efforts of 10 minutes. Take a easy week every fourth week.
Add in some interval sessions (sctructured instensity) as your fitness grows.
Do a group ride at least once a week. Vary the pace, jump, put you nose into the wind, mix it up. Learn to ride wheels, remain calm and have fun. Learn to corner and descend safely.
Spin classes will make you slow and atrophy your legs. The lack of resistance and magneto assist is counter productive and mostly pointless. Actual cycling is 100% different than a rigorous spin class. Avoid a bad habit.
Many experts in the fitness industry disagree that spin classes “make you slow and atrophy your legs”. If you are losing muscle it’s probably because you aren’t putting enough resistance on the bike. Believe me you can load the resistance on to increase leg strength. I am sure people slack off in class and don’t get an optimal work out because of it. If you are hard core, you can get a great work out from a quality spin class. Not all classes are the same. Check some of the higher end clubs for better instructors.
I haven’t ridden a fixed gear bike, but I imagine it’s good for building strength.
Have you heard of Johnny G? He was a competitive cyclist, who created the spin bike, based on outdoor cycling.
Check this site if you want to know more.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53946
I would bet money that winstolv has never been to a spin class. I have been attending spin for around 10 years, and have taken classes in 3 different states.
While I can’t speak to the competitive cycling benefits, to say that it “atrophies the legs” is pure bunk. The bike has a resistence knob on it, and “hills” are a frequent part of workouts. Even when sprinting, participants are advised to keep their resistence turned slightly up. Instructors frequently remind their participants NOT to ride with no resistence. Many, many times I’ve been in a spin class where we were asked to have the resistence turned to max, or a 9 on a scale of 10. It’s unfortunate when individuals with knowledge in one area feel their expertise extends to everything.
Thanks for you comment.
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Hi to all you spinning/indoor cyclying enthusiast. Atrophy? It is QUITE evident that this person has not participated in a indoor cycling class (a/k/a Spinning). I am a certifed instructor and I try to instill in my students that good bike setup with proper form, makes for a more effective ride/training/work out. It all depends on how much resistance is added during the course of a 45 min – 1 hour ride. I love, love, love to perform cadence checks — it keeps everyone one on a particular Energy Zone, whether it’s an interval, endurance or strength ride. Another point I like to make is that anyone can go fast, but can you fast with resistance? –THERE’S THE CHALLENGE. Definitely not a workout for wimps.
Keep on Riding!
Spindyva