Wednesday, February 6, 2013

First Spin Class

This is not my gym. My gym is not this cool looking.

Last month I wanted to take the beginner spin class at the Y. I'd never taken a spin class before and I have heard it is a good workout in and of itself, but also good at strengthening the legs for running. Since I had no idea what I was doing I chose to attend the intro class just to see what it was all about.

I'm not sure how beginner it was (remember, first class), but we only spend about 5-10 minutes making sure everyone had their bikes set up for their height. Then it was into it. The instructor had us go through various resistance and sit/stand combinations at the change of each song. I liked that. Especially since I knew every song but one. I had a nice feel for how long we would be doing any segment.

I'll be honest. I wasn't sure whether I would like this. Well, really I didn't know if I could do this so I was a bit scared. But, I felt like I kept up well with everyone and did all the "running" the instructor had us do. I don't know if I always had the resistance exactly how he would want it as the knob didn't have any numbers or anything to know when it was set high or low. But, I actually really liked it. I felt strong. I felt in-shape. I felt like I could do this...again.

So, I came back from the class and checked out the schedule to see when I can take another class. I have access to two gyms so I had lots of options. I think I am going to take the Sunday at 11:00 a.m. class. I know I'm going to hurting today (sorry work!) so tonight doesn't sound like a good option. Thursday I have to run. Friday I'll go to the gym, but with my long run on Saturday, I don't want to get myself all sore for that. So, Sunday it is! I might even go back next Tuesday. :) How cool is that?

Have you taken a spinning class? Do you like them? Do you feel they are useful in training?

4 comments:

  1. I love spinning and have been teaching it for years now. I'm so glad you went to class. It is so easy to get hooked on Spinning. I love how everyone sees improvements in themselves after each class.

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  2. Thanks Andrea! Yea, I think I might be hooked. LOL! I really enjoyed it. I plan on taking the Sunday 11:00 a.m. class and maybe go back to the Tuesday class. I am limited right now due to my half marathon training because I need my legs strong for my long runs on Saturday. Once the half is over in March, I will recheck the schedule. :) I'm hoping the spin class strengthens the quads and legs to run faster. I can use any advantage I can get!

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  3. Yes i think they are a greay to cross training. I tried it once but was a little annoyed that i could not see the resistance or speed like you can on a treadmill. I wasn't sure if i did good or not and there was no way to see if i improved or not. I'm a number person :-)

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    1. Yes! I'm a number person too! I had no idea whether I had hit the resistance I was supposed to hit or not. He told us three turns, but we were already lightly spinning so was it from absolute 0 or just from where we were? As I write this, I see Type A personality screaming out. LOL! I'm still going to check it out Sunday and see what happens. Maybe I was just thrilled I could keep up? Or that I was going faster than the girl next to me so I felt good? LOL!

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