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Thanks to everyone for all of your advice and for the encouragement.
I haven't tried another spinning class YET, but I have been back on the treadmill and the regular exercise bike at the gym. I am hoping to try spining again this weekend.
Since I don't usually bike while standing I'm not sure I even know how to:o
Should I be rocking up and down/sort of side to side over the bike or should I try to hold my upper body still and more or less "run in place"? Or doesn't it matter?
Get to class early and try it. See what it feels like when you do it different ways. Tune in to what muscles you're using when you do it differently.
We do it both ways. If you are doing heavy resistance, it's more of a rocking back and forth thing. If we're isolating certain muscles, we keep our upper body very still and hover over the saddle. That is difficult. Jumps still throw me but then again I'm not the most graceful of people.
It takes a while. If you have questions, ask your instructor. He/she might explain better what type of muscle group you're trying to work or what is trying to be accomplished by whatever move they're doing.
I remember my first spin class way back when. I had been doing a LOT of cycling at the time and even with that, I thought that spin class was the most difficult thing I had ever done. It just takes time to get used to it :D
I think I shouldn't be here and I apologize. I just realized this is a womans message board and I'm the other kind.
I feel like my first day in the executive club at the YMCA in West LA. They had a sauna. steam and jacuzzi for men, but none for women's except for 2 hours twice a week. I was maybe 25 years old. There was a door between the spa and the mens shower that lead to the spa area. i went through the door and sat in the steam room while the steam was so thick you couldn't see even one foot in front of your face. All of a sudden the thermostat turned the steam off and I was sitting in the middle of a room full of nude women. I almost fainted and the first women who saw me screamed and then the other women screamed there's a man in here. I jumped about 3 feet in the air and ran out of the room back through the door that i later found out should have been locked and was breathing so hard and my heart was beating so fast i really could have fainted. I could hear all of the women on the other side of the door looking for the man who was in the steam room. I never admitted it was me and of cource never made the mistake again.
Anyway sorry for invading your space.
RealRyder
It took me 4-5 months of being a spinner before I realized how to master the standing position. One day in my regular teacher's class, she cued it different. "Pelvic tilt" were the words that came out of her mouth. I thought "Ahhh!". Once you find the right pelvic position, you're golden.
Trying to think how to describe it. I guess it's the reverse concept of doing standing squats with weights. If you do a squat, you tuck your pelvis inward, or forward slightly to protect your lower back. On the bike standing, you slightly shift your pelvis weight back towards the saddle. It's a very sublte rotation of the pelvis girdle in a different center of gravity over the bike, vs thrusting your whole posture backwards. This takes some of the work weight off your quads, and engages the hip flexors and glutes more I feel. It's a matter of learning a different feel for balance. Just like the first time you rode you bike outside as a kid without the training wheels. At first, it had some crashes, and felt very awkward. Then, after a while, your body knew exactly what to do:) .
I love spinning so much. It is such a great activitiy. I was frustrated with learning the tehcniques for a while, but knew I enjoyed it on the whole right off the bat. And, btw, I did feel like I might die after my first class. Glad you are going back for another try!
Well, RealRyder, don't know if you will come back to read this or not, but all I can say is... OH MY! That is quite a story about the steam room! You're lucky the ladies didn't have their handbags in there with them, or they might have beat you to death in fear. I'm sorry, I know it's not funny. I have accidently gotten myself in a men's room before, and well, it's funny now, but not at the time. You are so lucky they couldn't ID you to save some dignity. On the being here as a man, you would have to just ask some of the other ladies. Or, ask the TE Forum Adminstrator about it. Don't know what the rules say off hand. There are a couple guys on here that I know of. Or where at some point. Good luck with your efforts in spinning.
I recently started spinning class when it got too dark to ride outside in the evenings. The first class was really tough - I could hardly do the standing at all even though I do stand on my bike. After a few times, I felt a lot stronger and standing was not a problem. I never experienced any muscle soreness at all. I am lucky that we have two really good spin instructors. They are really encouraging and very "up" type individuals. They never interfere with our bikes or "our" rides. With the new people, they just make sure the bikes are set up correctly. Although I haven't had a chance to get out on my bike much lately, when I have, I have really noticed a difference in my strength. I just love spinning and I really look forward to the classes.
Ah... I had not thought of this before, Ryder!Quote:
Originally Posted by RealRyder
That will possibly be why, in winter, I have more back and arm discomfort after a few days on the spin bike than I ever do after hours and hours in the saddle on the road...
Thanks :) and welcome to the board...
Hope you stay around, if you design bike-stuff, then you probably have some interesting insites to offer
I have never seen an instructor touch the resistance on anyone's bike! As a former aerobics instructor, it seems like a highly contraindicated move. And embarrassing for the spinner.
I had a lot of trouble standing when I first started spinning. I had only been riding a short time (the fall) when i started going to class when it got too cold out. I just could not get myself up! I also had a lot of trouble standing on the road and although I can now, I rarely do. It just hurts my knees too much. I do stand in class now, but I never do jumps. In fact, a lot of the time I do seated climbs, even when everyone else is standing.
It's your ride....
one of the reasons i came to this site is to get a womans perspective on spinning, because as a man i am limited in my thinking. Most exercise equipment is designed by men, but there are more women members of health clubs than men. I have been lucky that in my 30 years in the fitness business that i have had many very exercise savvy women working for me like Kathy Smith and I have learned a lot from them. i hope to learn a lot from team estrogen.
Took it slow and easy - although it was still plenty hard (my heart rate was140 - 160.) I did most of the class seated and with low resistance, but tried standing a few times. I was so afraid I would pull something again.
I am pleased to report that I had no pain whatsoever during or after the class, so now next time I won't be so worried and can keep pushing a little harder each time.
Thanks again to everyone who responded to my post.:)
I'm not touching that one...;)Quote:
Originally Posted by RealRyder
Your instructor should NOT have touched your resistance. I agree with everyone ese who has commented that is your to control and only yours to control. You go at the resistance level that you can handle. Also, there is another post on here called "spinning no nos" with good info about what can actually injure you - for example high resistance hurting your knees.
As far as recovery, here are my thoughts. If you felt pain during the class, well that was just plain bad. You should feel the burn, but not pain. Are you sure you didnt pull or tear a muscle? OK, lets just say it was some burning. I find that if I work out hard either spinning or weightlifting and I feel sore, the last thing I want to do is rest the next day. I always go for a nice walk outdoors (slow but steady) rather than do nothing. Some yoga or pilates moves and stretches help too. I find this helps me recover faster, and though I stay somewhat sore, it is not as pronounced as it would have been had I just rested.
There is a supplement called Glutamine, they sell it at nutrition stores, and its also in many protein shake mixes (ie MyoPlex) that supposedly helps you repair and recover after a tough workout. I take some of this every night after I come home from the gym. Look it up - its called L-Glutamine.
And please tell the instructor to BACK OFF! Wow, I think I wouldve slapped her.
Good luck. I started 2 months ago, and I love spinning.