Spin Class No No's

[vember]

Thanks Jennifer and hello all.

I've been researching and reading as much as possible, taking spin classes and I have a pretty good idea how my body is suppose to be/sit/feel on a road bike but no exp. with a spin bike.

To my surprise, out of all the instructors I had classes with, only a hand full actually road their bike and had my attention the entire class. The bad ones, either hovered over their bike in a standing position and gave instructions or pedaled like a turtle "on drugs" for the duration of the class. Early on, I had my bike set up wrong, yet, they (the bad ones) never said a word or corrected me on my form or technique. Later, corrected by a master trainer at a different club on my bike setup, I was APPALLED that some clubs would keep bad instructor on their payroll. GUESS WHAT? I realized, hiring them as "independent contractors", the HC saves major $$$, but their members get the short end of the stick. I didn't like what I saw (point's you've mentioned) and other member's I spoke too felt the same way about bad instructors. The group fitness coord was the worst of the bunch, yet, she gets a weekly paycheck and does the hiring and firing.

The problem, anyone with a credit card will be certified thru MDA simply by submitting a payment of $300.++++ and attending a 8-9hr workshop.

Perhaps, but she asked what to do and not to do if her instructor tells her to do something. I believe that if someone is told not to do something, there needs to be justification why not. Maybe for some students who read this, some lightbulbs will go off as a result and they'll change what they're doing - that's a good thing. Maybe they love the "burn" they get from isolations or squats but always wondered whether that pain in the back or knees made it worth the risk.

Also, maybe someone will want to print this out and give it to their instructor if he/she does a lot of contraindicated moves - maybe his/her classes will become safer. If only one instructor or spin student out there benefits from this, then I'm grateful!

Or maybe it's overload...

I'm open to any questions about any of these moves.

[Resi]

Thanks Jennifer and hello all.

I've been researching and reading as much as possible, taking spin classes and I have a pretty good idea how my body is suppose to be/sit/feel on a road bike but no exp. with a spin bike.

To my surprise, out of all the instructors I had classes with, only a hand full actually road their bike and had my attention the entire class. The bad ones, either hovered over their bike in a standing position and gave instructions or pedaled like a turtle "on drugs" for the duration of the class. Early on, I had my bike set up wrong, yet, they (the bad ones) never said a word or corrected me on my form or technique. Later, corrected by a master trainer at a different club on my bike setup, I was APPALLED that some clubs would keep bad instructor on their payroll. GUESS WHAT? I realized, hiring them as "independent contractors", the HC saves major $$$, but their members get the short end of the stick. I didn't like what I saw (point's you've mentioned) and other member's I spoke too felt the same way about bad instructors. The group fitness coord was the worst of the bunch, yet, she gets a weekly paycheck and does the hiring and firing.

The problem, anyone with a credit card will be certified thru MDA simply by submitting a payment of $300.++++ and attending a 8-9hr workshop.

I am a road- and mountain biker and I also attend the spin classes since 6 years, but this thread says it all... yes there are not many good instructors...
I had the impression, that I am the only one which speaks up in the gym I go to. Many people talk behind the instructors back how bad the classes are ... why don't they complain, maybe something will change? Like I said before, I have /had a spin instructor friend, I talked about this topic, ha now she does not talk to me anymore... they just don't get it... There are just no certification rule/requirement... so every ... can become a spin instructor...

I hope this will change

Resi

[Zeek]

I believe as you do. The number of lousy instructors far outweighs the number of good instructors. You are very lucky if you have a good spinning instructor in your area. Again, there are lousy ones around where I am. I am an outdoor cyclist and I spin in the winter months. I became certified because I just couldn't take it any more. I keep my education current, I read read read and I try to be bring the best indoor cycling class that I can, mimicking only the realistic moves on the bike (flat road and climb, in and out of the saddle). Nothing fancy, but challenging and fun (and SAFE). That's all it was ever supposed to be. Others took it to the extreme and ruined it, in many cases.

[Dogmama]

Years ago, I had an instructor who was strictly Mad Dogg. Used visualization, focus, safe moves, etc. Everybody thought she was really weird.

Now, they have Reaction Cycling (Bally's). One of the most popular instructors has people sprinting hard after a 5 minute warm up. People line up to get in his class.

My point is - as cyclists we know contraindicated moves because we've spent long hours on the bike. The normal exerciser wants to burn as many calories as possible. Most of these people are mid 30's. Maybe they have aches & pains due to bad form, bike fit, etc. but are not aware that they don't have to endure discomfort.

I watch trainers take brand new middle aged exercisers to failure on weight equipment. I just shudder to think what is happening with their tendons & ligaments.

Just like anything else - caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware.

[Julibird]

Years ago, I had an instructor who was strictly Mad Dogg. Used visualization, focus, safe moves, etc. Everybody thought she was really weird.

Now, they have Reaction Cycling (Bally's). One of the most popular instructors has people sprinting hard after a 5 minute warm up. People line up to get in his class.

Classic. The bottom line for management is "is the room filled - every bike with a person sitting on it?" It's not "Are these classes taught correctly?"

This is as much (or more) to blame for the preponderance of bad teaching as anything. People think that sprinting and suffering after the first 5 minutes means that that is a great class.

That means that many instructors who know better, teach these sort of classes to keep their numbers up and keep their jobs. Can't blame Madd Dog or Johnny G for that.

[aicabsolut]

In contrast, at the last gym where I actually enjoyed spinning classes, there were 2 very popular instructors (compared to several very unpopular ones).

The first one was a road cyclist and racer. He taught "base training" and endurance workouts in the fall, as much as he could given time constraints. He educated people on building a good fitness base. By the end of the fall, we'd maybe get a few long intervals at 85%--like TT intervals. He would break each set into a range for the less experienced/fit and the more fit. He taught correct form for standing on a spin bike and never ever did jumps or anything you wouldn't do outside. I'd leave his class feeling energized and educated. He really helped me by giving me some advice about getting into road cycling.

The other instructor taught the Johnny G method, even down to those pushup things to kill your triceps. The good thing about his class was that you learned how to push at AT. Lots of interval training helped recovery time. Some of the moves helped develop explosive power. He was also very good about telling newbies to skip a certain interval or how to modify it. Ultimately, though, unless you were trying to be a sprinter, these workouts were very tough on the body. They stressed my joints and every single muscle. Any minor discomfort with bike fit and pedal float and hot spots from the SPDs were magnified over time. It was a little too much at or above AT and really nothing for endurance. That wasn't too bad for most people but on Saturdays he'd teach 2 back to back. I'd usually take both and he'd definitely chill out in the second class. Was it that good for my body? Probably not. I'd leave feeling sore and achy most of the time, more like I'd been lifting weights heavily or done a boot camp class than cycled.

So sure, people like torture, and those who recognize that need to at least make some modifications based on who is in the class for their safety. Newcomers and those with poor form need to be watched closely. That is probably the only reason I trusted instructor #2, because he would really keep an eye on people. At the same time, he'd pick on those who were more fit. Good to be pushed out of one's comfort zone, but sometimes, it seemed like a lot. I think a lot of people don't know the difference between "tough" and careless. I don't think enough instructors are aware about the potential for injury.

My experience with instructor #1 at least made it clear that you can make a popular class based upon good cycling techniques. One day, that guy showed up in full kit because he'd ridden to the gym straight from a ride, and people seemed MORE intimidated by him than by the instructor (#2) who was known to kick your *** in every type of class he taught (he did a lot of stuff). It was like they felt like they weren't hardcore enough to take a class from a cyclist, because they just wanted a good cardio workout, and they were kind of scared. So I guess enough people saw it as a challenge to make it popular even if the workout was basically tempo that day. Those of us who had an interest in road cycling loved it.

[Zeek]

The other instructor taught the Johnny G method, even down to those pushup things to kill your triceps.

To be clear, this is NOT a Johnny G "method." This is a contraindicated movement in the spinning program that NO certified instructor (who is current in his/her certification) should be practicing.

[gleeclub]

Hi.

New to the boards here. Interesting and great reading so far regarding spinning.

What's your opinion on doing crunches on the bike(standing run and bending forward with hands in position one)?

Personally, I cant stand doing push-ups or crunches and even though it's only once a week from one of the instructors i take im going to stop doing them.

Also, spinning at a high resistance/low cadence with your hands on your hips or behind your back?

Thanks.