What do you want from a Spin class?

[han-grrl]

Hey There

I have been teaching spin classes for several years as well. I think if you are going to teach in a gym like setting, you are going to have to balance "fun" stuff with saddle changes, and "real life" bike stuff, like long seated flats and hills.

The cyclists want to be trained for riding, but your average exerciser wants to have fun too.

What i do to balance the two is offer options, always options, options to remain standing for longer, or stay seated, or to try a different heart rate zone. Music, lighting and mood helps.

Personally i think instructors should be less wordy, and get to the point. I was listening to one instructor where i work, and all i could think is "shut up already!" She just kept going on and on it seemed in her explanations. So if it means to sit down before class and think of what you need to say (for example the list of safety issues, laces tucked in, knobs tighetened, water location, braking etc). Same thing for class objectives. if you are teaching an endurance class, and need to explain why, short explanations - builds aerobic base, your foundation for the rest of your training period. as you go through the class, you can add in some (short) physiology "you are increasing the capillaries in your legs, so next time you do this, it will feel easier" etc.

speaking of wordy...i have been that lots today...so i'm outty!

Cheers

Hannah

[bcipam]

Speaking of "wordy" nothing drives me up a wall more than an instructor that is constantly chattering through the ride - "GO! GO! GO!, feel the burn, WHoo-Hoo!" Instruction is OK but let the music motivate. Also again instructors, your music shouldn't be soooo loud you have to shout to be heard!

[anne_77]

What I like:

Low/Dark Lighting
Good ventilation
Good music (especially when there's a theme like motown, christmas, a particular band) (I hate techno though)
Music that isn't too loud
An instructor that isn't too loud (hey, this is supposed to be fun, not give me a headache!)
Options (like speeding up, standing)
An instructor who doesn't expect everyone to be on the same page (some instructors give you a hard time when you tune them out)
Not too much time spent on high resistance (I personally like to spin out after doing really heavy resistance but some instructors don't give me enough recovery time)

Pet peeve: I only went to one of her classes, but this one instructor tried to motivate us to spin faster by saying "think of something that you're always in a hurry to finish". I'm in grad school, stressed to the max, and couldn't take it. I had to leave. I don't go to spin class to be reminded of all the things that stress me out - I go to forget about them.

Unless people stop coming, just keeping doing what you're doing. You can never please everyone.

[latelatebloomer]

Oh yeah! I left out how important it is that the instuctor know how to use a microphone! So important, so rare! I HATE mic'ed shouting and whooping!

[bcipam]

Me too! so annoying!!!!!

[Dogmama]

"Don't stop now" - my brain registers "stop now." Better = "You CAN do it"

Instructors who say "five more minutes." I never knew five minutes was so long. Even if we're doing a move I like.

"1/4 turn" - every bike is different. I want to know - how many increases in tension I'm going to do so that I can pace myself depending on my goal for that session. So, if you're going to have 10 increases, say "turn number 4" or whatever.

[Raindrop]

I appreciate all the replies to this post.

Han-grrl, glad to hear from you. I've read your posts before and admire and respect your opinions.

Irelan (sp?) - I agree soooo much about the weird additions to spinning classes like popcorn jumps etc. I know way too many instructors that have been certified by well-known and valid organizations and I KNOW that the moves they use are not condoned by their certifications. It may be that they get nervous that they don't have enough "moves" in their profile. I think this is something that instructors use when they aren't active "cyclists".

Alpinerabbbit- as far as getting rid of the posers in my classes, that's not feasible or even wanted. Haven't you ever participated in something that you're not adept at, but you want to be accepted at being accomplished at? That's where some of these people are...and it's not a bad thing. It's sometimes sort of a sad thing, but nothing that people should be thrown out of class for.

Traveller- All I can say is that any profile built around one artist (Enya) doesn't fly for the general population. You will never find a class that agrees 100% on ANYTHING!

Dogmomma - As far as the 1/4 turn deal goes...I agree with you. I've taught on many different indoor bikes and even if they're from the same manufacturer, they are not the same. I like to cue something akin to, "Add enough resistance to find the hill that's moderatley hard, but not enough to get off and walk", or "your cadence should be in your "comfortably uncomfortable" area, with enough resistance to keep your hips "quiet" (not bouncing) in the saddle.

I find that queing is the most difficult part of my job. Cyclists understand it when you ask them to add enough resistance to face the unrelenting headwind that is able to make your life miserable for the next five minutes. Non-cyclists need a cue like, " you should feel the pushpoint of your pedal around 4:00 o'clock, and your breathing should be heavy but not breathless. Your heartrate is around 75%, and your perceived exhertion...moderatley hard".

(Maybe this is where cyclists lose patience, since instructors have to go into more detail to describe where the members should be working?)

And no...I am perfectly fine with members using my class for their own workout...as long as they don't do anything contradictory to my training. After all, if they get hurt, for any reason, I'm the one that has to accept the liablility. So...more than once, I've stopped members from doing "odd" and contradictory moves, (i.e. No handed, one legged- cycling!...yes, I've actually had a guy try that in my class!).

[TrekJeni]

My most favorite spinning class was two weeks ago. The instuctors name was God. Pretty cool guy actually. Not as hard as my regualr spin class but the scenery was great. My friend and I were overlooking the ocean. Well I guess I shouldn't say overlooking, I should say IN THE MIDDLE of the ocean sailing to San Juan, St Thomas, and St Marten on the Carnival Triumph! As the ship would rock the pedaling got harder and easier!

How many of you spin at your gym and they have like 15 instructors? They all seem to bad mouth the other's. And get this, NONE of these people wear shoes. I thought that was weird. Everyone asked me where I got my spinning shoes and I'm like "uh, at the bike shop". The instructors don't even wear them. Weird.

[Trek420]

pretty much what anne_77 sez:

Low/Dark Lighting
Air
Good music not too loud
An instructor that isn't too loud or tries too hard to be funny or cheery.
My favorite spin instructor left. Her philosophy is "same in spin as on a bike". Form, fit, hill climbing, it all built cycling skills. She taught me what little I know about HRM, that is what I didn't learn here. Best of all she told people to "get outside and ride". Current crop of instructors are ok, but none as good as her.

"Pet peeve:...one instructor tried to motivate us to spin faster by saying "think of something that you're always in a hurry to finish".... I don't go to spin class to be reminded of all the things that stress me out - I go to forget about them."

Right, above and aformentioned spin intructor was fond of saying "this is your time to relaxe and do something for yourself". Just like a ride, except indoors, going nowhere, with posers ;-)

What I want in a spin class is it should make me feel like I'm gonna die, should be very spent after. I like it when i can barely walk out.

[han-grrl]

Hey All

ah yes all those contraindications to spinning...there are so many...for example:

hand position 3 is to be used in standing position only, but i see a lot of people use it seated

those popcorn jumps, man even THINKING about it hurts my knees

hovering, trying to not move the upper body while spinning...also hurts knees

and telling people how much of their resistance knob to turn (ok, somehow that sounds dirty to me hahaha), as someone said, each bike IS different. and one of the Master Spin instructors said you tell people increase/decrease resistance. As for how to gauge intensity...you can use HR, and combine HR with resistance and cadence. the addition of cadence really helps, because obviously you can only push through hard through certain resistances or HR will go through the roof (well you might want that).

Cheers!

Hannah

[Asphaltgirl]

had absolutely the worse (for me, anyway) instructor, the other night. she was the yoga instructor at the gym and it was just soooo wrong! the music was New Age and would have put anyone to sleep. I want pounding, loud music with a beat of some type to keep cadence to. she kept reminding us to breath deeply (like I wasn't???) and to "see" that goal that was only "our goal" and to aim for it. I don't think my HR moved out of sleep mode! What was scarey, was that everyone else thought she was wonderful! Give me a MTB/roadbiker instructor any day. Thankfully there are 2 other instructors that fit my expectations of the spinning class and I'll "ride" with them. every instructor is different and you just need to find the right fit for your ride. but no more yoga on the bike for me! <<zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz>>
~~AG~~

[Crankin]

I appreciate an instructor just like you. This issue seems to be coming to a head at my club. They recently made the cycling instructors take a workshop on "Power Spinnning." This may not be the correct name, but a few did refuse to do the training. Why? It is a pre-packaged format, similar to Body Pump. Canned music that the instructor does not get to choose. All of our classes will not be in this format, but enough to make me have to limit which classes to go to, when my time is already limited. I am pretty upset over this. I am a cyclist who used to be an aerobics instructor (ten years). I understand the attraction of new formats, but a considerable amount of the people in spin class use it as a way to stay fit in the off season and work on certain cycling specific skills. I will never race; I'm a recreational cyclist. That said, maybe clubs should have 2 types of classes geared to the two different types of people who take them. I don't want to stand up in "position 2' and do high cadence running drills. It hurts my knees and back and it's not something i would ever do outside. Yes, it might improve my strength, but it just seems like something that would have been called "contra indicated" when I was teaching. I don't want to spin at a low resistance at a high cadence. Some of the people i see do this so much, they never use the resistance on their bike. Yet, they think they're tough because they are spinning at some crazy high cadence. Give me a nice mix of popular music, oldies, alternative rock and no disco or techno. I hate the lights being dim or being in the total dark. I can't see my heart rate monitor enough to press the light button and I end up pressing some other function button and messing up the settings. Who would ride their bike in the dark (without a good light)?

I know this is a rant, and being in class is not being outside, but I don't want all the silly, goofy stuff. I cringe when I hear people in class saying they "would NEVER ride on the road."

[bcipam]

Wow I hope that "Power Spinning" or whatever doesn't take over the gyms - I think I would hate it. I so dislike canned music. My favorite instructors have all made their own great tapes.

Thankfully I have never felt compelled to always follow the instructor. SOme dont understand cycling like I do. I won't do anything that risks injury (such as "piston jogs" which are real knee busters). I'm in class to build up my aerobics and fitness - I could care less about being able to do every spin, jump, jog the instructor can do. I know on the road, I can blow him/her away. OK I do have some instructors I know for a fact are cyclists and can truly blow me away! I love those classes!

[TempoSlave]

I only spin during the winter to maintain fitness (I've done some mtb racing but no longer). I have a spinner bike at home and ride it once or twice a week but like to go to classes for the extra intensity and to break up the routine.

I only ask ONE thing from my instructors (well, I ask for great music too, but that is too subjective to expect satisfaction) and that is to have the music dictate the cadence. Nothing sends me off on my own private ride faster than to have the instructor superimpose some lesson on random songs. I realize that there are times you can't do this (e.g. sprinting) but to me, a class where the instructor knows her tunes and their cadences, how long the songs are and shares this with the class, is the class I enjoy most.

I believe in your periodization concept and back when I raced I spent a lot of time with Paul Skilbeck's book "Single-Track Mind" and the more recent "Performance Cycling" by Dave Morris, both of which I recommend highly, but realize that until people get up to at *least* 8 hours/week of *serious* training that they won't really benefit from the program as compared to the general all-around class that would best serve your beginners. Not that you can't do both if you're careful... I always appreciate it when the instructor gives the class options.

TS

[SadieKate]

I don't want to spin at a low resistance at a high cadence.

Robin, I know nothing at all about spinning classes. I use Spinervals DVDs at home. So, educate me. Why don't you want to do superspins? I find that used in interval training you'll learn high cadence and a smooth pedalling motion. Getting your cadence up over 120 or btter will reveal jerky pedalling pretty quickly. What is it you object to? Just curious.