As I plan my training around work, I am considering doing a spin class twice a week on Monday and Friday mornings at 6 a.m. This would be followed by an hour of strength training and stretching. The gym that offers this is very convenient to work so it would not be out of my way. I am then planning on a 2 hour outdoor ride followed by a transition run (at least 3 miles) on Wednesdays and a long outdoor ride on either Saturday or Sunday and a long run on which ever day I don’t ride. The other days I will fill in with running and swimming workouts. Aside from the cardiovascular benefit of spinning, what else can I gain from spinning? Does it help with technique?
at a local event here in houston the fastest wimmens bike time was a spin instructor.
maybe coincidence?
Depending on the instructor, you can do some great drills on the spin bike that are easier to do in a spin class than on the bike itself. For example, one legged spinning helps me with the lifting part of pedaling and isolates the hamstrings. By hovering your butt just above the seat and leaning back just a bit, you can get a killer work out on the upper part of your hips. There are lots others. Overall, spinning is a great way to augment biking. Now, I wouldn’t spin at the expense of riding. If you have to make a choice, riding on the road itself is the best.
I would think the spin class would be a great addition to your workout. They really kick your butt in those classes!
agreed. it is a great workout, helps to build strength and it’s a great cardio workout. i will start to ride more as it warms up, but especially on days that are too cold or rainy it is a great alternative.
…well, great workout assuming you’re not like the 40-yr old women that haven’t learned what the resistance knob is yet!!! I think they want a good workout, but don’t want to get “big” legs.
I started taking a spin class two mornings a week and it has helped me. I look at it just like you would a swim drill. You can focus on pulling only, speed, hills…
Spin classes are great. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It IS cycling. You can set the bike up any way you want/need it and you get a workout that your body can’t tell isn’t cycling.
The instructor may have you do all sorts of screwy drills that don’t pertain to ‘real’ cycling, but you can choose to ignore those if you wish and do your own workout.
Yes you can benefit from it.
That said, how helpful it is depends on the instructor. There are several instructors at my gym that don’t seem to have spent any time on the road with a bike, nor are they engaging, interesting, or encouraging. I have been to a few classes of theirs and I won’t go back.
There are a few spinning instructors at my gym that are very good, help me get excited about riding a bike indoors (generally speaking = ick), and the drills are clearly focused on helpful skill sets. … YMMV
Bottom line: Try the classes and the instructor(s) to see if they are for you before you commit.
If its a choice between spin classes and nothing, do the spin classes. Compu trainer classes are better, but may not be available to you in terms of money, time, and location. Tim
I would rather do back to back spin classes than sit onmy trainer!!! my buddy who is an Ironman is an instructor, he makes a new position when I am in class position number 4 aero
It can be very beneficial…as other have said depends on the instructor…but you’re the one on the bike so you can focus on your form, your intensity levels, etc. My coach teaches a spin class…we turn our bikes to face the mirror so we can watch our form. There is no music. We do drills that simulate real-life outdoor riding or a race situation. It’s all about mental focusing, learning about how our bodies react to different intensity levels, form / imbalances in our pedal stroke and how to become a more efficient cyclist.
The instructor may have you do all sorts of screwy drills that don’t pertain to ‘real’ cycling, but you can choose to ignore those if you wish and do your own workout.
Exactly, I have been doing spin classes now over a year. When they do the up , down, up, down , up, drill I set resisistance and get in a aero position. Did a class with lots of climbing ( standing , sitting with resisistance. ) and did the whole class 45 minutes sitting with heavy resistance. It kicked my butt, later that dat I was wiped. It is no subsitute for riding though. It is very different. I can not keep the same intensity on the road as I can in class. I am thinking the balancing has alot to do with it. I also noticed my apetite is alot more after real riding. My average mph has gone up though. I tri to set bike up where the handlebars are the lowest seat over the bottom bracket and of course in true ST fashion seat as high as it can go. Kidding on the last one LOL.
I posed this exact question not too long ago on this forum, and the takeaway I got was: it can be a good cardio workout, but how it affects your cycling ability depends on the instructor (or how you choose to do the class). In my experience, instructors are OK with it if I sit in the back and do what I want - so I tune in for normal sets, and spin through nonsense stand/sit drills or whatever. I can’t cite any performance gains, but I feel spin classes can be good workouts, especially when you couple them with swims and runs. They at least kept me working through the winter.
As other have said, with a good instructor it can be beneficial. Personally I use it to get by when I am on the road for work and need some bike time. If I am home I ride outside whenever possible and if it has to be super early or weather doesn’t permit, I prefer riding the trainer solo watching videos to a spin class as my bike obviously fits me better and now that i have a power meter that can make the trainer workouts more fun.
I used to do a lot of spin classes when I had a gym membership and I think they are a great compliment to a training routine.
Two points -
First - the instructor makes the difference in it being enjoyable. It may turn out that your Mon/Wed targets are being run by someone with a voice like nails on a chalkboard who plays breakup music from her last boyfriend …and the tuesday class is taught by an ex-olympian. Try a few classes/instructors before you settle into a routine
Second - every class I have been in is an interval session. You can do your own thing of course…but if you follow the class you’ll get a leg & lung burning workout twice a week. Get your Z2 stuff somewhere else
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Don’t worry, you’ll be plenty tired after the class. I used to do 2 classes a week, and noticed a real improvement in my cycling. Only advice I would offer is to take time before your first class to set your bike up. I was able to approximate my position with some work. It was not perfect, but made me feel better.
“…run by someone with a voice like nails on a chalkboard who plays breakup music from her last boyfriend…”
classic. now leave me alone whilst i clean up the coffee that just got sprayed over my desk.
Second - every class I have been in is an interval session. You can do your own thing of course…but if you follow the class you’ll get a leg & lung burning workout twice a week. Get your Z2 stuff somewhere else
That’s my one of rules for building class routines right there: Classes are for shorter workouts where you need someone to push you.
To me, if you can do this in a spin class, the class is valuable:
- Do nothing in class you wouldn’t do outside on a bike.
- Concentrate on good form, smooth breathing, circular pedaling because you can’t always do that in traffic or with someone knowledgeable watching
- Use the music, motivation of your peers and encouragement of your instructor to work harder than you would by yourself
- Work hard enough to be exhausted by the end
I also encourage all to do no more than 2 or 3 classes a week with aerobic conditioning (such as regular outside riding) in-between (never back-to-back spin classes).
This system seems to work well for most of the folks on DT3.