Spinning Classes and Health Clubs

December 19, 2009 · Posted in Training 

I have never been much for spinning classes. I never found them to be very focused or inspiring. I can probably count on one hand the number of spinning classes I have participated in. I am also not fond of spending tons of hours in the basement on my trainer either. Cycling is supposed to happen outside. Unfortunately, outside right now is not very pleasant. In fact, temps this week, at least in northern Vermont, have hovered near zero. Seemed like a good week to try a spinning class.

My wife and I decided to buy a membership at a local club that had a pool, so our kids could swim this winter. Of course we were supposed to work out there also, but that doesn’t seem to be happening much either. I thought I might as well try a spinning class at “my” club just to get out of the basement for a workout or two. I dug through my old gear, found a pair of mountain biking shoes with spd clips, and off I went.

Upon arriving at the club, I grabbed my seat and made my way to the spinning room. When I arrived I was greeted by a wide variety of folks I would most likely never see out on the road. The instructor encouraged me to hurry up as I was a few minutes late. The first bike I mounted did not work. I found this out AFTER I spent 10 minutes dialing in my position. I have spent a ton of money dialing in my position on my road and time trial bikes. I just can’t ride if it doesn’t feel right. I couldn’t get my second bike to feel right either, but by this time the instructor was getting visibly frustrated as his thick legs spun madly. I decided just to go with it. I jumped on the bike and started spinning only to realize the crank had a wicked creek, most likely from sweat corrosion.

Music can go either way in a spin class. This particular evening I was treated to some of the worst music from the 70s and 80s I think I have ever heard. Warming up to Diane Ross just does not do it for me nor does embarking on a “standing climb” to Michael Jackson. No offense to Michael (God rest his soul), but I just can’t get fired up for a climb when I am listening to Human Nature. If that weren’t bad enough, the instructor chose the one hit wonder, “One Night in Bankok” for our interval set. Somebody please kill me now. Thankfully, midway through this tune, the cd player stopped working. No music was better than one more one-hit-wonder from the 80s. The instructor forgot to notice that he had asked everyone to stand and “run” on the bike as the cd player malfunctioned. Run on a bike? I sat down, but nobody else did. What is this? Simon says. The instructor changed cds and we did one final climb to some very mellow Genesis tune. Then it was over. Hallelujah.

After having decided I would never waste another hour of my life on a spinning bike ever again, I received a phone call from a guy I know from the cycling community. His name is David Means and he was calling to invite me to a spin class he was leading at Synergy Fitness, a new club in Williston, Vermont. I have a hard time saying no to people who call me on the phone, but I did warn him about my experience the night before. One thing I did know going in was that this guy was a music aficionado and if he was spinning 80s tunes, they would be good ones.

I arrived at Synergy just in time for thes spin class. Upon entering, I was greeted to a beautiful array of fitness equipment, a pristine environment, and an incredibly inviting receptionist that made me feel like she actually cared how I was doing. I’m thinking now, “How much did that other club cost me? Maybe I can get out of my membership somehow.” The receptionist directed me to the locker room and I prepared for my second spin class in as many days. I was blown away by how big the lockers were and by the fact that the locker room did not smell like my gym bag. I was there to spin however, not to sit in the sauna and watch “Family Guy” on the flat screen.

I made my way to the spinning room and was greeted by a group of folks I probably would see out on the road riding real bikes. The pre-spin music was a little alt-country which I prefer. The bikes…well…the bikes were very nice. That’s not all. They had computers. Computers. Not just computers. Computers that measure….POWER. What? Power. Watts. Kilojoules baby! And cadence. And heart rate. Sweet Jesus. Now I just needed the music not to suck and I would have reached the promise land.

David called us all to action as the music began to pump. And I mean pump. David treated us to a nice selection of indie rock, electronic, 80s progressive, and new rock. I wanted to climb, sprint, up, down, run whatever. He took us through climbs, flats, high speed sprints, jumps, long and short intervals all of which caused a significant amount of sweat to accumulate on the floor. David’s spinning routine was thoughtful and effective. I was toast by the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I was especially taken by David’s willingness to approach each person after the class to see how they were doing. This was a nice touch. Clearly, David is what I like to term “a community builder.”

In the end, I cleaned up in a very nice, tiled shower, got dressed, and had some dinner. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wished I had not joined the other club and how jealous I was of those able to enjoy the Synergy environment. I had two huge plates of food for dinner and I was still hungry an hour later. “Wow, I really worked hard,” I thought. Maybe it was the music, maybe the Synergy atmosphere, or maybe the bikes with all the metrics. All I know is, I’ll be back for more.

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