It may be hard to believe but yesterday I took my FIRST EVER spinning class! I have always wanted to take a spin class but it just hadn’t happened yet. I love trying new things and switching up my cardio routines.
I had to rush to Lifetime Fitness to get to the class and ended up walking in just as the class was starting ( I absolutely HATE being late..it’s one of my biggest pet peeves and makes me extremely anxious!!). When I walked in, I was luckily right behind someone who knew what she was doing. I saw her grab a bike from the side of the room and roll it across the room so I did the same.
I noticed my foot harnesses (or whatever they are called) were not on, so I figured I had to just snap them on. I spent about 5 minutes trying to get them snapped on before the instructor came over to me and told me to grab a new bike because I grabbed the wrong kind. Fail!!
Jeeze…way to start the class off on the wrong foot (no pun intended haha) and look like a total ROOKIE!
As soon as I got on the new bike, I was all good….well kinda…
Sorry the class picture turned out pretty blurry. Probably because I was moving when I took it.
I wore my favorite Strong Is Beautiful tank (from Old Navy). I love this shirt!
Sorry..back on track….
So when I started cycling, I had no idea how to use the machine. I ended up messing with the screen too much so it started resetting my mileage which I didn’t want. I ended up watching the woman next to me to learn how to do everything.
If you’ve never taken a spin class, and you take one that has a bike that looks like this…
The lower red knob is what you use to change the resistance. Every time the instructor said to increase the resistance, I was looking for a button on the display screen but it was just a simple turn of the lower knob to get the job done.
The instructor was also hard to understand which also made it a bit more difficult, but I eventually got the hang of it.
The whole class was based around HIIT training on the bike. We would do a lot of short spurts of increased speed and resistance to get our heart rate up and then we would follow it up with a lower resistance/speed period to bring our heart rate back down.
We also changed it up a lot by standing, sitting and leaning forward to target different muscles.
I was sweating like a maniac!!! My average heart rate was not as high as it usually gets on my treadmill HIIT workouts, but it still managed to get up close to 180! The average was 159 which is still a pretty good average!
Workout Stats:
- Time: 56:35
- Calories: 562
- Average Heart Rate: 159
- Maximum Heart Rate: 176
- Distance: Probably about 12 miles…I kept resetting my machine by accident so I don’t know the exact amount but I think it was around 12.
I loved how they turned the lights down in the room while we were spinning. That was different. I just wish they had more AC blasting in there because all those people biking their butts off made the room extra hot and steamy! I sweat way more during this spin class than I do on the treadmill. I’m guessing that’s because the room was a bit hot.
After the class, I was drenched. I wish you could see it better in the picture below but my entire back was soaked and it looked like I just got out of a pool!
My overall opinion on the class was a positive one. I will definitely do it again, unlike yoga which I didn’t enjoy much at all. I am excited to try the class again because I’ll be much more prepared the next time and know what to expect.
So I guess I can cross that goal off my list!!!
For those of you who have taken a spin class, is this bike a typical bike seen in spin classes? Or are they always different? Leave a comment below!
- #21. Take a spin class
On another note, a few people at work told me that Ryan and I were in the newspaper from the Patriot Challenge 5k Mud Run we did last weekend! How fun!
Here’s a closer version of the picture that was in the paper. Poor Ryan looks like he had just gotten a mud muddle splashed in his face. haha.
Here’s the link to the article in the newspaper if you’re interested!
Congrats on your first class! Many people complain about how sore they are after their first spin class since the bike seats on the spin bike are narrow and not very comfortable. You could try padding cycling shorts which use a high density foam sewn into the shorts or you could you a seat cover that uses the same type of foam that protects the sit bones.
We are Really feeling Glad to Congrats on your First Classes. Spinning is one of the most heart pumping and calorie-scorching cardio workouts today.