It was never something I was interested in, despite having a mom who was utterly obsessed with spinning while growing up. She even named her first email after it!
I have to admit, I was nervous. I didn’t know if I could keep up with the pace, handle the heat or had the stamina for it. I knew I needed a new challenge and maybe even something to obsess over. I tried my first spin class a week ago and this is what happened.
It was 9 am on a Monday morning and the energetic instructor let out a scream so loud you wouldn’t even know what time of day it was. I walked into the dark, cold room, hopping over bikes and chatty women. They were older than me and made it seem like this was their big outing, their entire life. I took a bike in the last row with the men and a couple of other ‘newbies’. The seat hurt, the discomfort was already setting in and it wasn’t even time to start.
The instructor yelled things like “OVER 100, MOVE IT LADIES, RPM TO OVER 100.” As I was pushing the pedals down I was confused, I had no idea what RPM meant and why it would be over 100. I looked around and realized my screen said RPM, and, in order to get the work out I came here for, I had to speed up. I found myself loving the music and the energy, I had sweat everywhere and it had only just begun.
One of the great things about spinning is that the class is broken down into songs, but you can go at your own pace. The instructor doesn’t know if you’re listening to what he or she is saying. The instructor will just give you suggestions as to which gear you should be on and how fast you should be going. This makes it feel like its your class, your workout and you have total control over your end result!
I also found myself learning the cycle slang at least halfway through the class. We did exercises in which you would move from your ‘saddle,’ to ‘second,’ to ‘third.’ Each time the instructor said one of the three words everybody shifted up, down or to the middle, usually with the beat of the song. Rather than sitting down the whole time, moving from side to side and varying between different speeds helped the class go by faster.
I was tired, sweaty and hungry after my first spin class, but I found it to be a great cardio workout. I couldn’t go the next day because I needed at least one day for my legs to recover, but I found myself back in another class two days later. So go out of your comfort zone, ride the bike and let your mind wander. A spin class can be a great way to change up your regular routine and get a great workout in!
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