Spin It

I’ll admit it. The only real reason that I pay for a gym membership is because I like to go to spin classes a few times per week.

My apartment complex has a small gym that provides everything I need (even a tennis court!) to get the job done, expect for spin classes. We do have spin bikes, but it’s not the same as a high energy spin class!

Spinning is an interval workout, which means that you work hard for an interval, and then recover for another. The great thing is that you can work as hard or as easy as you need to for your fitness level. What might be a 8 or 9 (out of 10) might only be a 5 or 6 for someone else.

I personally prefer intervals that have equal amounts of exertion and recovery, but you can always tweak your workout to have more or less recovery time depending on your personal fitness level and goals.

Let’s start with the basics. There are a few different "moves" you should know when attending a class.

Easy Seated Ride

This is for basic recovery, warming up, and cooling down. You should be at a 3 or 4 (on a scale of 10) and it should feel easy. You should be able to ride in this position all day long.

Hard Seated Sprint

You’re in the seat and spinning as fast as your legs can take you! It should feel hard, around 8-9 (on a scale of 10). Remember to add a little resistance so you don’t go flying out of the seat.

Seated Climb

In this position, you’re still in the seat, but the resistance is cranked up. You should feeling like your riding up a hill with no end in sight.

Standing Climb

You’re out of the seat and the resistance should be high to keep your body from bouncing around all over the place. Your hands should be high on the handlebars and your body should be above and in front of the seat. Depending on the resistance and speed, this can be anywhere from easy to extremely tough.

Hover

The resistance is high your butt is slightly hovering over the seat. It’s sort of like a squat, which is the best way I can explain it. Your hips and thighs will be working hard your keep your body in this position.

Jogging

The resistance is still high and you’re out of the seat but lean forward and make sure you are as upright as possible.

Standing Sprint

Basically a standing climb, but very fast. Make sure the resistance is a little higher to keep you from wobbling around.

Jumping

It’s exactly what it sounds like! Start in a seating sprint position and do a quick jump to the standing position for a few seconds, then back down. Repeat 5-10 times.

Just because you can’t make it to spinning class doesn’t mean you can’t design your own workout.

Although spinning is a great workout, it can it can get a little boring or repetitive if you’re doing it by yourself. On the other hand, if you go to a class, you have music blasting and an instructor yelling at you to work harder. It doesn’t get any more fun than that.

Instead of giving you a workout to do on your own (although you can go here to find one if you must), I challenge you to take the information I have provided to create your own workout!

I normally just make up my own workouts as I go along, depending on what I have planned for the day. Some days I take it easy and add in extra recovery, but some days are devoted mainly towards intervals, but I always have a mix of both.

Just remember to work hard and stay motivated. That’s what spinning is all about. Oh, and have fun

Tagged as: Spinning