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spin classes - am I doing it right

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icemaiden Nov 2012 5:10pm, 2 Nov 2012 3,482 posts	Quote Pin icemaiden I've done a few of these now and have concluded I'm doing it wrong 'cos my HR barely rises most of the time - except on the 'hill climbs'. I can get a bit of a sweat on in those sections, but the 'spin - sprint' whirl your legs round as fast as they will go don't do it for me at all. My legs go as fast as they can on a low setting and I still don't keep up with the instructor/others in the class and when he says this is your anaerobic zone, sorry I'm afraid it isn't anything like. I know what that should feel like because I've done plenty of HR training and know my zones, so can someone help explain what I should be doing to get a 'good' workout in a spin class pls. Do I need to turn the resistence up on the sprints - if I do that my legs definitely won't be going as fast as anyone elses and I won't be 'sprinting'. Or is it just a waste of time?
The Teaboy Nov 2012 5:25pm, 2 Nov 2012 2,642 posts	Quote Pin The Teaboy Icey. I find I can't really get my HR levels up to the same level on the bike as on the road and I struggled with sprints too. It is difficult because as an inexperienced cyclist you probably lack the neuromuscular programming to spin the pedals really fast. I struggled with that too and even now I'm definitely not as rapid as the pros. I find a little bit of load in the pedals really helps with the coordination. In fact, what I did in the early sessions was really concentrate on my technique and make sure I was keeping my hips from rocking. As a result, my natural cadence on the bike (and my road bikes) has increased.
TRO Saracen Nov 2012 5:28pm, 2 Nov 2012 6,917 posts	Quote Pin TRO Saracen I find spin classes unsatisfactory for that reason - intervals are too short to get properly out of breath/HR high enough. You should adjust the level though - if it's a short sprint it should still be hard enough that the legs fill with lactic over the 45 secs (and feel heavy); no point if its so easy you physically cannot get the legs round quick enough to get a workout. One way round it is to keep the intensity at a pretty decent level throughout the ride (ie don't back off much between efforts) so it's like a 45 minute ride at a decent pace with a few extra 'sprints' thrown in, then it becomes a good overall workout. If you;re already at a high level, working hard and breathing a bit heavy you'll then spike a bit easier when the sprints start. Better still, do your own sessions like the classic 2 * 20mins or 4 * 10 mins or 8 * 5mins. Other problem is if you are a well trained runner, but not a well trained cyclist you will struggle to get the HR up as your 'engine' is very good from running, but the cycling 'muscles' weak (plus cycling is not full body impact) meaning that this engine cannot be tested when you cycle. Only solution to this is lots of miles on the bike (say all winter) to develop your cycling strength. Sorry aboyut the ramble...HTH
SpicedApple Nov 2012 5:30pm, 2 Nov 2012 6,281 posts	Quote Pin SpicedApple The instructor at a class i attended said to make sure that when sprinting, one doesn't 'wiggle' about on the seat, but that the hip and bum stay put. She said if we couldn't pedal as fast as we could without moving our backsides, we should increase resistance. So, her advice was to increase resistance until our backsides stayed put, and then pedal as fast as possible at that level.
icemaiden Nov 2012 5:31pm, 2 Nov 2012 3,483 posts	Quote Pin icemaiden Thanks, I'll try a bit more load next week.
icemaiden Nov 2012 7:15pm, 2 Nov 2012 3,484 posts	Quote Pin icemaiden TRO - sorry cross post there and I've just been out - I was a not very good runner and I've been on the injury step for a couple of months but am hopefully getting back to running. I've got a friend who is doing her LEJOG training until about Feb doing spinning so I'm hoping it's good for something. The concensus of 3 seems to be I need more load! Ta
Cat the Dog Nov 2012 8:57pm, 2 Nov 2012 1,312 posts	Quote Pin Cat the Dog I hace been doing spinning for a couple of years, and the instructor would tell us to go "all out" on light resistance. It didn't feel that hard. I then did on RPM style spin class where we were told to add more resistance to the sprints. This does feel like hard work! I now sprint with quite a lot resistance in all spinning classes. Obviously all spin bikes are different, but I tend to sprint at about one gear down (quarter turn) from what I would consider a seated hill climb.
Stander Nov 2012 10:12pm, 2 Nov 2012 11,016 posts	Quote Pin Stander i keep meaning to do one of these because my understanding was that you were only doing it right if you nearly puked by the end.
icemaiden Nov 2012 7:54am, 3 Nov 2012 3,485 posts	Quote Pin icemaiden I've not been anywhere near puking in spin, so obv. not doing it right yet! I get better results on my static bike!
icemaiden Nov 2012 9:05am, 15 Nov 2012 3,493 posts	Quote Pin icemaiden Did it a bit harder last night - and used HRM to monitor levels, did get quite sweaty and left two neat puddles on the floor - which of course I did wipe afterwards! Ridiculously low number of cals burned 120 in a 45 min class, but I guess that is par for cycling - whereas running would tidy away nearly 500 in that time for a relatively easy run. I have also been rollering the offending bummock piriformis and hoping against hope we are nearly done with this.