Brightest and best?

The time of year has come when if you are on the road at about 4pm you see black clad cyclists pushing themselves hard  to get home before dark because they have either forgotten or do not possess adequate lights and/ or reflective clothing.  Is there something close to this in the world of Spinning?  The nearest you can get is if you forget your water bottle or towel.  But that has nowhere near the safety implications of invisibility on an open road, with the hazard to both rider and oncoming traffic.
Why does black clothing have such an appeal to those who ride bicycles whether on the road or in Spinning?  Is it practicality (or lack of it) or sexiness or cheapness?  Wearing black was once the reserve of the grieving but now it must be approaching the most popular colour for sports clothing, if not more widely.  It contrasts with the brightness of the lights and decorations that herald the season of Advent and then Christmas.  As you celebrate are you willing to wear a colour that is not black?

Cadence Checks

Do you do a Cadence Check? That is something like count how many times your leading leg goes round in fifteen seconds then times it by four  to get how many in one minute.  In our class it is hoped that you will get a number between 90 and 100. If not then you adjust the resistance up or down.
This may be helpful if you have sophisticated electronic time piece or if you are in training for a triathlon or you just want to achieve a personal best.  But if you are there to Spin for the sheer release of it from every day hard work or to relive your youth through the pop songs of your teenage years it might prove a distraction.  What is your motivation to Spin?
Perhaps you are just taking yourself off  the darkened roads in these dank November days - better for your own safety and that of others you reckon?  It also reduces the amount of washing of mud spattered clothing and expenditure on reflective attire.  May be a Cadence check once a month might be a good thing, but take care it does not distract from your overall enjoyment of Spinning!

Spinning and other exercises -how does Spinning compare?

Perhaps in addition to Spinning you undertake other forms of exercise- may be in a class setting or alone? If you do the doe you find yourself comparing them with Spinning.  Take Metafit for example very intense but mercifully short whereas with Spinning you get a longer time to enjoy the ride.
Or may be you are it for the satisfaction of completing the class or as proof that you can ride a bike when you do not wish to do so out on the road?
How do you feel afterwards when showered and clean? Pleased? Relieved ? Relaxed?  Does Spinning make you feel happier? Like your body has released some endorphins or something similar to make life feel a little brighter.
Or perhaps it is the social aspect of meeting people at a class that attracts you and that if this part you absent you are not sure you would bother.  May be you like something that involves a more meditative style rather than the frantic activity of a climb or set of jumps.  What ever you like best then it is great if Spinning is part of your weekly program of activity. If it is not the why not give it a try?

Pins and Needles when Spinning?

Do you find you get pins and needles in your hands when Spinning? If you do it would appear that help is at hand.  It is something to do with pressure points and not having your handlebars adjusted correctly. In other words it occurs when you are putting too much of your weight down through your hands and not enough through your legs. Some might say that is a lazy way to spin, but it is easy to  do especially if you have sore feet!
May be in Spinning the pins and needles comes from the music that you are listening to as you Spin.
For your taste and mine is likely to be different and music brings to mind assorted emotions and memories.  What would be your favourite type of music and do you mind the length of the track?
Older pop songs seem to be of longer duration.  That is fine as long as you have not got the resistance tightened up to as hard as you can bear.  Do you like your music to have vocals? Or does singing along take too much energy?

Spinning in the Dark

May be you remember the song Dancing in the Dark? How about Spinning in the dark?
With disco lights rotating you can create an atmosphere more like a night club than  you might initially imagine.  A further advantage is that you can spin with your eyes shut so you can be truly caught up by the atmosphere and the music. Introducing variety into your routine is easy -just do it by jumps or by dips or by counting the number of rotations of the pedals.
Does this make spinning more attractive to you or do you prefer a highly structured class where you are told every move to make and how much resistance to add or subtract?  A mixture of both may make life more varied, but whichever you choose you can do them in the dark.  How soon before we have a Spinners song then: Spinning in the Dark.  Could you compose one?

The July Spinner

J Joyful and happy riding – no risk of mosquitoes or motor caravans

U Undeniably cleaner and greener

L Less likely to fall off on sticky tarmac or whilst braking for unexpected pedestrians

Y You can set yourself a challenge –how far can you Spin before the Olympics in August?

Solo Spinning.

These days I am solo spinner. My partner in crime is off on holiday so I arrive at the studio and wonder what to do.  But I need not wonder too much: I am content spinning to music or with a book in my hands. It leads me on to the question; if I were to buy a bike what would I want?  What would you want?  Would you want something with all the technology on board – a computer to tell you how far you had ridden, how much energy you had used and how steep the hills were.

Or is it the pleasure of Spinning that of the freedom from all that technology? Even the freedom to close your eyes and not worry about crashing into something?  Are you one of those who checks their mobile telephone whilst on the bike or do you quietly mutter when someone else does?  Are you glad not to be beeped at or vibrated on for the duration of your spin or do you rather like the sense of urgency engendered by the mobile technology of today?

If you did buy a bike how much would you be prepared to spend?  And what would you expect?

Tour de Yorkshire Spinners

Did the Tour de Yorkshire inspire you?

Have you watched the Tour de Yorkshire? May be on TV? Or Face Book?

Or were you a hardy soul lining the route?

At our Spinning studio we were encouraged to cycle stage three. A distance of 198km. Each Spinning class counted for 8.25km. The distance could be done in teams and the prize was a year’s free membership (How do you split that between a team of five?).  So the result, some people doing back to back classes- bike blocking(?), others taking to the road.  But whether you went for the indoor challenge or the outdoor one there is no doubting the interest that the Tour de Yorkshire has raised.

The question is: how can we sustain the interest in either Spinning or outdoor cycling?   Especially among young people who have their whole lives ahead of them.  What can we say to anyone thinking of taking up a sport?  Train for it, keep going and above all enjoy it (at least when you have done it!).

Spring Time Spinning

British Summer Time has arrived. Is this the moment when you are tempted to give up the Spinning studio and take to the open road?  Have the Spring sales tempted you to buy the gear needed for road cycling or even a bike. 

May be the time is right to cycle away the effects of  all those Easter Eggs, whether indoor or outdoors.  But there may be enough mud, rain , sleet and hail out there to put you off?  Is now the time of year to find the chance to invite others into the spinning studio?  Many people are trying frantically to get fit ready for that summer holiday in the sun.  The advantages of Spinning are clear, no helmets, no mud, no punctures.  You do not even need to be seen by your neighbours huffing and puffing into the house caked in mud or dripping like a wet dog.

There will be some among you who think that Spinning is not the real thing.  If that is the case we salute you: go for it.  Keep warm dry and safe and show us Spinners why we should take to the open road!

 

Musical Spinning

What is your favourite track for Spinning?

Do you like something gentle and soothing as you huff and puff up those climbs?

Or would you rather have something energetic?

May be the Rolling Stones Start me up is a good place to start?

Then Kate Bush Running up that hill.

May be you need to imagine you are in a different place?

Walking the dog by Gershwin or the theme to Chariots of fire (not quite what you are hoping for?)

If you are using up sufficient energy then the music does not matter as you go for a major exertion

After this I’m still standing is the next track?

Valentine Spinning

V  Very good exercise

A  Attractive music

L Lycra can be worn if desired

E   Energy expended

N  No mud

T time to shut your eyes and dream

I In a safe place

N  No brakes

E  Everything you can do on a road bike and more

 

Do you love Spinning?

 

New Year’s Resolutions for Spinners

Ø  Spin more, tickle the controls less

Ø  Keep turning the resistance up

Ø  Stop thinking bad things about road cyclists who ride up the middle of the road

Ø  Try not to forget the water bottle (at least try not to lose more than one in a month)

Ø  Be more tolerant of the musical preferences of fellow spinners, we are all in it together!

Spin your way to a Happy 2016