
I was sitting at work thinking about ways to unwind after a busy day and booked a seat at the ride class at my gym. My friend Zulfa mentioned earlier that she was going and I decided to join her.
The instructor was great and made us feel welcome. He helped adjust the bikes for us – the seat has to be at a height that makes it comfortable for your legs to work – and told us to take it easy and rest when we need to.
Here are some things I learned from my first spin class:
It’s not a competition.
I have a tiny competitive streak and tend to want to be as good as the best in class so I push myself a bit more than I should sometimes. But I listened to the instructor’s advice and to my body.
There was an older man who was so hardcore, going so hard and fast and feeling the music. He was shaking his head in tune with the music and became a human sprinkler. He was spinning so hard a puddle of sweat surrounded his bike at the end of class.
You will sweat. A LOT!
Maybe not as much as that sprinkler dude. But it’s a great way to get your heart pumping because you’re pushing yourself in your ride to nowhere. When class was over I felt my hair and it was like I’d stepped out of a shower.
The beats make it fun.
The right music makes you want to dance while you cycle. The instructor made us move our upper bodies to the beat but I was so tired at that point I thought I’d fall off the bike if I let go of the handles. I enjoyed watching the others though.
A second lasts a lifetime.
When things start getting real and your instructor tells you to crank up the resistance and push hard, don’t look at the clock. He’ll tell you you have 30 seconds to do this and 50 years later you’re still waiting on him to tell you to slow it down.
Junk in your trunk won’t provide cushioning for your tush.
My behind is a cousin of the Kardashians and I mistakenly assumed this would be ample padding for the small, designed-by-Satan seats on the spin bikes. Nope. Ten minutes in and I wondered if I’d made a mistake. The stand-cycle parts were such a welcome relief for my bruise derriere. I wonder if bony-bottomed folk have it easier. (Tell me in the comments)
Whoever designed the seats of those bikes hates bums.
It hurts to sit the next day. I need one of those padded cycle pants before I sit on those seats from hell.
I’m excited to go again.
Despite my aching tush, I will do this again.
Are you a spinner? What’s your favourite form of exercise? Tell me in the comments section below.
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