Spinning!
Yes that's the official logo for Spinning on the left.. Now here's an exercise I never thought I'd do. I'm sure you've all seen the spinner bikes. They have the one wheel in the front that just goes round and round and never stops and the handle bars seem a mile away from the seat. That's for a reason.
I just never saw myself pedaling like a maniac for 30 minutes and not getting anywhere. In a word it looked "dumb".
But I was invited by another colleague of mines who teaches spinning to join her class. I've been hearing a lot of people talk about spinning lately and since I'm all about trying now things to get fit I decided to go.Let me say it was an experience!
Now let's get this straight. You can't just hop on a spinner bike like you would a regular bike or stationary bike and start pedaling. No there are is protocol to spinning. First you have to adjust the seat height to make sure that it's at the perfect height so that your legs are straight when you pedal down.You do that by standing next to the seat and making sure it hits you at the top of your hip bone. Horizontally the seat should be set in order for the knee to be straight over the ball of the foot when the pedal is pointing forward. Then you have to make sure that your seat is at the perfect distance from the handle bars.Then you have to make sure that your feet are all the way in the foot cage and there's a strap you must tighten until it practically cuts off your circulation. Then were instructed that the flywheel on the bike stays in motion, always. You can't just stop pedaling or also you risk tearing out your ankle and knee ligaments. OUCH! There's a special button in the front of the bike that you have to press to make the wheel stop. I made sure I located that button and knew how to work it in case I needed to stop.
She instructed us on the 3 hand positions. You can find them here. And then we got started. It didn't take long before your crotch bone screams in agony from being pressed into the hard seat. Let me just say I'll be feeling that for a few days. We got our legs pumping and we spinned for about 30 minutes. Let me tell you I was dripping in sweat. There were times I had to turn down the intensity. But my instructor kept me motivated and the fact that I was in a class full of 18 and 19 year olds that looked like they were about to pass out helped motivate me also. LOL I know, I'm mean.
After that workout I could barely walk. My legs felt like jello. And the fact I had Kettlebell only a few hours later didn't make me feel good at all. But I did do Kettlebell and to my horror the instructor told us that she took it easy on us last week but tonight she was going to go all out. I almost died. But again I made it through. I love Loubov. She's great.
I always thought fitness and getting into shape was a drag but I'm having fun trying out all these new workouts. I think this is what I needed because I get bored so fast. I can't even imagine ever getting back on an elliptical ever again! I'd die from boredom. They were right when they said fitness can be fun!
So there you have it! I give Spinning a A-. A minus because my crotch still hurts!!
So for anyone keeping score:
Ballet Bootcamp A
Kettlebell A
Zumba C-....I graded that one on a curve lol
Just for clarification. The whole name of my series is "Exercises I Do so that you don't have to look like a fool when you go and try it" LOL
Let me know if you've tried any of these exercises and how did you like them!
Love the whole title!
ReplyDeleteBTW...is it safe to work out that much every day? You worry me. :)
Thanks Ang!
ReplyDeleteIs it safe working out that much everyday?? That's a really good question. They say you should let your body rest at least 2 or 3 days a week. For me I probably rest 2 days a week. I try not to work the same muscle group 2 days in a row. But most of my workouts are full body workouts. But my Active 2 does give me a variety of workouts so that I'm not working the same muscle group and it's always about 50% cardio.
But let me tell you my right knee and ankle is starting to bother me. I'm going to have to make a doctor appointment to make sure I'm not doing any damage.