spinning classes

thebourke

i commute to work on a daily basis (120k a week)...however i also go to the gym once or twice a week....they advertise spinnning classes there..does anybody here do spinning?is it worth it if you cycle outside?

ashleey

Yes and it can be worth it for a higher heart rate work out. I use them to allow me to wimp out of cycling in the winter as I don't commute by bike. It won't replace a long distance spin with the club though.

BobMc

I'm the opposite, dont do any outdoor cycling but I love spinning classes, if taught well can give a great workout, I'm doing it on/off for a year and love it

harringtonp

I'm not doing spinning classes but am following my own program on a bike gym. Only second week but do like it.

How do people feel this sort of training compares with a turbo ?

ashleey

From my perspective, spin classes beat solo gym sessions because you have someone pushing you. I have not even considered my own indoor trainer.

shaka

Good to get a sweat going, you will see how much fluids you loose cycling but don't notice due to wind dring you off . How good it is depends on how hard you push it , good for increasing your ability to turn the legs faster

smacl

I have a turbo trainer and did some spinning classes in the past. The spinning can be more enjoyable as it's a group activity, and hence less tedious, but I find the turbo to provide a more focussed workout. Specifically, improving cadence, and monitoring changes in a specific repeated workout over time (e.g. power, cadence, etc...). I record my turbo sessions, and when I repeat the same workout, I always compare against the last time I did the same workout with the goal of improving. Turbo is also more time effective, as in get on the turbo, do a session, mop the floor, have a shower and done, at a time that suits me. While I don't have to mop the floor in the gym, there's much more faffing involved.

Lusk Doyle

smacl wrote: »

I have a turbo trainer and did some spinning classes in the past. The spinning can be more enjoyable as it's a group activity, and hence less tedious, but I find the turbo to provide a more focussed workout. Specifically, improving cadence, and monitoring changes in a specific repeated workout over time (e.g. power, cadence, etc...). I record my turbo sessions, and when I repeat the same workout, I always compare against the last time I did the same workout with the goal of improving. Turbo is also more time effective, as in get on the turbo, do a session, mop the floor, have a shower and done, at a time that suits me. While I don't have to mop the floor in the gym, there's much more faffing involved.

You could put a mat down once and be done with it.

harringtonp

smacl wrote: »

I have a turbo trainer and did some spinning classes in the past. The spinning can be more enjoyable as it's a group activity, and hence less tedious, but I find the turbo to provide a more focussed workout. Specifically, improving cadence, and monitoring changes in a specific repeated workout over time (e.g. power, cadence, etc...). I record my turbo sessions, and when I repeat the same workout, I always compare against the last time I did the same workout with the goal of improving. Turbo is also more time effective, as in get on the turbo, do a session, mop the floor, have a shower and done, at a time that suits me. While I don't have to mop the floor in the gym, there's much more faffing involved.

I borrowed a turbo for a few weeks last year but as I don't have a power meter or cadence sensor on my bikes it was hard to judge effort. The gym bike does have these (in addition to being able to place hands on the front and get heart rate) so it is very easy to follow a program in a scientific way.

As most cyclists won't have access to power data, I'm surprised they don't go for a gym bike over a turbo ?

And with regards to spinning classes are they not very general ?

manwithaplan

harringtonp wrote: »

As most cyclists won't have access to power data, I'm surprised they don't go for a gym bike over a turbo ?

The position you would adopt on an exercise bike in a gym is very different to your position on a road bike. While it could be good for general fitness, I don't think it would be working the muscle groups in the same way as a turbo. You also have to go to a gym, which is an inherently unpleasant experience.

smacl

harringtonp wrote: »

As most cyclists won't have access to power data, I'm surprised they don't go for a gym bike over a turbo ?

The turbo I got was a tacx vr flow, which at €389 includes power metrics (not particularly accurate in an absolute sense, but relatively good), cadence, HR (optional), and the ability tear around the hills in virtual reality against virtual competitors. A decent gym bike would cost much more, and provide less.

I find the power output a good figure to chase over a course, where speed, and to a lesser extent cadence, vary much more with terrain. I'm also becoming intrigued with the power to weight thing, as given my truly lamentable power output figures, this is a stat I can work on by cutting back on the mid week beers

While I'm not mad on stats, having personal bests for certain workouts, and striving to improve them seems to be one way to improve more generally.

And with regards to spinning classes are they not very general ?

The ones I've been to certainly were, but good for base fitness none the less. Being populated with a clatter of sweaty women didn't hurt any either.

ashleey

I don't think spinning is there to replace road cycling but with a good teacher you can sort of replicate group cycling of intense effort at the front of a group (you can even get a mate to shput profanities at you for the full on experience)followed by reduced effort (with shouts of 'no coasting you ...') mixed up with high resistance for hills type stuff and lower resistance to get your heart going. Dripping sweat all over the lounge floor would probably be the last straw. My wife thinks I'm obsessed as it is.

thebourke

would all the gym bikes have cadence sensors and powermeters?

ashleey

My gym has neither but the teachers are good. I use my own Garmin HRM with a Garmin watch for calories burned

harringtonp

thebourke wrote: »

would all the gym bikes have cadence sensors and powermeters?

Any of the ones I have used do.

smacl

thebourke wrote: »

would all the gym bikes have cadence sensors and powermeters?

I went to the local authority gym. Getting a bike with pedals and a saddle in decent nick was a bonus. Feedback was through the instructor, if he or she thought you weren't sweating profusely enough, they'd wander over and turn up your brake. Seemed to work well enough as it happens. Oh yeah, and shouting, plenty of shouting.

harringtonp

manwithaplan wrote: »

The position you would adopt on an exercise bike in a gym is very different to your position on a road bike. While it could be good for general fitness, I don't think it would be working the muscle groups in the same way as a turbo. You also have to go to a gym, which is an inherently unpleasant experience.

Yes people do say that with regard to bike position. However the gym bike I go for has a position that is somewhere between my TT bike and road bike and as I am training for both, I am happy enough with that. There are other bikes there where the position is way off, I steer clear of them. One slight inconvenience is getting the straps tight enough to have an effective pull up.

Because its a gym, you don't mess around time wise: in/work/out And loud music though headphones helps the monotony

manwithaplan

harringtonp wrote: »

However the gym bike I go for has a position that is somewhere between my TT bike and road bike

Sounds grand so - I was envisioning one of those upright exercise bike yokes.

harringtonp

smacl wrote: »

The turbo I got was a tacx vr flow, which at €389 includes power metrics (not particularly accurate in an absolute sense, but relatively good), cadence, HR (optional), and the ability tear around the hills in virtual reality against virtual competitors. A decent gym bike would cost much more, and provide less.
.

Thanks for that. Had look briefly at turbos before but any I saw had no metrics. Had a quick look at the website. Do the power metrics appear on the display that comes with or do you have to set up and look at your laptop ?

smacl

harringtonp wrote: »

Thanks for that. Had look briefly at turbos before but any I saw had no metrics. Had a quick look at the website. Do the power metrics appear on the display that comes with or do you have to set up and look at your laptop ?

Everything is on the computer display, the controller on the turbo doesn't have a display. If you don't want a VR trainer or use a laptop, the Tacx flow 2200 gives you power, cadence, etc... directly.