Friday, August 13, 2010

I love the SPIN


BEFORE SPIN


AFTER SPIN

Can you tell the difference, other than the first one has a slight look of trepidation about it, and the other has a "oh yeah, I rocked it" feel about it.

I attended my first spin class today and I must admit even though I was terribly excited about it, I was extremely nervous too. I felt like I was going to a race and I don't really know why, other than it was just "first time jitters".

So as I got there and signed up I met the instructor and I held up my learners plates. He was very helpful in helping me set up my spin bike and explaining a couple of things about the 45 minute class that lay ahead. He said in a fairly matter of fact way "today's class will be about 7 songs long with alot of fun stuff mixed in". And naive Barbara was like "Oh cool, can't wait", that was until the lady sitting beside me said "It's hard, and you could possibly have trouble walking tomorrow". Okay, I thought to myself, how hard could this be. I have done alot of hard stuff but really looking back now, this was quite hard. Fun but hard.

So good things about the class:
  • Instructor- great guy but a saddist. He loved hearing me grunt & moan, and would just smile.
  • Small class size. There was only 7 or 8 of us. Didn't get all hot and stinky.
  • Music. Good mix of high end tempo stuff. Really good to keep your cadence up.
  • Intensity. Good mix of intervals, sprints, hill climbs interspersed with recovery periods.
  • Bike seat. Not too hard or too soft. Just right said "Goldilocks".
  • Cardio. I felt like my chest would explode at times. My jugular vein was pumping so hard I could feel the blood swooshing in my ears.
  • Legs. I am proud of them. They held up really well even though at times they pretty much were pushing such a hard resistance it felt like they were barely moving.
Things I didn't like:
  • NOTHING, I loved it all. What's not to love about a good workout. I challenged myself on yet another thing and came up trumps. I know I may ache tomorrow but I have found another love "Spinning".
Thing's to improve on:
  • Posture. When I am hill climbing I lean too far forward when I am out of my saddle, so I need to be a little more upright and closer to my seat.
  • That was really the only thing he said he could see that I was doing wrong.
This is definately going to be my Friday ritual. I love it, can't wait to do it again.

Your hard work will be rewarded.

"The path to a dream is paved with sacrifices and lined with determination. And though it has many stumbling blocks along the way, and may go in more than one direction, it is travelled by belief and courage and conquered with a willingness to face challenges and take chances" Barbara Cage