It seems as though whenever I end my swim and leave the rec center there is a spinning class going on. One of these days I’ve got to actually try it out.
The crowd at this particular place appears a touch older than me though, so I’m wondering if I should try and find something with people roughly my age. Although I have no idea where to look for said class.
What’s the general protocol and session breakdown like? All it says on the door is start times. For example, do I need to bring cycling shoes? Do I stay on the bike the whole time? And would I consider it a substitute to my regular bike training workouts, or something else in addition to?
It also seems like whenever I go by the spinning room there is a lot of yelling going on. But it does look intriguing.
Making sure you have a good instructor is key – my favorite is the owner of one of my local LBSs – he kicks our behinds! If you have SPD cleats, you can usually clip into the bikes in a spinning room. For me, I never do drills on my regular longer bike rides, so spinning class is always good for doing “hills” or one legged drills etc. I also find it to be much higher intensity than my regular bike rides, so my heart rate is pretty high for the whole session, even if it is shorter than a typical ride.