(Editors Note: The new articles that will come up in the Health and Fitness News section of Club Solutions Magazine Online, “Your Members Health,” will give you the opportunity to take an article and photo we’ve provided you and send it out to your members in your e-mail blasts or on your website at no charge. Just a little something extra to make your job a lot easier.)
Group Cycling
Have you ever walked past the room in your club where your fellow members are on stationary bikes, the instructor is yelling and music is bumping? You might have been curious enough to try spinning, but you didn’t know what to expect, or you were afraid you wouldn’t be able to keep up. Let us help ease your mind.
What Kind of Shape Are You In?
It’s important to be in good cardiovascular health when attempting a spinning class. The intensity levels are usually beyond what most novice or light exercisers can achieve and maintain, especially for 40 minutes or more. However, don’t be worried if the class gets too intense, members always have the ability to slow to their own pace.
Get in Shape
If you want to get in shape for a cycling class, then do some cycling-specific training before you hit your first class. Spend some time on a stationary bike. You can increase your endurance by interspersing periods of higher-intensity cycling with more leisurely pedaling. After a few weeks of training you should be good to go!
What the Others in the Class Already Know
- Wear bike shorts, preferably padded ones like what outdoor cyclists wear. It will increase your comfort level.
- Bring water. You’ll want to consume plenty of fluids before, during and immediately after your workout.
- Adjust the seat to the appropriate height. A good rule to follow: Your upstroke knee should never exceed hip level, while your down-stroke knee should be about 85 percent straight.
- Look for an instructor who encourages perceived exertion measures and/or heart-rate monitoring and is willing to get off his or her own bike to coach beginners.
- Concentrate on exercising at your own pace. Don’t be intimidated by the high speeds and furious intensity of your cycling mates. Listen to your body. It would be more embarrassing to pass out in class than to slow your pace.
