Schools of Thought on Spinning

...according to me anyway.

Jen and Phil were unable to make it to spinning tonight so I carried on alone (of course Jen friendly reminded me that spinning isn't a team sport so I would probably be alright...). Our usual instructor was out of town so I spun with a new instructor - and hence the title of this post.

Let me preface by saying that both instructors are great and I've enjoyed my workouts with each. With our usual instructor, spinning class is all about the "ride". The flats, the hills, the music, the team. The entire session is organized in a way that stimulates, even impels, the visualization of riding with your team through the French hillsides. The workout, then, is almost more of a mini-excursion when you close your eyes. A calorie-burning trip to France. Not bad when you compare the cost of our membership fees to airfare. :)

With tonight's instructor, the spinning class is a work out. Period. We spend this song doing this and that song doing that. Here, I didn't get to leave the gym but I did still get an invigorating workout chalked full of awesome tunes and post-ride muscle soreness. The benefit of organizing the session in the shape of a pure workout instead of an actual ride is that I was able to focus on both technique and endurance. Just as an example, tonight I had to stick around in 3rd position with heavy resistance on the flywheel ("climbing a heavy hill") for the entirety of Enter Sandman by Metallica...not a short song.

So, in the end, there are two schools of thought on spinning in my mind. One is a ride through France and the other is a workout at the gym. Both do the job and although a healthy mix of the two will likely be best, I still prefer the "ride".

BTW, If you don't know what 3rd position is...

1st Position: Hands placed in the center of the handles.  You are seated in the saddle.  Good spot when warming up, cooling down, or recovering from a sprint interval.
2nd Position: Hands are just inside the upward curve on the handle bars.  You are standing, not straight up but not bent over either.  Likely spot for sprint intervals and position intervals.
3rd Position: Hands hold on to the top of the handles.  You are standing, leaning into the handles but maintaining your weight above your legs.  Good spot for climbs.