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I write at http://tri-ingtobeathletic.blogspot.com I am a speech pathologist and get to play with kids all day!  It's fun but tiring, so I decid...
 
 
 
 

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Trying Not to Vomit at the Spin Class

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Can someone please tell me *what* mother-loving, lactate-burning, Marquis de Sade bitch athlete (ahem, sorry, I don't know what came over me) devised this crazy idea. What? Biking on a path isn't enough for you?

I have a friend who is a hard-core athlete. In her spare time she likes to teach fitness classes at a gym. She asked me to go to her spin class the other night. I said "sure," never having gone to a spin class, but thinking it would be a good workout. Like I said, she is hard-core and very competitive. I should have known that she would teach a class that would not be for sissies.

It started out easy enough: just sit on the bike and pedal. Excellent. Then the music started and suddenly it was all:

Hmm, well ok, I guess I can do that.

Then after about ten seconds I heard it again:

Well hold on now, I thought I just did ... say, is there a delayed echo in here?

But, we just...

Um, excuse me? Do what now?

At this point, we were about 2.16 minutes (I'm guesstimating) into an hour-long class, and my legs had turned to Jell-O.

I was alternating between turning beet-red...

...and nauseated-green.

I felt like I was sweating, yet I'm pretty sure the flames shooting out of my skin took care of any pesky *moisture* issues.

And then I heard:

Um, no thanks.

I was afraid of what would come out of my mouth if I opened it at that moment. It would be either:

OPTION A: A string of obscenities that would make me sound possessed.

OPTION B: My lunch.

Or possibly both (there's a visual for ya). So I kept my mouth closed and focused on breathing and staying upright on the seat.

Now, for the more astute readers, you may be saying to yourself: "But Julie, you were in a spin class, ergo, you were on a stationary bike,

ergo, staying upright on the seat, a.k.a. *balancing*, should be a non-issue."

Well, you would be wrong. Or you just wouldn't know me very well.

You see, at well-choreographed points during the class, the teachers (did I mention there were two of them?) would ask us to sit back, take our hands off the handlebars, and...

Now, is it just me, or does everyone's badonk slink forward the second they sit upright on a bike, like yay?

So I was sliding down and hunching over like a turtle so I didn't lose saddle contact, and I was expected to put my arms behind my head.


Riiiight.

I did manage to survive

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trigirl13 5 pts

The pre-dawn spin class seems to be very popular...I don't know that I can drag myself to the gym at that crazy hour though. It sounds like consistency is key with this workout. Great job sticking with it!

-julie

http://tri-ingtobeathletic.blogspot.com

Nobody wants to be Ethel 5 pts

I just started spinning last month. It is the only consistent exercise I am getting in this cold weather once a week. I get up before dawn and get home at sunrise to shower and dress for work. I am energized for the day. Throwing up? Never felt that. I position myself in the back of the class where the instructor has the fan blowing on me. It is an ideal place to be.

The Patty Beat can be found at  http://pattyabr.wordpress.com where The Fearless Cook resides ready to take on your most feared items in the kitchen.

trigirl13 5 pts

It does seem pretty split down the middle. I haven't had a single comment saying, 'yeah, spinning's just ok for me'. I do, however, plan to try it again because i want to see if it will help with my cycling. I'm also just a serious glutton for punishment :)

-julie

http://tri-ingtobeathletic.blogspot.com

Grapes of Rough 5 pts

I've read like 5 comments that claim it's "addicting." Uh, nothing about that sounds enjoyable. Sounds like insanity to me!

I'll stick to running. Maybe when I'm a little more in shape and a little less poor I'll look into a spin class.

http://www.grapesofrough.blogspot.com

trigirl13 5 pts

Wow, Cece,

That sounds pretty intense! Good for you for keeping up with that class!!

-julie

http://tri-ingtobeathletic.blogspot.com

ceceev 5 pts

...because I know it so well and have suffered myself like this many times! I attend a weekly "spin class" that is 13 weeks to get us in shape for the cycling season... at a cement factory..picture LOWES with all its aisles and about 100 cyclists lined up down the aisles. We bring our trainers and ride our own bikes in the spin class. The class is free. You can read the details here:
http://thetwowhos.com/?p=5727

Cece-one of The Two Whos

http://www.thetwowhos.com

trigirl13 5 pts

I really do want to try it again. I just haven't had the time (does that sound like an excuse?) But yes, I do want to go back so that when I train for the triathlon this year I will be able to focus on speed and distance, rather than not falling off!

Thanks for the encouragement Mignardise!

-julie

http://tri-ingtobeathletic.blogspot.com

Mignardise 5 pts

http://mignardise.blogspot.com

But if you stick with it, Spin is truly addicting. And this is coming from a very lazy exerciser. It does great things for your body and when you get on your bike in the spring, it's a piece of cake!

Alison Golden 5 pts

I have never seen the appeal of spin classes at all. Absolute mind-numbing torture.

Why do we feel the only way to exercise is to imitate giant hamsters when we can go outside and get fresh air, sunshine (and a dose of vitamin D) and enjoy what our planet provides freely in nature?

Loved the drawings!

Alison Golden writes at The Secret Life Of A Warrior Woman ( http://alisongolden.com )

trigirl13 5 pts

Keira: I'm so sorry you actually did get sick!

allfookedup: Yeah, since my friend was teaching I felt like I had to stay :) Glad you like the pics!

thefemmefitale: You are hard-core! I would like to get to the point where I love spinning too, since *my* bootay could use some help!

CrazedMama: Thanks! You never know unless you try :D

coolcatz: Congrats!! That's a great story! Way to go :D

Dori53: Thanks!

-julie

http://tri-ingtobeathletic.blogspot.com

coolcatz 5 pts

i tried spin when i first joined goodlife fitness here in Calgary 3 years ago. I just about died. I went once or twice a week. Then last September I joined a biggest loser competition and took it up a notch. I stated going every day for one week, one week off (as I live in a no-spin class town for that week boo!). I ended up feeling so good and losing 22 pounds in 3.5 months. As a 48 yr old that is so amazing for me! I highly recommend spin for losing weight, and for improving osteoarthritic joints. My knees used to be really sore, and now, hardly at all! The cool thing about spin is you can go at your own level, keep up the pace but you can set the resistance to whatever you need it to be to get a fabulous workout!

CrazedMama 5 pts

I never realized how intense it was; I never would have made it through. I love your illustrations, they were great!!

thefemmefitale 5 pts

This was the story of my life....a year ago. Now, Im addicted to Spin! I spin four times a week, two classes at 545A and two classes at 630p after work. I am not a fitness guru or athletic person but after I built my endurance and caught a glimpse of my 'bootay' about 3mnths after spinning on a regular.. I was like "yeah I got this"! As a matter of fact Im just getting in from spin class... yeah on a Friday night. Most of my friends are getting ready to hit the streets but Im gonna soak in my tub & knock em' dead tomorrow night. Im thinking a short little number with a pair of stilletos.

The initial shock of spinning is vicious but the rewards wll worth it!

thefemmefitale 5 pts

This was the story of my life....a year ago. Now, Im addicted to Spin! I spin four times a week, two classes at 545A and two classes at 630p after work. I am not a fitness guru or athletic person but after I built my endurance and caught a glimpse of my 'bootay' about 3mnths after spinning on a regular.. I was like "yeah I got this"! As a matter of fact Im just getting in from spin class... yeah on a Friday night. Most of my friends are getting ready to hit the streets but Im gonna soak in my tub & knock em' dead tomorrow night. Im thinking a short little number with a pair of stilletos.

The initial shock of spinning is vicious but the rewards wll worth it!

allfookedup 5 pts

Hahaha...I go spinning all the time but there are a lot of rabid instructors out there. The first time I went, my friend bet me that I'd quit...so there was no way in hell that I wasn't staying on the bike!

It's just like that...your illustrations were awesome. Love it!

Keira 5 pts

And I never will again.

I thought it might have been something fun to do before work, when i'm a little too sleepy to organise my own workout.

I ended up vomiting in the bathroom straight after the class, listening to some teenagers assume I had an eating disorder and tsk me.

Never again.