Does spinning improve overall cycling performance?

[RocknRolla]

Popping in to observe the Friday potential.....

[RocknRolla]

I know there are a lot of peeps still into spinning, however, it seems to me that using spinning for rear world gains equates to trying to empty a bucket with a spoon.

 

Spend the same amount on a power trainer with accurate FTP target training, and suddenly, you are emptying the bucket with a siphon....

 

As the resident spinning instructor mentioned, it is only effective if the person turning the resistance knob is being honest with themselves, and not taking it easy.

[Help.Me.]

I am also curios to know.........will follow this closely. My experience, or what i think went wrong with me , i did not have a proper base , and i tried doing most of my training for the W2W on the IDT. High intensity and when i went outside we did hill repeats..... The results i battled every single day on W2W. So i tried to play catch up the whole time and it just did not work for me. My training partner 10 years younger than me got very strong doing the hill repeats , so strong that he actually killed me on the out rides. So after the W2W i joined Trianerroad and are doing the Sweet Spot Base Mid Volume 1. I have missed some of the long IDT sessions over weekends and in the beginning the program felt easy......(i am in week 4 now it is a 6 week block) and did experienced a couple of tough sessions lately. I haven't being on the bike outside yet as i am to g@tvol to get dropped etc etc............i had very big doubts in my mind if i wanted to carry on cycling, but time will tell and i am trying to follow the training program religiously...........

[Wil6]

Popping in to observe the Friday potential.....

I don't know about you, but Friday there won't even be a remote chance of you finding me on the interwebs. 

[BigDL]

Also be careful of some spinning instructors who are cyclists and just use the classes to get an intense workout for themselves, and don't worry about average Joe in the class.

 

Spinning classes are not always designed as cycling classes, although can be very good when they are. They are generally aimed at being a good cardio workout, rather than a cycling training class.

[Patchelicious]

You get spinning and then you get spinning.

 

When I go "spinning" I usually fall off the bike after 2 hours.

Far too often I see guys and gals get onto the Wattbikes or spinning bikes to only sit there on their phones or chatting away with each other. You are only fooling yourself.

 

Spinning, like everything in life has benefits, if you do it properly. Turning the legs at 100W for 30mins burnt less calories than the walk from the car to the front door. Rather just swipe your card and go home.

 

If you do IDT/Spin properly, the benefits are huge.

['Dale]

Great for endorphine hunting unless you're instructor is a good cyclist with facilitation skills

[HdB]

It depends very much on yourself, if you push yourself it will have benefits. I deliberately set the bike I ride on a setting or two heavier than what the instructor suggests; on the other hand you get some of the ladies who still have all their make-up on after the class.

 

I think you can work with most instructors. Even if he/she is having an off day and isn't really in the mood for giving a hard class, you can still adjust the resistance yourself.

For me the worst ones are the ones that seem to think they need to be saying something constantly, or switching up the resistance or position on the bike every 8 seconds.

The one instructor we have is also a trainer at the military - you hope for but dread his classes at the same time.

 

A online race on the IDT is much harder, but staring at a bunch of dots on a map on the tablet is not always fun.

[RocknRolla]

Then there's the music aspect.....

[NelAndre]

Been doing bi-weekly workouts at Cadence in Wapadrand Pretoria and I have definitely seen a benefit for me. I can only get out on the bike on weekends so the 2 hours in the week working at higher intensities proved a real help to improving my rides over weekends.

 

As was said before it is what you put in.

 

Will not be around Friday either....

[Skubarra]

When I started out I did a lot of spinning classes and it certainly helped improve my cycling up to a point (especially in winter)

 

Now that I found a training group to cycle with I can't be bothered, 45min classes too short for me for a proper workout and anything longer than an hour is mind numbing... I would have to be really desperate to bother with a spinning class...

[Theunissa]

I am also curios to know.........will follow this closely. My experience, or what i think went wrong with me , i did not have a proper base , and i tried doing most of my training for the W2W on the IDT. High intensity and when i went outside we did hill repeats..... The results i battled every single day on W2W. So i tried to play catch up the whole time and it just did not work for me. My training partner 10 years younger than me got very strong doing the hill repeats , so strong that he actually killed me on the out rides. So after the W2W i joined Trianerroad and are doing the Sweet Spot Base Mid Volume 1. I have missed some of the long IDT sessions over weekends and in the beginning the program felt easy......(i am in week 4 now it is a 6 week block) and did experienced a couple of tough sessions lately. I haven't being on the bike outside yet as i am to g@tvol to get dropped etc etc............i had very big doubts in my mind if i wanted to carry on cycling, but time will tell and i am trying to follow the training program religiously...........

Maybe you should go ride just for fun for a while?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Martin PJ]

I used to spin a lot for about 10 years. With the right instructor I think it is great for cycling.

 

Lately I go to a spin class and wonder what the hell I am doing there. Music seems to be rubbish, instructors have no clue what they are doing. Rather sit on the rollers at home.

[Hennie VR]

In my opinion spinning will not improve your endurance on long rides but it's great to build strength. I use spinning during the week to keep my fitness because I get home late and over weekends I do my long rides that builds your endurance/fitness.

 

I enjoy a shorter (1h max) high intensity spinning session more than a longer less intense spinning session.  

[Paul Ruinaard]

It always comes down to how hard you push in the class and how structured your training is, plus what level you are at to start at. 

 

Any activity is better than no activity. But if you want to get better at anything you have to add structure and a program.

 

FWIW I have pushed so hard in some spin classes I have seen black dots. I enjoy the vibe and get in to it. Often however the pushing is the wrong thing to do. You dont want to leave your best efforts in the spin room class where you are looking at the hot chick next to you and showing off your 140 RPM spinning chops.

 

Get some structure and learn periodisation. Also remember you dont get stronger by training, you get stronger by recovering...

[Paul Ruinaard]

Then there's the music aspect.....

There is an instructor at VA in Cedar who fancies herself as a DJ. So to show her chops she messes with the pitch of the song on the deck to get the cadence up. And she does it just when you are in o a song (She uses Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain") and have a great rhythm going and are pushing some big watts she starts screaming into the mic and changes the pitch to get a little sprint. It drives me bananas. I actively avoid her now because of this.

 

Then there's my mate who likes spinning but hates doof doof so he goes there with headphones on and ear plugs in and always complains about the music to the gym. I am not making this up.