thoughts on spinning ?
i will make my debut as a spinning instructor tomorrow morning at 9am. i would have made the announcement earlier, but i didn’t have confirmation until last night. if everything goes well, i will be taking over the Saturday morning classes at the World Gym a few blocks down from my apartment – very convenient !
i’ve taken spinning for years, but being front and center telling others what to do will be a first. i feel anxious, nervous and scared. the gym where i’ll be teaching is small, so the spinning students are a tight nit group. i visited two of their classes in the past two weeks to see what they’re used to. one of the instructors teaches a moderate class but imho has poor taste in music. the other instructor is a maniac. her class left me feeling inadequate, but the music was great !
i know some of you have taken and/or currently take spinning classes. i’d like to hear from you. what do you like and dislike about the spinning classes you take or have taken in the past ? what keeps you coming back ? be brutally honest. feel free to recommend music and specific songs as well as routines you think they match.
although i have taken countless classes in the past few years, i only have my own opinions of them to go on. i’d like to hear what others think, what they like, keeps them motivated, etc. i am of the school of thought that it is the students’ spin class, not the instructor’s, so it is my goal to create profiles that are challenging and enjoyable for them. i’d really appreciate your input so i look forward to hearing back from you via comments or email. thank you !
Congratulations, Liz! Have fun teaching the class
I found that the best classes (for me) are the ones that are challenging BUT the instructor is really positive. I liked small classes the best, with “regulars,” because we got to know each other and it felt like there was progress as a class. I like it when instructors know me a little, because it makes me feel more accountable for showing up and doing my best. I also like when instructors make parallels between whatever drill we’re doing and real road riding. That way, mentally, I’m not just dialed in at an 8.5, but I’m climbing a big hill… I like to visualize being outside
I like upbeat pop music for working out. 80′s music is always good. My favorite new-ish song for spinning is Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman.” It’s got a good jazzy beat.
Wow, I totally want to go to a spinning class now!
Good luck! You’ll be a great instructor!
Also, some thoughts on things I don’t like:
1) It really creeps me out when instructors make *sexy* noises while spinning. Or when they shout out encouragement that sounds remotely like any kind of porno talk: “Oh, yeah, feel it! You know it’s hard, you can feel it.” It’s just creepy.
2) I don’t respond well to people yelling at me to work harder. Praise is good. General encouragement is good. But I’m not a fan of the drill sargeant stuff. Some people really seem to like it, though, so that’s a personal thing.
One of my instructors plays what he calls “The Switch Game,” where anyone in the room can call out “SWITCH,” and the whole class has to switch positions. Sometimes you’ll get stuck in a tough position for a while, and sometimes you’ll be switching every few beats. It’s good for right after a tough climb or sprint and you want to get energy and enthusiasm back into the group.
I had another instructor who was very informed about heart rates and helped us monitor ours throughout the class. I thought this was great and I wish more instructors would do it.
By the way, when you “SWITCH!” you can switch to any position you like.
thank you so much for your comments so far !
it’s past midnight here and i’m so nervous that i decided to log in for last minute words of wisdom.
Jen: thank you so much for your input. you and i are so alike ! i hope we can actually “meet” someday. i totally agree with everything you said. i will try to use visualization techniques tomorrow, which i hadn’t even thought about. i also agree with your comment about porno-spin classes. it is really creepy !! and ditto on praise. i am definitely for positive re-enforcement and making people feel good rather than yelling. “Candyman” is a good song. i’ll have to download it. i am using Christina’s “Fighter” for one of the climbs tomorrow.
Krystan: the switch game sounds like fun. i have a few questions though so i hope you come back and read this comment thread. can anyone in the class call out switch at any point in the class ? or does the instructor designate a song or songs when the switch game is played. it might be good to incorporate this in some future classes. as far as HRMs, i am used to monitoring my own, but have never been in a class where the instructor helped us monitor it. i will look through my books and read up on it.
thanks again for your input. let me know if you think of anything else. i will definitely use your advice. thanks !
Hope the class went well!
I think for giving heartrate guidance you just need to let people know at approximately what percentage of their max they should be working at. So, typically, a perceived effort of 6 corresponds with 60%, 8 = 80%, etc. Students in the class would have to have calculted their own Max HR. One spinning instructor gave me a little card to keep on my bike when I first started paying attention – I think it listed several “zones”: two levels of aerobic (one at the lower end, one higher), anaerobic & max.
I bet someday we’ll meet at a triathlon somewhere! I want to make it a goal to do races with my blog-training-buddies. You all have been the best motivation and sources of information for me!