First Spin Class - Argh!

[BlueSuedeShoes245]

Hey Ladies,

I’ve recently joined a gym (my fitness is non-existent) and I have my first spin class tonight – any advice to help me survive it would be greatly received!

Take a towel (you will sweat loads) and take a drink. and take it at your own pace. It is not an easy class and you will feel like you have really worked. - but it is great fun and you also burn alot of cals.

I go 4 times a week and LOVE it, they do ours to really great music in the dark with disco lights!

Thanks! I'll be walking like John Wayne tomorrow haha!

Give it a minimum of 3 classes before you decide. Your bum will almost certainly hurt for a bit after, that is normal.

Also fyi: It will never get "easier", you will just get better!

If you enjoy it buy padded shorts. Keep the resistance low if you need it, no shame in that!

Hi, don’t feel pressured to turn your resistance up every time when prompted. I think for your first class if you just concentrate on pedalling for 45 minutes or however long the class is, you will get a feel for what you need to do in subsequent sessions.
Please arrive early enough to tell the instructor you are new so that they can show you how to set up your bike correctly, as this is key to a comfortable session.
Have fun, spin is great for fitness.

Green tea has said everything I came on to say!

Green tea's and Shots's advice is perfect. Aim to keep the pedals turning all the way through the class, at a resistance that feels like you're working, but not killing yourself. Don't worry if you can't do standing climbs for very long, it takes time to build up to it.

Expect wobbly legs and a great sense of achievement when you're done! And don't be surprised if you find it tough - it gets much better with practice. I spin fairly regularly and I have certainly never found it 'easy' but its much more fun than it used to be. Enjoy!

I've jus come back from my first one. Eek!

I did enjoy it - I definitely did much more than I'd have done alone in the gym.

The most tricky part for me was going from sitting to standing. I went all out of rhythm.

Have booked for next week!

The brilliant thing about Spin/RPM/indoor cycling is that it is always about what YOU can do, and whatever the person next to you is doing is irrelevant. It's your workout at your pace and resistance level.

Even as an experienced spinner I would have some days where I just didn't have the legs for certain bits so I just stayed seated and turned my pedals on a light gear - that's fine too!

It is a hard workout but it is fun and you will feel dead proud of yourself. After my very first spin I thought I'd fall over when I got off!

I always do a lower level than the instructor shouts out. Take water. Good luck!

Get there early so you can adjust the bike, get it right fit before class starts.

Bring earplugs. amazingly too loud music usually.

Don't do it if you have bad shoulders (my class got up on arms a lot).

Cleated pedals/shoes are probably the norm.

Wear shorts & short sleeves. You will sweat like a pig.

I don't wear cleats, though admittedly some do.

I don’t wear cleats either. I wear a sweatband though! And I forgot to say take water and a sweat towel.

Bring earplugs I wouldn't!

I wear cleats but didn't at first.

I think the mistake newbies make is having the resistance too light. If you're bobbing around in the saddle - it's too light. Your upper body should be pretty stable when sitting. And don't be tempted to stand unless the resistance is on the heavy side - it's actually much harder to stand and spin with a light resistance and really risks damaging your knees.

Much of spinning is technique - it gets easier. I do 'sprint' spinning classes which are my favourite.

Just remember that you can't freewheel on a spin bike. I tried during my first class and nearly threw my hip out!

Good advice here. Thankyou!