How to.. Each week, ET entertainments reporter Duncan Hall tries out a new activity. This week, Duncan tries out:
How to.. Spinning
HAVE you ever felt so tired you feel like you’re about to die?
I thought I had after a long plane trip to America. And then I did spinning.
I used to be a keen cyclist, although you might not think it looking at the picture. I rode to school, to summer jobs, and for fun all the time.
So when I was offered the chance to do spinning, basically doing a class on a specially-adapted exercise bike, at Werrington’s LivingWell, I thought it would be a breeze.
How wrong I was.
The set up in the gym seemed fairly simple – a row of 26 bikes in front of a set of mirrors with instructor Tina Roach on the lead bike facing us.
I had been told this was an absolute beginners’ class, so I guessed she would be going easy on us.
All I can say now is if this was beginners, then I dread to think what the advanced class would be like.
We checked our bikes thoroughly, making sure everything was right for us – that the bike seat was at the right height and the handlebars were the right distance from the seat.
When we started we were riding along following the beat of the music using a simple turning knob to adjust the resistance on the bike.
It was certainly warm work, but I settled in quite quickly, using the resistance setter to get my legs working at a comfortable speed.
Then we stood up on the pedals.
Initially it felt fine, but then my legs started to feel heavy and the sweat really started.
As the song finished, Tina said the words that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life: “Right, now we’re all warmed up, let’s start.”
I can’t remember much from the rest of the class.
I recall there was some variety in the exercises we did from sprints, when you moved your feet very, very fast for long periods of time, to jumps where you stood up on the pedals and then sat down again without breaking stride.
Tina pushed us on but encouraged people new to the classes to sit back if they were feeling tired as long as they kept their legs moving.
When Andy the photographer turned up towards the end of the class, he thought his camera was broken until he realised that my face WAS actually that red.
I don’t think I have ever felt so relieved as when the class ended.
I remember gasping to Tina that I couldn’t believe people came back for this before staggering off to get changed.
But once I had sat down and got my breath, and drunk my body weight in water, I felt really good. My legs weren’t stiffened up as we had warmed down very carefully with a series of stretches. I felt glowing with good health.
Talking to Tina afterwards she said that once people had got over the initial shock of the first session, they really began to enjoy it.
She said: “I always say never be put off by your first session – it would be hard even if you were an experienced cyclist who was extremely fit.”
She has been teaching spinning for the last two and a half years, and admitted she had misgivings when she started doing it. Now she teaches four classes a week and loves every class.
She said: “On the bike you don’t have to keep up with anyone, you workout on your own bike, there is no competition. If you need to rest you can sit down and take some resistance off, then join in again when you are ready.”
The best place to start was in an absolute beginners’ class. But there were classes for beginners and all abilities running in the sports centre off Papyrus Road – every day, from early bird sessions to evening courses.
The spinning courses are free to members of the LivingWell centre as part of their fees.
But Guide readers can give the club a free one-day trial if you quote The Guide.