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Winter Training? Take Your Body - If Not Your Bike - For a Spin

Does winter weather mean that you hang up your bike and seek out other ways to stay fit? Consider an indoor cycling class (brand name: Spinning) as a way to stay in cycling shape even when the weather is uncooperative.

Typically, you do Spinning in a group class on a special stationary bike. An instructor will be on a bike facing the class, and probably have a headset microphone to bark instructions, er, cajole you into grunting out extra effort. (I had a Spinning instructor once whose day job was as a nurse, and – I kid you not – her name was Payne.)

Training guru Craig Undem of Cycle University took time out from his sold-out indoor training classes to talk to me about the benefits of this workout.

Bill: What do you think are the best cycling and/or health benefits a person can expect from a spin class?

Craig: You can get all the physical benefits inside except bike handling and that great feeling of being out on the road. It depends on what you do on the trainer for workout, but general fitness, strength, endurance and typically shorter duration power are common.  This struck home this weekend when I was talking to someone at a party about the benefits from cycling.  He was telling me about how when he switched to rowing after cycling that he did great and really felt powerful and strong.  When he would row for a few months and then switch to cycling, he wasn't as good at cycling as he had been, so cycling really helps overall fitness and positively impacts all areas of your physical health if you do it well.

Bill: Would the benefits change based on whether a person is a regular cyclist or not?

Craig: The degree of change would. You see more improvement if you haven't been riding.  If you come in really fit from the summer and then cut your riding back to only two indoor sessions for one hour per week when you usually ride five times a week in the summer, you will be fighting to keep your fitness unless the intervals are done right.

Bill: How much Spinning (classes/week, etc.) might be needed to keep up your cycling conditioning?

Craig: That depends on so many variables [and] it will vary person to person. We design our classes so that in three rides a week for 1.5 hours you can maintain and build fitness over the winter. But that is only 4.5 hours, and if you typically ride 12 hours each week it will be a challenge to maintain that unless you do the intensity correctly.

Bill: Do you have any cautions for people about taking a spin class?

Craig: Be sure your fit is correct on the bike. Get used to the new bike gradually -- many indoor bikes have large and powerful flywheels that can make it difficult to stop your legs quickly and really accelerate.  Take it easy the first couple weeks.  In our classes, we never stand up, we only work on seated cycling, so in general I am against lots of standing up since it doesn't really develop the power and strength and specific benefits we are targeting.

Bill: That surprises me a bit. In the spin classes I’ve taken, it seems to be a regular part of the workout. What’s your thinking?

Craig: Our thinking is that we only get to train three to four hours and we really want to build cycling-specific muscles. The feel of standing indoors isn't the same as outdoors, and you use a different technique, so it is like practicing the wrong way.  [However,] there are other benefits to standing for general fitness.

Bill: Should we be talking about indoor trainer bike attachments in addition to spin classes? How common are these devices among cyclists?

Craig: Most racers have indoor trainers and there are many good choices out there depending on how you train.  One great way to do it is to get some cycling videos or watch TV or play good music and follow a workout in your garage or basement or living room. We highly recommend them since they really allow you to do the correct intervals without interruptions of cars, lights, climbs ending too soon etc...

Bill: What are the best benefits I can get out of a spin class?

Craig: Fitness. Pedal technique, endurance and a great feeling when you are done!

See also: CBC's article on Indoor Cycling Classes