Spin Class

"Take a spin class" has been on my ToDo list since like 2008. Well, I finally managed to cross it off, and I've continued to go back. IT IS A TON OF FUN!!! Seriously, it is probably the most fun cross-training activity I've tried thus far. It is the right blend of recovery and challenging. Plus, there is music. It kind of feels like what I would imagine an 80's jazzercise class to be, except on bikes, which also helps because I have almost no coordination despite taking dance classes for 10yrs of my life.

Anyways, taking the class reminded me of something that I still don't understand... percent effort. I understand effort-level expressed as "5k", "10k", "tempo", "all out", stuff like that. I don't understand 50%, 75%, 80%, etc., especially when the increments get really close. Percent of what? What are the bounds? Is 0% no movement? Or is it easy? Is 100% like a 100m sprint? My 100% marathon pace is a heck of a lot different than a 100% of my 100m pace. I understand other cues much more easily, like when the instructor indicated that 90% should be the hardest "gear" we could put it in and still maintain a smooth circle.  I'm guessing that the percent effort terminology comes from heartrate monitoring, but as I don't track that, I don't have a concrete metric.

Anyways, I'm still working on figuring that all out. For now, I've resorted to trying to match the instructor's cadence, and adjusting the resistance if it feels too easy/hard. But, one thing I did figure out after my first class... white yoga shorts are not a good choice for spin class. Actually, I knew this before I took the class, but the girl in front of us was wearing them and reminded me of that. In fact, I'm not quite sure when white shorts are ever a good idea, but I'm not exactly a fashion maverick.  

So, in conclusion, spin class is definitely more interesting than riding an exercise bike. Plus, I kind of feel like a dork walking into the gym with a book.