Spinning = better MTB riding?

Discussion in 'Racing and Training' started by capnsavem, Nov 28, 2007.

  1. capnsavem

    capnsavem DAN THE MAN

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    my wife takes spinning classes all the time at the gym.

    i've done one, and it was a near-death experience.

    but... i'm beginning to think i can use these spinning classes to actually improve my trailriding?

    who takes spinning classes? and do you notice a marked improvement in your riding?
     
  2. BSki

    BSki New Member

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    Good way to increase cardio and decrease leg strength. These classes are at such high intensity, you burn more muscle then you do fat in the 1 hour class.

    Ride more in higher gears and push harder.
     
  3. sdyeti

    sdyeti New Member

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    I go to spin once a week. It helps me practice sprinting (I race, so that's an important thing for me).

    It's also nice because it's hard for me to find a good place to do speedwork in my neighborhood (I use the MTB Training Program by James Wilson and anaerobic intervals are part of the workout, as well as weights, stability exercises, etc).

    Also, it sounds corny, but being in front of a mirror makes me pay attention to my form.
     
  4. foofighter

    foofighter Ride More Talk Less

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    i notice though as I am starting to push higher gears im feeling it in my knees post ride...so i just have to be careful about not pushing too big a gear
     
  5. sdyeti

    sdyeti New Member

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    If you have a good spin instructor, their classes should not be just spinning at a high cadence for an hour. Our instructor does a lot of hills, lots of big gears, slow cadence, etc. to keep it balanced.

     
  6. OMR

    OMR Old Man Riding...

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    A believer...

    I won a lot of races spinning up the mountain, rather than pushing large gears. It will make you faster and your heart and knees will love you for it.

    I just don't understand if I like spinning so much, why am I riding a single speed???
     
  7. sdyeti

    sdyeti New Member

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    Check your position. Seat too far forward = sore knees. With your feet level on pedals, your knees should be over your "laces".

    Also, sore knees from a hard gear could be using too much quad and pedaling in squares, not circles.

     
  8. Fired Yo Momma

    Fired Yo Momma Kenny Powers!!!

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    My Girlfriend takes spinning classes at 24Hr Fit and she comes back telling how tired she is and hard it was. So she has been asking me take a class with her thinking that I will breeze through the class. It sounds to me that these classes are pretty intense
     
  9. sdyeti

    sdyeti New Member

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    I go to 24Hr Fit, too.

    It's easy to cheat by adding less resistance than the instructor has in mind, but if you push it, you will walk away feeling like you got a good workout.

     
  10. PacMan

    PacMan New Member

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    I used to go to Spin classes twice a week and I didn't think they were that bad. They helped my MTB'ing a little bit. Then I started SS'ing and haven't done a spin class since.
     
  11. foofighter

    foofighter Ride More Talk Less

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    thanks i'll have to check my position...but i think you're right about not pedaling in circles.
     
  12. allison

    allison Active Member

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    do you want to get faster on fire roads, or be a better singletrack technical climber?

    While I agree that it would help your fitness a lot (especially if you don't ride during the week) and probably make you a bit faster, it won't give you technical skills. When Justin and I spent a bunch of time climbing fire roads last winter we lost a bit of technical climbing for a month or so before regaining it :D
     
  13. sdyeti

    sdyeti New Member

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    The Lee McCormack/B. Lopes book has a whole section about pedaling in smooth circles. It's a lot to take in, but basically, focus on pushing your foot across the top and bottom of your pedal stroke and it should start to smooth out.

    Also, neglecting the hamstrings pulling up can be a problem.

     
  14. northshore

    northshore Active Member

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    Funny...I'm going to my first one tonight. Should be interesting.
     
  15. sdyeti

    sdyeti New Member

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    Good points. I think, though, that doing spin helped me on the Goat Camp trail and in Sedona. some of these were singletrack and technical, others were smooth and steep. I think a well-balanced rider should have both skillz. :)

    Bring a sweat-towel :)

     
  16. mp3

    mp3 mirroring the trail

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    I say mix it into your training.

    I used to go to spin class but now I use a stationary ergometer (just a glorified spin bike that has power output data) a couple times a week in the winter. The upside is I can set a really high resistence for a hard workout indoors and I don't have to worry about breathing in alot of cold air and getting a cold like I have in the past when doing intervals outside.
     
  17. kanga

    kanga Active Member

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    Some friends of mine run Spin Classes and race XC and endurance events. They invited me to join them for a month of sessions while I was staying with them, and I have to say that the workouts were really intense and very helpful. They both race road and mountain. After a month of spinning 3x a week, as well as putting in miles on a real bike, I raced and did much better than I thought I would. It definitely is helpful for fitness and pedal technique, but Allison is correct... no skills benefit. Mix it up with real dirt miles and it's a surprisingly good. If winter ever arrives and we get rained in, I might seek out another spin class...
     
  18. jcbikeski

    jcbikeski New Member

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    Using too much quad is often related to the seat being too low which also makes doing a full circle harder. Still even with ideal fit and technique you need to slowly build into it or your knees could get injured -- so when they hurt back off back to a spin, do some quad stretches then try again later. Cranking hard off the saddle doesn't seem as hard on my knees.
     
  19. foofighter

    foofighter Ride More Talk Less

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    ive been forcing myself to get out of the saddle and pedal periodically to change things up so that helps as well. I think i've been just spinning more and only recently have i started to middlering things so that may have somethign to do w/ it.
     
  20. Jman

    Jman Live Free, Ride Hard

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    I don't have the smoothest pedal stroke in the world and while my postioning on the bike isn't bad I noticed that when I make sure to have at least two sessions in my garage gym set-up things just work better. I don't worry to much about the quads (my riding and running take care of those) but I do concentrate on all of the other muscles in the legs, especially the hamstrings. Doing this for the last 6 months or so has to a decrease in both muscle soreness and knee soreness. I do calves, hamstrings as well as the inner and outer thighs (I think its called adductors and abductors??) as well as these strange hip raise thingys I saw on Runnersworld.com that seem to help as well.

    A spin class sounds interesting but I'm already spending nearly 100 bux a month on Aikido so I doubt I'll get into a proper gym.
     

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