I don’t really like doing spin class, but I do it when I have to when the weather is bad, if I have time constraints, or when I’m on travel.  It’s good because it gets me into the gym, though.

I’ve done a few spin classes recently, and while on the bike I try to maximize my time there to meet MY needs as a cyclist in training.  Most spin instructors are not competitive cyclists, and the participants are there to get their heart rates as high as possible and to sweat as much as possible!  This makes them feel as if they have done something good for their effort, but it has little return for those of us “training”.  If you are lucky enough to have an instructor who really knows cycling, then that’s a good thing.  I don’t.  I’ve spent these last few classes thinking how to translate my tips to you, to benefit your training over the winter. 

Here’s what I think:

The spin bike set-up:  Getting set up on the bike is always important.  Last thing that you want to do is jack-up your knees on the spin bike.  I try my best to set it up as close to a road bike as possible.  For me, that means that the handle bars are ALL the way down.  My seat is set forward to make a tight cock-pit.  The old manual measurement can serve as a guide: put your elbow on the seat tip and have your fingertips tough the center of the bar (not the big metal chunk in front of the bar).  Seat height for me is just a notch higher than I think…while sitting on the seat with my foot on pedal (at 6:00 position) and my heel down, my knee has a slight bend.  The reason that I raise it a bit higher after that is because I find that I slip down on the seat when actually riding, and then my seat is too low!

Pedaling on the spin bike:  Spin bikes have that huge fly-wheel that will pedal for you.  Don’t let it.  There should always be enough tension (even when spinning ‘easy’) that YOU are controlling the pedals.  You should always feel your feet in contact with the pedals when spinning fast.  Pedaling really fast and out of control bouncing and snapping your knees is just not a good thing.  Spin class and/or winter training are the time to work on your technique and pedal stroke.  Think about these things when you are pedaling:
•    Always maintain contact with the ball of your foot and control of the pedals
•    Push your heel down towards the floor. When doing this, your toes might actually extend and point up (mine do, but that might just be me!). You will feel this in the front of your shins (and may be a little sore later).
•    Your core muscles are always engaged when you are pedaling fast.  Only your legs need to move.
•    PULL, don’t push (in the heel-down position)!  Especially when you are ‘climbing’ or have more resistance on the fly-wheel, be sure to pull up from the back of the pedal stroke; pushing doesn’t happen.  You should feel the ball of your foot pull away from your shoe.

Things I don’t do in spin class:  Like I said, most spin classes are just for exercise for the average person.  Things that I won’t ever do on my bike on the road, I (usually) won’t do in spin class, such as:
•    Bob up and down or back and forth!  What’s that all about?  All that does is throw your body weight on the pedals and PUSHES (not pulls). Remember: only the legs are moving and the core is engaged.
•    Keep your butt just touching or just above the tip of the seat (to avoid the above). In one class, the instructor had a name for this and it was a part of the work-out: the one-inch…keep your butt only 1-inch off of the seat.  That’s what I do all of the time (with only legs moving and core engaged).
•    Stand straight up & pedal bobbing up and down.  Who does that?
•    Stand and climb at your max for 10 minutes (or whatever).  Ouch! My knees hurt thinking about it.  No one ever does that. I alternate sitting and standing, because that’s what I would do on a bike.
•    When I DO climb, especially when alternating sitting and standing, I add resistance (just like shifting) when I stand up. (I don’t stand and spin fast snapping my knees when I am actually climbing on a bike.)
•    Up & Down: speaking of alternating, that 5 (or whatever) seconds up and 5 down is a waste of time to me.  I try to be more interval-like.  I will sit for a minute or so, and then stand for a minute.  Or try variations, like sitting for a bit, but when you stand pedal as hard as you can for 10-20 seconds, like a sprint finish or an uphill finish if climbing. Just be more controlled and think about what you might actually do on a bike.

Heart rate:  Wear a HR monitor if you can.  This early in the off-season, your goal should NOT be balls to the wall for 45 minutes at threshold! Try to keep your HR lower, more in the endurance range.  Not to say that you can’t build up to threshold during the work-out, but allow a good warm-up AND cool-down.
•    I try to get on the bike as soon as I can to warm-up.  It’s good to get a full hour on the bike, if possible. If I am early enough, I’ll do 1-leg drills, a few minutes for each leg.
•    I also stay on the bike while everyone else is off the bike doing that deep breathing stuff and leg-stretching.  I want to maximize my bike time and can stretch later on my own.

So, there you have it. You got to be bold to do your own thing in a spin class. If I want to sit while everyone else is standing, then sit. Is the tension too high? Turn it down.  Don’t worry what others think. You already know that you are much more fit than them and don’t need to prove it! They probably won’t be lining up next to you this spring at a race.