The Workout Report: Spinning my heart out!

Last night I was supposed to work out with RD at her house. We were supposed to do a few Jillian Michaels DVD's for the fun of it, but at the last minute RD had to cancel to take care of some business. So, what's a girl to do when she does not feel like being in charge of  her own gym workout?  She takes a class! I looked at my watch and I noticed I could still make it to the last class of the night at Bally's. The last class was reaction cycling (aka.. spinning). Now I love spinning because it is a great lower body muscle enhancing workout and an endurance workout all in one. It really gets the whole body moving and you can become totally consumed in the process. I offer spin at my fitness boutique in Germantown as well, (there weren't any spin classes last night though...Tuesday is yoga) and the instructor that teaches it is amazing! Not to say that last night's instructor at Bally's wasn't good but she is no Alana. Alana teaches the spin classes at The Well Loft (my fitness studio) and she is awesome! She really gets the class excited. She keeps the momentum going by empowering you to move faster, slower, harder and better. Her voice is commanding without being over bearing and she really supports all efforts and all levels. She also keeps you safe, which is big!

Alana an awesome indoor cycling instructor!

Now, I notice when I speak to people about doing spin classes that I either get two reactions. They either say...I love spin...or it's too hard ( in a whiny baby voice)! Now, I would understand if someone said I don't like to spin but to say it's "too hard" is such a freakin' cop out! All exercise is hard ...that's why they call it a work out....hello!!!! It's just that when it comes to a spin class the challenge is that you are moving at a pace that the instructor dictates without little to no deviations. The bike is designed to keep you in the proper form and you have to have certain degrees of tension to ride against or you won't be able to to do some of the commands like standing or hovering. To not have the proper tension resistance it would be noticeable, unsafe and plain out weird feeling. What I am referring to is if you were standing up on the bike riding and the tension was at a low level you would be falling into the pedals without getting a good burn to the thighs (quadriceps) and your legs would buckle which is unsafe and not correct. This is why people say it's too hard because they have to work at a high level. However, if they just relax into the work, embrace the discomfort and listen to the instructor (even take a brief rest) they will experience an amazing workout that will deliver them outstanding results and a great pair of legs to boot! Then what was once hard will become easier!