mwz: Day 18
Spin class today. It went better than it did on Saturday. I paced myself more evenly, so I still had something left at the end.
The class lasted for an hour and I did pretty well. Only during the last little bit did I feel like throwing up. That's an improvement.
One thing that I find odd about spin class is that at the beginning we stretch our upper body but we don't do our legs until the end. I wonder if we are supposed to stretch our legs before we get on?
One more thing, I was trying to describe the difference between a spin bike and a stationary bike to M&D and I said that it was like the wheel was a 45 lb plate. I didn't think it was that heavy but it turns out that it is 41 lbs (so I was pretty close).
mwz
posted by mwz @ 7:44 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that stretching before a workout helps in any way. It's useful however to stretch out your arms to get the body moving and the blood flowing, which is especially helpful in those butt-crack-of-dawn spin classes. What's good in a warm-up: 5-10 min 'grace period' to give your heart a chance to wake up, and putting your body through the motions that it'll be going through during the workout itself, only a little easier than the workout itself.
The 'flywheel' is in fact very heavy, which makes it a bit dangerous when it's moving very fast (if your foot ever slips out of the pedal in a sprint, stop by braking and not by sticking your foot back in the pedal because you could break your foot). When the flywheel carries momentum that's called a 'propelled flywheel' and most people prefer that because it's more like a road bike.
Way to stick with the program! You're going to kick ass at that triathlon, or at least get through it without dying or coming in last which is always my goal in a race.
I guess spin instructors all watch the same instruction video or at least have banded together against pre-class leg stretching.
I learned about the break today. That could prove to be handy as the last class my foot came out of the pedals. It was hard to stop the thing.
mwz
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