Spinners out there? Ideas for workouts?

kathryn

kathryn

Cathlete
I decided to buy myself a spin bike as an early BD present, since I've been looking for an alternative form of cardio that I can add to my kickboxing and step workouts (biking is supposed to be more knee friendly, and can help tone up the lower body), and I found a good price on a good bike on ebay. While I'm waiting for the gizmo to arrive, I want to get some workouts so I have something to start with. I'm sure I'm not up to "spinervals" level (they sound really tough), but I'm looking for a good intermediate workout that would be good for beginners (I don't think I want an actual "beginner" workout, if one exists, because if they are anything like "beginner" workouts in other cardio, I'd be bored quickly). I want something I can grow with.

There are two cycling videos at Collage video that look interesting: one by Jay Blanik and one by Robert Sherman. Does anyone have either of these? I've looked at the short previews (wish everyone had loooong previews like Cathe!) and Robert Sherman seems to whisper seductively to the (men in the? ;-) ) class. I might find that annoying.
 
Kathryn, I just got my spin bike and I did Jay Blanik's Precision Cycling this morning. I thought it was a good workout (about 40 minutes, I think). He's motivating without being annoying and his instruction is good. I think its a pretty good tape to grow with for awhile. I recognized some of the music from IMax 1. Now that I've done the tape once, I'm going to push myself a little harder next time. HTH!
 
Thanks, Angela. The teeny tiny preview I saw of it looked pretty good, but it's always better to have someone else's POV.

By the way: HTH? "here's to health"?
 
I have Mindy Mylrea's sport cycle and like it alot. She makes it easy to adjust the tension to fit your own fitness level.
The only other ones i have are Johnny G spin 2 which i don't care for.
I have two spinervals which are killer, and have three more on the way. They are certainly something you need to work up to!
 
Wendy, I have Sports Cycle as well but have only previewed it. I'm normally not that picky about production quality, but I was very distracted by how poor the quality of this video is even though the content of the workout seems very good. Is your tape like this as well or did I get a dud?
 
Hi Kathryn! I have both Mindy & Jay's tapes and like them both, although I tend to reach for Jay's more often. (At least I did when I was spinning more-nursing a ham injury for the past 5 or so weeks.) Both are good to build with and if you give it your all in both, it will be a looong time til you outgrow them. Have fun with your new bike! Let us know what you decide.

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Well, I have to say that I LOVE Spinervals. I don't really think any spinning workout is easy or beginner level. I think they can ALL grow with you. You up the tension when you can. If you are feeling weak that day you use a bit of a lower tension. I would check out Jay's and also try a Spinerval. My favorites are Uphill Grind and Muscle Breakdown. I haven't tried the new ones yet, but they just got here!

Most people seem to either like the spin class type set up of Jay's and others, or the training aspect of Spinervals. I hope to train for a triathlon this summer and so the training aspect of Spinervals really appeals to me. I'm pretty good at pretending I'm in the race too;-)

You'll have fun with your bike either way. It is such an awesome non-impact, intense workout! It also works your legs like crazy!

Andrea
 
Well, I am a huge Spinerval fan (suffer-o-rama and uphillgrind). Love them. I also have Jay's precision workout. I like it but always reach for my spinerval.

Someone posted recently that she gets on her bike during the cardio segments of boot camp. I think that is a brillian idea. I have also heard of some people spinning to Imax.

Lisa
 
Thanks for the ideas! Keep 'em coming!
I've decided to get Mindy's workout (just ordered) and Jay's (soon to be ordered!). That should keep me for a while at least, but I like variety!
 
What type of spinning bike is considered good quality? My husband likes to cycle and that might be a great birthday present for him.

Margie
 
Margie, I have the StarTrac bike and love it. I know there is also Schwinn (maybe they don't make them anymore?) and the new LeMond Revmaster. You might check out forum.videofitness.com. Lots of spin bike info there.

Andrea
 
I take spin classes. If you are able to push yourself on your own then I don't see why you can't do it at home. Spin is also very mental and imagery motivated. The music at the club helps with this.
It's really up to you. You can do anything you like.
Trevor :)
 
Angela,
Yes, the production quality isn't that great, but the workout is pretty good. I like the way mindy has you adjust tension on the scale of 1-10, and i like that the sets don't last that long, so the I don't get bored as quickly. However, i've done the workout so many times, i do bore now. My spinervals came yesterday and i can't wait to start using them!
 
RE: Spinervals question

I really want to get some of the Spinervals workouts, but I'm concerned about being able to adjust the tension on my bike to match Troy's gear instructions. There is a conversion chart at the Spinervals site, but I'm wondering if any of you Spinervals users have any advice on doing the workouts on a spin bike without "gears."
 
I recently got Spinervals 10.0 Ride & Stride. I don't run and don't have a treadmill: I used my rebounder for the running part. The time flew by, and the change-up was really fun to me. I didn't have any shoe problems because I don't have clips for my spin bike. I was too lazy and just kept the baskets. Glad I did... This is a workout I'm going to try to do once a week. Also just got 11.0 Big Gear Strength. Haven't done it yet, but I've read some reviews and all agree it's a killer. I've tried all the other vids mentioned above, but find that Spinervals are really the most challenging, if that's what you're after. And I agree that they can be adapted by adjusting the tension to a lower level.

The new Spinervals' music seems to have gotten a little better. The original tapes' music is really awful, IMO, but they are still killer workouts!

Hope you love your new spin bike! Just make sure you get some good padded shorts, or your legs won't be the only thing that's sore! :D
 
RE: Spinervals question

Angela,
I use a spin bike with tension and my trainer(depending on my training mood for the day)! IMHO they are different workouts riding wise (to me)! That's why I like to switch up and go from switching gears to tension rides! However, They are evenly just as effective in cardio and lowerbody training ! If you have a bike with gears and are doing spinervals, load up (or decrease)the intensity when Coach troy says to switch gears(if it's suppose to be intense and you are not feeling it,then kick it up a notch or 2-it's your workout,so OWN it! No matter which one you have , it's all about knowing How to PUSH yourself and When! So Use those gears or tensions as your personal weapons! It's all up to the individual in the saddle to make it a great workout or a so-so one!


Kathryn, you cracked me up when you said,"Robert Sherman seems to whisper seductively to the (men in the? ) class. " Not knowing him and watching his vid you would think he's eyeing them up hahahaha He is such a DEEP person! His eyes LOOK right through you and he has this power to make you focus in on him(eye to eye combat) and he pushes you out of your comfort zone while at the same time giving you a mind body connection! He is such a wonderful instructor/ trainer who really knows his stuff ! I recommend his Cia spinning tape which has 2 45 rides on it,(think OOP)however one of the rides is cycle reebok workout which can be bought off of collage! His cueing and form is always impeccable but the way he gets you in tune with yourself is very powering! If you want to see how deep and controlled this guy gets check out his yoga,it is AMAZING! I can't say enough good things about Robert and his instructing skills!Awesome Intructor!
 
This whole Spinervals thing is interesting to me. Never heard of it. True spin workouts are done on bikes with no gears, just tension knobs. The whole gear thing defeats the purpose to me. A "5" to me might be different than a "5" to someone else. So for an instructor to tell a class what gear to be in is not useful to me. You should dial in your own "5" or whatever tension is specific to yourself.
Also in the class I take we spend most of the time off of the saddle. That's where the real output is and what really gets the heart moving. That's also why when you race bikes outside they tell you to stay down on the saddle as long as possible on hills. You expend less this way.
Trevor
 
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