Spin class leaves them 'soaked'
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Aerobics instructor Harry Crosby gets his spin class pumped at Courthouse Racquet Club in this file photo.
One good thing about spin classes is that participants can work at their own pace.
Another, of course, is that it’s a great cardio workout. And if you plan on riding outside as well, it can be a good training ground.
“Some of the things in the class mimic what you see outdoors,” said Karen Lindsey-Lloyd, spin instructor at the Baptist Healthplex in Clinton.
You don’t have the music when you’re outside, but the course does prepare you for climbing and descending hills, jumps — “you come up off your seat and go down,” she said — and other features of the outside terrain.
“You feel it in your hamstrings and quads,” she said, “and it’s excellent cardio because there’s speed involved. … You control how hard you want it to be.”
Stationery bikes in Lindsey-Lloyd’s spin class feature a 40-pound flywheel in front and settings to adjust your resistance level and speed. And although the narrow seats can be uncomfortable, “you can get gel seat covers at Target,” she said. “But we also have them in class, and you can wear padded shorts.”
Lindsey-Lloyd encouraged anyone interested in a spin class to make sure their instructor is certified.
For general information on group exercise spin classes, visit http://spinning.com.
