Spinning class when it's raining: a reasonable alternative?

AmpedCycle said:

When it rains, it pours, they say. So when it's raining and I'm not out on the road riding, what do you guys think about spinning class? Do you think that it's a reasonable cycling-fitness maintainer? Should I be doing 2 spin classes if they last 40 minutes a piece? Maybe I could do a spin class, and then spend more time on the spin bike?
Input-- feed me!

I think you should capitalise on the fact it is raining and get out there for some riding experience in those conditions. Its clearly a different experience riding in the wet and the knowledge you will gain may come in useful.
I suppose you could argue the chances of injury increase in the wet so its a good idea not to bother but if it rains when you are racing you what will you do?

Also food for thought. I've not tried spin classes, but from what I've heard they are geared not toward those training to race, but toward high intensity cardio workouts. If you intend to race next season spin classes may push you up into hr zones that are a bit higher than recommended for training at this time of the year. Anyway rain isnt so bad.... says the Seattleite

Not sure anything makes up for really being outside, but you could look for a spin class/instructor that focuses on racing if that's what you were after. Might mean you have to find an alternative to the place you're already going to.

http://www.sftriclub.org/training/bike/spin/

I think the difference between a road workout and a spin class is the difference between a muscular strength workout and a muscular endurance workout. Too many of each will have your musles adapting to that specific aspect of fitness. Remember the 'Principle of Specificity.'

Ian

Go to a LBS and ask if they know of any places that do race prep courses, or if they put anything like that on. At the shop I work at we have 3 different classes, all using tackx ergo trainers and the people have to bring their own bikes. 2 classes are just for fun and fitness, and 1 is for race prep and does higher intensity workouts and intervals.

If you bike for fitness or shorter race goals, such as the bike leg of an Olympic or sprint triathlon, - which is what I do - spin class is IMO a great alternative. As others have noted, it would not be a proper training substitute if your goal is a 100 mile road race.

During winter months & on really rainy days, I do a spin class at a local club as an alternative to the real thing. The teachers are roadies, they work within a defined and calendared workout system to cover various types of 'rides' and intensities, many of the spinners are roadies and it is frankly a fun group of people. Classes last an hour. For me, it is far more enjoyable than using my trainer in the basement by myself.

My strength for my rides (30-40 miles) come springtime is much better with spinning than without. Spinning has its limitations - in spring my ability to power once I exceed 35 miles is lacking.

Eden said:

If you intend to race next season spin classes may push you up into hr zones that are a bit higher than recommended for training at this time of the year.

Your HR in a spin class may go high for reasons other than exertion (e.g., very high cadence, or lack of cooling/large fan). On the other hand there's no reason whatsoever why you can't ride at high intensities at any time of the year, other than e.g., if you did that every day -- 1) you may end up very fatigued, and 2) it may not target your specific fitness requirements

ric

ric_stern/RST said:

Your HR in a spin class may go high for reasons other than exertion (e.g., very high cadence, or lack of cooling/large fan). On the other hand there's no reason whatsoever why you can't ride at high intensities at any time of the year, other than e.g., if you did that every day -- 1) you may end up very fatigued, and 2) it may not target your specific fitness requirements

ric

This leads me to a somewhat related question. If you are using HR Zone based training are you short changing yourself if you workout indoors?(which I do during the week because it gets dark very early here -rain I'll do, but I don't feel comfortable riding hard or fast in the dark) I do notice that inside on the trainer even with a fan it feels more difficult to maintain any certain HR than it does outside. I've noticed that this has become less over the time I've been using the trainer, but its still there to an extent.

Eden said:

This leads me to a somewhat related question. If you are using HR Zone based training are you short changing yourself if you workout indoors?(which I do during the week because it gets dark very early here -rain I'll do, but I don't feel comfortable riding hard or fast in the dark).

I can workout at anytime of the day, but i still workout on the trainer in poor weather conditions. In the dark i would not hesitate to recommend working out on the trainer rather than risking anything. even if their was some advantage to working out in your race specific environment (which there is to a marginal extent) it's better to be slightly underfit and alive, rather than fitter and dead (i know you can get hit by a car at anytime of the day, but i'd rather people didn't risk their lives).

Quoted post said:

I do notice that inside on the trainer even with a fan it feels more difficult to maintain any certain HR than it does outside. I've noticed that this has become less over the time I've been using the trainer, but its still there to an extent.

it should be easier to maintain a *higher* HR indoors due to poor cooling. however, for many people it is easier to maintain a higher power output outdoors rather than indoors, due in part to cooling issues and the inertial load of the trainer (which are generally very small).

the more you train indoors the more you get used to it

ric