Another spinning class

I sat in the back today so I could observe the styles of different participants and make mental notes of the instructor's program.

There's the mad-spinner who thinks that you don't get a workout unless you're pedaling a zillion rpm. (It doesn't help when the leader thinks that the best riders are the ones who pedal so fast they're nearly out of control.)

The leader doesn't vary his program very much. Today he proudly proclaimed that the "cyclists" in the class aren't going to like these moves very much. He had us do some "hovers" where we had to alternate placing a arm behind our backs.

Then of course there were the "freezes". He takes a DVD (his "favorite" one or a book) and places it on some poor rider's head to see how long they can keep it up there. I think it's really a chance for him to get a rest because he's off the bike for a while. I'm not sure the "burn" from this maneuver his worth it -- see Jennifer Sage's e-book, See "Keep it Real".

My favorite contraindicated move was a tie between "backward hovers", and alternating between pedaling forward and backwards. (I didn't pedal backwards; this puts too much force on the knees and I'm trying not to provoke my left knee, the one on my "expensive" leg.)

All in all the instructor is quite good. He engages us in mock competitions between the various rows. The music is good too and he encourages us to make suggestions. And he knows every student by name and makes sure to establish "touch points".