In keeping up with my goal to try out all the “pay-as-you-go” classes McGill Athletics has to offer this semester, I decided to test out the waters of a spinning class yesterday evening. Spinning, similar to Zumba last week, was a workout I had yet to experience. Biking has never been my favorite pastime or means of exercising, but I had heard great reviews about spinning as a workout from friends, so I figured I might as well try it out at least once.
Not surprisingly, the friends who had promised to tag along bailed on me at the last minute and I found myself once again trying something for the first time all on my own. Luckily I was feeling very optimistic and thankful that it wasn’t a dance class; the likelihood of me embarrassing myself was much smaller than it was last week.
When I got to the spinning room the instructor and around a dozen other people were already setting up their bikes. Unlike the Zumba class, there were already some males who had shown up, looking ever-so intense and experienced as they adjusted their seats and handle bars on their bikes. It was at this moment when my optimism for the class was quickly replaced with skepticism- I had absolutely no clue how to adjust my seat or handle bars on the bike, let alone to what position. It must have been obvious that I was completely clueless and new to the class, because the instructor, a very fit, young and blonde girl, came over to assist me. She asked me if this was my first time at a spin class and I did not hesitate to admit that yes, it was my first time spinning. She enlightened me on how and where to adjust the seat and handlebars of the bike, and within minutes I was on the bike, with my feet tightly fastened into the paddle straps, ready to spin.
The total workout was just over forty-five minutes long, however it felt as if it went on for hours. After the first song I was already drenched in sweat and completely out of breath. The way spinning works is that there are four positions you take- sitting, squatting, sprinting or standing. I found each position challenging and the more tension you added (by turning the tension wheel one spin around or backwards at the discretion of the instructor) the harder pedaling became. Sprinting with added tension was definitely not my strong suit, however, I managed to somewhat successfully tackle the standing position. The squatting position is one to which I hope to never return. The pain that position brought me is indescribable. Had my mother been there I probably would have removed myself from the bike and run into her arms for comfort- it was that bad.
When the class was finally over and I stepped off the bike, my legs were shaking to the point that I didn’t know whether or not I could walk. I consider myself a rather fit individual but this class literally took everything out of me. Walking up to the stairs to the girls change room was unbearable and I could not stop sweating. When I got home to my apartment the only thing I could do was lie on my bed. Notwithstanding the fact that when I woke up this morning my legs hurt even more than they did after the class ended, I’m also positive that the spin class will become routine on my Friday evenings. Friends have told me that spinning becomes a little bit easier each time you go and I am hoping that this is true.
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