A balance of Mind-Body-Spirit

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Eat My Dust, Lance!


Today I did my second spinning workout at the Y. It was really hard, but I liked it. Like I mentioned before, it was kind of like running, in that the lights were low and I could veg out if I wanted.

(This is NOT me... but a stock Google photo -- lol -------------------------------->

Dave was our instructor. Nice guy. He has us doing what he called a "stage I" workout. What it was was the first stage of the Tour De France. Oui!

He told us the course layout. We would have a sprint, then a big hill to climb, 26 kilometers of plains, then another sprint and bigger hill, then down the backside of the hill.

What he would do is tell us to adjust the tension of the bike up and down to simulate hills. He told us how to adjust our cadence (pedal revolutions) to 'sprint' or maintain.

So Dave would say something like,

"A big hill is coming. Adjust your tension a full turn, stand up and put your hands in position 3 (further out on the handlebars) and keep up your cadence. Hill is beginning!"

We would and then he would tell us to adjust the tension tighter, the 'hill' was now very, very steep. then,

"Ok, now, don't loosen the tension, but increase your cadence... someone is trying to pass us, but we won't let them!!!"

Like the competitive fool I am, I pedaled my little heart out. My hr was racing. Then he told us we were at the top of the hill and had Lance Armstrong in our dust.

WOOO HOOO!!

I am so silly, I could actaully imagine the hills, the plains, the scenary as Dave spoke. After we climbed a hill, I thought we would get to coast down. But he hold us to release the tension all the way and pedal fast.

"Can you feel the ocean breezes in your face?" he grinned. I smiled back... I could! But it may have been the monster fans they have in that room. They are serious fans and I put my bike right in front of it. Hot flashes, you know.

He told us that we would burn about 500 cal in this class (mine was more like 350), but the guys who race will burn 9000 in a day. Can you imagine?

It was really interesting as he gave little tidbits about the racing they do and the strategy. I learned a lot. It was hard and made me work. I would never do that on a stationary bike alone.

Oh well, I ate back most of the calories with BBQ chips tonight. Gosh, too bad I can't burn 9000 like Lance.. lol

2 comments:

Leonie said...

What a great workout, Cindy! Hey, you worked off the potato crisps! :-)

Cindy said...

It was, Leonie. .and that is a good way to look at it.. I eared the chips! lol

I had another spin workout since I posted this. It was yesterday and Iliked it even more than the first.

We did "Stage II" of the Tour De France. Turns out all the spinning classes at the Y this month will be Tour de France oriented since I guess the race is this month?

She really had us working hard-- I think it is the competitiveness in me, I just love it. I NEVER would have worked that hard if I was on my on. That is a fault of mine, but why I like group classes.

I could not keep up with the instructor or some of the others in teh class, but that is ok and totally allowed. But I did try my best and burned almost 500 cal this time!

I am going back for more torture today... lol


A balance of Mind-Body-Spirit

Thought for the Day


"Good friends are good for your health."

~Irwin Sarason

"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy! And happy people just don't shoot their husbands!"

Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde