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Health & Fitness

Spinning at the YMCA

A road trip on a bicycle that doesn't move.

Peddling is fun even if you don’t go anywhere.  This is why I stumble out of bed into my gym clothes early in the morning.

Jamie Adcox, a certified cycling instructor, starts warming up the class at 8:10 a.m. We are riding our stationary bikes at “flat road” resistance.

A black dial is right in back of the handle bars. A red line shows the different levels of difficulty. Turn the dial right until you notice using some strength to make the wheel move consistently. Now, you are riding on a “flat road.”  Riding a real bike with 27 gears will never be this easy.

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Lindsay Poelman, the young woman on my left with reddish brown hair, is already rotating her legs about five times faster than I am.

Lorraine Chan, blue shirt and dark hair, is speeding along at the same pace as
Lindsay.

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I watch the three other women and the one other man, and conclude that
I’m already in last place.

Jamie tells us we are going on some “rolling hills” and demonstrates how we are to move from first, second and third position as we increase and decrease the friction of the wheel. First position is seated with your hands at the post of the handlebars. Hands are midway up the handles when seated or standing at second position. In third position, you are standing with your hands all the way to the end of the handlebars.

“Come on, come on,” Jamie urges.

Lindsay and Lorraine’s legs are racing into a blur. I close my eyes and imagine
my feet twirling on a circle of chrome. I am admiring the vision of my speed
when Jamie encourages the class, “100%, give it 100% of your speed!”

I look down to check my pace. If I was driving on the freeway at this speed, I would get a ticket for going too slow.

Boosted by Jamie’s spirited cheering, my limbs accelerate.

“I’m catching up,” I think.

This is when I notice how hard Jamie is working. Jamie is keeping a blistering pace. She already led a 5:30 a.m. Cardio Strength Training class, but she is powering through whatever fatigue she feels and keeping this class interesting by alternating exercises. I don’t notice the time passing—only the sweat dripping off my head.  Lorraine and Lindsay are soaked but smiling as Jamie has us commence “Jumps.” 

The class stands in third position and hustles for eight seconds then sits and
recovers for four. When we finish the last “Jump,” everyone in class is brushing
the sweat off their faces including Jamie.

It’s nine o’clock in the morning. But it feels like I just got on my bike a few minutes ago. We finish the class with sprints, stretching and a sigh.

Ironically, I don’t feel any of the aches and stiffness I did when I got suited up to come to class. I’m loose and warm all over. Everyone smiles. If you weren’t in the class, you would be wondering why people were so pleased to be sweating.

The offers spinning classes early in the morning and in the evening. People are spinning at 5:15 a.m. I’m not lying. It’s true. You won’t have trouble finding them.

They are peddling as fast as they can but haven’t moved an inch.

Nathan Schauer's other writing can be viewed at his personal blog, Cranky Man

 

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