Ideas to Keep Spinning Fun

On the surface, Spinning looks like a pretty simple exercise program. A group of people on stationary bikes follow the lead of the instructor, who employs a set of moves to guide the group through a workout.

Since the five core movement types comprise most workouts (seated flat, standing flat, seated climb, standing climb, and jumps), things can become a little tedious if you aren't careful. Here are a couple of lists of things to try that will make your workout more exciting (one is geared more for riders and the other is more for instructors).

For riders:

1. Try different clubs and/or instructors. Even if your club only offers one instructor, you can often go to another gym and take their Spinning classes for a fee (or see if you can get a free pass). Every instructor, though all taught the same principles, varies their workouts greatly.

2. Use a heart rate monitor. Using a monitor can make your workout more effective and challenging. Trying to stay in the target range for different moves is more challenging than it might seem. It also gives you something else to focus on during class, which can make the time go by more quickly.

3. If you have a bike at home try watching a Spinning DVDs and following along with the riders. Spinning DVDs offer coaching, terrain variations that match what you are viewing on screen, and music.

4. Switch up your workout type. Make sure that you are doing not only interval workouts, but that you are also trying out strength, cardio, and race day workouts. Don't forget to have a recovery ride after you've had a race day or tough strength work out.

5. Take time off! It's okay to jog, swim, or even just relax for a while. Some Spinning enthusiasts get really hard core into Spinning workouts and don't take time to enjoy other activities that will challenge the body in different ways than a ride does. Pilates and yoga are great supplements to Spinning.

For instructors:

1. Have a contest or themed ride. I held a "name that tune" style contest with TV theme songs and gave prizes to the winners. It was a lot of fun and was a way to get publicity for the Spinning class at my gym.

2. Incorporate heart monitors into your class workouts. While not everyone has a heart rate monitor, encourage those who do to wear it to class. Then let them know where there rate should be at for each movement of the ride.

3. Incorporate the Spinning weight loss program for a class. This is a great way to attract the casual gym client into trying a Spinning class. The information and booklets will help you track the participants' weight goals and progress.