The Wake

Comedian Denis Leary, who smokes like a chimney and guzzles longnecks, isn’t a ringing endorsement on the state of health in America, but had insightful commentary on exercise in one of his bits. “I’m not a workout guy, but I understood Nautilus. It made sense. There were arm machines and leg machines. But have you seen these people who are using the stair-master? Huh? Have we turned into gerbils ladies and gentlemen?”

It isn’t the stair-master and it may still be on a stationary bike, but there’s certainly nothing stationary about it. Simply put, a spinning class would send Denis Leary into convulsions. Spinning classes at the University Rec Center have become the workout du jour for those looking for a cardiovascular ass-kicking. As far as group therapy goes, spinning is yoga’s evil twin. The group dynamic is still there, but the pace is frenetic and nobody’s working on their chakras.

“It’s definitely a group thing. You’re all in it together,” says “U” senior Kelly Koester, one of the spinning instructors. Unlike sitting apathetically on a stationary bike reading old issues of Shape magazine, Koester says spinning is much more intense. “You feel exhausted when you’re done,” she says.

Spinning is a relatively new exercise that started out in California like many other fitness programs. Think of it as an indoor group ride with a drill instructor. The instructor barks out commands to the riders telling them when to speed up, slow down and add resistance to simulate hills.

The bike itself looks like something an elderly couple might donate to Goodwill. It bears no resemblance to the computerized stationary bikes today that are a few steps away from pedaling the bike for you. The spinning bike works on a flywheel and getting it started is just like starting a real bike from a dead stop. Once the bike gets moving, the rider can “spin” the pedals just like a regular bike.

The popularity at the Rec has steadily increased since its inception in January 1998.

“The majority of classes are full,” says fitness program manager Lisa Lemler. “Back in 1998 [the fitness program] had half the amount of spinning bikes it has now.”

Lemler says strong marketing pushed the program and word of mouth has taken care of the rest. Spinning instructors have even worked with the University rugby and gymnastic teams.

Every class has a broad range of participants. Everyone from triathletes to the guy who supersizes his McDonald’s to the campus Greek trying to shed 75 pounds days before Spring Break spin together.

“For beginners we work with their pacing so they don’t over exert themselves too early,” says Lemler.

For passers-by, spinning classes can look like a crazed band of athletes trying to power half of downtown Minneapolis. The instructor’s screaming, music’s blaring, and people look completely exhausted. But there is a method to the madness. Instructors want to provide an exhilarating and fun atmosphere while motivating everyone in the class.

Koester, who has been a spinning instructor for a year and a half says one spinning class can change her entire day.

“If I ever go into [spinning class] and I’m having a bad day, I’ll always leave in a good mood because it’s an aggressive sport, you can go as fast and hard as you want.”

Instructors have set drills for each class. Some drills want to simulate a grueling hill climb, while others create the sense of biking rolling hills. The instructor’s imagination keeps classes engaging. Regardless of the drill, the end result will certainly leave riders in a sweaty shirt clinging to their heaving bodies.

The instructor motivates each rider to challenge themselves, but the riders dictate their own pace.

“It’s a very personal program. You’re in control of your own ride. You could just as easily lower the resistance and glide through class if you wanted,” says Lemler. So even if the instructor says, “Start pedaling up that hill!” you could be pretending to glide down Mount St. Helen’s.

“It’s different every class,” says Koester who claims a rider can burn up to 700 calories an hour if they’re really chugging along. That’s almost enough to work off a Double Quarter-Pounder with Cheese.

But spinning isn’t a non-stop, lung-collapsing sprint. The sessions can run anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour so there’s occasional times to rest. Yet one peek into the exercise room and occasional rest seems like the furthest thing from the program.

Misery loves company and nothing’s more emblematic of that than spinning classes. People bring on their own misery with fast-paced spinning or they can get a sufficient workout spinning at a slower pace. It all depends on the individual.

Koester says those that come to their first spinning class mention its difficulty, but usually end up coming back.

“It’s highly addicting,” says Lemler.