tact, you haz none

[antimony]

Ugh, this spin class substitute instructor.

If I come up to you after class, pull you aside where there are no other people, and quietly tell you that the reason I asked if we could have the lights on wasn't because I wanted to see the readout on the bike (which is also nice to be able to do) but because I can't hear you over the music without lipreading and didn't want to shout that with everyone there (work gym, so these are coworkers), the correct response is:

1. Turn away from me (music still on) while replying.
2. Walk back into the group of people.
3. Shout, oh, you wanted to LIPREAD, you should have said something then.
4. All of the above.

hint: none of these answers are correct.

I could have gone to gaming at lunchtime and then done one of my podcast spin sessions and had a better workout, blah. Especially since she was big on having us grind in very tough gears while seated, which is a quick way for me to re-tweak my knees, because I can push them harder than they can really take and not feel it until later.

Comments

[irilyth]

> I could have gone to gaming at lunchtime and then done one of my podcast spin sessions and had a better workout, blah.

I've only done a little bit of what I guess is now called "spinning", and never in a class or with an instructor, but it seemed to me like a pretty solitary activity, and not one that would really benefit from having a class or an instructor. What do you like about it, such that you *don't* just always go by yourself?

[antimony]

Spinning classes are specifically instructor-led interval training on a stationary bicycle -- having someone prompt you to do various different things is useful. Plus, there's music, which makes it easier to keep a steady fast cadence. It's really tough to do all-out intervals while having to count off the intervals yourself -- I even do straight Tabata intervals to a recording, because I don't push as hard if I'm looking at the timer.

I don't personally feel any need for company, but I like variety in the music used and the types of intervals/prompting -- so when the usual instructor is there, it's great. This one was much less good at instructing, aside from the fact I could only hear about a third of the instructions.

I have a bunch of podcasts from www.trihardist.com which I really like if I'm going to the gym by myself, but they don't change.

[irilyth]

In my intermittent stationary biking, I recall there being programmed things, which I did some of, so I was envisioning being able to have the bike tell you what to do approximately as well as an instructor could. :^) But maybe it's not that simple. Your other comments about it make sense, anyway.