Jul
01
So, I promised you an answer to the question, “In a spinning class involving the “Makeover” gals and me, who would collapse first?” Let me preface my answer by saying that when we first started talking about this spinning class, I was terrified. Not that the ladies themselves are terrifying — Kiki, Melissa and Kathleen are just as beautiful in person as they are every month in the magazine, and working on the “Makeover of a Lifetime” this year has truly awesome. The ladies are always excited and inspiring. (Even when I signed them up for a surprise boot camp workout; stay tuned for our September issue!) I’ve been lucky to work with them.
No, I was terrified because, as I’ve mentioned before, my current workout routine is a little, um, sporadic. And after almost eight months of working with their personal trainer and ramping up their physical activity outside of the gym, these ladies are fit.
So, despite my fears, I fished my running shoes out of the bottom of my closet, strapped two bras to my body (I’m currently between exercise bras) and joined the ladies at the gym, Totum Life Science in Toronto.
Stacy Irvine, the ladies’ personal trainer and our spinning instructor, led us to a room with five stationary bikes lined up across the centre. (Intimidating.) Then she gave us special shoes to wear, with clips on the bottom. When we mounted our bikes, the shoes locked into the pedals. A tip for beginners: If you’re trying spinning for the first time, get to class 15 minutes early. Once you get on the bike, everything has to be adjusted. Depending on your height, your instructor might want to raise or lower the seat, slide the handlebars forwards or backwards, etc. I think the spinner who had my bike before I did must have been a giant; we had to do a lot of adjusting before my 5-ft. tall body could reach the pedals.
Finally, Stacy switched on some rockin’ music and mounted her bike, and we began.
Spinning’s intense. You do all of the things you would do if you were riding a bike outside — ride up and down hills, vary your pace — but it’s structured as a workout, with an instructor telling you when to speed up, slow down, stand up as you pedal, sit back and pedal like mad, etc. When we were approaching a “hill,” Stacy would warn us. Then she’d tell us to increase our tension (by turning a little knob on our bikes) as we pushed and heaved our way to the “top.” On the way “down,” we released all the tension and pedalled as furiously as we could. Later in the workout, we did what felt a little to me like dancing: We rode to the beat of the music. With the music blaring, you could almost get caught up in the momentum and forget that you’re in physical pain. Almost. By the end, I half-toppled off the bike; my arms and legs felt weak (and my butt was KILLING ME).
I would have taken more photos, but every time I got off my bike, the ladies heckled me for taking a rest. But here’s one last photo — proof that I kept up with them and was still standing by the end:
(A rare photo of Kiki not smiling. Also, see the lovely Stacy reflected in the mirror, taking the photo? Now, see her pregnant belly? Stacy was six-months pregnant when she led the spinning class, putting the rest of us to shame.)
