Spinning anyone?

[CaribbeanDiver]

Recently, my son got certified and now I have a dive buddy for some of my trips. This however, is a good thing and a bad thing. Good in that I enjoy my dives and my trips more than ever when he is along. I get excited watching him get excited.
The bad is he is young, athletic, and in good shape while I am old, way past athletic and in decent shape. How is this bad, you ask? Well, can you imagine the grief I will get once he gets more comfortable and starts giving me the evil eye cause I have to call a dive when he still has 1500 psi left?
Now being really smart like I am, I figured I better do something to nip this potential problem before it manifests itself. I belong to a gym and I workout but up to now the emphasis has been on lifting, not cardio.
I changed that, I added the eliptical and force myself to do at least 20 minutes after I go through my lifting regimen. My thighs burn, sometimes I get caught up in some uptempo music and get winded because I am going a zillion miles an hour, but I figure it has to be doing something positive for my cardiovascular system and that has to translate to a better RMV, right?
And after a couple of weeks of eliptical torture, I decided I needed to step it up. I mean, this eliptical thing is tough but it isnt killing me and for best results, I need to kill me.
This genius way of thinking got me to take Spinning classes twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Oh yea, another bad part is those class days are the 45 minute Spinning classes but I figured I would die after 15 minutes anyway so who cares if the class is 30 minutes or 45 minutes, right?
Well, I didnt die but the seats on those Spinning mobiles are absolute torture. Downright miserably uncomfortable. And the Spinning itself isnt so bad but my thighs are back burning and sometimes I get winded and you can easily learn to hate the instructor but my biggest problem is the sadist who designed those friggin seats.
Women love this kind of brutality so I figure it has to be some woman that suggested putting those seats on the Spinning machines. Her way of getting back at the men and those tight butted skinny girls that ride along.
Well honey, I am going to endure, I just gotta cause there is no way my son is going to get a better RMV than I have. No sir, the abuse I would hear would be relentless and I cant have that. In fact, I would kinda like to be the one giving the evil eye when he calls a dive. I want the half a tank left when he is down to 800 psi. I wont harrass him but I can sure give him the I am superior look. 20 year olds aint gonna out last me, na ah, not as long as my butt can last on those torture seats.
Spinning, the most painful way to get in shape, Try It.

[Tableleg]

I'd rather do a not-so-painful thing to get into shape.

Whatever works for you though. I've been running here lately and it's been helping me a lot. Riding a stationary bike is too temping for me. I know that the showers are only 100ft away and I can give up anytime. But if I run 2 miles away from my shower, I have to run 2 miles back to get to it.

[CaribbeanDiver]

Originally Posted by Tableleg

... Riding a stationary bike is too temping for me. I know that the showers are only 100ft away and I can give up anytime.

Give up? Ha, you aint seen the instructor, there is no way you are getting past her to the door.

[dallasdivergirl]

Spinning is good for you. Just keep up your pedal speed and don't push too hard.

Also you can get a trainer for your bike and setup your very own stationary bike in your house. I would watch tv or listen to music.

[mitsuguy]

I'm with Tableleg... Pain in doing something is not fun... maybe you'll get used to it...

me, personally, the only thing I use the gym for is swimming... talk about cardio... and if you take your fins, you get the strength part as well... plus it's something I love...

[CaribbeanDiver]

this gym doesnt have a pool. too bad too because I believe that is fantastic cardio training and it prepares you for swim tests if you pursue advanced courses requiring them.
And I have a gym of sorts in my house already. I like going to the gym, I tend to be rigid with my workouts there as opposed to home. Besides, I am not buying any spinning bike, I got dive gear to spend my money on or dive trips or dive magazines or something dive related, I aint buying no stationary bike, geez.

[Tableleg]

Originally Posted by mitsuguy

take your fins, you get the strength part as well... plus it's something I love...

I just got my first pair of splits last week (yay for Bios!) and took them along with my old paddle type to the pool Tuesday. Let me tell you, swimming 500yards in the paddles was really a good workout (assuming you were going at a pace like I was). I then put the splits on to do a 'cool down' period.

The splits were required so little effort on my part to sustain the same speeds, I really didn't get a proper cool down done! My legs were a little sore the next day, which NEVER happens when I used to do the cool down with the paddles.

What's the moral of the story? If you want a good workout with fins, go buy a cheap pair or paddles (the much cheaper closed heel models work great for this) They'll do much more for your legs than splits.

That sucks that your gym doesn't have a pool. That is definitely some good cardio. But I'm sure the spinning will do for your legs what the swimming would.

Originally Posted by CaribbeanDiver

Give up? Ha, you aint seen the instructor, there is no way you are getting past her to the door.

Why? Is she cute? I'll tell ya, 50lbs ago, one of the few things that kept me on that elliptical in the rec center at Texas Tech University were the 18~23 year olds on the tredmills in front of me.

[mitsuguy]

Originally Posted by Tableleg

What's the moral of the story? If you want a good workout with fins, go buy a cheap pair or paddles (the much cheaper closed heel models work great for this) They'll do much more for your legs than splits.

Dacor DXD full foot fins $22.49 after 10% forum discount through ST

[Matt P]

Spinning did not sound appealing to me when I first heard about it. Riding a stationary bike? Woo-Hoo. I did try it. My wife is a spinning instructor. There's no way I was getting out of that one. Anyways...I can tell you that it is nothing like I expected. It really is a great class, lots of energy and a much better work out than I'd get if I just did it alone. It's tought but a great workout

[dallasdivergirl]

Originally Posted by CaribbeanDiver

this gym doesnt have a pool. too bad too because I believe that is fantastic cardio training and it prepares you for swim tests if you pursue advanced courses requiring them.
And I have a gym of sorts in my house already. I like going to the gym, I tend to be rigid with my workouts there as opposed to home. Besides, I am not buying any spinning bike, I got dive gear to spend my money on or dive trips or dive magazines or something dive related, I aint buying no stationary bike, geez.

I wasn't suggesting getting a stationary bike, I was suggesting if you already have a bike you could get something like this so that you can get some good use out of your bike in the winter. Plus you can have what ever seat on there that you want I can't ride my bike in the winter due to the fact I will get a horrible cold from it. My lungs and cold air are a bad combo.

you can add that piece of equipment to your gym. I have seen them on craigs list and ebay for cheaper than in the stores.