Question for spinning experts

[BlueTuna]

Last night I attended an intensive spinning class. The instructor is extremely fit - and quite crazy. For one track she was "running" while standing up in the pedals with the resistance turned down almost to zero. I guess she could "run" so fast that the momentum supported her bodyweight.

I've been spinning for over two years and that flies in the face of conventional wisdom that you need to have the resistance cranked right up to support your bodyweight (and protect your knees and ankles) while you're standing up in the pedals.

Is "running" while standing up in the pedals with very low resistance considered normal? And is it a good idea - or could it lead to knee problems?

[Erik]

What could it possibly be good for?

Any chronic use of a movement that locks you in to a fixed motion can cause repetitive stress injuries ... including biking.

[Hoochiemomma]

In my experience - you need to have tension on the wheel when doing any "sprinting" on the bike. If you are doing the standing sprint you need to hold the position that keeps your knee still in a flexed position on the downstroke and keep you upper body tight - no side to side rocking - and your weight centered above the pedals, not the seat.

Burns the shit out of your quads this way.

[BlueTuna]

Originally posted by Thunder@Jun 13 2006, 02:49 PM
What could it possibly be good for?
:lol: Um, wrecking your knees?

Yeah, I take your point. To keep up that crazy momentum, she would definitely be locked into a fixed plane of motion - it's not like she could slightly alter her pace or plane of movement during that entire track, as you would if you were spinning or riding a bike in the normal way.

And this lady is in her late 40s and takes spinning classes every day, sometimes several times a day. :eek: She's lucky her knees aren't shot to pieces...

[BlueTuna]

Originally posted by Hoochiemomma@Jun 13 2006, 02:54 PM
In my experience - you need to have tension on the wheel when doing any "sprinting" on the bike. If you are doing the standing sprint you need to hold the position that keeps your knee still in a flexed position on the downstroke and keep you upper body tight - no side to side rocking - and your weight centered above the pedals, not the seat.

Burns the shit out of your quads this way.
Yep, that's what I normally do.

Since I have a weak ankle, I don't think I'll be trying her "fast and loose" style of spinning any time soon. :dry:

[Erik]

Originally posted by BlueTuna@Jun 13 2006, 03:58 PM
:lol: Um, wrecking your knees?

Yeah, I take your point. To keep up that crazy momentum, she would definitely be locked into a fixed plane of motion - it's not like she could slightly alter her pace or plane of movement during that entire track, as you would if you were spinning or riding a bike in the normal way.

And this lady is in her late 40s and takes spinning classes every day, sometimes several times a day. :eek: She's lucky her knees aren't shot to pieces...
Umm, being locked in has nothing to do with how she was doing it. If you're pedalling on a bike, you're locked in to the fixed circular motion that comes with a bike. It doesn't matter how you pedal; it doesn't change that fact.

[Rumbach]

Is the same true for activities like swimming and running?

[Erik]

Originally posted by Rumbach@Jun 13 2006, 04:38 PM
Is the same true for activities like swimming and running?
I don't see why it would be. No equipment is locking you into a tightly controlled movement pattern.

But who knows how significant an issue it really is. You hear about any number of the 'smart guys' commenting on the issues involved in chronic overuse.

[BlueTuna]

Originally posted by Thunder+Jun 13 2006, 03:11 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Thunder &#064; Jun 13 2006, 03:11 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin-BlueTuna@Jun 13 2006, 03:58 PM
:lol: Um, wrecking your knees?

Yeah, I take your point. To keep up that crazy momentum, she would definitely be locked into a fixed plane of motion - it&#39;s not like she could slightly alter her pace or plane of movement during that entire track, as you would if you were spinning or riding a bike in the normal way.

And this lady is in her late 40s and takes spinning classes every day, sometimes several times a day. :eek: She&#39;s lucky her knees aren&#39;t shot to pieces...
Umm, being locked in has nothing to do with how she was doing it. If you&#39;re pedalling on a bike, you&#39;re locked in to the fixed circular motion that comes with a bike. It doesn&#39;t matter how you pedal; it doesn&#39;t change that fact.[/b][/quote]
:unsure: I was thinking that changing your pace slightly or altering the position of your body would offset that effect a little, but I guess not.

[Rumbach]

Originally posted by Thunder@Jun 13 2006, 03:42 PM
I don&#39;t see why it would be. No equipment is locking you into a tightly controlled movement pattern.

But who knows how significant an issue it really is. You hear about any number of the &#39;smart guys&#39; commenting on the issues involved in chronic overuse.
Interesting. When you read about injuries in runners, often it is from a break-down of form, or stepping out of a perfectly repetetive and reproduced pace and stride.

[Northern Lite]

Isnt spinning supposed to mimic outdoor cycling??? I was told thats how &#39;spinning&#39; was created.....for pro cyclists to train throughtout the year.

If thats true....what is the freakin point of having no resistance on the fly wheel? When have you ever been on a bike and the pedals are just flying around all by themselves????

I use to take a lot of spinning classes and &#39;those&#39; people just bugged me......they think they are working really hard when all they are doing is making wind with their wheels.....

AND....its really bad for your knees.......

[donnajo]

In a standing run you definitely need appropriate resistance. I always tell my class to add enough resistance to support them and to make sure there is no strain on the knees. Doing it with little to no resistance is wrong and dangerous. Who is she certified with? I am a JohnnyG spin certified instructor and they are very big on safety.

I also think a lot of instructors don&#39;t know how to show their class how to adjust their bike for proper fit. I am big on this and walk around before helping them adjust their bikes. Properly fitting your bike to you is very important.

[BlueTuna]

Originally posted by donnajo@Jun 13 2006, 06:58 PM
In a standing run you definitely need appropriate resistance. I always tell my class to add enough resistance to support them and to make sure there is no strain on the knees. Doing it with little to no resistance is wrong and dangerous. Who is she certified with? I am a JohnnyG spin certified instructor and they are very big on safety.
Well that&#39;s the thing. I&#39;m pretty sure she couldn&#39;t run classes at my gym unless she was certified. :unsure: The other trainers are certified with Les Mills and they&#39;d never recommend that anyone try a standing run with zippo resistance. She doesn&#39;t seem to believe in warming up, cooling down or stretching after the class either - let alone giving the class reminders about correct posture etc.

Your responses have confirmed my impression that this woman is a crazy lady. I think I&#39;ll find something else to do on my Tuesday nights. :attitude:

[donnajo]

Ask her who she is certified by? I am just curious.