Try & tri-again
Spinning offers benefits of cycling minus the fuss
Editor's note: Writers Vicki Viotti, a novice athlete, and Katherine Nichols, an experienced competitor, are training together for the Sept. 9 Niketown Na Wahine Sprint Triathlon. In this weekly Thursday column, they share insights from experts, other athletes and their own training regimen, aimed at helping readers push their own boundaries — physically and mentally.
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
In case you didn't know, the map of the Tour de France posted up front tells you these people are serious about cycling. Just take a look at the bulging quadriceps and hamstrings around the room.
The fact that these bikes don't actually go anyplace makes little difference.
Welcome to Spinning, a branded form of cardio-muscular training using a stationary bike. This one's at Honolulu Club, though classes take place at various gyms. Spinning seems an ideal exercise option for a triathlon wannabe: all of the pedaling and none of the fuss.
The hour-long class involves a Schwinn stationary bike on steroids. The fly wheel weighs 45 pounds, and it keeps on going even if you attempt to quit pedaling. The only way to stop this wild horse is to pull on the brake below the handlebars. It's equipped with an adjustable seat meant to enhance comfort, not to be confused with ensuring it.
At the head of the class stands Heather Jorris, professional triathlete and Spinning instructor.
"Your body is powerful," she told her flock, "but your mind is more powerful."
That may be true, but in the midst of three-minute sessions of hard pedaling up an imaginary hill, the body tends to take charge. "Aiiieee!" those thigh muscles are screaming. "We're on fire!"
The good part about Spinning, Jorris said, is that you can work those forgotten muscles without the flying dust, bumpy manhole covers and scary drivers of the open road.
And Jorris pairs everyone up at the end, each cyclist taking turns coaching his or her mate through a final give-it-all-you-got sprint. Partnership does help.
What makes this class survivable, and even enjoyable in a sweaty, warrior-princess kind of way, is that Jorris keeps exhorting you to listen to your body instead of watching what other people are doing around you. When you don't feel defeated by trying to keep up, you end up pushing yourself far, and feeling pretty powerful.
And when you return to a real bike path, your screaming muscles, and your mind, just might manage that hill you might have ditched the week before.
You can reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053.
