Spinning Classes?
After IMLP 
my season was over. Time to recover, reset, and focus on the family. I've been trying to keep things Casual (its hard). My current schedule, (oops, no schedule, casual right?) is to attend two spinning classes/week along with keeping run frequency at 2-3x/week. The spinning classes are fun and usually offer some good mojo. Looking to begin OS work probably in January in preparation for IMFL 2012.
I was wondering what folks thought about Spinning classes as related to our EN OS type work. Is your average spinning class equal to, less than, or not at all the same in terms of getting the work done for the OS? Would it be reasonable to swap out one or even two EN bike workout/week for a spinning class? Is the spinning class Mojo worth any downside of the trainer in my basement?
I'm thinking that at a minimum these spinning classes are keeping my bike legs in a ok position to ramp up for the OS.
This question isn't meant to come across as me questioning the training plan. I did 20 weeks of OS last year. I know it works. Just curious what people think about spinning relative to getting faster/stronger on the bike.
Comments
As for spinning, I'm not an expert, but did 2-3 spinning classes per week from 01-04 b/c my office had an on-site fitness center and it was a great lunch hour workout.
In terms of PROs, I'd say
* high cadence is always helpful and teaches good technique
* depending on the instructor, the intervals MAY be similar to EN work - though will almost certainly be shorter and harder than FTP work
* time efficiency of a class is ususally good
* if your class uses look or SPD pedals and you can use your road or MTB shoes, than that is also a good thing
But there are also CONs:
* position is very different from your road position, or tri position, most likely
* cranks will (in most cases) tend to be shorter than on your bikes (typically 160 or 165) and that imacts pedal stroke
* alot of the up and down 'running' in spin parlance is not helpful for cycling and doesn't mimic standing up to ride very well
* the is a risk of knee issues from the different position and higher intensity so be on the lookout for that
* if you can't use road or MTB shoes/pedals, probably even more risk of problems
All that said, it can be a great workout if the instructor just blasts the tunes and lets you do your own thing. And if not, this is the right time of year to do something different and if its fun - do it.
Agree that spinning classes add some "dfferent fun" to the mix and thats why I'll probably do some classes n Nov / Dec. Before joing EN I did alot of winter spin classes that were designed for triathletes. But now I won't replace any OS workouts with spin classes once I start up again in Jan - mainly for the reasons Tim mentioned below on bike fit. After getting my custom fit tri-bike, my body isn't as happy on the spin bikes (even when clipped in) no matter how I mess with the setup. So I worry about creating unwanted little nagging issues prior to OS. When I do the spin classes I will use high cadence and no heaving pounding in the seated position (standing okay) to lessen the possibility of creating an injury. I just treat it as some fun base build for OS.
Excellent training - great for triathletes, if you have the right instructor :-)