Tell me about spinning classes. And zumba.

[gozf]

Is spinning as awful as it sounds?  Will sitting on the tiny bike seat for so long hurt my girl parts?

Will the fact that I'm intensely uncoordinated make me hate zumba?  Will I ever "get" it.

Can someone please recommend a form of exercise that will make me teeny tiny that I will not absolutely hate?  My interests include sitting on the couch, drinking beer and eating lots of stuff.  Can I turn that into some sort of remarkable weight loss plan?

[Deleted]

Spinning hurts your sit bones more than your lady bits. And it only hurts the first couple of times you go. I love spinning. I've been doing it off and on for 10 years

[Vally]

we have very similar interests! I started spin last year and I really love it. sitting on the tiny seat will hurt after the first couple of times but you get used to it.

[bab]

Zumba is fun and awesome. You will love it.

Spinning is boring and it hurts your vag. Don't do it!

[Deleted]

I cant speak for zumba. I think it looks stupid and I'd never do it. Sorry, no help here.

[RoxMonster]

I absolutely love spin but I do agree it's not for everyone. Some of my friends find it boring.

I love it because, at least the classes I go to, we have very high-energy music that gets you motivated and it's onlly 45 min as opposed to an hour-long class with about 7 different tracks. Some are hills, some are speed work, some are resistance work, so it's not like it's the same thing over and over again.

The first time you go, your lady bits will probably hurt the day after. But if you liked the class, DON'T stop going! I promise you, it will not always hurt. It's just because it's something new. I take spin twice a week and now got a spin bike for the house and it does not hurt AT ALL even though I do it frequently. You can also buy padded bike shorts if you really want in order to help out. If you do decide to go, talk to the instructor before class in order to get the bike properly set up.

As for Zumba, I didn't like it. It may have been my instructor; I just found it repetitive and not a very good workout. But just like with spin, everyone feels differently. The moves are pretty basic for the most part. They usually show you one move a few times and you do that before moving on to another. I think the enjoyable-ness of Zumba is heavily reliant on the instructor and music that you have. I have talked with friends who took it elsewhere and their experience sounded entirely different than mine.

[discogranny]

I absolutely love spinning. When I started I was very overweight and very out of shape. The good thing is that you control your resistance and speed, so if you need to back it off a little during the class, you can without it being super obvious/embarrassing to do so. I also burn insane calories in class, sometimes up to 700/hr if I really kill it.

[nahoku]

Jan 21, 2013 10:22:23 GMT -5 gozf said:

Is spinning as awful as it sounds?  Will sitting on the tiny bike seat for so long hurt my girl parts?

Will the fact that I'm intensely uncoordinated make me hate zumba?  Will I ever "get" it.

Can someone please recommend a form of exercise that will make me teeny tiny that I will not absolutely hate?  My interests include sitting on the couch, drinking beer and eating lots of stuff.  Can I turn that into some sort of remarkable weight loss plan?

Don't we all wish? Sigh.

Anyway, I have never spun (is that proper past tense? Done spinning? whatevers), b/c it scares me.  But I do really like zumba.  Whether you like it or not will depend a lot on your teacher.  You  might not get or feel like you're getting a great workout the first few times you do it b/c you'll be concentrating so hard on getting the steps.  But once you're familiar with it, it's a great workout, IMO.  And I think it's fun.  I don't care anymore if I look dumb doing it.

Other classes I like at the Y are turbo kick (kind of like choreographed kickboxing) and body pump (weight lifting).  If you don't want to lose weight, I think those would be great classes for getting toned up.

If you do want to lose weight, most of that is diet.  I like Skinnytaste.com for healthy, lower cal recipes.

[gozf]

I am dreading this. But I'm getting way fluffier than I'd like. Something's gotta give. I really, really hate working out. I've never gotten to that point where I enjoy it, or look forward to it, or feel great after it's over. I usually feel like I've been hit by a bus, and I want to die.

I am so displeased.

[Deleted]

My interests are very similar to yours. I've never taken a spin class. I've thought about it but haven't followed through. I like Zumba, I don't love it. It doesn't matter how uncoordinated you are, they show you the moves repeatedly before moving on to another and the moves are all pretty similar. It's a high energy workout and fun with girlfriends.

[Deleted]

I tried spinning once - never again. I felt like I couldn't sit down for a week, although I heard it does get better after 3-4 times and that a gel seat and/or shorts helps. I was not brave enough to ride it out (literally).

I LOVE Zumba. Having a dance/fitness instruction background helped me, but it did take me some time to get down the routines. Keep an eye on the instructor, or, if you can't see him/her that well, keep your eye on someone nearby who looks like they know what they're doing. Worry about your feet/legs first, then bring in the arms.

Above all, have fun and learn to laugh at yourself. I cannot tell you how many times I have messed up moves. We all have, we all laugh at ourselves and trust, folks are too busy trying to follow the instructor or just plain making it through the class without collapsing to pay any attention to anyone else.

I tried Zumba for the first time about a year ago - I was bored with running (which I still do, but mix it up) or the typical slogging endless painful minutes on x cardio machine. It felt a lot less like working out and a lot more like clubbing (sans alcohol, of course) and when I saw my calorie burn (typically around 700 an hour), I was hooked. Not to mention, muscles I didn't even know I had, like where your waist meets your back, were sore for days, which is exactly what I need to know something's working.

[gozf]

There is a gym near me that has zero equipment but offers a ton of classes. One of my acquaintances goes there, and she really likes it a lot. It's a lot of money (to me, b/c I'm Nest Poor), but I really need to get off of my butt and do something. I feel like the accountability of going to classes with a friend will keep me motivated, because it's clear that I'm not getting up on a treadmill on my own.

They also have yoga and pilates. Ad yoga-lates! And piloxing. And some circuit training. It seems like a good mix of stuff.

[sneetch]

I'm not highly coordinated but I've attended zumba before. I enjoyed it, and it seemed like everyone was just trying to keep up and not trip over their own two feet. It really moves so fast that I don't think there's time to watch what people around you are doing.

I am intimidated by spin class for some reason. They just started offering classes where I work over the lunch hour, but I can't imagine anything I'd rather do less than get all sweaty with my colleagues at lunch.

[gozf]

Spinning with colleagues over lunch break sounds miserable, and it would be nearly impossible for me to put myself back together to go back to work. I'm high maintenance, and I sweat a lot.

[revolution]

the idea of spinning makes me want to cry. So I am of no help there.

I do zumba once a week. I am as uncoordinated as they come. I hate exercising. But I really do love zumba. I have fun, I talk to other female adults about non-work stuff, I sweat my rear end off.

My instructor repeats songs from week to week with the same routine. So that is good. But holy hell when she throws in a new song with new moves, a few of us just stand there and shake our heads in disbelief. We eventually get it, but I am that person that just stands there and stares at her. But I am not alone in this, so I don't get self conscience about it.

[FastHands]

I love spinning and zumba. Try 'em both! And if you hate either/both, try again with a different instructor. They are both SO influenced by the instructor (like KA's awful one! OMG I would have throat-punched someone who did that!), so don't make assumptions until you've tried a few.

[gozf]

Jan 21, 2013 11:30:23 GMT -5 revolution said:

the idea of spinning makes me want to cry. So I am of no help there.

I do zumba once a week. I am as uncoordinated as they come. I hate exercising. But I really do love zumba. I have fun, I talk to other female adults about non-work stuff, I sweat my rear end off.

My instructor repeats songs from week to week with the same routine. So that is good. But holy hell when she throws in a new song with new moves, a few of us just stand there and shake our heads in disbelief. We eventually get it, but I am that person that just stands there and stares at her. But I am not alone in this, so I don't get self conscience about it.

You are making me feel better about myself!  I will totally be the stand and stare person for a while.

[pantsparty]

I give up on workouts that are too hard for me. LOL. It's like I need to be in good shape to tackle a hard workout. I'm in decent shape but I wouldn't want to spin.

Zumba sounds like fun - in fact, I haven't heard of a person who doesn't love it. Their classes sounds like a lot of fun. I would just check what times they're at and make sure they work with their schedule. I bought a Groupon for a barre class once and the only class times were 8:30 or 4:30. Suuuuure, that would be great if I didn't have a job! LOL.

[pantsparty]

Do you think you might like working out at home?

I have a few DVDs I like, and there are also workout apps if you have a tablet. Maybe that's a better way to ease back into working out.

[gozf]

Jan 21, 2013 11:46:51 GMT -5 pantsparty said:

Do you think you might like working out at home?

I have a few DVDs I like, and there are also workout apps if you have a tablet. Maybe that's a better way to ease back into working out.

I have a few DVDs, too.  I think I did them twice each, and then quit.  My motivation is super low, and once I'm home, it's really hard to pry me up from the couch.

And Beagle, I wish that too.

[gozf]

Jan 21, 2013 11:52:44 GMT -5 @kirkette said:

Can you try each class for a few sessions, and see how you feel?
I love group fitness classes, and have done just about everything.
Zumba is really fun, especially if you have a great instructor.
Sadly, spinning is about the only group class I couldn't get into.I went a few times, but it never really clicked.
However, maybe you'd like it. Give it a try!

Randomly, the next class on my list is Plioxing. I need to find a drop-in studio to try this.

My first class at the studio is free, then you have to start paying.  I think I'd probably take a free Zumba class, and if I like that, I'll sign up.  I'm not anticipating that spinning is something I'm going to love, but I'll give it a try because I hear it burns a lot of calories.  The yoga and pilates, I know I'll like.  If I hate Zumba, I'll probably buy one spinning class, and if that makes me want to die, too, then I might seek alternate plans.

[pantsparty]

It sounds like they offer a good mix of classes. That's the best I've found to keep motivated in working out. I have to keep switching it up.

[Deleted]

I would like spinning much more than zumba because I like to feel like I am really working out when I do it. Whenever I do Zumba, I just feel ridiculous and don't feel like it does much. Plus, I am uncoordinated.

[pittsmcgee]

I like to spin and have never done Zumba.
Spinning is a lot of work, but you burn a ton of calories.
I think for getting teeny tiny, you are going to be best off incorporating more strength training, that will burn fat the fastest.
Good luck!

[curtains]

Can - um - overweight people spin? I have 10 classes that I bought on groupon a month ago and I am afraid I'll be surrounded by skinny fit people while I huff and puff on the easiest setting...

[pittsmcgee]

Jan 21, 2013 12:22:49 GMT -5 curtains said:

Can - um - overweight people spin? I have 10 classes that I bought on groupon a month ago and I am afraid I'll be surrounded by skinny fit people while I huff and puff on the easiest setting...

Sure!
No one can tell what setting your on anyway. It's hard to tell on spin bikes

[sydney02]

Kevin I want to kill that spin instructor! I HATE people like that! This isn't  military boot camp training. Yelling "no pain no gain" type shit at me will not motivate me more. It's a good way to make sure I never come back. I only had one guy like that years ago in some class, can't remember what. But a lot of us were really winded and trying to slow down so we didn't pass out. And this douche starts yelling at us not to quit. I never went back.
I'm horrified for you after that spin story. ugh.

Zumba truly depends on the teacher. It's going to be either a fun but hard workout, or you are going to feel like you are doing something your grandma could be doing.

Spin, took a couple of classes and it's not for me. My crotch hurt for 2 days after. Good workout no doubt, but just not my thing.

[Doc_Lobster]

The spin instructor that I hate and go to great lengths to avoid is like the one KA described. She designs an unreasonably hard workout with no breaks (you need to get your heartrate down a little after a really hard drill. You just do.) and spends half the class off her bike just yelling at us to go faster. It makes me want to spit in her face.

With a good instructor, spin is awesome. It is by far my favorite workout. Your butt bones will hurt for a week, then you get used to it.