BY EMILY BRUSER
Last year, I joined a cult.
It happened the way you might expect: A friend told me about an exciting new activity she was trying and asked me if I wanted to come along. At first it felt daunting, entering a room with walls and ceiling painted black, candles aglow on the floor. At my friend’s urging, I kept showing up and, after the initial shock and humiliation of being at an all-time low in one’s physical fitness wore off, I started to warm up to “riding to the beat of the music.”
For the last quarter-century or so, “spin” has been a trademarked term for a type of high-intensity, indoor cycling workout that evolved from a type of indoor training for endurance athletes back in the 1980s. A spin class is a high-intensity cardiovascular workout that releases “feel-good” endorphins similar to those that runners experience. But unlike traditional cycling done on a stationary bike, spinning is more structured, usually following a choreographed routine set to music, and spinning bikes are more like road bikes than regular stationary bikes in both their design and functionality.
There are numerous places to practise spin and indoor cycling around Greater Victoria, ranging from boutique studios like Cyclebeat Club, Garage Cycle and Annex Fitness to the YMCA/YWCA. Spinco just happens to be the cult … er, studio that I joined.
Drive Those Legs!
Spinco is a female-founded Canadian company, created by Michelle August in Kelowna in 2014. It has since opened studios across the country, including three franchise locations in Greater Victoria that are co-owned by Hayley Gustavson and Victoria Courtnall. Inspired by a visit to the Kelowna studio, they opened their first location on Pandora Avenue in 2016, followed by studios in Oak Bay and Langford.
It was an immediate hit, says Gustavson. “Victoria was waiting for boutique fitness and was so pumped. What Spinco brings to the table in terms of the format of the classes and training, they do it the best.”
The 50-minute classes target the whole body, engaging the arms and core through key moves and incorporating free weights for a guided arm workout mid-class. By the end of each session, I leave the studio with my whole body on fire, clothing saturated in perspiration and face magnificently beet red.
But something starts to shift (perhaps the next step in my reprogramming?) and I soon stop dreading the workouts and begin to look forward to the uninterrupted time. It turns out that I respond well to successive commands, urging me to move faster, served up with a side of well-meaning platitudes.
I also discover that indoor cycling is an accessible form of exercise. It requires even less equipment than running as the clip-in cycling shoes are provided at Spinco. Classes are offered across the three studios from dawn until dusk, leaving limited excuses for me to opt out. It attracts all types, ranging from the man trying to lose 100 pounds after a recent health scare to fitness fanatics, to me, a mom with a slick of wine blubber.
One Two, One Two!
Chelsea Pettinger, program director and instructor, is a statuesque blonde who exudes the kind of energy you wish you could bottle. She can do wild things like speak while exercising at high intensity and teaches five classes a week at the Oak Bay Spinco studio. In her, I found my guru.
Coming from a background teaching indoor cycling at the University of Victoria, Pettinger was a natural pick to train as one of the first instructors when Spinco opened its doors in Victoria eight years ago. But her road was not without challenges as she swapped traditional indoor cycling for Spinco’s style of riding in step with the music.
“At first, I wanted to quit as I just couldn’t get it,” she says. But Pettinger stuck with it. “It changed my life. It is the best thing I have ever done, aside from having my kids.”
A spin class is a high-intensity cardiovascular workout that releases “feel-good” endorphins similar to those that runners experience.
She adds: “Spinning has come a long way. It is such an awesome vibe to have the music, the lights, the energy in the room.” At Spinco, instructors also play the role of DJ, following specific formulas to guarantee a certain number of beats per minute are included in the playlists they build for their classes. “We want workouts to be consistent, while also allowing the personalities of instructors to shine through, ensuring that the Spinco formula is respected so riders know what to expect.”
Pettinger speaks with great passion about the connections she has made with riders. She’s followed huge weight-loss stories, watched people meet and marry, and witnessed cancer survivors come back from the brink. “Some people come here purely for the workout, while some are here for their own form of therapy and for others, it’s the social piece. This community is so special to me.”
As for me, when Pettinger tells the team “you have an opportunity to set an intention for yourself for this class,” I no longer grumble “try not to die,” but instead come up with a simple, attainable goal to push my own limits. Coming off the season of overindulgence, there is no better time to try a new way of moving, in such a humbling but welcoming setting. Or, as my guru might say, “Leave it all on the bike!”
3 Bikes To Try at Home
While going to a spin studio has its benefits, sometimes you just want to pedal in the peace of your own home. Unlike the clunky old bikes of yore, today’s indoor-cycling bikes are light, nimble and, increasingly, deliver a connected-fitness experience where you can ride along with an app. Here are three spin-style indoor bikes to try — just remember that, in addition to the cost of a bike and the space to set it up, you will also need to invest in cycling shoes.
Think of an indoor bike and you probably think of Peloton. It offers a studio-cycling experience at home, but it also comes with a spendy price tag and requires a subscription if you want to get the most out of it. Still, the ride is smooth and satisfying; the screen is crisp, responsive and displays all sorts of stats; and you can join a live class if you want to or choose from thousands of on-demand cycling classes.
Both Schwinn and BowFlex are owned by Nautilus, and these bikes are extremely similar. Each is comfortable to ride, with an LCD console that displays real-time metrics and allows for riding with or without a Bluetooth-connected app such as Scwhinn’s Jrny.
3 Sunny Health & Fitness SF-B1805
This no-frills bike doesn’t track metrics like its pricier cousins, but it does have a tablet holder and you could always add a cadence sensor that connects to various cycling apps. But it still offers a good cardio workout, and that’s the whole point, right?