I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

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I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby TRIumphant » 19 Jan 2010 13:33

I've been a member of my local gym for 7 years, and been a regular attendee, doing 5-6 spin clasess, 2 core conditioning per week, the odd yoga and pilates, a member of it's associated running club, and a regular swimming. Also, through their swim training programme they taught my daughter to swim to a decent standard.

However, in what appears to be a moment of madness they seem to have devastated the hardcore spin fraternity. I've attended the same 'aerobiking' classes for about 6 1/2 years, doing 3 to 4 hours a week. These classe have been relatively free-form, and seemed fairly well geared to cycling, with long sprint sessions, and the odd 15 minutes seated or standing hill climb thrown in, and no real stupid hovering exercises.

However, post-Christmas they decided to change 'aerobiking' for formal RPM classes. For those who don't know, RPM is a licensed class, which only licensed instructoirs can take, and they teach a set routine to set musin which only changes every three months. So immediately my spin classes became identical sessions, so whatever I did in the early evening Monday session, was the same as the Monday night session, and the same the Tuesday session, and repeated again on Wednesday. I did it for a fortnight, but boredom kicked in almost immediately, as you can pre-empt any instruction and actually be about a second ahead of the instructor.

To make things worse, this class seems to be more of a CV workout than cycling based, with very little time dedicated to any interval. Sprints or hill climbs seems to ast about 15 seconds with a 30 second breather in between.

To make things worse, they decided to re-new all the spin bikes. Good news you would have thought, but no, they went for Star Trac NXT's. 20 bikes at around £1k each, so no small investment. But they are crap.
1 No feedback at all, no cadence, spped, distance, watts, hr etc.
2 The handlebars are just the worst thing I've come across. From the step they taper down, before turining away from you. So if you set them at a comfortable sitting height, when yoy stand up you bang your knees. But of you set it at a comfortable standing height, when you sit down you're sat upright. Not good at al lfor your posture.
3 The pedals are slightly further apart than standard. After the first session I had severe pains on the outside of my knees, which I can only attribute to this.
4 The seatpost and handlebar stem are at the same abgle, sow when you raise either or both, the distance between the two remains a constant.

Basically, it seems the bikes are complete designed against any bike principles. And the general feeling amongst all the regular spinners is much the same.

Anyway, outcome is I've resigned my memership, and sent a letter of complaint to head office. I'm know without a gym to train in, no spin clases, and no pool. I'm in IMUK in August so was always conscious that I probably need to train the run and bike away from the gym, so sorted out a turbo, and scouting the local pools at lunchtime for a new alternative.

Sorry for the rant, but it's good to get out of the system, but was also wondering how many people are gym based for training, or do most pound the streets etc
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Re: I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby TRIumphant » 19 Jan 2010 13:36

Here's the offending bike

Star Trac NXT.jpg
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Re: I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby jonathon.e » 19 Jan 2010 15:51

If it is only the spin sessions that have pissed you off then there must be other venues in your area which fulfill your requirements.It is a shame to lose good facilities but hey it is your money that funds the gym.

I do use the gym quite a lot during winter but as soon as the good weather starts,generally the temp above freezing and the rain not horizontal,then it is back outside.
Unless the rest of your spinning class walkout your complaint will just end up in the bin.Did anyone else in the class do it for cycling training or just for fitness?
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Re: I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby malteser » 19 Jan 2010 15:54

I had exactly the same problem at the Virgin Active and binned them at the end of last season - have weights at home and a bench, have a turbo trainer, my town has pavements to pound, and there's the leisure centre for the pool (it does look like something out of Sarajevo circa 1992 but the water's clean and its 25 m long so it'll do me)

welcome to the gym-less fraternity - it takes a while to get used to, but I'm sure you'll manage!!!

Chin-up - as Mr Friel says, an unfocused session is a wasted session - so no point in doing the same old thing all the time, your body won't reap any more beenfit after a few weeks.
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Re: I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby malteser » 19 Jan 2010 16:05

and by the same problem I meant that the bike was a pesky excuse for a translation into bike fitness (as pictured above) and the spinning classes were very repetitious
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Re: I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby TRIumphant » 19 Jan 2010 16:20

Just really need to get my arse into gear, and start training with the alternatives. Running will be pounding the local streets and trails, which I what I did anyway, as I never got on with the treadmills. I'll turbo at home, and try out some spin classes (because I'll miss them) at the local Leisure Centre, and a local pool should suffice.

Hey Ho. £63 a month better of though. Every cloud . . .
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Re: I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby garyroberts » 19 Jan 2010 17:01

I'm off to the gym.......
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Re: I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby TRIumphant » 19 Jan 2010 17:03

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby Sir Conehead » 19 Jan 2010 18:19

Ah, spinning which isn't spinning. Johhny G must just shake his head in disgust.

Its fascinating to see what was a very good idea, over the last 10 years or so morph into something that bears no resemblance whatsoever to what was originally intended. 'Spinning' bikes have also morphed from essentially indoor bikes with a bike geometary (is that spelt right?) to the back breaking 'sat on a sofa' set up of normal exercise bikes.

RPM and all the others like them are aerobic classes sat on a bike - not the cycling based workout Johhny G started to get people the benefits of cycling fitness who maybe have never ridden a bike before.

My advice is find somewhere that does 'real' spinning. www.spinning.com
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Re: I've kicked my gym into touch . . .

Postby didds » 19 Jan 2010 19:52

I was off to the gym... well.. pool... but BOTH headlamps are out on my Vectra :-(

I have ONE bulb...

And... see the sh*t list for the rest!

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