Spinning yet once again!

If you have followed me for a while you might remember that I have tried spinning 2 other times before. I just wasn't a big fan of it really. I didnt' feel like I got a good workout. I thought it was possibly because I wasn't doing it right (b/c of not having proper instruction) or I wasn't pushing myself hard enough or it was in the prime of my running and I was in decent shape. After last nights spinning class at my friends gym I think all 3 apply.

I told the teachers that I hadn't done it before b/c I wanted them to really give good instructions on how to angle my feet and how to do the resistance and what I should be feeling. They did a GREAT job at that. Then I do think I pushed myself harder and upped the resistance more than I had in the past. Plus, I haven't run any type of long distance at all over 3 miles in 2 months and so this was a little tougher for me.

The best part is that I actually enjoyed it, I felt like I got an AWESOME work out, I was sweating like I hadn't sweat in a long time and after it was done I was like "OH YEA, that felt GREAT!" I burned 379 cals in 43 minutes, average heart rate was 149. So this is comparable to me running about 4 miles at an 11 minute pace which is on the faster side for me. I could feel my legs burning while I was doing it but I am not sore today so that tells me that my legs are still in decent shape and my heart is still strong since my heart rate averaged what it does when I run.

I also can tell that this will really help strengthen my quads and hamstrings so that I when I start running again I might be able to avoid the patella tendonitis. I have been having a few slight problems with it and I know I need to consistently strengthen the muscles around it so that they do the work and it doesn't affect that tendon.

Overall, GREAT SPINNING experience and I plan to do it again.