Certified Spinning® Instructor
When I booked on to last weekend’s Spinning® course in Egham, I didn’t quite process what I was to demand from my poor thighs and brain.
In order to only take Saturday and Sunday off from teaching skiing over the Easter holidays, I flew out from Geneva late on Friday, after skiing most of the day, and back in late on Sunday ready to be on skis again Monday morning. My wonderful Aunty Lisy put me up for the weekend, and put up with my ‘chaos’ as she so affectionately called it. She kindly drove me to the train station, bought me food and snacks to fuel my body and brain, and took me and my brother out for a lovely dinner Turkish dinner. Thank you!
All the dips and way too much bread. Nom nom.
With only four of us on the course it was fairly intense, but it meant we received plenty of help, instruction and were able to cover the material in more detail. My brain was bamboozled. And that was even before getting on to a bike. Classroom time was broken up by two, roughly 45 minute, sessions on the spinners each day. We learned the different forms and movements, the Energy Zones™, had our teaching assessed, and finished with a killer strength ride for a true Spinning experience. Ouch.
The weather was gorgeous, and I aired my legs for the first time in about a year. I apologise to those I blinded with the glare.
A lovely change of lunch scene from the snow-receding mountains
My taxi was booked to go to Heathrow barely 20 minutes after the class. I gave myself a wipe down in the loos before proceeding to security and flying home. I think I got away with it…
Mug shots! Sweaty, red and no doubt smelly. Totes beaut. But I worked HARD!
After this course I am happy to set people up correctly on a bike, provide them with information on spinning in Energy Zones™ to focus on recovery, endurance or strength, how to use intervals, and conduct a class in a race day format. We learned to design classes around these Energy Zones, as well as use various forms and movements on the Spinner to recreate cycling in the outdoors. Obviously we would like to be outdoors all the time, but sometimes the roads are too wet, covered in snow (maybe not always in Morzine…), we don’t own a bike, we don’t want to deal with cars/lorries and roundabouts, and we like the training, structure and format of cycling with an instructor telling us what to do in a controlled environment. Spinning compliments road bike training, similarly as workouts on a treadmill can do for running.
I’ve been attending weekly Spin classes throughout the winter with Buzz Performance and have really enjoyed the progression over the season. I hope I won’t be left too far behind when I get out riding with some of the local keen beans. The social aspect has been great, slowly getting to know a few new faces as I settle into Morzine.
Once I received a carte professionnelle and French equivalency for my personal training qualification, I approached Buzz Performance and now, as a certified Spinning instructor, I am excited to be taking Spinning classes, as well as the popular body weight suspension classes this summer. It would be great to get some other classes and programmes set up, so please get in touch if you have any suggestions and watch this space for more information.
In the meantime, the winter season is drawing to an end with only a few lessons to deliver over the Easter weekend. Happy chocolate eating!
Aunty Lisy’s scrummy Easter chocolate cupcakes
