Spinning... am I going to die?

LOL! I feel your pain! Push your self a little, but you will need to work up to what the experienced class members are doing. PArt of getting healthy is realizing how crapped out you have become. Get some padded shorts, hit the pedals and enjoy. Keep us posted. Be sure it is OK with your doctor.

i was not in shape -at all- when i took my first spinning class, and i felt the same way. i was super intimidated. i introduced myself to the instructor and she did ask that i take a spot in the front row near her since i was a beginner. it was intense, and i had to take it easy during some of the 'hills' where you raise up off the seat, but i survived!!!!

not gonna lie, i was saddle sore for two days. get some padded shorts if you can. you'll be grateful.

it's just like every other activity - give it your all and push yourself, but if you need to lower the intensity to suit your fitness level, ain't no shame. you'll get there.

Not at all! I'm 6 ft with bad knees and have no problems. It's actually one of my favorite workouts. I would recommend that you get to class a few minutes before and ask the instructor with help on seat adjustments. If it is set incorrectly, your knees will hurt

If you can't keep up, just sit and spin

The hardest part is getting over the uncomfortableness of the seat.

I love spinning but when I started I just couldn't keep up but something the instructor said stuck in my head. She said just keep pedaling. So I did, I didn't do the jumps or some of the other things right away but I just kept pedaling. You will do great. I found the class very encouraging and I felt accomplished when I was done. As others suggested padded shorts really help with the saddle soreness. Good Luck and Keep Pedaling !

Get a gel seat pad and bring it with you. You will thank yourself. That is the hardest part. Your butt will hurt for a week or two probably even with the pad but it will lessen the blow and eventually you can ride without it. 4 years ago I had a personal trainer for a couple of months and he suggested on my days when I wasn't training with him to do spin because it works the big muscles and has a great calorie burn. I was scared at first but I LOOOOVED it and if I am ever in the financial situation to join a gym again (got a divorce soon after that and still struggling as a single parent without financial help) I will choose one that offers spin. I was way out of shape and weighed a little less than I do now but a mere 3 pounds. Basically the instructor usually tells you to push it and up the speed or the resistance but you can always do a little less (on turn on the dial instead of three, or even none). You ultimately put what you want into it but I found myself motivated to push further each time and loved it.

I hope you enjoy it!

I'm 6'5" and love spin classes. I started exercising April 30th last year at 306 pounds and in terrible shape. I had bad knees and a bad back. To get moving I started with an Easy 5k run/walk app. The program consisted of three run days a week and so on my off days I would use a stationary bike to improve my stamina. I discovered a shocking thing, exercising when I was sore and tired made the pains go away. Amazing but I actually felt better after a workout than before it. In September of last year I had dropped roughly 90 pounds and decided to take my first spin class. The first class was brutal. I remember the first time standing and being able to stay up for few seconds and I thought I was in good shape. Well as the weeks passed I improved and more importantly my stamina improved. In January my athletic focus switched from running to spinning and was doing at least one spin class each day, sometimes two a day. In the spring I ran my first 5K after the months of spin classes and was able to drop my 5k time from 27 minutes to 22 minutes. I don't have any doubt that the work I put in at spin class helped improve my time. It also helped me lose the final 25 pounds to get down to 115 pounds total.

The two things I would recommend are getting some proper cycling shoes that will allow you to clip in and the most important thing is getting a good heart rate monitor. Being able to get a real time view of how your heart is doing is so key. Once you know what your heart is doing you can tailor your workout to burning fat or building endurance. You also will get a clearer picture of how many calories you are burning. Good luck and have fun!

Someone did acually die in a spinning class in my gym!!! He was an older man and he had a heart attack.

I was seriously unfit 6 months ago, i went to visit my sister walked up a huge hill shopping, got to the top and had to stop because i was having an ashma attack and was knacked, it was at that point i decided to lose weight and get fit. My first ever class was spin class you don't acually have to keep up with the class you can go at your own pace and put on as much resistance as you can handle. However this is the advice i gave my sister inlaw and she really hurt her knees so i also want to add when doing a hill climb or standing track it needs to be hard to push under your feet or you will hurt your knees.

I love spinning and my recovery is so much better now when i stared it took me 3 days to be able to get out of a seat without pain now i'm completely recovered and fine before i leave the gym carpark i go 2-3 times a week.

My wife and I took our first spinning class in January, a half hour beginner class at the Y. We could hardly walk the next day. We now do an hour class two or three times a week and I started biking to work (about 5 miles one way). I still hate "jumps" though.

Spinning is great .