collapsed during my first spin class

kristyp2005
kristyp2005 Posts: 6
in Fitness and Exercise
I just started exercising again (it's been 5+ years). I decided to go to a specialty type gym that focuses on personal training, boot camp, spin class and body pump. I did my first boot camp on Wednesday and yesterday I did my first spin class. 10 minutes into the spin class I was standing up on the bike and my left leg completely gave out. I fell down on the bike and had to use my arms to muscle me back on the bike. I stuck with the class to the end but I remained seated from that point. I got off of the bike with jello legs and had to lock my knees to keep myself from falling. I continued to have bad jello legs for the next 4 hours and now have a weird pain in my knee cap on the left leg. Is this normal? I'm taking boot camp classes 3 days a week and have been instructed to do spinning classes 3 days a week at least for my first 21 days. I took the day off today, but am doing a make up boot camp class tomorrow. If this is normal, what should I do to avoid collapsing on the bike? If this isn't normal, what am I doing wrong? Is it b/c I'm really out of shape? Should I be worried that my knee cap hurts?

Replies

  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    My first thought is that maybe you didn't have enough resistance on the bike to support yourself from a standing position. Sometimes if it's too low I can lose my balance and feel like my legs are going to give out.
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    Oh let me tell you, I took my first spinning class yesterday. Lasted about 20 minutes and left. I will not do that again. I had some knee pain before that and now it's even worse, but I've had a bum knee for a month now. Got an appointment next month for it. You may have torn something. Ice it for 20 minutes every couple hours and keep it elivated. If it still hurts tomorrow, call your doctor. I don't know how those people do it. I stood up for about 10 seconds on that bike and my things were just killing me.
  • kristyp2005
    kristyp2005 Posts: 6
    Bad knees run in my family, so I hope it's not hitting me already. I recall my mom complaining about her bum knee in her mid 40's...I just turned 30.
  • kristyp2005
    kristyp2005 Posts: 6
    My first thought is that maybe you didn't have enough resistance on the bike to support yourself from a standing position. Sometimes if it's too low I can lose my balance and feel like my legs are going to give out.

    You may be right about the resistance! It was set to where I could still pedal pretty quickly. The instructor adjusted it for me the rest of the class.
  • andylaiphoto
    andylaiphoto Posts: 1
    First of all the "trainers" at that gym should have given better advice than a set amount of days to go workout. Boot Camp 3x a week plus spin class 3x a week is a lot of work for anybody coming off a 5+ year hiatus. I would suggest no more than 4 workout sessions a week until you get into your groove. Over training from the start to makeup for lost time is a recipe for disaster. When you fell off the bike and didn't have the strength to stay up after that should have been a huge red flag for the training staff. No use in getting injured and then having to sit out weeks waiting to recover. You should have stopped once you fell off. Having to lock out your legs in order to stand up is your body's way of telling you it wasn't ready for all that.

    My suggestion.

    Listen to your body. You can plan on days to workout and if you aren't feeling particularly up to it when it comes time you need to make a decision. Will I sit this one out or do something less intense than boot camp or spin? So you either rest up or do something that could be considered active rest. Active rest could be a light jog, an easy swim, basically anything that get's you active but doesn't require a lot of intensity or load on the body.

    Safety first and when you build up your tolerance again then go with the intensity. No shame in slowing down, stopping, or scaling back a workout.
  • Cre8veLifeR
    Cre8veLifeR Posts: 1,062 Member
    ^^^ that. Great advice. LISTEN to your body!!! And if you have bad knees then do low impact exercise.
  • sk1982
    sk1982 Posts: 45 Member
    The most important thing to remember in spin class is always listen to your body. The instructor is there to push everyone to their maximum but dont expect to be able to keep up with the class initially. Don't be afraid to sit down if you need to either.

    Also - if you are suffering knee pain the first thing I would suggest is for your next class show up a bit early and get the instructor to help you with the set up of your bike - you need to make sure everything is aligned and the saddle is at the right height. I would also suggest sitting up near the front (my spin room has 90 bikes so may be a little different) so you can accurately see what the instructor is doing in terms of resistance and pacing.

    But remember - if it gets too hard (jelly legs) there is no shame sitting down, taking off the resitstance and freewheeling for 30 seconds or so til you get your breath back and feel able to join back in.
  • kristyp2005
    kristyp2005 Posts: 6
    Listen to your body. You can plan on days to workout and if you aren't feeling particularly up to it when it comes time you need to make a decision. Will I sit this one out or do something less intense than boot camp or spin? So you either rest up or do something that could be considered active rest. Active rest could be a light jog, an easy swim, basically anything that get's you active but doesn't require a lot of intensity or load on the body.

    Safety first and when you build up your tolerance again then go with the intensity. No shame in slowing down, stopping, or scaling back a workout.
    [/quote]

    I did feel like 6 days a week will be way too much, but I figured I'd give it a try. I think my body is telling me it's too much too fast. I should probably scale back on the amount of classes I take for the next few weeks and let my body adjust to what I'm putting it through. Thanks for the advice!
  • storyborey
    storyborey Posts: 35 Member
    Honestly, my first experience was really very similar. I felt so humiliated, but I was not going to give up. Afterall, if everyone else in the class can do it, why can't I?

    I slumped home and sat behind my laptop with determination .Turned out I had the technique all wrong.

    The distance between the front of the seat and your handlebars should equal the distance between your middle finger and your elbow.
    Sitting on the bike, your leg should only have a slight bend when you fully extend it. None of this bent knee malarkey that you might do on a sunday bike ride.
    When you stand, push your bottom backwards so that you can feel the front of the seat touching your bum/upper leg. On every peddle, you should feel the seat hit the other leg, back and forth.
    Your handles are only there for balance. You should be using your legs to carry your weight.
    Resistance is key. It is so much easier to stand if the resistance is up, it gives you something to work against. Otherwise, you're just peddling thin air and your legs have nothing to work against (I can't explain how more resistance makes it easier, but it does. I promise.)
    It's a good idea to raise your resistance a bit just before you stand, and then lower it again (only a bit) when you sit.

    I was ready to leave my first spin class after six minutes. I could not do the standy up bit for longer than fifteen seconds, all because I had the bits above wrong.

    Good luck and please try it again!
  • rachemn
    rachemn Posts: 407 Member
    6 days a week of intense exercise is too much to start out with. You have to work up to that or you could burn out. My suggestion is to skip the spin classes (of course I really hate spin and probably never gave it much of a chance). Do the boot camp every other day and on the days in between take a yoga or pilates or a strengh training class.

    If you are going to continue to do spin, don't try and keep with a bunch of people that have been doing it for a long time. And watch those knees! Even in boot camp make sure to tell the instructor that you're having knee pain because she/he can give you alternates to anything that might not work for your knees.

    Good luck!
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    you should not go from no exercise to 6 days of hard exercise. It's recipe for giving up if you ask me.
  • DeliriumCanBeFun
    DeliriumCanBeFun Posts: 313 Member
    Sounds like you WAY over did it. I remember after the first bootcamp class I went to, it hurt to walk downstairs or to go down to sit for days. Although I already cycled a lot, and it didn't hurt when i rode just after I stopped. The knee pain could be from many different things. I have a knee that has needed surgery for years because of a torn ligament, and it never hurts from riding. But I have also been professionally fitted for my bike. On a spin bike in the gym, there are so many factors that could be off for you that could cause the knee pain. And I just have to know, why on were you standing up on the bike?? I would only do that to sprint or tackle the last part of a steep hill, and it is murder on the legs.
  • kristyp2005
    kristyp2005 Posts: 6
    Honestly, my first experience was really very similar. I felt so humiliated, but I was not going to give up. Afterall, if everyone else in the class can do it, why can't I?

    I slumped home and sat behind my laptop with determination .Turned out I had the technique all wrong.

    The distance between the front of the seat and your handlebars should equal the distance between your middle finger and your elbow.
    Sitting on the bike, your leg should only have a slight bend when you fully extend it. None of this bent knee malarkey that you might do on a sunday bike ride.
    When you stand, push your bottom backwards so that you can feel the front of the seat touching your bum/upper leg. On every peddle, you should feel the seat hit the other leg, back and forth.
    Your handles are only there for balance. You should be using your legs to carry your weight.
    Resistance is key. It is so much easier to stand if the resistance is up, it gives you something to work against. Otherwise, you're just peddling thin air and your legs have nothing to work against (I can't explain how more resistance makes it easier, but it does. I promise.)
    It's a good idea to raise your resistance a bit just before you stand, and then lower it again (only a bit) when you sit.

    I was ready to leave my first spin class after six minutes. I could not do the standy up bit for longer than fifteen seconds, all because I had the bits above wrong.

    Good luck and please try it again!

    Thanks! This is very helpful advice! I definitely won't give up...I just signed a 6 month contract lol. I'll be back at it Tuesday (I have boot camp tomorrow and Monday). Hopefully with all the great advice I'm getting on here I can make it better for myself the second go round! I am planning on just riding the spin bike and not standing this time though. I think I need to adjust more before I go with the instructor. I liked the tip another person gave to get up and get water halfway through. You guys are a HUGE help!!!
  • kristyp2005
    kristyp2005 Posts: 6
    And I just have to know, why on were you standing up on the bike?? I would only do that to sprint or tackle the last part of a steep hill, and it is murder on the legs.

    I was going with the instructor. The spin class has standing incorporated throughout. It's my first time ever doing spin so I really don't know what the norm is for a spin class. I didn't realize I was going at it way too hard..not even after my leg gave out. Sounds weird saying that now!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
    so, the neat thing about spin class is that you dial in your own workout. That's also one of the worst things, when the person dialing it in has zero idea what they're doing.

    Just at first rub, it sounds like you OD'ed. Get some rest,monitor your knee. If the knee problems continue, talk to a physical therapist. Next time you take spin, dial down the intensity a bit.

    Spin class is great, lot of fun, and for me an excellent workout, but you need to work up to it. Can't just walk in off the couch and try to beastmode.

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