The Morning After... Spin Class

*Warning, this entry is borderline graphic and certainly TMI.*

Each day that passes sets a new record for consecutive days over 100F, with highs reaching up to 110F.  With temperatures like those, our evening family walk has become too miserable to keep up.  So I did that which I've been avoiding most... I joined a gym.  And now I have no excuse not to get my lazy rear into gear.

Group fitness classes have always worked well for me, because they force me to overcome my two biggest obstacles: (1) getting started and (2) quitting early.  A class means that I have to start at a particular time, which eliminates the procrastination factor.  Most classes are about an hour long, with peer pressure to boot, which keeps me going til the end. The system works for me.

For my first class at my new gym, I wanted to try Spinning.  Known primarily as a challenging cardio workout, with killer buns as a bonus, I thought it would compliment my established Yoga routine.  The instructor was gracious, helping me adjust my seat and handles, and trying to remind me not to be discouraged if I couldn't keep up at first.

The workout proved to be challenging, but not for the reasons I expected. It was cardio intensive, yes, and my thighs felt like jello when I tried to walk away.  But the body part that really hurts might surprise you, as it did me...

This was not the bike of my childhood memories.  This was the most uncomfortable, torturous contraption I've ever used. Normally when you sit, your weight is supported by your entire rear.  When I sat on this bike, my weight was only supported by my... lady area. My crotch. (Can I say that? It's really most accurate.) The pressure was balanced between my ischium bones ("sit" bones as we call them in yoga) and pelvic area.

Quick lesson from engineering school:  Pressure = Force / Area.  That means that the less area that is supported, the more pressure you feel.  So when you sit on your entire rear, the pressure is minimal.  But when your entire weight is supported by a very tiny area (the tips of the sit & pelvic bones), the pressure increases and is not comfortable at all.

The instructor did mention something to me about padded shorts or a padded seat cover, which I always thought was ridiculous.  I was wrong.  Now on this morning after, my butt is literally bruised.  I may even have a blister.  Is that possible?  And when I say "butt" I am really referring to a very small area... underneath... parallel to the floor.  Not a comfortable area for bruising.

My instructor also mentioned that serious bikers/spinners tend to develop a callus down there. And she said it as though it were a goal I ought to work towards.  Sorry, but I don't really want to callus my lady area.  I think I'd rather endure the embarrassment of padded shorts.

Or maybe I'll try Zumba.

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