Spinning at Home

I have been mentioning cross-training quite a bit in my running-related posts recently. It's because I've been doing much more of it, especially getting back into indoor cycling. And a few of you had questions, so I thought I'd address them in a post rather than replying individually.

(Skipping the Weekend Things post this week because regular stuff has been spotty.)

#1: You have a gym membership -- why did you buy your own spinning bike? 

Well, we NOW have a gym membership, but back when we bought our bike in 2010, we didn't. It was a well thought out purchase because Stephen and I both enjoy spinning, but don't always have the money + time + motivation for classes.

Plus, honestly, those spinning die-hards sort of intimidate me.

At the time, we also didn't have a treadmill either, so the idea was that if the weather is icy or below zero (or, in this case, when it's 90 degrees -- because, apparently, I hate extremes), we'd have a good workout we could complete indoors. As well, we were both trying to get in some low-impact training to balance out all the miles run on the road.

#2: What kind of bike do you have? 

We have a basic, base model by Spinner. It's been a few years, so the closest bike I could find is the Spinner Fit Indoor Cycle. It may seem like a bit of an investment at first, it costs around $600, but after three years of use, it's really held up well. And that bike I linked to comes with 4 DVDs, which I'll write more about in a minute.

I have been surprised with how solid + sturdy it is despite being a lower level on the spectrum of other spinning bikes available. However, there are also a few models that run under $200!

If you're already a cyclist, you may also be able to get yourself an indoor trainer and ride the bike you already own year-round. I don't have a road bike (mine's a hybrid), so I don't know if this was an option. I'd love to hear more from people who ride with trainers.


#3: What is your setup like? Any other gear needed? 

As you can see, I ride our spinning bike right in the living room amidst unfinished puzzles and stuffed animals. For the time being, we're storing the bike in our entryway, which will need to change when we start using that space more formally after we do a bit of renovation work. A true benefit to a spinning bike versus a treadmill is the small footprint.

As far as other gear goes:

• I have a pair of padded bike shorts to cushion the uncomfortable-ness. I like the shorter ones because I sweat like crazy while spinning.
• Though I'm not wearing them in these photos, my Merrell Barefoot Glove shoes work extremely well for spinning. Not quite as hard/intense as normal cycling shoes, but more support and less bounce than my Brooks Pure Flows (the workout in my running shoes wasn't very comfortable, truth be told!).
• And a towel + water bottle are absolute essentials, too.

#4: What workouts do you do? How long/times a week?

If you want, you can just switch on music or TV and ride. Make your own mountains, etc. If you've ever been to a spinning class, you sort of know the different positions on the bike. Sitting, "jogging" or standing, and then that third sort of position of standing with your butt out and holding the low handlebars. Right? Right.

I prefer to do a DVD, which I've mentioned before, because I find when I go rogue, I quit after 15-20 minutes. Trying to push through pain while watching a Lifetime movie just doesn't happen.

// I have the Spinning Turn + Burn DVD. It's great for an intense 45-50 minute interval workout. It includes climbs of 5 different hills of varying lengths. I am drenched when it's over. And always pleasantly surprised I could actually finish it. I do this workout once a week, but am looking to increase to twice/week.

I'd like to vary the routine, so I'm eying these others:

• Spinning Ireland Road Tour -- because it might be more fun to watch scenery than the real or imagined sexual tension I pick up in my current DVD.
• Spinning Crank it Up -- it's by the same instructor, but I guess it's at the "next level" and got a lot of good reviews.
• Spinervals Competition -- this one sounds intense. Description says it's difficulty 9.9 on a 1-10 scale. Might be good as a replacement for a speed workout once in a while.
• Mindy Mylrea: Short & Sweet Cycling -- I think I'd use the bike more if I had the option for shorter workouts. This DVD has 3 20-ish minute ones to choose from.

(See the torn-up floor boards? this room is getting a face-lift!)

This question wasn't asked, but I'll just tell you my favorite part of spinning is when it's over. I tend to dread my cross-training because running -- though difficult at times -- is my happy place. When I venture out of my fitness-zone, I feel much more exertion. But that's a GOOD thing.

What spinning gives me that running doesn't is this gigantic sense of accomplishment . . . but more in a surprised way. Like I mentioned above, when I finish a workout, I'm always like "WHOA, REALLY?! I just did that and didn't stop?!?!"

So, that's a good way to feel once + a while.

Spinning is also undeniably great for my running. I know I've written it in the past, but I ran my fastest 5K even when I was spinning 2/week. It's because the motion gets your legs moving faster and the resistance is tough and makes you push through more than with just running. At least in my not-so expert opinion.

Do you spin? Anything more to add? I'd love to get more into outdoor biking, too, but we don't live in an area with tons of long bike paths or safe roads. It's quite a bit of traffic until things open up. Though I really should investigate more!

Happy weekend, everyone!

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Marathon Training, Part II and Our At-Home Gym

Hi. So, it's been a while since I've talked running and fitness. I've talked about my feelings and disappointments. But it's time to get busy. And by that, I mean: ONTO MARATHON TRAINING, PART II.

Originally I planned to follow Hal Higdon's Senior Marathon plan after Wineglass. But we all know how THAT race went. As well as how I came to accept my D(id) N(ot) F(inish) standing. Simply put, though, when coming up with my schedule, I had to face the facts: My muscles didn't undergo the trauma of the marathon . . . so my training need not scale back so dramatically.

What am I doing exactly?


(((Please keep in mind that I've already completed a full training plan for the marathon this season. I would never try to run the distance with only 7 weeks of preparation!)))

This is a schedule I crafted using various plans on Hal's site. The mileage is slightly scaled back because I don't want to burn out from all this distance-heavy training. What I didn't include in this chart is the cross-training I'm planning to do. I'm doing more yoga. At least one day per week. I'm doing mini spin sessions at least 15 minutes in length twice a week (after shorter runs). Oh! Each Tuesday run will be a Vibrams run to keep my feet strong and healthy.

I'm also working my way back up to 50+ push-ups (I'm up to 3 sets of 40) and chin-ups.

Yeah. That's right. CHIN-UPs! Earlier in the summer I mentioned it was a goal of mine to do one chin-up. FINALLY I'm able to do one. Just one, though. But I've done that one on several occasions now. I'm slowly trying to work my way up to 10. Hello, negatives. You're my new best friends.

To get in all this yoga, cross-training, and upper-body stuff, you'd think we'd need to join a gym. Right? Not so much. We found a way to take our downstairs areas from this . . .



To THIS . . .


What IS that exactly? Well, it's a bar. That you can connect to any doorway (in other words, it's removable when we DON'T want to feel like we're living in a gym). Perfect for doing chin-ups and pull-ups. Stephen found it at TJ Max this weekend for -- drum roll, please -- $20.



See it now?

Worth.
Every.
Penny.


Stephen, of course, does 50 pull-ups, putting my efforts to shame. But there's tons of space now to follow my workout with a round (or two) of push-ups. Yoga. Even our spinning bike has a clear path to roll and fit snugly in front of the TV for a quick sweat session.


(Not looking so thrilled there.) Usually we watch short shows like Better off Ted, Arrested Development, The Office, and The I.T. Crowd. But we'd love some great spinning DVD suggestions. I'm also thinking about getting some workout DVDs like Jillian Michaels' 30-day Shred everyone's been talking about.

Here's a tip: If you have your own spinner, it's a great idea to put an old yoga mat under it if you have wood floors. It protects from scrapes and sweat!

There. That's better!


For those of you who may not remember, we snagged our spinning bike for $475 at a local sports shop. So, that plus the $20 for the pull-up bar equals just about $500. And that's, well, WAY less than a gym membership for two. All in the comfort of our own home. (Seriously, people, we're notorious for having a gym membership that we never, EVER use!) We also have a few other items, like some 5 pound weights and a kettle bell. For the most part, our strength training is all using our body as the weight.

Does anyone else gym-it at home? As the weather gets colder out, we have genuinely considered joining a real gym. However, we both like running even in the cold. And none of the gym around here are anything to write home about. We'll see. Someday I'd like to get into swimming . . . at least for now, we're not planning to build an indoor pool addition on our house.


Let us know your thoughts -- as well as if you have tips for keeping everything sweet and fresh smelling after major sweat sessions near your dining room table! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Three Cheers for Cheap Gear: Part I

Those of you who follow us on Twitter know we have a new cross-training buddy: our Spinner Sport Spin Bike. What we didn't tell you is that we scored this baby for under its Amazon price (which, if you're in the market for a spin bike, you know you can't really beat their prices/free shipping). Not only that, but we also supported a local business in the process. Smiles all around!

First: Why did we choose a spin bike? As I mentioned above, cross-training is definitely the primary reason. We also were considering starting up (yet another) a gym membership. However, the gyms in our area leave much (MUCH) to be desired. So, we took some time to examine exactly what we like about gym memberships -- again, mostly cross-training opportunities with spinning, yoga, and free weights -- and started researching a bit.

After I injured myself during the Philadelphia Marathon last fall, I was unable to run for over a month. We joined a gym, and I took to the bike. I was pleased to find spinning a challenging workout -- even when I chose to do it on my own (not being yelled at by a fitness instructor). My fitness level stayed stable, and I even gained some speed -- PRing at a 10K in January despite a slick layer of snow. Yeah, indoor cycling gets my heart rate up into the good zone, and I sweat like a pig. No joke.

So, in short: We wanted a spinning bike because it offers us excellent cross-training -- as well as a safeguard in case one of us becomes injured in our primary sport, running. And, at least for me, the bike gives us a low-impact speed training buddy.

Step back, though. We're runners. So, when it comes to equipment for at-home gymin' it, a treadmill is something we certainly want to purchase eventually (despite how hardcore we are about running in negative temps and snowicanes, sometimes we just can't run outside in the climate). We have heard from our friends with kids that when you have little ones, it's hard to get in your run unless you can stay put. One small problem -- a "good" treadmill (that can handle Stephen's speed) is expensive. And I'm not hiding a baby bump, so we don't need to worry about all that just yet.

So, we also went with the bike because of its relative affordability and for its practical application in our lives today, not tomorrow. We found this particular bike, the Spinner Sport, on Amazon -- and it got rave reviews. But we made sure to do our homework before whipping out the plastic to hastily purchase. In fact, we gave ourselves the weekend to think about it.

Then on Saturday morning, we hit up our local athletic supply store (it was the first time we'd even been in there). And -- wouldn't you know it -- the exact bike we'd set our sights on was sitting on the showroom floor. With a $499 price tag (same as Amazon). Best yet, we got to hop on it for a test ride.

• Foremost, I was impressed by the bike's stability. Home models (versus the fancy, pricey) can be wobbly and just feel cheap, for lack of a better description. Not this one, even in the standing spinning position, this thing is rock solid. 
• It also has a water bottle and holder (many of the more expensive models didn't, and I go through gallons of water while riding). This "feature" may seem silly, but it was one of my checklist items.
• It's extremely portable -- just roll and go. 
• It's not too terribly heavy (which may sound like a contradiction, like it isn't solid, but please see above, where I write about how stable this baby is!).
• Did I mention it was selling at the Amazon price? Yeah, that was attractive at the time of purchase, too.

And on, and on, and on. Back to the deal we got. Like I said, the price tag said $499, but since I had done my homework, I told the salesman that I could get it somewhere else for that exact price, where it was new, still in the box (the one at the store was also new, but out on the floor). He said he could lob off $25 -- which essentially covers tax, and we took a few moments to think. We ultimately decided to take it because it was already assembled, no shipping, tax was covered by his discount. Yeah, we are pretty thrilled with the bargain!

If you figure it all out over the course of a year, we're each "paying" a $20 gym membership in order to pay off this bike. Might not sound like we're getting all the benefits -- but if you factor in the number of days we simply didn't make the effort to cart our butts to the gym, we know we have made the right choice. And if you're looking for other ways to bring your workout home, while also saving money, check out this guest post from a few weeks ago.


And later this week, we'll show you all the tent we bought a few weeks ago that was originally nearly $400. And we snagged it up for less than $175! Camping the coast of Maine on the cheap-itty, cheap, cheap, here we come!

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