Photo: Elissa Garza
Spin class. Not exactly what you would expect to read about on Chubstr. But when Marshalls asked me to participate in a blogger spin session at Flywheel Sports, I apprehensively said yes. We’ve written about fat guys on bikes before, so that was encouraging, but to be honest, it was a daunting idea to be packed into a room with 45 other bloggers riding a stationary bike for 45 minutes. Plus most of those bloggers were women, all of whom weighed at least 100lbs less than me. But I decided to be a good sport and give it a try.
Photo: Elissa Garza
Full disclosure, I’ve done spin class once before so I wasn’t a complete rookie. If you’ve never been to spin (or have never heard of it) it’s basically a large room with stationary bikes and a really enthusiastic instructor. The lights dim, the music starts thumping and you start pedaling. Each instructor leads their class differently, but for the most part, they’re 45 minutes long and consist of different circuits. There’s a whole “language” to learn including riding positions, torque, and “spinner swag” (apparently that’s when your pedaling lines up with the beat of the song) but for your first time, the goal is to simply keep pedaling.
I’m not here to talk about weight loss, working out, or being #fitfluential, but sometimes a guy needs to balance out all those burgers and beer. For the most part, spin class is just plain fun especially if you like loud music. Think of it like riding a bike in a club. On the upside, it completely kicked my Saturday morning hangover. On the down side, it completely ruined my Saturday evening plans because I was so sore.
Photo: Elissa Garza
All in all, I don’t regret my decision. I hadn’t pushed myself physically (beyond shotgunning beers) in a while, and it felt surprisingly good. I also liked that it was really low impact and didn’t hurt my knees or ankles. Plus if you’re work out shy (like a lot of big guys) the dark room is great to squash any embarrassment you may have. Sure it kicked my ass, and I sweat more than I thought was humanly possible, but in the end it was a good time. Now, about those burgers and beer…
The Flywheel Sports class was complimentary thanks to TJX. Clothing was purchased with a gift card provided by Marshalls. Thanks to Elissa Garza from style-wire.com for the photos.
