Instructors Monika Rekola and Shanon
Aylward enjoy the view of the Intracoastal
while Manager Jim O’Keefe leads a demonstration
spinning class on the second floor patio
of The Gym in Manalapan. Photo by Jerry Lower
By Paula Detwiller
To the casual observer, Spinning is a strange fitness routine. It’s a group bicycle ride to nowhere, usually done in a darkened room with loud, pulsating music. A drill sergeant in spandex shouts above the din: “Third position! Keep it going! WooHooo!” Sweat drips from the riders as they lean forward on the trademarked stationary bikes and pump their legs harder, faster to their just rewards: burning between 400 and 600 calories in one hour.
There’s no denying it: Spinning can be grueling, especially for beginners. But to coastal-area fitness lovers, it’s one of the best cardio-pulmonary exercises around.
“I get bored doing the other stuff,” says 68-year-old Ron Secreto, who spins three times a week at Fitness Now in Boca Raton. “I do it for the cardio workout. It keeps me young.”
Kayla L., a woman in her 50s who takes spin classes at Level 5 Fitness in Delray Beach, says she feels invigorated afterward, and sleeps better at night. “I have young guys flirt with me here at the gym,” she half-jokes, “and I think it’s because of the spinning.”
Spinning made its debut in California in the late 1980s when endurance cyclist “Johnny G” Goldberg invented a sturdy indoor cycle with a large-mass braked flywheel to simulate actual road conditions. As group indoor cycling caught on, Spinner bikes were mass-produced and shipped to gyms around the planet.
Fitness Now spin instructor Kathryn Castello, 43, says Spinning is perfect for people of all ages and fitness levels. “It’s your own ride. You can make the tension as high or low as you want.”
Castello says as long as you pedal with your feet flat and parallel to the floor, Spinning is safe and actually good for the knees. It strengthens muscles in the legs, knees, and tush and helps us balance as we age.
Sonny Van Arnem, a spin devotee from Gulf Stream who is 70 but looks 60, participates in spin classes three days a week. “Spin is a form of meditation,” he says. “You get your heart rate up and you just get into it.”
And you don’t need to join a gym — or endure an hour of ear-splitting music in the dark — to give Spinning a try.
Just show up at Oceanfront Park in Boynton Beach around 6:30 a.m. Monday through Sunday. You’ll find a public spin class held on the deck overlooking the ocean, taught by a certified spin instructor.
Organized by local fitness crusader Susan Mandell in conjunction with the Boynton Beach Recreation and Parks Department, the classes are intended to give people from all walks of life a chance to improve their health and wellness. Cost of admission: whatever you can afford.
“We have the best oxygen out here,” Mandell says. “The other day we were Spinning in front of a double rainbow while it was raining, and it was absolutely phenomenal.”
One of Mandell’s newest recruits, 50-year-old Chris Geletka of Hypoluxo, says he’s hooked. “I didn’t realize how much of a cardio workout this is. But how many people get to look at the ocean while they’re working out?”
Paula Detwiller is a freelance writer and lifelong fitness junkie. Find her at www.pdwrites.com.
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