I once went to a spin class where the music was so loud that it was impossible to hear anything the instructor was saying. This would have been fine except for the fact that he kept shouting inaudible instructions at me. Forty-five minutes of: "mmmskdkjdfnd, Jen!!!", "slfhsdjdkhsf, Jen!!" and "skjdhfjdhfdid, Jen!!!" I had no idea what he wanted from me or why he was shouting my name over and over again. Whether he was saying "Excellent form, Jen!!!" or "We should buy a summer home in Tuscany together, Jen!!!" or "Look out something very heavy is about to fall on you, Jen!!!", I just kept giving him the same closed mouth half grimace/smile in the hopes that it would be an acceptable response to whatever it was that he was trying to communicate.
It was then that I decided that the art of spinning has everything to do with the teacher. One teacher can make you feel like Lance Armstrong, while another can lead you on the long techno-hell-ride to nowhere. So imagine my delight when I found out that my childhood friend Nina had become a spin instructor! When I took her class last week I quickly found out that, as a spin instructor, Nina is the perfect balance of animal, beast of a teacher who is going to make you sweat your balls off (Sorry, John…he hates that phrase…) and a kind, nurturing, well informed guide who truly makes you feel as if you can become the best version of yourself. And she picks some kick ass music! Here are a few things that I learned in Nina's class:
