A New Spin On Life Exercise Program Takes Indoor Bike Riding To Extreme Heights

Even before climbing aboard, you can’t help noticing this is not the same exercise bike stored in your parents’ paneled rec room.

You know the one. That prehistoric ergometer that picks up dust faster than a baby boomer’s thighs collect cellulite. This model is the turn-of-the-century version of the bike ride to nowhere. Except this sleek, stainless steel-and-chrome one-wheeler will get you there much faster.

The adjustable racing bike equipped with resistance knob is designed by Schwinn. The magic behind a thinner, healthier you was the brainchild of a Southern California fitness fanatic named Johnny Goldberg.

Johnny G Spinning is a 40-minute stationary bike workout described as “part yoga, part Tour de France, part 12th-Century torture chamber.”

So what’s not to like?

“After the first time, I was hooked,” said Christi Culp, a 45-year-old special education teacher at Shaw Middle School. “I love it because it’s me against the bike. I can challenge myself.

“At aerobics class, you feel like you have to do as good as the person next to you. With the bike, it’s easier to go to a higher limit.”

Spinners are challenged to push themselves over simulated stretches of uphill terrain, mixed in with 30-second sprints. All this done over the sound of rhythmic tunes and a coaxing instructor.

Spinning workouts burn an average of 500 calories, making the trusty treadmill seem like a Sunday stroll.

Spokane was introduced to spinning during the summer when the Johnny G Spinner Pro cycles began popping up in Sta-Fit Racquet & Health clubs.

The clubs’ aerobics instructors and personal trainers, along with some experienced and ready-to-spin cyclists, took the one-day Johnny G instructor certification training program. Classes originally cost $4.50 each, but just last week, Sta-Fit president Jeff Brannon announced the price has been dropped to $2 to be used as “a reservation fee because of the limited space of 10 bikes.”

North Park Racquet & Athletic Club jumped on the spinwagon Dec. 1. It, too, put its instructors through the mandatory certification program and North Park manager Mike Tupling reports business is booming. It’s so popular, the club plans to increase from 11 to 14 classes a week and also is looking into adding three more Schwinns to its fleet at $699 a pop. Class fees are included in membership fees.

So what makes spinning different from the traditional stationary bike workout? For simple starters, leave the Walkman, radio headphones or current copy of Newsweek magazine in the gym bag. Everyone participates together in this part-mental, part-emotional, mostly physical journey.

Everybody uses headphones and spins to the same music (although headbangers can individually pump up the volume).

The same motivational words are spoken by the instructor, if he or she has any Richard Simmons in them. Everyone finishes in 40 minutes.

But it could be a different workout, for beginners in particular. When the cyclists are told by the instructor, “OK, now we’re going to do 100 jumps,” if the newcomer or less-fit isn’t up to standing, pedaling and sitting for the next several minutes, he can bypass that part of the workout or jump in when ready.

But he can’t coast.

Get the weighted fly wheel rotating, and the only way to stop on a dime is by pulling out the emergency knob. Schwinn announced its newest model will allow users to apply back pressure to the pedals that will allow users to stop easier and quicker.

But for now, spinning can be intimidating because the direct drive force means no free wheeling or back pedaling. But think about it - that’s 40 minutes of motion.

It’s gotta be doing something good for the heart, soul and glutes!

“It’s definitely a good motivating exercise,” said Suzanne Bennett, Sta-Fit South fitness director, who instructs at least two spinning classes a week. “It’s a lot easier in a class situation to stay more motivated. You work harder than if you were just doing it on your own.”

The popularity of spinning is climbing as furiously as a spin up Doomsday Hill.

According to Gary Kobat, head of publicity at Madd Dog Athletics, Spinning’s parent company, global distribution began to take off three years ago.

There are approximately 1,000 clubs in the U.S. and 3,000 worldwide that offer the program. More than 7,000 instructors nationwide have been certified by the Johnny G training program.

Each instructor brings something different to his or her class, be it a taste in music (Bennett has 16 personalized tapes), or a preference for perhaps taking the class on more hill climbs and less sprints. However, there are certain common denominators such as three different hand positions and five standard movements - seated flat, seated climb, standing jog, standing climb and jump movements.

When the journey calls for a hill, riders turn the resistance knob to simulate a stretch of uphill terrain. On a straightaway, loosen up on the resistance, go hard, and before know it, you’ve passed Miguel Indurain on the Champs Elysees.

Spinning also appeals to men as well as women. Tupling estimates the aerobics classes at North Park run 90 percent women to 10 percent men. Spinning is a 50-50 ratio.

“All of it’s hard. And it’s always a challenge for me,” said spinning loyalist Michaelene Treyve, 47. “But with aerobics, it’s the same routine.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo Graphic: The Spin doctor’s report