Having read about people taking part in spin class as part of their training for cycling events including triathlons, I’ve always thought of spinning as a great way to get the lean body of an athlete and contemplated the sweetness of getting that toned, lean body I’ve once upon a long long time lived in.

So when the opportunity to hop on the bike and take part in the “Indoor Cycling Experience” aka I.C.E. presented itself, I did just that. I got on the bike and pedalled like crazy.

Last night was my first spin class. I survived with major arm-ache to tell the story.

Why did it never occur to me that cycling is so much more than leg work? That it would be more of an arm workout? That my abdominal muscles would be wholly engaged? That my upper body would be screaming post-workout?

Ten minutes into the super-intense one week of boot camp condensed into a one-hour session on a stationary bike and my thighs were burning/cramping up. Second only to the one-time I went snowboarding where I felt like if I didn’t fall onto my glutes right at that moment, my quadriceps would tear.

Miraculously, not a single ache in the legs the day after.

The lack of aching quads does leave me a little bumped. I enjoy the after-burn of a workout much more than the endurance pain during the workout.

It is like doing the Grouse Grind. It is a huge pain and metal challenge to get to the top of Grouse Mountain. The longest 2.9 kilometres I have ever walked in my life where I repeatedly say, “Why did I sign up for this?! I am never doing this again!” But when I got to the top, the feeling of success – incredibly sweet. And I wanted to do it again.

I do not remember if I ached at all after the Grind, but I am one of those who likes to think the workout wasn’t effective if I don’t get rewarded with muscle ache the following days.

I am after all one of those psychos who used to run an hour each day, making sure to put in long uphill runs just to feel the ache in my abs and back for the rest of the week. No, I don’t do that anymore. I do miss the feeling of post-workout but cannot again endure the trauma those runs did to my knees.

A part of me feels like “spinning” or “spin class” is just a name-calling gimmick to make cycling classy and sophisticated. I mean, our forefathers have cycled for years. It is a great mode of transportation, one that I am happy to see a huge revival of. But paying big money to join a gym and then pay more to have some stranger yell at you to cycle faster, harder and carry your body weight in your arms?

I’ve always enjoyed cycling but never thought of it as a workout since I usually cycle to places at my leisurely pace, strictly to get places and not for fitness. As much as I admire Lance Armstrong and his fellow athletes, I never did experience the cardio workout that cycling was suppose to bring. I guess I never really pedalled hard enough!

Unfortunately, there is nothing glamorous or sophisticated about spin class. No one looked classy on those bikes, huffing and puffing their way to the beat of songs that these mothers would usually frown upon.

It was intense. Unable to sync my pedalling with any of the beat, I kept focus on the instructor hoping to find inspiration to just keep pedalling. The wonderful thing is that after a while, you completely forget about pedalling and yet your legs just keep going.

It also helped that Eli was on the bike next to me. I’ve found it much easier to go through challenging moments with someone close to you silently or not so silently motivating you to push on. Even in yoga, I feel the need to challenge myself further also because I’ve got Eli next to me – I have to look good at what I’m doing! Seriously, it helps to know you are not alone.

All in all, first spin class was a success. It has me wanting more. And since I have been given a complimentary “membership” for the rest of the year, I shall attempt to use this to my greatest advantage and let some stranger yell me into better fitness.