Thanks for all of the nice comments and congratulations on my last post. 
A little info on the Spinning course:
- I received a manual to read before the orientation
- I had to attend a 9-hour orientation
- Lastly, I had to take a 50 question test
I left off in my last post saying that I had a lot of doubts before I took the course.
I had no idea my parents were getting me this as a Christmas gift so I was a little taken aback (but def. not ungrateful!) on Christmas. They said that me becoming an instructor is kind of like a Christmas gift that keeps on giving because I can gain employment from it.
They also said I didn’t have to take the course if I didn’t want to–they just didn’t know what to get me for Christmas and went out on a limb with this idea. So I thought why not? If I get certified and hate it, at least I tried and had a cool experience!
What the orientation was like
The orientation was at a local gym about 35 minutes from my home. It began at 10am and ended at 7pm. Needless to say, it was a long day. Twelve people were at the orientation and it was all in one room. We each had a Spinning bike and a chair next to it.
Here’s a breakdown of the day:
- 10am-12:30pm: Learned about the history of Spinning and how to properly set up a bike.
- 12:30-2:00pm: Performed a “form ride” where the teacher checked everyone’s form and we all practiced basic spinning skills like jumping and standing climbs.
- 2:00-2:30pm: LUNCH! (I packed a pb&j, an apple, carrots, a Luna bar, hard boiled eggs, a tuna sandwich, popcorn, and trail mix—> We were told that we would need to eat a lot because we were going to be riding the bikes a lot.)
- 2:30-6:00pm: Learned about endurance, strength, recovery, and interval training as well as heart rate training and how to put together a class and choose music.
- 6:00-7:00pm: Rode the bike again for a tough class.
(^ I packed a lot of stuff for the day…!)
*So overall, I had three hours of riding, five and a half hours of learning, and thirty minutes for lunch to make it a nine hour day.*
My thoughts on the orientation
- I wish it was broken up into two days of four and a half hours instead of one nine-hour day.
- It made my butt really sore :p.
- I really enjoyed the instructor–she was very knowledgeable and nice.
- I was whooped by the end of the day. My body was really tired from spinning and my mind was really full. It took me all day Sunday to process everything in my head!
Tomorrow or sometime soon I’ll do another post on the 50 question test and what I plan to do with my certification!
Living My Full Life 
Awesome! I agree w the class being long however mine was at WVU & I wouldn’t have wanted to make that drive 2 days in a row!
Yeah, that sounds like a crazy lot of spinning in one day, I don’t blame you for wishing it had been broken down into two. Especially with how sore your butt had to be after the class! It’s still really neat that you did it though and you can hopefully teach and get some extra cash :).
Awesome! Dude, my butt would’ve been so sore and numb too…I’m sure pretty soon you’ll have buns of steel heehee 😉
Wow-I would have been sore for like a year afterwords. That is really a great idea though. I’m glad you liked it! I can’t wait to hear about you teaching some classes 🙂
Wow, sounds an intense day!
Oooh I can definitely see why you’d want that broken up into two days. That makes for one long workout! I’d like to get certified one day so it’s cool to get an inside look!
I wish I had creative parents like that! Haha that really does seem like a great experience and whether you teach or not you still have the opportunity to do so. Where was the class offered?
Wow, orientation sounds tough but it’s great how you hung in there! I love the thought behind your parent’s gift and I think it shows wisdom and maturity that you saw the value in it too. Have a great Tuesday Allie! One week until Spring Break!
Sounds awesome!
Good for you!! I’ve only done one spinning class but would love to go back and try another!
I agree with the above comment from Coffeeandthepaper. Sounds like orientation was tough but props to you for getting through it!! 🙂
Nice work 🙂 Orientation doesn’t sound much fun! I can’t wait to teach group fitness in a few years (I also feel like I’m too young, especially with not even being in college yet!!!) Can’t wait to hear about that test!
That’s a lot of spinning for one day..but I am sure it will be all worth it when you get to finally utilize this certification. Congrats Allie!
How exciting!! I teach cycle now, but need to go through the very later this month. I’m excited for tomorrow’s post on the questions too.
And I can only imagine the sore bum from 3 hours of riding!!
Yes, life is exciting and scary! I know EXACTLY how you feel. I am also shy and quiet, but trying to break out of it! 😉