What’s it Like to be a Guy in a Spinning Class?

We’re kicking off our Dandelion Chandelier Winter Wellness series with a further exploration of what’s new in the world of spinning. Our first two dispatches from men who spin generated so much conversation that we decided to ask a few more guys to share their experiences. In the process, we learned about Swerve, a spin studio that seems expressly tailored to the needs of alpha personality types and former athletes of all ability levels. If you have such a person in your in your life – or even better, if you are such a person – you might want to read on.

We’ve written about the best spinning studios in the world, and about the best luxury indoor stationary bikes for those who prefer to sweat in private. As we conducted our research, we realized that lots of our friends and far-flung correspondents are men who from time to time participate in group spinning classes. Be it Soul Cycle, FlyWheel, SWERVE, The Dailey Method (TDM) or some other studio, they report being a distinct minority in this milieu. So what’s it like to be a man in a predominantly female exercise class? In their own (lightly edited) words, our intrepid male spinners share their personal stories from inside the studio. In our third installment, here’s what the Executive Editor of our Dandelion Chandelier Sports Desk had to say. He’s a regular attendee of classes at SWERVE, a studio that takes a team approach to the spinning experience.

First off, why spinning? And how did you choose your studio?

Previous spinning classes were never very good for me because there was no element of competition (which is a big incentive for me) and I couldn’t even compare my own performance in one spin class to how I did in another.

SWERVE addresses these issues in a very clever way.  Every bike has a SWERVE score, which records your cumulative effort – pedal faster, get more SWERVE points, turn up the resistance, get more SWERVE points.  So you can see how you yourself do in each session and versus your previous sessions.

In addition, each class is turned into a team competition.  The room (I think about 45 bikes) is split into Blue, Red and Green teams.  The cumulative score of each team is shown up on the screen, and the instructors turn it into a competition, and urge teams to hit targets.  They also do “SWERVE to the beat” where if you pedal at the right cadence, as a team, you get extra points.  They also do competitions within the competition: 15, 30 or 45-second “races,” where each team’s cumulative points for that segment are shown and you get points for winning.

For those who do not like the competition, no one sees your individual score but you.  They do show the team leaders for each of the teams, and they send you an e-mail at the end of the class with all your stats. I go with people from work, and we compete to see who can get the highest score.  It is fun and motivating.  Plus, I can see how I do each session. The class is pretty easy to do – we usually go in the morning. It’s a 45 minute class, you take a shower and are out. So, I like it for the competition and because I have an objective measure of how I do each time – I can work towards better and better performance.  As a result, it is a great workout.

How many guys or what percent of the typical class you attend is male?

I would say the classes are mostly younger people for sure – I am probably the oldest in every class.  It is probably on average 1/3 men and 2/3 women.

Is the teacher ever male?

The instructors are about equally split between men and women.  They are all pretty good.  They have different music – the music is generally good.

How do you feel being in the minority in this situation? Does that inform any other part of your life?

The minority status that informs me more than gender is the youth of the people in the class – it is interesting to see how they behave and how they think about things.

What have you learned from working out with women?

I think the women are competitive and are tough.  They like the teamwork element probably more than the men.

What advice would you have for a guy thinking about starting spinning?

Do SWERVE. If you are a decent rider/spinner, I think you will enjoy the competitive element.  Especially if you go with a group that you know and who are also competitive with you.

Do you think more about your appearance in class than you would in another workout situation?

I don’t think any more about appearance in this than anywhere else.  I am just an old guy – so, I have no illusions that I need to look good. SWERVE has branded workout gear, but so far, I haven’t bought any of it. We won a tee-shirt because our team won a 6-week competition, but that’s just a simple grey T-shirt.

Do you think you’re more or less competitive than usual when there is a majority of women in the class?

The biggest motivation for competition is the immediate group.  I want to beat my friends/colleagues.  I am probably a little more competitive if the group is a little more male because in general (but not always – there are some great women riders) the scores are higher with more men, which means team competition is a bit more intense.

What has surprised you the most? 

I was surprised that I have basically won every class – finished first.  Even though all these young people are in there, I can still beat them!

What have you learned about women?

I think it’s interesting that there are so many young women who choose to work out like this – it’s impressive.

What have you learned about yourself?

The competition really makes the exercise much more fun and is a big motivator.

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