Each month, the JCC is featuring one of our many Group Exercise classes. With classes for people of all ages and fitness levels, we know there’s something for everyone but still, taking that first step can be intimidating. We want to help get you started so we’ve enlisted staff and friends who want to try out highlighted classes. In this blog they will share the experience.

This month, the featured class is Spin 30 in the Squirrel Hill Spin Studio, Mondays and Wednesday at 9:15 am. It’s great way to set the pace in a short amount of time!

Spinning is a perfect way to strengthen your heart while being kind to your joints. In Spinning, everyone rides together, but you can set your own pace and intensity. During classes, you will learn to properly set up your Spinning bike and learn fundamentals that will ensure your success.

“Spin 30 is great because you can take it and make it a hard class, but because it’s only 30 minutes you don’t have to worry about pacing yourself as much as you would with our 60 minute class,” Spin Instructor, Personal Training, and Recovery Specialist Annie Kostovny said. “But it’s also great because if you’re new, you can adjust intensity as you need so you can get a good workout that’s not too much for your first class.”

With great playlists, instructors and a state-of-the-art Spin Studio the JCC creates a space where everyone from new spinners to the most experienced cyclists can make the most of this quick but effective workout. The shortened class also acts a great warm up for a longer workout whether it be at another group class, downstairs in the pool, or in the weight room.

The class starts with a quick warm up song that incorporates stretching and movement to get your heart rate up and blood flowing. Instructors quickly transition into a series of sprints, hills, and other movement over the course of the class.

“It’s a super workout in 30 minutes, it’s fun, Annie K. is an amazing instructor, and she always plays great music,” JCC Member Claire F. said.

Another important aspect of the class is recovery. At the JCC, we have been incorporating recovery into every workout possible. Our instructors know and share the importance of active recovery with our members in hopes of not only improving their workouts, but also overall well-being. Research shows that recovery is just as important as exercise, affecting the inflammation, soreness and lactic acid build-up in your body, as well as your risk of injury.

Active recovery means staying physically active while you recover from higher intensity exercise by using gentle, non-strenuous movements.

“You want to do some bouts of really fast high intensity and heavy work, and when you are doing that you have to recover,” Kostovny said. “There’s no way your body can work that hard for the full 30 minutes so I like to do a lot of intervals of a minute of hard work and then almost the same amount of time in recovery to improve your overall well-being.”

The entire month of December all JCC members get access to ALL spin classes for free! Contact membership to save your space today. We hope to see you there for the next class!
View our full in person fitness class schedule HERE.