Spivi Cycling

By: Susan Hickey

Are you looking for a new option for cross training?  Is low-impact exercise more your jam?  Do you enjoy working out in a high-energy, fast paced environment? If any of these apply to you, you might be interested in Spivi Cycling.  Spivi Cycling is an interactive spinning program offered at Coffman and at Kleptz YMCA locations.   Using the Spivi program, you can reserve the bike of your choice online prior to class (pending availability) and actively compete against other riders in the class while watching your stats on the big screen.  

For those new to spinning in general, there are some basics to a typical class.  Each class consists of a warm up period at your base gear.  One’s base gear is unique to each individual, and is adjusted as conditioning and strength improve.  After warm up, the instructor guides the class through a series of intervals directed at increasing heart rate and improving cardiovascular endurance.  Some songs are intended to help work on speed and increased cadence.  Other songs have a slower beat and are more conducive to standing hill climb simulation.  Regardless, the music will get you pumped and working hard.

What makes Spivi unique is that the cycling studio has a big screen at the front on which all the bikes can be seen.  Each rider therefore sees his bike as it compares to the other riders in the class.  The instructor also has the target stats at the top of the screen, including goal cadence and heart rate.  Each bike has its own computer so each rider sees if he is personally hitting the targets.  Each bike has adjustable gear (resistance).  The instructor directs the class to increase the gear setting to “2 above set” or “4 above set” depending on the intensity of the particular song.  Obviously, each person’s fitness level is different, and riders can feel free to adjust their gear as they feel is appropriate for their strength and endurance.  The entire studio is dark, to allow the screen to show the bikes and the road.  Therefore, one can adjust his or her gear without being noticed, if needed.  Another Spivi feature is the ability to sync a compatible watch or chest strap to the app to allow heart rate tracking.

At the conclusion of class, everyone’s stats are portrayed on the screen, allowing one to track approximate calories burned, distance traveled, and power produced.  This information is also available on the Spivi app. Privacy settings on the app can limit information posted in class.

Spivi is a fun, interactive cycling workout that will help build strength and cardiovascular endurance.  If you are the competitive type, it can be motivating to watch your bike speed in front of the class.   Even if you aren’t, you can be assured a fun time and a challenging workout.   Check with the Coffman or Kleptz branch for specifics on how to register and guidelines for signing up for a bike.  And when you come to your first class, be sure to check in with the instructor to be sure your bike is adjusted properly.

Here’s to yet another great class offering, thanks to our Dayton YMCAs!