Trainers are here! We now have several trainers in the studio, so you can enjoy a Spin class on your own bike. Are you training for a charity ride, training for a triathlon, or do you just love your own seat and bike fit? Ride on over to Flywheel and our instructors can help you set up your bike on a trainer. 

Simply sign up for a Spinning class online, then show up with your bike! For a complete schedule of Spin classes, click here. 

Do you train with a team, cycling group or triathlon team – and are looking for some indoor space? If you want to come in on your own, or  bring in your own coach and your own team, please contact us about studio rentals. Flywheel Fitness has 11 Spinner bikes and 9 trainers. Contact info can be found at the footer on this page.

Max & Ashley first started coming to Flywheel a little over a year ago. They were newly engaged and wanted to get in shape for their wedding. Although they frequently walk together with their two dogs, and they had a membership to a gym, “neither one of us was very motivated in that environment” says Ashley. Motivation is a key factor for this couple, who have even seen a competitive side develop as they race each other to finish first in Rowing Boot-Camp classes. Ashley says that attending classes together has had a positive impact on their relationship. “Being able to see how far we can push ourselves in these workouts is a side of each other that we wouldn’t otherwise get to see.  I feel more confident in myself and love showing that to Max.  It can be pretty sexy to see him accomplish these workouts too! 

“It helps us bond in a way that we wouldn’t otherwise do.  We get to see a strength in each other that we don’t otherwise see on a daily basis.  It’s pretty amazing to see what your partner can do!”

Valinda & Andrew just recently started attending classes as a couple, although Valinda has been a member of Flywheel for over a year. She recently convinced her husband to join her. Although it took some convincing to get Andy to attend the 6:30am classes, Valinda says “It’s a lot easier getting out of bed in the dark at 6:00 AM when you’re both getting up  – out of bed – in the dark – at 6:00 AM.” Both Valinda and Andy enjoy working out together and feel as though it’s been a positive shared experience, “It’s good to know that your loved one is doing something good for them” says Valinda.

“It’s fun to be together. We’re practicing for our empty nest after our son goes off to college.”

Nick & Lisa first came to Flywheel Fitness when Nick saw a Flywheel Groupon. Lisa says it wasn’t tough convincing her to join as well. Before Flywheel, walking through the neighborhood was their main form of exercise. Although they aren’t really competitive with one another, Lisa does say it’s different than working out with friends because “I don’t want him to see me do anything foolish like falling off the rowing machine.” (note: that doesn’t happen) Lisa says she’s more likely to attend classes if Nick is with her and believes it’s had a positive impact on the  relationship. “Working out as a couple probably isn’t for everybody but it works well for us.”

“We have really enjoyed our classes at Flywheel because it allows us to row together at our own pace.”

Flywheel has been providing Indoor Rowing classes for members of Team Survivor for over one year now, and we’re excited to announce that we’ll be adding Team Survivor Spinning in February of 2012! Any member of Team Survivor can come to these sessions free of charge. Visit the CTTS website above to get started if you are not already a Team Survivor member. 

Indoor Rowing with Team Survivor is a great way to be a part of a TEAM sport, improve your cardiovascular fitness, and improve strength. Studies have shown that rowing specifically benefits those who have undergone breast cancer surgery and removal of the lymph nodes by increasing circulation and strengthening under the arms. If you’d like to participate in the on-the-water rowing program at Austin Rowing Club, you must first attend 2-3 Indoor Rowing sessions at Flywheel. Coached by Sara-Mai Conway.

Spinning with Team Survivor offers the amazing fitness benefits of cycling, in a safe, supportive environment. Get fit, practice using your SPD clips, improve your cycling technique. Spinning is a great compliment to your training whether you’re taking part in the 2012 Mama Jama ride, or just wanting to get in better shape! Coached by Tammy Metzger. 

 Join Team Survivor and join us in 2012!

There are lots of reasons to ride with cycling shoes instead of just sneakers, THIS BLOG will tell you all about it in detail. When your feet are connected to the bike, your stroke will be more efficient, and you’ll get more mileage out of each revolution. This will increase your enjoyment of the ride and your feel for proper technique. 

NEW! For those of you who cycle on the road and have LOOK clips – we now have one bike with LOOK pedals (and more to come). Feel free to call or send us an email before class and we’ll reserve the LOOK bike for you. 

Not sure what clips you have? See the photos below for a quick tutorial…

Look clips to be used with cycling shoes

Look clips to be used with cycling shoes

Here are the dual-sided pedals: 

SPD clips to be used with cycling shoes

Spinning clips to be used with sneakers

For me, this time of year is the end of December. Perhaps the purging is a reaction to the uselessness of the Christmas “stuff getting.” Perhaps it’s related to closing out the fiscal year, the calendar year, the training year. But January is a time for new beginnings, and I want to hit the ground ready and running.

As the Christmas decorations go back in the closet – out comes a bag of stuff for Goodwill, and another for the trash. There’s a purging of the file cabinets, there’s the cleaning of the fridge, and then there’s the list making; the training chart, the race calendar, the budgeting for trips and events. With a clean apartment, a new set of plans on my corkboard, and a long list of goals, it’s going to feel good to get started on 2012.

I taught the last Spinning class of the year on December 30^th. Most people do sports where they face forward and travel forward, but for me it’s a novelty. So to get on a Spinner bike and imagine myself sprinting on a wide open road was especially poignant that day. I felt the thrill of riding towards 2012, leaving 2011 further and further behind. Moving forward. Nothing gets me in the zone like riding a Spinner bike, watching the rhythm of my legs in the mirror, eyes forward, hips back and working hard. For me, the physical element is directly tied to my mentality, and one assists the other.

Thanks to those Spinning endorphins, I totally kicked the ass of 2011 that day. And with the past week’s cleaning and purging and planning, the running start I’ve gotten on 2012 is making me feel like I could probably beat that one too. And so I will, one ride at a time, all year long.

Coach Sara-Mai Conway 

Treat Yourself – or a Friend, and get fitter in 2012.

NEW! Packages Available ONLY Through January 31, 2012

 Holiday Spinning Package

• 10 Class Pass

• Flywheel Towel

• Flywheel Waterbottle

• Nuun 8 Tube

 Total:$146.26 ……………………………………..  BUY NOW!!

Holiday Team Flywheel Package

• 10 Class Pass

• CRAVE book

• Flywheel Sticker

• Flywheel T-Shirt

Total:$144.44 ……………………………………..  BUY NOW!!

Holiday Novice Package

• 10 Class Pass

• Flywheel T-Shirt

• Row Daily Book

Total:$140.45 ……………………………………..  BUY NOW!! 

December / January Monthly Unlimited Passes 

For NEW Monthly Unlimited Members: BEGIN a Monthly Unlimited Membership in December or January – and your first month is only $75! (regularly $99)

The Flywheel Fitness Monthly Unlimited Membership allows you to come to as many classes as possible, for one low monthly fee. Your card gets auto-charged on the first of each month, until you email us to cancel. NO CONTRACTS!

CONTACT US to begin your Unlimited Membership at the low rate of $75 TODAY. (not available online)

Save on Retail Items!

From December 1 – January 31st, get 10% off all online retail purchases when you use the code SPIN2012.

Save on Nutrition!

Learn more about PROGENEX and save 10% on your purchase by using the code ROWER when you check out.

Spinning Nation 2010 Instructors Sara-Mai & Patrick

What is Spinning Nation? 

Spinning Nation is a donation based Spin class held on Veteran’s Day – November 12th, 4-5pm. On this day, Spinning studios all across the country are teaming up to offer donation-based Spin classes, with funds benefiting Ride 2 Recovery. 

What is Ride 2 Recovery?

Ride 2 Recovery raises money to support Spinning Recovery Labs and outdoor cycling programs at military and VA locations around the US to help injured veterans overcome obstacles. Ride 2 Recovery uses indoor and outdoor cycling as a tool for both physical and emotional recovery.

How Do I Sign Up?

To reserve a bike for Spinning Nation, please CLICK HERE. On the day of the ride, donations will be accepted by cash or check (payable to Ride 2 Recovery) only. You can donate online by following the link above. AND…send the link to family and friends so they can donate on your behalf as well.

Donate $5 or $500, but just show up! 

Ride 2 Recovery has generously donated some small gifts and prizes that will be awarded to the first 5 participants to register, and the biggest donor!

See you on November 12th!

At Flywheel Fitness we always offer first visit free. And we’re sure you have at least a few friends who hear you talk about us all the time, but haven’t come to try it out yet. So…let’s hold a contest to see who can bring the most friends to class over the month of November! And yes, there will be prizes for those of you who bring the most friends.

Aside from First Visit Free… we make it easy for you to get your friends involved in fitness!

Here’s how: 

10 Class Passes

10 Class Passes can be shared! Count down you visits with a buddy and split the cost of a 10 Class Pass. This is a great way to get started, or a great way to drag a friend in with you for their second or third visit. 

Monthly Unlimited Referral Program

Are you a $99/month unlimited member? You are automatically enrolled in our referral program! For every referral of yours who ALSO becomes a $99/month unlimited member, you receive $5 off your membership. You will continue to get $5 off each month until your referral cancels. There’s no limit to how many referrals you can have – so get 3 friends to sign up – and you get $15 off each month! (Sorry, this offer is not available to members who are on the $75 monthly rate, your deal is just too good!)

Be an Ambassador for Healthy Living

You will be more successful with your health & fitness journey if you’re involving your family and friends in that journey with you. Of course, we hope you make friends at Flywheel – but we (sadly) realize you spend most of your time outside our studio. Are you surrounding yourself with people who make healthy, smart choices every day? Be the positive influence among your group of friends/family/co-workers! Bring a friend in with you to your next class!

I’m a fan of shows like “The Biggest Loser.” The people involved have chosen to make a change in their life. They know they don’t want to continue doing what they’ve been doing and they are stepping up to put it all out there for millions to see. This takes courage.

But the show also presents the challenge of getting fit as a very daunting task. Just realize that this is a TV show, so everything is extreme. (Click on those links for some thoughts on how they use Rowing and Cycling!) They are, after all, looking to attract and hook viewers. The show participants have spent years getting to where they are now so it is going to take lots of work to turn things around.

When you get right down to it what is the essence of the show? LIFESTYLE CHANGE.

Easier said than done, but it IS POSSIBLE.

What are the ingredients to change? First and foremost – you must be ready to make a change. This sounds simple enough; but if that were the case then you probably would have been doing some things differently already. You must start with a mental conviction, a willingness, to break some old patterns of behavior. When you recognize and except that this isn’t necessarily going to be easy, you are on your way to success!

You must address NUTRITION. Much of the show revolves around the challenges and the gym workout scenes. This makes for good TV. But smart nutrition is more important to getting lean and healthy. What are you eating? When? How Much? We are here to help you. The participants on “The Biggest Loser” that have long term success are those who change eating habits. It becomes a new way of living that they continue with after they are off the show.

Yes, you need to EXERCISE. If you are reading this then you probably are exercising already. That’s fantastic. At Flywheel we do what we do because we believe in the benefits of the particular activities we offer: Indoor Rowing, Spinning, and our bootcamp style sessions. But there are tons of options to what you can do. The bottom line is you want to find things you have fun doing.

With “The Biggest Loser” the contestants are grouped into teams. The format may vary from show to show but having a team element carries an ACCOUNTABILITY that adds intensity for  the participants and viewers both. At Flywheel we believe that a sense of community can add a certain enjoyable accountability. This is really what keeps you on track as you progress.

Offering a Group Classes format brings the enjoyable accountability and added fun quotient together as you benefit from the energy of one another.

Be aware of these elements in those around you and enlist them to help you. If you don’t want to talk about this much with those in your day to day world at least mention it when you get the chance to those who may be unintentionally sabotaging your efforts.  Create your positive ENVIRONMENT. Remember, this isn’t about a short term change – hitting a ‘diet’ hard and blasting workouts like a madman for 60 days. This is about the rest of your wonderful life…

LIFE CHANGE IS POSSIBLE.

NUTRITION. EXERCISE. ACCOUNTABILITY. ENVIRONMENT.

 You Hate the Instructors

Spinning instructors are “skinny-fat” little girls with no muscle who set the bike on zero resistance, go at a really high cadence, and then expect you to keep up with their jumps and sprints and hills while screaming at you to “turn it up!” Screaming at you being the other thing that you hate. Spinning instructors are mean, always yelling, and will call you out in front of the group if you aren’t standing when everyone’s standing, or turning up the resistance, or sweating as much as the person next to you. Let’s face it, outside of Spinning you basically hate ALL “group exercise instructors” because they are annoying, aren’t necessarily healthy (but skinny), don’t have any real skills or athleticism or nutritional knowledge to teach, and are WAY too perky for that 5:30am class. 

Flywheel coaches are not “group-ex instructors,” we are coaches. We are certified Spinning instructors, triathletes, cyclists, and all-around pretty cool people. We practice what we preach, we have lives as athletes, moms, dads, triathlon coaches, students, business people, and fitness enthusiasts outside of class. We don’t yell or scream at you. We think talking works just fine. We won’t make fun of you or single you out. We care about whether or not you do it right. We care about whether or not your bike is set up PERFECTLY for you. Because contrary to popular belief, there IS a thing or two to know about technique on the bike, and the more efficient your technique is, the better your workout is. You will avoid injury, you will have more fun, and you will come back. We want you to love cycling just as much as we do!

You Hate the Bike/Seat

Spinning is painful. You won’t be able to sit down for a week after your first class, your thighs will be on fire. They never let you stop and drink water, it’s too hot in there, and it’s just too damn hard. Your back hurts from leaning onto the handlebars and you won’t be able to sit down for a week after. (did I say that already?)

Our bikes are awesome. Not only will our awesome instructors make sure that your bike is perfectly set up for you, but if you have a certain issue, like lower back pain, we will tell  you to raise your handle bars so you don’t have to lean over as much. If you have knee pain, we can set you up to avoid that too. The seat? Sure, it takes 1-2 classes to get used to, but as your legs get stronger, you will feel like you rely less on resting your body weight on the seat. You can wear cycling shorts, and cycling shoes – because the proper gear for the sport really does make a difference. (yes, I said spandex, people!) If you’re still hurting after class number 2, something is wrong, and I bet we can fix it for you.

The great thing about Spinning is that everyone can go at their own pace and still have a great group ride. So why in the wide wide world of sports would someone yell at you for going lighter or harder than the group? That’s what Spinning is FOR! Sure, we’ll push you to work hard, we’ll make sure you’re not bouncing around on the seat, or doing something goofy, but if how do we know if you’re having a bad day? Or if you ran 10 miles that morning? Everyone is welcome to go at their own pace. Your thighs will be on fire the next day only if you WANT them to. 

What else is cool and different about our bikes? Our Spinner Elite bikes are not like a road bike. The wheel won’t keep Spinning if you’re not actively moving it. What does this mean? This means that you have to learn proper cycling technique, you have to keep actively MOVING the entire cycle of the stroke, even if you’re moving at a slower pace. 

You Hate the Music

Spinning classes are all about the music. The instructor is so focused on the playlist that they barely pay attention to the class, or actually teaching anything. They turn it up way too loud, it’s annoying. They only play teeny-bopper top-40 dance stuff that is just gross. They are so into themselves and rocking out to their awesome music selection that the class might as well not be there. Is this a night club or a fitness class? 

We like music too, and we think it can be FUN. But if you’re coming to a Spinning class to rock out to the music, and to “not think about the bike” this is not the place for you. We will make you do both. Music can be motivating and inspiring, and can set a good energy – but being too focused on the music can be debilitating. If you can’t go hard or have a good time unless your one favorite certain song is on the stereo, you won’t just have trouble in Spin class, you’ll have trouble in life. Let the music be background. You can’t control what’s going on outside of you, you can control your performance on the bike. So get the most out of that regardless of the outside noise. 

You Hate Not Knowing

There’s no clock on the wall, there aren’t any mileage or speed counters on the bikes. The instructors never tell you what the plan is, or how much longer, or if this hill climb that you just started is going to be 30 seconds, or 30 minutes. I can’t pace myself, and I never know what’s going on. 

Yup. There’s no clock on the wall, and no watts or speed or distance on the bike. We like it like that. Guess why? You’ll have to learn to listen to your own body, create a rhythm and effort level based on INTERNAL feedback, and use your own heart rate and not the watts to judge effort level. Plus, a good coach will communicate the plan, and give the class constant feedback on what’s going on and what to expect. If your coach isn’t doing that, AKS THEM! We’re here to work WITH you, and we want to develop a relationship – not just talk AT you. You’ll be surprised at how, as your fitness improves, you’re no longer looking down at your watch to see how much longer. You might, gasp! actually start to enjoy Spinning. 

Still Hate It? Tell us why in the comments below, and then come on in for a class!