New state of the art spin studio offers personalized workout

With the first day of fall fast approaching, cycling enthusiasts in Glenview and those just looking for a great ride have new options, thanks to the Glenview Park District.

The Indoor Cycling Studio at Park Center Health and Fitness is now an interactive studio with the addition of new computerized bikes that will recognize you. Cyclists can log in to any of the bikes for a ride that’s personalized to your ability. A short three minute interval determines the level of fitness you’re at, and you decide how hard you want to work.

“The bike defines your threshold. Once that’s established, the bike pays attention to how hard you work. It tells you if your threshold has gone up or down. It’s precise. It doesn’t care how much sleep you had or whether you’ve eaten well, how much stress you’re under, it just helps you see how hard you’re working,” said Pat Kilroy, one of several spin instructors at Park Center.

The new bikes are a great asset for people wanting to improve their fitness in terms of weight loss. Burning calories on a spin bike is a great addition to a healthy eating program. They’re also great for anyone recovering from a knee injury because cycling shouldn’t cause further injury to that knee.

The studio has 20 Stages SC3 bikes. Stages entered the bicycling market about 15 years ago providing power meters. The studio is also complete with a large video screen monitor to keep you on track, and lights. The Stages Flight program is considered the top indoor cycling program.

“It has a very personalized workout. No one’s going to say put your bike in 12th gear and ride it for 12 minutes. They’ll say let’s ride at level two. For a young person who races all summer long, told to go at level two, that may be 300 watts, but for a more casual person, that might be more like 75 watts. Everyone is at their own levels, but still getting the same workout. It’s exciting to see people’s progress,” said Kilroy.

Starting this week, Park Center is introducing the new spin studio with free pop up classes. These are open to anybody. You don’t have to be a member to attend. Some will be a basic ride. Others will incorporate the software program that shows Stages’ custom power output. No prior cycling experience is necessary.

“This is very exciting. Our instructors and the new bikes make it doable for anybody. You don’t have to be a triathlete to see big improvements in your fitness level with these classes,” said Regina Mundt, Park Center Group Fitness Supervisor.

The Interactive Indoor Cycling Studio will have an open house from 5-7 p.m., on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Stop by to see our newly remodeled cycling studio. Meet our instructors and learn about the new bikes and software at Park Center, 2400 Chestnut Ave. Group fitness class schedules can be found on the app or website, www.getfitglenview.org