Photo by Jyoti Arvey.
I’ve never been the type to pop my shirt off. I’m not unhappy with my spindly, typical art student physique; I’m just not exactly confident parading around with an exposed torso. Yet, at about twelve minutes into Erin Robertson’s spin class, with legs on fire and sweat pouring down every inch of my body, I find myself gladly pulling my drenched shirt up over my head, finding relief in the smallest wisp of cool air snaking in through the cracked window, penetrating the steam-filled room and washing over my skin.
“It’s disgustingly sweaty in there,” laughed Robertson ’14, who instructs spin classes every Monday and Wednesday at the recently dubbed Ann and Lee Higdon Fitness Center. “You just feel ironically clean.”
Robertson began teaching spin classes in the fall of 2012, after encouragement from her friend and fellow spin instructor Devon Elovitz ’13 and William Wuyke, Director of the Fitness and Wellness Center. Wuyke first initiated the student-led spin classes four years ago (along with student-led zumba and yoga classes) in an effort to extend opportunities for exercise to as many members of the College community as possible. As the school’s strength and conditioning coach, it’s Wuyke’s responsibility to train and teach the varsity athletes. “But,” said Wuyke, “I want to do more than that. I want to reach people – to have them come here and not have to pay to exercise.”
Soul Cycle – a popular spin-gym franchise with a focus on inspirational and motivational workouts charges $35 per session at their New York City studios. Robertson’s classes, known for their high intensity and high volume (both in decibels and attendance), are absolutely free of charge.
“Spinning is another way of training indoors with a stationary bike,” explained Wuyke. “Those bikes [in the spin studio] are specialized to be like road racing bikes. You can do aerobic exercise, strength and interval training. You can even spin with weights. When you go inside there with the music, the time goes fast. Everyone is sweating like crazy – it’s like a party exercise.”
Robertson spends anywhere from one to four hours at a time conducting music research for her set lists, using popular sites like YouTube and Soundcloud. “I really like finding the stuff that no one has, not top 100 radio hits,” said Robertson. “I do my best to think about the music and routines. It’s cognitive, it’s planned out.” Electronic music and dubstep remixes frequent Robertson’s workout playlists; “Original Don” by Major Lazer and the Kat Krazy remix of Bastille’s “Pompeii” are among her favorite tracks.
In addition to the blasting music, shouts of encouragement and inspired cheers lend themselves to the cacophony emanating from the spin studio during classes. “At the beginning of the year everyone was pretty quiet,” Robertson recalled. “Now [the classes] are known to be upbeat and loud. People are screaming and hooting and hollering. I absolutely love it when people are loud.”
Throughout the academic year, Robertson’s spin classes have become increasingly in demand as word of the intense and boisterous workout has spread across campus. Dedicated cyclists show up early to reserve a bike with a strategically draped towel or sweatshirt. “They’re so ridiculously popular, you need to go down an hour in advance to save a bike,” said Jamie Balkin ’16, a regular at Robertson’s classes and defensive specialist on the varsity women’s volleyball team.
In fact, the classes have become so renowned that they were brought to the attention of both Balkin’s volleyball coach and the coach of the men’s basketball team. This past fall, both teams began private spin training under Robertson’s instruction.
“A couple of the guys started doing it last spring, and we talked with our coach about it, and he started picking up that we loved it,” said John Bullitt ’14, co-captain of the men’s basketball team. So, this fall, the basketball team began meeting with Robertson every 10 days for a mandatory spin class.
“It’s one of the best ways to keep in shape,” claimed Bullitt’s teammate Mason Lopez ’14. Lopez explained that basketball players’ knees take a beating on the court, and spinning offers a low impact cardio workout that other forms of exercise cannot. And, while basketball requires a lot of sprinting, spin classes offer “45 minutes of pushing yourself the entire time.”
“You can definitely feel it carry over into basketball too – I can jump a little higher, run a little faster,” added Bullitt.
Balkin agreed that spin offers a new and highly effective workout to the volleyball team’s training repertoire: “It’s completely different from any other workout. [There are] short bursts of explosive energy – you’re always changing positions and doing resistance training… You can see a total transformation in your body. Your legs feel stronger; your breathing becomes more normal the more you do it. Even now doing other cardio activities, everything is starting to go more smoothly.”
While Robertson has certainly added fun and variation to varsity training (Lopez described an instance in which Robertson brought water guns to their training and “when everyone was dead she just hosed [them] down”), her experience training the volleyball and men’s basketball teams have influenced the weekly classes, too.
“When I started training the basketball team we were doing really intense workouts, so with the normal classes I slowly started integrating their set list,” explained Robertson. “It was amazing. Within a few weeks I was teaching the regular classes the same way I was teaching the basketball team.”
Now, members of both teams (and others, to be sure) are regular attendees at Robertson’s Monday and Wednesday classes, adding to what Robertson describes as the “motley crew” that makes up her class. Varsity athletes cycle alongside students who may never have worked out before – “you could be next to the President,” said Wuyke, recalling an instance in which Ulysses Hammond, Conn’s Vice President for Administration, attended and enthusiastically enjoyed one of Robertson’s classes.
“When you’re in there, you know you’re struggling just as hard as every other person on the bike,” said Bullitt. “When I’m in there, I try and push the people next to me a little bit – it’s great to be in a setting with so many different people there at the same time.”
Robertson affectionately refers to attendees as her “little spin family,” and delivers her instructions accordingly. “I’m there to give recommendations. Everyone has their own limits, and that’s that. If I’m saying gear 15 and someone can’t do it, do gear 10.”
“There’s no shame or holding back in that class,” added Balkin. “Partial nudity is accepted. It’s really steamy – by the end, everyone is half naked.”
In past semesters, spin classes have been offered with more frequency, as there have been multiple instructors on campus. However, over the years these instructors have graduated and moved on, leaving Robertson to lead the classes on her own until she graduates this May. “I wish I could flunk her so she could be here one more year,” joked Wuyke.
Though she is currently in the process of training a few junior and sophomore girls to take over for her, Robertson’s regular trainees will be sad to see her go. “I don’t think anyone could compare to the level of intensity and consistency that Erin’s brought to the classes,” said Balkin.
To Wuyke, it’s imperative that student-led classes continue to thrive at the athletic center. “That’s where I learn the most, with you guys,” said Wuyke. “Yes I may have experience, yes I’ve been running all my life, yes I’ve been in the Olympic Games. But I learn from you guys, you guys are teaching me. That’s what I love.”
For those of us who aren’t varsity athletes and might have trouble finding motivation for exercise, Robertson’s classes offer a fun, intense workout in a safe and encouraging environment. “When the music is so loud your senses kind of blur out the pain,” described Robertson. “When I’m up there and we have a sprint, the music is so loud, seeing everyone go so fast, the noise, heads down. It’s such an intense moment. I’ve seen people come and look through the window, shocked. When the class is over, people usually come up to me after and say ‘Man I had such a fun time. I hate working out, but this was fun.’ It makes it worth it.”
Bullitt echoed the sentiment: “Everyone loves getting a good workout, and it’s a great way to get your ass kicked.”
