What's your take?

I've never done a spin class in my life but I will always choose a bike over a treadmill, any day of the week. After a vigorous "ride", on the wrong kind of seat, my cheeks are numb. My legs feel dead after every ride or I feel like I wasted my time (I'll admit that I know very little about the exercise world so this might actually be unhealthy.). So, I would say that it is all normal. I saw on a video of Christine's that she thinks riding a bike is good for prolapse.

And you freaking rock for being able to do a spin class! I think I'd have a heart attack. LOL!

Just be careful that you don't have the bike on high resistance- I've made that mistake before and it can aggravate your POPs. But you can go as fast as you like, as long as you like on a lower resistance. And try and keep your spinal curve in place. Oh, and don't stand up on the pedals- keep your bum on the seat.
I think it's really important to stay fit after POP, it took me ages to get my head around the fact that I could keep moving and not make it any worse. i ride my exercise bike about 4 times a week and I also lift light weights. Just listen to your body- it will soon tell you if you;re doing too much or doing something that can aggravate your symptoms.

I just watched this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhY20ryfz14&feature=related . The lovely Josh looks like he is bending from the waist, which would be no good for us. One of the comments on this video was about the lack of adjustment of the distance between handlebars and seat. I guess putting the handlebars up would be a similar effect to bringing them closer. I cannot see a problem as long as you keep your lumbar curve happening. It could be pretty punishing on your vulva though. I wonder if you can take your own seat? Do they have videos on the screen. I would get sooooooo bored.

Louise

Hi Rosebud

Look, I am a bit of an outsider with all this gym equipment. I only know what I can observe on videos and what I have learned here. I am the world's greatest Not-gym Junkie.

There are lots of Spin videos on Youtube and presumably other sites too. go take a look. You might end up being the WW Spin Expert. We need women to take one particular aspect of living with POP to inform themselves about what is out there, and critically appraise what they find and bring it back to the Forums or to Christine. There is so much to do and so few hands to the wheel. Wholewoman can only work if we all do our bit.

Christine has a bike seat on her cycling video on Youtube that has rails down the sides and a void where your vulva would be. Take a look at "wholewomaninc" channel. If you can adjust the saddle I cannot see why you wouldn't be able to take your own seat. I am sure these seats and most bike seats are not designed for female anatomy. I have never met a friendly one. The female vulva is a very complicated organ that is not designed to carry weight. This is what these bike seats are doing. It is OK for blokes on these seats. They slope downwards at the front end, so they can sling their tackle over the front. Not so with us. If you are serious about doing Spin I would look seriously at getting one of these 'slit down the centre' seats. Ask the gym whether you can bring your own seat. Gel seats were also mentioned. That's worth checking out too. There was a comment on this video about being unable to adjust the seat to handlebars distance. Maybe some machines do have this. Check at the gym if there are some different machines you can try.

Bending at the waist is not good, though all competetive cylists seem to do it. They have no lumbar curve, but if they have good lower body strength, which they probably have, then it might not make much difference. Look at the c-shape on Josh. You need to keep your lumbar curve in place at times when there is a lot of intraabdominal pressure flying around your belly. Allowing your belly to drop forward is the only way you can get your bladder and uterus forward, and out of the way, when you have POP. Have a play with the machine at a time when you are not in a class, and see what you can do with it.

I could be wrong. Bending at the hip joints and keeping lumbar curve in place is necessary for me, whatever I do. Cycling could be different, because it is not using a cantilevered upper body to lift loads, but logic tells me it is not different. If you are not feeling POP symptoms during your ride, diary what you feel over the next 24 hours. You are really writing this story as you go.

It may be fine to be in c-shape on the bike, then get into WW posture again when you get off. It is not as if our body is not designed to flex the spine. The spine *is* designed to flex, and our abdominal muscles are designed to help it do this. I am always on about exercising all our muscles, so it can't be all bad. It will certainly give your lower back a good stretch if not overdone, and the pulling up part of pedalling is just like doing knee raises. Cycling will definitely strengthen all the muscles around your hips.

Keep reporting back. Hope your legs are not jelly for too long. I would think it is just overdoing it a bit.

Louise

I do lots of road/trail biking, and the odd spin class. I have found that it is very important to get the right seat-to-handlebar distance for yourself. All the spin bikes I have been on have the ability to move the seat back-and-forth as well as up-down, and the handlebars adjust up-down. For myself, as long as I have the correct angle bending forward it doesn't bother my POP. I also try to keep my chest lifted, so that I don't hunch over the handlebars. This does help keep some lumbar curve, also I notice way less strain on my neck/shoulders when I do this. Plus you breathe better.

The female gel bike seats with the split are excellent. But you can't generally change the seats on the spin bikes at a class.
Your butt does get less sore over time, but you don't want too much pressure on the vulva - that area does not seem to adapt the same. Sometimes the bike seats can be made to tip/angle downward at the front - if so try that.

Spin classes can be very intense so just pay attention to how you feel. Some days I enjoy doing spin, and other days I just feel like I'm being yelled at :-) Good for you for trying it out!

Yes, ;-) you are a glutton for punishment. :-) Does that now give you permission to ease up a teensy bit?

More is not always better. Remember that being unable to function normally after exercise is a sign that you have over exercised, especially if it affects you through the day or the following night. In the longer term this is likely to put you off exercise, which is not desirable. If you are a driven personality, pulling back a bit may be a challenge in itself. It is really better to make your way gradually to higher levels of exercise as your body strengthens. There is a little bit of sadist in every gym teacher!

Yeah, big girl panties for you, but also use your commonsense. If, overall, it makes you feel good, then go for it, but remember that overuse injuries can bring any exercise program to a halt for several weeks, and you don't want that.

Louise

Spin classes are really challenging. An hour long class ends up being about 45 minutes of intense cardio. If you are not used to that long of a cardio workout, your muscles will find it difficult to get the oxygen they need. Then you will get lots of lactic acid buildup in your quads and they will hurt for days after. Which then makes you less active ... not really productive. You might want to build up to the spin classes by riding a stationary bike for 20-30 minutes and gradually increase the time/tension till you find it easier to do. Or else you might just want to take your own breaks in the spin class - like for one song just coast along and ignore the instructor, then start up again. If you talk to the instructor before the class and explain what you are going to do she will just ignore you when you do this. Imagine someone said to you "You are going to go out an run for an hour". Now you probably could do a combo run/walk for an hour, but at first running the whole hour would hurt. It isn't much different on a bike.

I really do ride my bike a lot in the non-winter months (I am not so crazy as to ride in this -20 weather). I ride for 2-3 hours outside at least 4 days a week. But I still find spin classes challenging. The gym I go to has a 45 minute spin class as well as the hour long, and I much prefer it. When you ride a real bike you take mini-breaks of coasting along, which doesn't happen in a spin class.

One other thing, I think you said something about not doing the standing parts of the class. You might want to reconsider this. Standing relieves the pressure off your butt/vulva and lets the blood flow back in. I don't find the standing bothers my POP - but everyone is different you would have to see how it feels for you. Try it without the tension too high. At least it gives your butt a break. And having weak core muscles doesn't help because it is hard (on your back) to keep good posture on the bike for a whole hour without them. So don't be so hard on yourself! It is good you are trying to be more active, so if you really enjoy the spin classes, I say do them but make them YOUR workout, because this is about you, not the class or the teacher. Hey, even if I had to get off the bike and walk around a bit occasionally then get back on, then that's what I would do. Make sure and stretch your legs and back out well afterward too.