Take a SPIN at RPM

by Brenda Niemand

As winter closes in and days shorten, the pace picks up at RPM Cycle and Fitness Inc. This 2-year-old gym enjoys its busiest season during months when dedicated cyclers find the outdoors less enticing and everyone else is looking for ways to avoid becoming a total slug. RPM’s focus is spinning, a program of training and fitness classes that use a special type of stationary bicycle. Spinning bikes (RPM uses a Schwinn model) feature pedals attached to a flywheel, which results in a smooth, continuous motion. A knob adjusts resistance, so the workout can be varied in difficulty even as it’s tailored to each individual biker.
The term “spinning,” referring to the wheel’s revolutions per minute, was coined by Johnny G., the sport’s California-based guru. Spinning is used by many physical therapists for rehabilitation and strength training. Because everyone in a class works at his or her pace, the atmosphere is noncompetitive, and beginners pedal happily alongside elite athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Serious racers and recreational riders can learn cycling techniques and work on form as they train, while runners, skiers, soccer players, even golfers, benefit from the aerobic workout and increased lower-body strength. Spinning is also a great sport for the less coordinated; anyone can pedal! It’s good for beginning exercisers who want to get in shape or lose weight; if you can’t touch your toes or do push-ups, no one will ever know. Spinning can reduce stress, boost energy and build muscle, all with little or no impact on the joints. But one of its real benefits, says co-owner Donna Marie Gilner, is the confidence and self-esteem it builds.
Linda Stelzer, an elementary literacy teacher started spinning at RPM in June 1998. “I like it so much that even in the winter I drive to Boulder from Longmont for it,” she says. “My four sons and my husband are athletic, but I was mainly a spectator. When I reached that magical age of fifty, I couldn’t take off extra weight by dieting anymore. I wanted a life-style change.”
Gilner, she says, has a wonderfully supportive “you can do it” attitude. “I looked around the gym and saw people in perfect shape and I made a personal challenge to stick it out. After five sessions I felt a difference. I feel much stronger and my cardiovascular system is better. Now, when I take a bike ride with my husband, I’m equal to him in speed. It’s addicting.”
People like Stelzer are the reason why Gilner got involved in spinning. “When clients come up and thank us, that’s what’s meaningful to us,” says Gilner, who moved here from Atlanta, Ga., where her fitness background included martial arts and personal training. When she arrived in Boulder in 1997, spinning was new and intriguing, so she earned an instructor’s certificate.
Meanwhile, David Gitin opened RPM, Colorado’s first independent spinning gym, and soon invited Gilner to become a partner. A Florida native, Gitin studied therapeutic recreation at the University of Northern Colorado, worked at Boulder Community Hospital as an emergency medical technician, and then at the North Face. But he’s always been a cycling enthusiast and jumped on the spinning bandwagon in its early days.
The gym’s atmosphere is “totally laid back,” Gitin says, which doesn’t mean instruction is lackadaisical. The facility now employs an average of eight instructors including accomplished bike racers such as Paul McCarthy and Robert Hicken, who leads a class for at-risk youth. In addition, spinners can train with the Multi-Sport Club led by iron man triathlete Dave Scott. “We take a lot of pride in our instructors,” Gilner says. “I feel we have the best in Colorado.”
The spacious gym, located at 2546 Spruce St., boasts two walls of windows and a third wall of mirrors, so the room is bright and airy even on a gloomy day. Gitin says newcomers check out the facility and say, “Wow, this is great! I’ve been spinning in a closet!” Winter classes are scheduled seven days a week, with an average of four per day Monday through Friday and one on weekend days. Gitin also provides personal training for time-restricted bikers and those who feel they need extra preparation before joining a class.
Classes last one hour, including a five-minute warm-up and a five-minute cool-down. The simulated journey, which the whole class takes together, can be modified by the instructor for different fitness levels. All classes are heart-rate conscious, so about half the bikers wear heart-rate monitors. Depending on the class, riders “cover” 10 to 25 miles (obviously, a class long on “uphills” will do less mileage). And since everyone works up a sweat, the facility offers showers and lockers so exercisers can fit in a workout in the middle of a workday.
Gitin is especially proud of RPM’s first-class sound system. “Music is a passion of mine,” he says, “and music is a huge part of spinning.” The music selection is important and updated constantly. “We want people to be able to close their eyes, get in the groove, and really hammer,” he adds. “We rock!”

SAFE WHEELS
With no membership fee and single classes at $8 each, RPM is one of the best deals in town. Most spinners save by buying punch cards: 5 classes for $35, 10 for $65, or 20 for $100. Exercisers are asked to call ahead to reserve a spot in a class so they’ll be guaranteed a bike.
Gilner doesn’t worry about spinning becoming yesterday’s fitness fad. Spinners tend to get hooked on the sport, she says, and many customers have been coming regularly since the gym opened. “In spinning, you are continuously challenged,” Gilner says. “You can always improve on something.” Also, for people who are uneasy biking in traffic, spinning offers a safe alternative. Even bikers who prefer the open road discover that training in a controlled environment has special benefits. For instance, you can’t coast on a spinning bike, and since there are no red lights, you’re always working. Plus, the instructor does the thinking, so riders can concentrate on endurance and technique.
Gilner notes many spinners have transferred to RPM from larger, multipurpose gyms. “David and I want to help people reach their fitness goals,” she says. “RPM can give them the individual attention that bigger gyms cannot. We take a lot of pride in getting to know our clients and making sure they’re getting what they want and need here.”
With its single-minded focus and dedication to customer satisfaction, RPM is clearly a business that isn’t just spinning its wheels.