Improving Fitness Through Spinning with Sherry Chlysta

Fit Strong Women Over 50 Podcast Episode #30

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In episode 30 of the Fit Strong Women over 50 podcast for the Becoming Elli community, Chris and Jill discuss improving fitness through spinning with Sherry Chylsta. They talk about the basics of spinning, working your muscles, and share advice about working out.

Sherry is a Star 3 lifetime-certified spinning instructor who enjoys making classes challenging and fun for all at a gym in Hudson, Ohio. She has been a certified instructor for about ten years. Sherry loves athletics and while she misses road races, she knows a no-impact workout like spinning is something she can enjoy for a lifetime.

On a professional side, Sherry is the Director of Studies at Western Reserve Academy, a co-educational boarding and day school in Hudson, Oh. She teaches college level calculus and is the school’s head volleyball coach. During her tenure at WRA, she has coached track, girls’ basketball, and a winter conditioning and weight training program. She lives on campus with her husband and three children.

Improving Fitness Through Spinning

Chris has taken many spinning classes from Sherry and loves her ability to motivate. Sherry encourages everyone to try something new at the gym — especially different classes. She advises new members to overcome the feeling of intimidation by those who are already in shape. She suggests you remember that everyone had a first workout, and they didn’t look any better starting out than you do now.

In today’s episode, Sherry provides some advice for the gym in general and spinning in particular. She advises us to introduce ourselves to the instructor before class, who will help modify a workout if necessary.  For a spinning class, Sherry says the instructor will also help get the bike adjusted for you before you begin. That’s something that many of us struggle with when we’re first starting out.

Spinning Tips and Techniques

Sherry explains some of the principles of spinning and how to use what she calls periodicity in work outs and in training. She also describes the three positions of indoor cycling and the advantages of each. Sherry shares some of the mistakes that some riders make that can cause injury and how to know when you have too much or too little resistance set on your bike. The group also discusses how to get faster for riding outside and how to use your heart rate to determine your recovery, even if you don’t wear a heart monitor.

Ever wonder about fast and slow twitch muscle fibers? Chris asked Sherry who explains the benefits of training both fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers and tells us what they are.

Having Fun

The point of spinning is that we all want to be there to have fun. If the instructor can make hard work fun, then you will continue to attend class. Sherry tells how she uses music, little mind games and light humor to making classes challenging and fun. These are some of the ways she helps with improving fitness through spinning. Sherry’s love of spinning is reflected in her words, “I get to teach spinning.”

Some of Sherry’s favorite sayings for spinning class are “No one wants to go spinning, but everyone wants to have been spinning” and “You can do anything for one minute.”

As an added bonus, Sherry was kind enough to share her favorite potato and kale soup recipe.

If you have any questions for Sherry, you can send them to Chris@becomingelli.com or Jill@becomingelli.com and they will forward the questions to Sherry.