Indoor Cycling Shoes 101

The first time I ever took an indoor cycling/ Spinning class

 in high school at my local World Gym, I thought - 

"This is pretty much a form of torture, 

why would anyone willingly do this for exercise??"

Four years later...  now  in college, I am spinning at least 4 times a week. 

And loving every minute of it.

What changed? 

Probably my understanding of the techniques in class, 

maturity level of my exercise knowledge (it's so great for your body/legs!!), 

and need for exercise HA 

...damn you slowing metabolism...

Anyways! 

Spinning is seriously a great way to get in cardio 

while also toning and building muscle in your legs. 

Just have to get over that initial phase of hatred... LOL

AND the first two to three classes - talk about soreness down under 

So after about 2 years of taking classes and Spinning at least once a week, 

I decided to become certified myself to inspire others.

Through Mad Dogg Spinning® I became certified in Feb 2012.

Spinning is so fun to teach and I can say I love every class 

(once I get started) 

And seriously.. best hangover cure ever! 

Go to spin in the morning and sweat it all out - you'll feel like a million bucks, 

that is if you don't purge everywhere lol

Even after 4+ years of taking cycling classes, 

I had absolutely no idea how to choose any spin shoes. 

So if you are like me, 

here are some little 101 tips on choosing the best shoes for you:

Step 1: Choose the Shoe 

These shoes are my first pair and are Pearl Zumi W's Tri Fly IV (cycling brand).

The most important thing in an indoor cycling shoe is that they have a place for a "SPD Cleat"

They should look like this with the two parallel lines:

The triangle circles are normally used for outdoor cycling.

Step 2: Buy an SPD cleat clip or SPD lite

Not much difference between an SPD or SPD lite - the "lite" is just newer and "lighter"

The clips look like this:

Step 3: Insert SPD into Cycling Shoes

Using one of these wrench thingys

(basically a mechanic with my technical terms, I know)

you can screw in the bottom of the shoe, fitting in the two parallel lines:

 And when you are done it should stay in your shoe like this:

You can adjust the height and width of the clip in the parallel lines depending on your foot and where you like your legs on the bike. 

The clip then will clip in to the BOTTOM of the pedal on most Cycling bikes. 

Just slide your foot in and you should hear a "Click"

If you are used to putting your foot all the way to the front of the harness, 

it may feel weird because your foot is not used to being that far back, 

but the front pad of your foot is actually what is supposed to be on the pedal.

I really hope this helps!! 

Now go and get on that bike! You are a pro :D

Happy Spinning :)