If you have no idea where to put your hands — or entire body, for that matter — during spin class, Jen Tallman, cycling instructor at New York Sports Club, is about to fix that. Memorize these positions for your next class and you’ll be rolling right along — figuratively speaking.
Hand Position 1
In Hand Position 1, keep your hands together in the middle of the handle bars.
Hand Position 2
In Hand Position 2, your hands move to the bottom outer corners of the handle bars.
Hand Position 3
In Hand Position 3, your hands are on the farthest position up on the handle bars.
Now that you know each hand position, let’s take a look at body positions.
Seated Flat and Seated Climb
In both the Seated Flat and Seated Climb positions, you’re sitting in the saddle, but it’s not that easy.
“Make sure your shoulders are nice and relaxed and your chest is up — and you always want to keep your upper body nice and loose,” Tallman says. “And don’t grip the handlebars — they’re just there for support.”
As for your hands, you can either keep them in Hand Position 1 or Hand Position 2 depending on what feels good to you.
“It depends on your shoulder width and what’s comfortable. Someone who’s smaller up top may feel more comfortable in Hand Position 1, while people with broader shoulders like to ride in Hand Position 2,” Tallman says.
Now that you’ve mastered the seated position, let’s move on to standing positions.
Standing Flat
First things first: Before you move into any standing positions, make sure to increase the resistance to avoid injury.
In Standing Flat, lift yourself out of the saddle into a standing position with your hands in either Hand Position 1 or Hand Position 2. The heavier resistance safely supports your body weight.
Standing Climb
In Standing Climb, your hands move from Hand Position 1 or Hand Position 2 to Hand Position 3.
“Keep your fingertips nice and loose and press your hips back, engaging your glutes and core. Your upper body shouldn’t be flying around — keep it nice and stable,” Tallman says.
