“Come on, you’re better than that!”
It is the encouraging shout urging you to go faster, harder — to challenge yourself. Even if you choose to remain seated, amp up the resistance and hold your form to achieve a more efficient stroke.
These are the battle cries of Brian Superville at the culmination of his spinn classes.
If you are an avid spinn regular, you may have heard of Brian.
A certified spinn instructor since 2001, he has instructed classes at most of the major gyms throughout Trinidad over the past 12 years — to name a few: Gulf City’s Fitness Zone, Millenium Fitness Centres in Chaguanas and Macoya, Long Circular Health and Wellness Club, BioFitness Club in West Mall and CLX Gym in El Dorado.
He presently instructs classes several times a week at New Wave Health Club in Couva, Central Trinidad; and Spinners’ World in Woodbrook, north-west Trinidad — the institution responsible for hosting the annual premier spinn event, Rev-a-thon. He is also one of several instructors associated with the event.
From hobby to career
In 1999 while training at Millenium Fitness Centre in Macoya, the spinn experience peaked his interest and he decided to try out same under the tutelage of Gerard Alfonso, the now owner of Long Circular Club Health and Wellness.
He developed a love for it, and gravitated to spinn above other types of training. When Gerard brought in Master Instructors from abroad to Trinidad to provide certification for local instructors, Brian grasped the opportunity.
It started off as just something to do“It started off as just something to do because I was interested and wanted to learn as much as I could,” he explains. “But while doing the orientation, I was greatly encouraged to become an instructor, so I seized the opportunity and got certified. I began instructing classes at Long Circular Health and Wellness.”
During those formative years, he had been working in the public sector for over 10 years, but was seeking to make a change as his job did not allow him to spend enough time with his children. He left his job with a leap of faith — and never looked back.
He soon found that working as a spinn instructor was not only financially rewarding, but also more satisfying as it offered greater flexibility and much more freedom with his time, and it was a career that gave him great enjoyment.
In his quest for greater career success, he transitioned and established his own environmental cleaning company, which he now manages alongside his spinn class schedule with great ease.
All in a day’s work, for a dedicated spinn instructor…And you may balk at his schedule. To get to his 5 a.m. classes, he’s up at 3:30 a.m.! But that’s all in a day’s work, for a dedicated spinn instructor.
And dedicated he is — in fact, he is currently pursuing becoming a Master Instructor, which would enable him to certify other instructors.
The role of the instructor
“Being the eldest, I had to be responsible for caring and nurturing my younger siblings and as such had to make great sacrifices, which I believe has helped to shape who I am as an adult,” he says. Over the years, Brian has honed his skills as an instructor, and is now well respected in the business. He attributes this to his own respect for others.
As an instructor, I am always mindful of others“As an instructor, I am always mindful of others, hence my mantra using my life to help others. For me, being a good spinn instructor is not about being the best, but about helping and learning from others.”
For example, he may be one of the few instructors who constantly — and sincerely — encourages his clients to spinn with other instructors.
“People like variety, and it’s important for them to have a different experience,” he explains. “Often, it works as a reverse psychology — they will try others but stick with my class… but even if they don’t, that’s fine. There’s no love lost… you can have several good instructors, all with different techniques.”
There’s no love lost… you can have several good instructorsDespite his own years of experience, he is always willing to learn from others to develop and improve upon his own style. He laments that there is no Association or regulatory body for spinn instructors in Trinidad and Tobago, and he hopes to develop one in the years to come. It is something he believes the industry needs, and something from which both new and experienced spinn instructors can all benefit to share and develop their craft.
He also looks for feedback from his clients — both newcomers and regulars, and ensures that he develops a good rapport with his spinners both before and after a class. He even has a mailing list of regulars with whom he keeps in constant contact to share reading material they may be interested in.
“People come to spinn for different reasons,” Brian says. “I always make sure to get there early, so I can learn people’s names, talk to them, psyche them out to see what motivates them… if there are newcomers, I help them set up properly on the bikes, if it’s my regulars I see how they’re feeling on that day to see how hard I can push them.”
The keyword is ‘engagement’ — and he takes it seriously.
“Spinning is heart rate training, and it is not easy,” he adds. “In an average class of 45 people, I may have 15 advanced, 20 intermediate, and 10 beginners — not everyone is going to be on the same level. Fitness instructors sometimes feel everyone should be as fit as they are, but if the class is too hard, the beginners won’t come back. I have to ensure my class is always with me, from beginning to end.”
Benefits of Spinn
For Brian, spinn became his key form of training, and there’s little else he does to keep fit.
“Weight training is not always for everyone, and I don’t like gyms,” he explains. “Once I started to spinn, I found that I was getting all I needed out of exercise from spinning. If putting on muscle is the goal, it can be achieved through spinn by using greater resistance. Spinn is also an excellent form of cardiovascular training and can be an efficient way to lose weight quickly.
It’s a great stress reliever — you can’t do spinn passively“Your eating habits should also change naturally — it would defeat the purpose to burn 1200 calories in a class and then eat badly. Not to mention, it’s a great stress reliever — you can’t do spinn passively, the way some other forms of exercise may be. You have to be present, and put your focus there… when your focus is there, it’s off of other stressful things.”
Apart from the obvious health benefits, the real benefit Brian derives from a spinn class is the camaraderie.
“Forty or fifty people, going in time together — it’s beautiful,” he says. “I’ve seen many friendships and relationships develop out of attending a spinn class together. People unite as one, they challenge each other, they push each other to succeed. You come to class to be inspired — and I take that as my challenge — to inspire you, to inspire each other.”