China's got me spinning!

So back to talking about that gym I joined yesterday.
Let me preface this post about my new fitness plan by telling you that this post being written from my couch after a bitter, burning round of baijiu. That's Chinese liquor, better known as poison, to my Americana readers.
Anyways, today I went with roommates Mike and John to the gym for spin class. Here's what I observed from this new experience of being instructed to work out in a different language.

      1. There is a time and place for American music and at the gym is definitely one of them. Music is a very important part of a work out for me, and since my iPod is now broken (sad story) I am thankful the gym plays some good beats.
      2. The class lacked the variation of an American spin class, there were no hills, only one brief set of jumps and no sprints (I was ok with that one). My theory on this is that the Chinese have a one track mind and can only concentrate on a single thing. I am not sure if this applies to other aspects of Chinese life but I will look into it.

      3. Not only did the class lack the variation of an American style class, it lacked in intensity. When I took classes in Miami and at home, the class would continue without stopping as the song changed however in China, each 4 minute song required a 1 minute cool down/rest. As out of shape as I am, this wasn't something to complain about.

      4. For all the class lacked, it made up for in heat. I would have been cooler if the bike were set on the top of the building in the high noon soon. Mind you, Shanghai is incredible hot and humid this time of year. The room had no air conditioning and got so hot that all the walls and mirrors fogged up.
    
      5. I might be able to learn some Chinese this way. In order to be respectful and have a problem free gym visit, I am going to have to improve my gym related vocabulary in order to better communicate with the employees. Also, I could follow the class by following the other bikers even if I didn't know what the instructor was saying but it would be very cool to understand him!
In other athletic news, the University of Miami is playing its first game of the season in just a few hours. GO 'CANES!