Spinning has been cited as one of the best leg workouts by both avid gym goers and people simply looking to improve their fitness and stamina. A high intensity workout, each class is expected to burn you around a cheeky 600-700 calories. That’s a lot for a 45 minute session! However, although fantastic for working your quadriceps, hamstring, and bum, it’s up to you to determine how much progress you make. The spinning bike puts you in charge of how fast your legs pedal or how high the resistance is set to; so everyone works at the pace they choose. It’s also a low impact activity, so it’s suitable for those with joint problems as no pressure is placed upon the knees or feet. Gyms everywhere offer the class; so as long as you’re willing to push yourself for long periods of time, then spinning is definitely a great class to try.
Make sure to bring the essentials with you. You will need:
• A bottle of water
• A hand towel (it gets pretty sweaty)
• Workout clothes (This is definitely not a class to attempt in jeans)
So just how does each session work? Spinning involves a room of people cycling furiously upon stationary bikes to loud, pumping music. An instructor leads the class, participating at the front and giving advice and helpful motivation to those taking part. Each workout is different; as the class is split into different intensity sections. The class begins with a typical five minute warm up, which then leads into more challenging periods of intensity between two minute rest periods. The great thing about spinning is that each workout varies; so it never gets boring or dull. You also never know what to expect, so your body is constantly working to it’s maximum effort.
Different things influence the difficulty of the spinning workout.These include:
• Pedal rate (how fast you spin)
• How high the resistance is turned to (this can be adjusted easily at any point)
• The rider’s body position (you either pedal from a seated position or raise yourself out of the saddle to work your legs harder)
The point of spinning is to imitate a challenging outdoor cycle. By going out of the saddle and raising the resistance, you create a mock hill climb for your body. This pushes your legs and provides the muscle workout you need to achieve beautifully toned thighs. When you alter the speed, this also creates an interval workout for your legs; which is proven to be extremely efficient at fat burning. Spinning also works the abdominal muscles and can be a great way to achieve better posture. However, although spinning can offer amazing results, it’s up to you to motivate yourself to achieve the best possible effects… which more often than not, will leave you and the rest of the class drenched in sweat as you push your bodies continuously.
The instructor will give a rough guide of how difficult you should make the resistance depending on the stage of the workout; however, the bike is in your control. So, depending on your endurance level, the amount of resistance you apply is up to you. This can be changed at any point by turning the resistance control knob located within reach of the bike’s handle bars. Clockwise increases the resistance, whilst counter-clockwise lowers it.
The great thing about spinning is no one knows which level your resistance is set to; so if you’re a beginner, there’s no need to feel under pressure to turn the dial as high it can go and end up feeling like you won’t be able to walk for the next week afterwards. Everyone works at their own set pace, and you’ll find that as your cardiovascular fitness improves, you will be able to progress at your own pace.
Because you’re concentrating constantly and altering the resistance all the time, time flies during a spinning class.The minutes go quickly and before you know it, the instructor will be calling for the cool down. So even though it’s tough, the class will be soon be over feeling like you’ve barely been on the bike. (even though you’ve actually been sweating it for quite a while!)
Spinning is a far more varied workout than merely running on a treadmill for 45 minutes; so if you get bored easily in the gym, then definitely try spinning for yourself. Although it’s tough, spinning can provide great shape and definition for legs everywhere. It also has been shown to improve fitness levels dramatically in as little as three classes. So what’s stopping you? This class is definitely no spin doctor.
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