Have you heard the buzz about Spinning but never actually experienced it for yourself? Do you want to know what some of the benefits of Spin class are? Read on to find out
With a range of choices, including traditional instructor taught classes, online classes and virtual spinning sessions available at the touch of a button, from around the world, it's easy to see how more and more people can access the classes, but why are they doing them and what exactly is it that makes spinning classes so popular? In this article, we’re going to take a look at the benefits of Spinning and see if we can shed some light on why so many people love indoor cycling.
Blast Calories
When trying to lose weight, being in a calorie deficit is the number one priority. Therefore if you find an activity that burns a lot of calories, it makes sense that you’d continue to do it, and that’s the case with spin. With users regularly burning between 800-1000 calories during a 60-minute spinning session it’s become the go-to exercise routine for people that are trying to lose weight.
Of course, there are other conditions, such as exercise intensity and duration, that will determine how many calories you burn, but completing 3 or more spin sessions a week, whilst also following a healthy diet, is a great way to supercharge your weight loss efforts and burn a load of calories in the process.
Low Impact
If you suffer from joint point or have mobility issues then there’s also a good chance that other forms of exercise classes, such as HIIT, bootcamps, or circuits, could all be a stretch too far for you.
A huge benefit of Spin is it’s low impact nature, meaning you can work up a sweat and burn a tonne of calories without adding more stress or pressure to your joints. Some bikes allow more movement and customization to truly make them comfortable for the rider and in many cases, it’s a far better option than running outside and sending shockwaves through your ankles, shins, knees, and hips every time you make contact with the floor or trying to keep up with the fast-paced body movements found in other classes.
Relieve Stress
Many people use exercise as a way to de-stress. The endorphins that are released when we exercise help us to feel better, happier, more relaxed and after a long, hard day at work, it’s an awesome feeling to burn off any pent up emotion or to clear your mind as you release good endorphins and lose yourself in a challenging workout.
Spinning classes are renowned for their high tempo, upbeat soundtracks and the fast-paced nature of the class means they are a great tool for anyone that is looking to de-stress and clear their mind. Another bonus is that the warm-up and cool-downs are usually much calmer, allowing you to truly relax as you start and finish your ride.
Push Yourself
Spinning classes bring their own unique challenge and with many formats, including sprint work and hill-climbing sessions there’s always another level that you can push to.
With the entire class moving around you, often in unison to the beat, you can find deeper levels (in higher gears) that you never realized were possible and with it, gain that feeling of accomplishment, knowing that you overcame another new challenge. Spin offers up unique challenges to each rider and when you really dig deep to achieve something you will certainly feel proud of what you achieved by going the extra mile.
Improve Your Cardio Ability
The first time you take part in a Spinning session you will know about it.
Your muscles might ache and your legs might quiver but it’s how fast your heart rate jumps up as you try to catch your breath that will leave a lasting impression.
Spinning is a high-tempo, fast-paced type of exercise that will help you to improve your fitness and with it, bring about improvements to your overall cardiovascular ability. Whilst it won’t necessarily help you to be able to run for longer, regularly attending Spinning sessions will improve your endurance levels as a whole, which will benefit you in other areas of your life and help to improve your fitness.
Strengthens Muscles
Spin bikes have a range of high gears that can challenge even the most prolific rider and the more challenging work, out of the saddle, plus any prolonged speed work, will certainly have an impact.
The result of all that heavy resistance is stronger, more robust legs as cycling is quad dominant, and Spinning works your entire lower body, even your glutes.
With slight positional changes, you can get a great lower body workout, requiring different muscles to work harder and you can even have a great impact on your core strength too.
As with any exercise, prolonged exposure to a challenging activity will strengthen the muscles being used, and Spinning is no different.
Improve Your Mental Strength
Spinning is great at helping you to develop mental toughness and a strong character. There will be difficult sessions and challenging tracks but with a strong mental attitude, you will be able to overcome those barriers and reach new heights. Sometimes it’s the prospect of being out of the saddle on a higher gear whereas other days it could be the sprint work is just too fast and furious, but as everyone around you pushes through, determined to do their best, you’ll soon start to feel as strong as ever.
Spin has a unique way of pushing riders to the limits, making it seem as though it’s just too difficult, only for the rider to rise to the challenge and overcome the obstacle. Constantly doing that will help you to become much more mentally robust.
It's Fun
Anything that is enjoyable and brings a smile to your face is surely worth repeating and although it can be challenging, especially when you’re trying to climb to the peak or hold a prolonged sprint, Spinning is fun.
The music, the lighting, and the way you overcome your previous best, there’s something electric about Spinning that will leave you wanting more.
The instructors and class format can make all the difference but there’s something undeniably special about swaying in time to the music with a beat that just makes you want to dance.
There’s no two ways about it.
Spin is fun.
So There’s More to Spinning Than Just Pedaling Fast?
When picking a type of exercise you should always do your research first.
Many people have a preconceived idea about Spinning class and what it actually is.
There are stories of regular cyclists that laugh at spin class as ‘not real cycling’ only to be humbled their first time out of the saddle as they couldn’t keep up.
Equally, there are plenty of people that think it will be too hard, too challenging and just too difficult, that grow to love the people, the music, and the way it makes them feel.
Whether you have some preconceived ideas or not, what is clear is that Spinning can be a great form of exercise. One that burns calories, builds muscle, is low impact and adaptable and also, fun, one of the key ingredients when exercising.
With that in mind, go and give it a try, it might take a few tries to find the right class for you, but once you do, we’re sure you’ll grow to love it.
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