In my opinion, nothing beats a long bike ride in the Fall. However, lack of light and low temperatures (not to mention snow and rain) can dampen anyone's enthusiasm to jump on the saddle. This is where taking a good old-fashioned spin class comes in handy.
Spinning tops my list of five fitness classes everyone should try. I know that riding a stationary bike in a low-lit room with a bunch of strangers doesn't necessarily sound like a good time, but it is. It is an amazing cardio workout and a calorie burner too. Just this morning I burned over 400 calories in a hour-long class, and I got to rock out to Van Halen. What more could a child of the '80s ask for? Spinning makes sense if you are a cyclist, but it is a great way to keep up your cardio fitness if you run as well. A good spin class will include a warmup and a cooldown period with stretching, as well as intervals, sprints, hill climbs, and jumps (where you come in and out of the saddle quickly). I highly recommend taking a hand towel, because spinning equals sweating, and a water bottle. In fact, many places don't allow you to participate in a class without water.
Visit Spinning.com to find an official spin class near you. I have also seen spinning classes listed on gym schedules as Cycle Plus. Whatever you do, arrive early to class so you can adjust your bike to fit your body. Ask the instructor for help if you need it.
Dries Van Noten
Matthew Williamson
Rebecca
Love spin! Absolutely miss it though... still have this stupid injury. I can't wait to get back in class!
1Spinning is literally the hardest workout I've ever done. I've gone for 90 minutes runs that left me less sweaty. Nothing beats the rush that you get after working that hard though.
2I LOVE Spin class!! Before I started working out, my dad had joined a gym and always talking about this difficult class he would take, and he would encourage me to try it. Once I joined the gym I went, and, wow!! It is intense, and I feel great after I walk out that door. I look forward to it, even if I am tired or sore from another work out. And, I was very proud of my dad already for trying to improve his health, so when I realized how difficult the class was that he was taking anywhere from 3-6 times a week depending on his schedule, I was so impressed!!
3LOVE spinning. Ever since i moved and have a new gym though I have been having trouble finding a time and more importantly a teacher i like. One of the new teachers doesnt say anything - she just says stand up, or increase resistance every 4 minutes or so and has folky music on. Then another teacher is great/motivating/good music, except that he has a tendency to yell push repetitively during the end of a count down, which makes me giggle cause i feel like i am in a delivery room.
4I did spinning 3 times.. And boy did I sweat...Its awesome... But I couldn't keep up with the class so I stopped going..I should start again.
5yay! My fav work out. I love love this class, for me it is not about exercising it's now about recreation! Spinning is so much fun, it is called RPM in my gym
SillyGirl I agree with you, you need to have a good teacher to motivate and also good music goes without saying.
For me spinning is my fun class and body pump the work out that i have to do to shed the pounds
6Yeah, having a good teacher is VERY important! There are a few teachers that I love! But there is one I can't stand. If she subs I will walk out... I just cannot handle her.
7i love spin class --- such a great workout! it's only after i started taking spinning classes that i realized how my hour-long workout on the elliptical wasn't challenging me... the instructor and music are key.
8Love, Love, Love Spinning!!! Best workout ever...and there's just something about feeling the rhythm of the music and letting it take over...sometimes I forget I'm even working out...plus, it's dark or lowly-lit, so no one gets to see how sweaty and gross you get!
9I went to my first spinning class just yesterday and I loved it!
10I immediately booked a class for friday.
but someone told me you can't do this more than twice a week because your muscles need the time to recuperate. is this true? I haven't been excersising in a long time, but once i'm back in the game, I know I want to work out every day, and spinning is the perfect work out to shake off the stress of the day. What's your take on this?
I just recently started doing part of my workout on the stationary bike, but it's not quite the same as Spinning. I would love to try it, but my gym doesn't offer a Spin class yet.
11i'm a spin instructor at a 24 hour fitness. we were told in training not to do jumps because they can cause injuries. they're fun to do, so a lot of instructors still did them. then they were told by the manager that they'd be fired if they did. of course, established instructors who have "weight" will keep doing what they've always done, but i can't do jumps in my class since i'm newer.
it's ALL about the music. if i don't like the instructor, but i like the music, i'll just do my own thing and bop out to the music. as an instructor, i don't really care if people do that in my class, either.
"psycho cycle people". that's what we all are.
12I absolutely love my spinning classes (I take 6AM spinning class 3 times a week)It rocks!Great work out,great music plus major calorie burn - what else can you ask for?
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