Remember when you first learned to ride a bike with training wheels?
Well, if you try spinning workouts to get in shape, the training wheels will definitely need to come off.
Spinning Workouts
If you've never heard about spinning, it's an aerobic cycling workout. Classes are usually held in a large studio with as many as twenty or more stationary bicycles. They look more like a standard bike in a stationary rack than the usual stationary bike you’d see at the gym. Spinning takes cycling to an all new level!
It would be boring to sit on a bike for an hour even in a room with upbeat music and other people. To make it interesting as well as challenging, the instructor leads the class through a grueling cycling workout for anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes.
The participants start with a slow warm up on the bike. Then the cycling gets faster and faster. There is a tension knob on the cycle to simulate hills and mountains.
Class members don’t just sit on the seat and happily bike away either. They stand and pedal, squat and pedal, and alternate squatting and standing while they pedal up hills and down hills.
This type of interval training is quite effective. Cycling under great tension in a standing position works all leg muscles including:
quadriceps
hamstrings
gluteus
calf muscles
Alternating every five or ten minutes with a much faster downhill aerobic period will increase the amount of calories burned and build muscle.
In most gyms, classes are offered at least three days a week so those using spinning workouts for fitness get their optimum amount of workouts done each week.
Spinning is one of the best workouts you can do. You give your heart and your lower body a great workout. A monitor on the bikes lets you track your mileage, speed, and calories burned.
If you prefer to work out at home , just pop in a DVD and start spinning. My three favorite DVDs for spinning and the ones I recommend are:
If you’ve never taken a spin class, begin with a basic class. It will get you used to riding a bike for fitness. Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because you’ve ridden a bike before that this class will be easy. Anyone can ride a stationary bike. Cycling at a high intensity rate for the sake of fitness is another story altogether.
Here are a few things to note about spinning.
First, if you plan on pursuing this as a fitness workout, buy a gel seat cover. Those bike seats are extremely small and very hard. Sitting for an hour on one will make you quite sore not to mention the pain in your lower body from the workout.
Also, try classes from several different instructors. A complaint about spinning is the repetition of the routine. If one instructor sticks with the same routine, change instructors in order to actually keep burning the fat.
Spinning is an extreme form of cycling that provides an intense lower body aerobic workout. Standing up on the bike also gives the arms some action.
If you are looking to increase your fitness level, this class will definitely whip you into shape!