CHAPTER 91

Spin Classes

“Spinning classes offer upbeat music and an instructor that pushes you to your max. You will sweat like crazy and you’ll get an amazing cardio workout. Perfect for the bodybuilder who hates cardio machines and can’t stand complicated moves.”

– Carol Lepine, fitness coordinator, City of Richmond

If you just can’t seem to talk yourself into traditional forms of cardio exercise, give spinning a try. Spinning^® is a perfect example of an aerobic activity that seems to have staying power. The term “Spinning^®” is actually a registered trademark of the Schwinn Corporation. However, most people use the word to describe any group cycling class on stationary cycles.

Spin classes are popular because they offer numerous fitness-related benefits while remaining gender neutral. Despite all the advances made in the last couple of decades, weight training is still seen as masculine, and cardio as feminine. But spin classes are for everyone, and most classes have an even mixture of men and women. It’s a great way to stimulate the cardiovascular system as well as strengthen the muscles, particularly the leg muscles.

A lesser-known reason for the popularity of spin classes over other forms of cardio fitness is that it is very motivational. A combination of small class size, a dynamic instructor and tailored music all contribute to keeping participants interested and determined to finish the class. In a large aerobics class it’s easy to slack off and simply go through the motions, but a spin class leaves no room for stragglers. Everyone is motivated to keep up, and it’s far more fun than spending 30 minutes doing the exact same movement on a piece of stationary cardio equipment.

A typical class consists of one instructor and 10 participants. Instructors have different cycle arrangements, but most use a semi-circle pattern. Other than the cycle, the only equipment you need is a water bottle and a towel. The cycle itself bears little resemblance to those $5,000 cardio cycles that inhabit gyms these days. You won’t find any bells or whistles – in fact you won’t find electronics of any kind. This is cycling at its purist. The cycle will have a lever located just beneath the handlebars that allows you to increase the tension on the pedals. Push the lever all the way down and it acts as a brake. Keep this in mind – the large front flywheel weighs 40 or 50 pounds, and once it gets going you can’t automatically stop it by just locking your legs. You must either gradually slow down and stop or push the brake lever down.

If spin cycles have one big disadvantage over regular cardio cycles it’s comfort, or lack thereof. The seat on a typical cardio cycle is rather small and not blessed with the greatest amount of padding. After 10 or 15 minutes sitting on it, your squat-built hindquarters are going to start talking to you in unpleasant terms. However, during a spin class you’ll be alternating sitting with standing and sprinting, so you won’t be sitting on the seat for long stretches.

The class itself is like most forms of physical activity and can be divided into three phases: warmup, middle and cool-down. The warmup consists of various stretches that start while standing on the floor and then progress to the cycle. Most instructors start with slow- to moderate-paced peddling, and then progress to the faster-paced peddling and sprinting, either seated or standing. During a typical class you’ll alternate various speeds with different tensions on the wheels.

Spin classes are conducted in the presence of music. Most gyms have the stereo system controls located next to the instructor’s cycle so he or she can alternate various music tempos throughout the class. Slow music is typically used for the warmup and cool-down, and faster-paced music for the heart of the class. Some instructors use rock music, while others go for upbeat dance music.

The average spin class lasts 45 to 60 minutes, and is as good as it gets when it comes to cardiovascular conditioning. Spinning has an advantage over most other forms of aerobic exercise because of its strengthening effects on the muscles. Most forms of cardio only use the weight of the body as resistance. For the first couple of weeks this may provide some strengthening benefits, but the leg muscles quickly adapt. With spinning the tension lever allows you to increase the resistance on demand. Many weight trainers report that their legs get as pumped from a spinning class as from a regular squat workout.

Some gyms charge extra for spin classes. Others include these classes in their fee structure. One suggestion is to check out different instructors. They should all have the same qualifications, but personality can play a big role. One instructor may motivate you to the point where you could go for two hours, while another may make you decide to give up after 15 minutes. Or you may hate the music one instructor chooses while another plays your favorite motivational tunes. The bottom line is to choose the class and instructor that motivates you to keep coming back.

Photo of Tomm Voss by Robert Reiff