Opinions on spinning?

Maxibris

So I found a gym who offers spinning classes right around the corner from my place. Was just wondering what your opinions on spinning are?

Did you notice a difference on how fast you lost weight?

Did it help tone your bum and legs?

Do I need to know anything before going to my first class? (is there proper spinning etiquette? is there a secret code i should be aware of??)

Thank you for your input!

acbraswell

OK-here's my take on spinning.... You get out of it what you put in. If you go into it thinking it's going to be an easy workout because you're sitting, you're in for a rude awakening, lol! If you've never done spin class, your bum will be sore after the first 2-3 classes from the 'saddle'. I'm talking REAL sore! Once I got past that, I really enjoy the classes because of the energy and the competition with myself to do better each class. Depending on your size and fitness level, you can burn upwards of 800 calories in a class (again, you have to do the work!). I run primarily for cardio, but spin for cross-training and when I was injured, so I can't attest to your question regarding toning.

As to etiquette, you will sweat A LOT! Some studios provide towels, but you may want to bring your own if you're unsure. Wear appropriate workout attire, nothing loose. The studio should provide cycling shoes that fit into the pedals, but you'll need clean socks (duh!) Bring a water bottle. The studio should provide a locker for your bag, shoes, etc. Make sure you get there early for your first class so you can get your shoes on, get to your bike, and get assistance setting it up for your height.

Good luck!!

jjpptt2

Spinning can be good exercise, and can offer a lot of benefits to some people.

However, weight loss and toning are, at best, secondary benefits. Those things will mostly come from managing your intake - if your diet isn't where it should be, then spinning won't help. But spinning can play a role in weight loss and toning.

tbright1965

Agree with the above. Like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it.

First few sessions, DON'T try to keep up with the class. For my first class, I pulled the typical testosterone poisoned brain stunt and tried to keep up. I could barely walk the next 36 hours. My butt never hurt, but I was sore from mid-quad down to my knees. Second class, 47 hours later and I worked out the stiffness and pain by not going at it so hard.

I've been a regular at it since late 2011.

You can still gain weight as I went back up 40+ pounds to over 265#. I was just an aerobically fit 265#. So it's not a magic bullet. You cannot outwork your fork. I'd say it works well in combination with paying attention to what and how much you eat. But from personal experience, it will not correct a bad diet. It is just part of my fitness plan with weight training 2 or 3 days a week as well.

If you are just trying it out, don't run out and buy cycle shoes until you know it's your thing. I"ve never been to a place that provides them. But apparently such places exist. I did it a couple of months before I bought shoes. It makes a big difference as you can then both push and pull on the pedals. I have wide feet, so I got mountain bike shoes and have SPD pedals on my road bike so I can use the same shoes.

Bring water, lots of water. I can go through a 28oz bottle in a 45-60 minute class easily.

As was suggested, get there early for your first class and let the instructor know this is your first time. You can get fitted for your bike and the instructor can explain the terms and how the bike works. How to change the resistance, how to read any meters that are on the bike, and so on.

cwolfman13

MaxiPoe wrote: »

So I found a gym who offers spinning classes right around the corner from my place. Was just wondering what your opinions on spinning are?

Did you notice a difference on how fast you lost weight?

Did it help tone your bum and legs?

Do I need to know anything before going to my first class? (is there proper spinning etiquette? is there a secret code i should be aware of??)

Thank you for your input!

I enjoy spinning. I'm primarily a road cyclist, but I do a lot of spinning in the winter when I can't be on the road as much. I used to do a lot of classes, but I bought an indoor trainer and mostly spin at home to YouTube classes in the winter.

As weight loss goes, that is going to be largely a matter of your diet and calories coming in being less than calories going out. Certainly spinning can up your energy expenditure, but it doesn't default to weight loss. I've been in maintenance for over 5 years and I ride all the time...I maintain my weight because I eat maintenance calories. If exercise defaulted to losing weight, nobody would be able to sustain a regular exercise regimen because they'd just wither away and die.

When you start out, it's likely that you're not going to be able to keep up with everyone in the class and do things exactly as the instructor is laying it out...that's OK...as one of my favorite instructors used to say, "remember...this is your ride." You will improve with time...I still struggle with work out of the saddle because I don't ride out of the saddle all that much on my day to day road rides.

I'd also advise to get their early and have the instructor fit you to the bike...bring a pen and paper so you can right your numbers down. I also wear padded cycling shorts and my mountain bike shoes so I can clip in.

Machka9

I enjoy spinning classes as one of many ways to keep in shape for my cycling during the winter. And as others have said, you get out what you put in.

Be sure to set the bicycle up correctly.
Bring your towel and water bottle.
Padded shorts help.
If something the instructor suggests makes you feel uncomfortable (i.e. jumps), don't do them.

govenderd1

I am a mountain biker. Spinning helps me in the office season. Certainly burns enough calories to help me meet my daily goals.

heybales

About that pen and paper to write numbers down and talking to instructor - ask if they are spin bikes that are reading Watts, and calories based on that.
You'll have to notice start/stop time.

If they sound a bit iffy (because they never checked) - just write the make/model down and look it up - or ask here as many here know.

That use of Watts will provide a more accurate calorie burn to correctly log as a workout - rather than taking the default calorie burn for Spinning.

That way you can correctly eat more as you do more - but confirm you are eating less than you burn in order to lose weight.

ETA - that claimed 1000 cal/hr you may see - unlikely.
Even on times I hit that rate - the class had 5 min warmup and cooldown, and 5 min stretching - so only 45 min long.

AnnPT77

MaxiPoe wrote: »

So I found a gym who offers spinning classes right around the corner from my place. Was just wondering what your opinions on spinning are?

It's a good workout, and can be good for relative beginners because you can start with the intensity you can manage, but build up from there as you get fitter.

I spin partly to keep myself from rowing (on water) every day, which at my age would be too much of a good thing: A bit of cross-training is better. It was getting hard (OK, pretty much impossible) to find low-impact exercise that kept my heart rate high enough for my training goals, but that wasn't more rowing.

Did you notice a difference on how fast you lost weight?

I've been spinning a couple of times a week for 10+ years. For at least 7 of those years, I was obese. It's pretty easy to eat back any arbitrary number of exercise calories, unless you're doing long-distance running or biking or something like that. I work hard in spin, monitor my heart rate and keep it high, and did even when obese. In the 180s, my obese weight, I got about 350-400 calories from a 45 minute spin class. Now, in the low 130s, I get 250-300. That's like one Snickers bar, or a couple of slices of good bread. If you're not managing calorie intake somehow, it's easy to eat that much extra. Just one regular mocha latte wipes out the whole class, and then some.

It's important to be aware that the calories the bike says you burned may not be accurate. Some of them over-estimate pretty severely. If the bike has a power meter (it's a good sign if it give you a watts readout) and is calibrated correctly, it can be fairly accurate. Otherwise, it can be anything from close to silly high. Use other sources (fitness device, HR monitor, MFP database - all of which can also be inaccurate!) as a reality check.

If you're tracking your eating, and maintaining a calorie deficit to lose/maintain weight, those extra calories can be helpful to improve satisfaction. You do need to fuel this or any exercise, not just add the exercise to an already large calorie deficit - the latter would be unhealthy/dangerous.

A health-preserving, sustainable rate of weight loss is way better than a fast rate of weight loss.

Did it help tone your bum and legs?

"Toning" is a word that many people use, but there isn't a standard definition. Often, it's used to mean "have a little visible muscle but not look "bulky"". Having visible muscle happens from a combination of having the muscle in the first place, plus losing enough overlying fat that it shows. If you're new to exercise, cycling can help a bit with building some muscle, and - subject to the weight loss comments above - help with making a calorie deficit achievable thus helping reveal that muscle as you lose fat.

If that's what you mean by "toning", then strength training is a more efficient way to "tone" than spinning is. To keep building muscle, you need to keep challenging the muscle even as you get fitter. That's harder to do with spinning than with strength training. Strength training can also help preserve existing muscle while you lose weight, which is an important and useful thing. In general, women needn't worry about "getting bulky". Most of us just won't/can't (wrong hormone profile), and those few who can (without performance enhancing drugs) will only do it with major significant effort, and veerrrrrrrry sloooooowly. Since it doesn't happen overnight, if you're getting to the muscularity level you like, you just back off the strength training a little to maintain it.

(More info about strength training here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you ).

Spinning is super good for cardiovascular fitness, though, so it's definitely worth doing, and can help build muscle at first. Note that spinning is probably going to do more for legs, not so much for bum, because you spend quite a bit of time sitting.

Rowing has been better for my leg strength than spinning, but mostly because I do more of it, and there can be a bit of progressivity to rowing (for technical reasons too tedious to go into here).

Do I need to know anything before going to my first class? (is there proper spinning etiquette? is there a secret code i should be aware of??)

* Be early & talk to the instructor, as mentioned above. Get your bike set up right (adjusted for your height, etc.).

* During your first class (and a few beyond), your goal should be just to keep pedaling through the whole class. That's better than trying to push for the same intensity as the experienced folks, only to wilt part way through. When pedaling the whole time starts to feel more manageable, then start adding in more of the intensity. If something looks/feels risky (standing, "jumps", etc.), don't do that part until you feel comfortable adding it.

* Expect to have sore lady parts after the first few classes. To moderate this, you can use bike shorts with padding, or a gel seat cover. But eventually you toughen up, and it shouldn't continue to be a problem. (The toughening up doesn't interfere with . . . any other female lifestyle activities.)

* Take water in a standard sized bottle (some bottle holder cages are more accommodating than others, so keep to a standard size until you find out) and a hand towel. If you sweat lots like I do, a hat, bandana, or sweatband may be helpful to keep sweat out of your eyes.

* My gym's bikes don't have shoes, but do have clips or straps. I've never bought bike shoes because the straps work fine for me, for including some pull in the pedal strokes.

* Don't spend a bunch of money on special clothes or equipment until you see whether you enjoy it. Give yourself at least 3-4 classes to decide whether it's enjoyable . . . most classes - of any type, not just spin - are a little intense/overwhelming at first, so you want to give it a fair chance.

* Etiquette: Some old-hand class participants like a particular bike (even though they're pretty much all the same). If you get there early, you can ask the instructor if there's a bike that's usually free. But don't worry too much, the "snooze/lose" rule applies.

Thank you for your input!

Enjoy your class!

GiddyupTim

I think spin classes are fun.
Plus, because someone else is pushing you, you generally end up working harder than you would on your own.