Spinning and weight loss?

I haven't spun in a while. The place I go to/really liked is out of my way. But I did really like it when I did it.

jax_006 wrote: »

Does anyone on here currently incorporate spinning as a part of their weight loss/exercise routine? Just curious if anyone has had success. I ditched the treadmill b/c it was giving me awful shin splints and I think spinning is a lot more fun! So, that's what I do for my cardio. I have been doing it for maybe 7 weeks. I love the feeling of the sweat just dripping off of me! I could never get that from a treadmill, but that's just me.

Anyways please share your thoughts and stories if you have any

I've definitely done spinning and do it once a week in a rotation with other cardio. If you get shin splints from running, try cranking the incline up on the treadmill to level 10+ and your heart rate will go way higher (which is the goal to getting that sweat going) at a far slower speed.

A nice thing about spinning is that it has really conditioned my legs and body well for outdoor cycling now that the weather is getting nice!

I tried spinning a few times at the gym...

jax_006 wrote: »

I think spinning is a lot more fun!

If you think spinning is fun, wait until you try bicycling!

1) You can go from A to B
2) You can see things
3) Feel the wind in your hair
4) For the same amount of perceived exertion, you will actually produce 25% more power!

I ride around an hour a day, to and from work, to the grocery store, and even to the gym for weight lifting (no need to do an extra warmup).

You live in LA, perfect. With that weather, why not

I did spin class when I first started logging food and trying to lose weight. It allowed me to eat a little more because I was using the MFP NEAT method. Generally I preferred my physique after I stopped spending so much time on cardio, started lifting heavier, and took control of my deficit with very careful logging and tracking macros.

But yeah, it was fun for awhile. Probably won't step foot in a class again though.

Also, it might not be as bad as you think. I lived there for 5 years and biked all the time. Also, check out this map of bikeways in LA County . You're bound to live close to at least a few of those.

I'll go further: It's all about the eating, IMO.

I've been going to spin class twice a week for years (plus rowing on-water up to 6 times a week in Summer, rowing machine several times a week in Winter, and more, including some weight training) - I've been very active for a dozen years. Spin is a wonderful form of exercise, improves your cardiovascular system, can actually build a bit of muscle, burns some calories, and lots more good stuff. (And I've never had it cause me an injury.)

But I stayed fat until I changed how I was eating. Even at my fattest (mid-180s at 5'5") my heart rate monitor told me I typically burned something between 300-400 calories in a 45 minute class. I can easily out-eat that burn, and did. While losing weight, spin classes did let me add some calories onto my eating, since I did the standard MFP method & ate back exercise.

Nowadays, the same spin class earns me only around 275 calories or so, because eating at a calorie deficit shrunk me. SW (last April) 183, CW around 120, heading into maintenance.

So, I think you're doing a great thing for your health with spinning - keep up the goodness!