{"id":25438,"date":"2014-02-28T07:15:23","date_gmt":"2014-02-28T12:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=25438"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:03:18","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:03:18","slug":"reasons-to-love-spin-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/reasons-to-love-spin-class\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Learn to Love Spin Class"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cycling
Photo courtesy of Cyc Fitness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yes, you love hopping on your bicycle<\/a> when it\u2019s nice outside, pedaling from one place to another, and getting in some good exercise. But the thought of sitting on a stationary bike and sweating in a dark room for 45-minutes baffles you. What enjoyment could you possibly get out of that? And isn\u2019t it kind of girly? Don\u2019t be so quick to turn your nose up at spinning, or an indoor cycling class.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpin is a place to come and get motivated and get the endorphins flowing,\u201d says Keoni Hudoba<\/a>, creator of the Cyc Method<\/a> used at Cyc Fitness, a spin studio with locations in Texas, Wisconsin and New York City. Plus, you can burn anywhere from 600 to 800-plus calories<\/a> depending on your intensity and how long you\u2019re in the saddle. Still not convinced? Here are eight reasons you should learn to love spin class.<\/p>\n

1. You\u2019ll get the energy you need to give 100 percent the whole workout.<\/b><\/h3>\n

From the instructors to the music to the constant change in lighting, good spin classes never seem to have a dull moment. \u201cThe best tweet I\u2019ve ever seen someone post after taking my class was \u2018I came tired, and left alive,\u2019 says Hudoba. \u201cYou\u2019re going to come and have an instructor who\u2019s giving 120 percent and that\u2019s contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. You\u2019ll push yourself to the max, but no further.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Spin classes aren\u2019t made for Tour de France contenders (well, maybe some are, but not your average class). They are for everyone from beginner to advanced levels of fitness. \u201cWe focus on metabolic intervals, light resistance to heavy resistance, so your legs burn and are challenged, but never feel too fatigued,\u201d says Hudoba. And Cyc isn\u2019t the only studio going this route. Almost all studios take an interval approach<\/a> to pedaling on \u201cflat ground\u201d versus pushing hard to \u201cclimb a big hill.\u201d Interval training gets the heart rate up so you can burn more calories in less time. \u201cIt may hurt a little to walk up and down the stairs after class, but who doesn\u2019t love knowing they worked hard?\u201d says Hudoba.<\/p>\n

3. You\u2019ll get lost pedaling to killer music.<\/b><\/h3>\n

And after taking class a few times, you\u2019ll learn which instructor you like best, and who has the most similar taste to you in music. There\u2019s nothing like keeping pace with a good beat, and seeing everyone else around you on the same count. Research<\/a> even supports that athletes work out harder when listening to music at a faster tempo. \u201cMusic is a huge part of working out,\u201d says Hudoba. \u201cIt allows you to bring up feelings and emotions that you wouldn\u2019t think about at the office. If you had a bad day, it helps you restart.\u201d And you may discover some new jams to download at home and add to your own exercise playlist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. You\u2019ll get a full-body workout \u2014 not just legs!<\/h3>\n

Didn\u2019t expect to see weights in a spin class? It\u2019s becoming more and more popular, as well as the use of resistance bands. While spinning is great for your legs, different methods are focusing on giving riders more of a total-body burn. \u201cIf we\u2019re promoting a full-body workout, we want to make sure we\u2019re delivering,\u201d says Hudoba, whose method at CYC Fitness incorporates sports-inspired movements like dribbling a basketball or speed bagging while holding weights to activate minor muscle groups in the arms and shoulders. And in the meantime, you\u2019re still pedaling. Though the weights may seem light at first, after a few songs, they\u2019ll feel like bricks and impose a real challenge \u2014 no matter your strength level.<\/p>\n

5. You\u2019ll get used to that sore butt feeling.<\/b><\/h3>\n

We\u2019re not going to lie, if it\u2019s your first time spinning, or you haven\u2019t been in a while, chances are, your bum will be sore the next day. So what can you do to avoid squirming at your desk the day after? Be sure you\u2019re not in the saddle the whole time. \u201cThough it might seem easier to stay seated, heavy-resistance saddle riding at, say, 22 torque, that<\/i> could hurt,\u201d says Hudoba. Most classes will have you in and out of the saddle every other song. \u201cIf we spend 50 percent of one song out of the saddle, the next one we\u2019re in,\u201d says Hudoba. Still not comfortable? Try using a padded seat or shorts with a shammie<\/a> in them.<\/p>\n

6. You\u2019ll define and lean out your legs.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Notice we didn\u2019t say bulk up. And Hudoba hears it all the time. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge misconception that \u2018my legs are going to get big if I spin,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cIf I chest press 300 pounds, yes I would get bigger, but that\u2019s like riding with high torque for eight hours.\u201d The interval training that most studios practice, with some upper-body work, allows you to tone muscles that you may have not even known you had and sculpt your body back<\/a> into youthful shape.<\/p>\n

7. You\u2019ll feel that team spirit. <\/b><\/h3>\n

While it can be fun to go on a ride alone to clear your thoughts, the energy you feel from your spin class peers is contagious. \u201cIf you come into class and really show up, your 45-minute ride could feel as fast as 20 minutes because you\u2019re enjoying it,\u201d says Hudoba. \u201cFor instructors, it\u2019s all about entertaining, interacting with the crowd and having a great time so that riders aren\u2019t watching the minutes drag on \u2014 that\u2019s the worst kind of workout.\u201d And when blacklights are switching on and off, and the person next to you is screaming out in anticipation and excitement for the coming climb, you won\u2019t even realize it\u2019s your second-to-last song. You\u2019ll be having too much fun working out and sweating.<\/p>\n

8. You\u2019ll leave feeling euphoric.<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the best way to describe the energy high that sticks with you after the ride,\u201d says Hudoba. \u201cI always try to make the last song a powerful one so that people remember it as they leave.<\/p>\n

Choosing to ride doesn\u2019t mean giving up all other exercise and trading in the barbell for spin shoes. But if you\u2019re healthy and injury-free, adding cycling into your workout regimen a few times a week can only advance your fitness. And if you\u2019ve decided that spin is the way you\u2019re going to get fit, then don\u2019t be scared to fully commit. \u201cNo matter which method you choose, spinning in any capacity is amazing for you,\u201d adds Hudoba. \u201cIt can only help you better yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best spin class you\u2019ve ever taken? Why did you love it? Tell us in the comments below. And be sure to check out Cyc Fitness<\/a> in New York, Texas or Wisconsin!<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s official \u2014 indoor cycling classes have swept the nation. Find out the biggest benefits, and why it\u2019s not too late to become a spin class convert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":25439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,6,14],"tags":[157,32,288,129,289,56,60,212,341,343],"class_list":["post-25438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-biking","tag-bodyweight","tag-cardio","tag-cycling","tag-exercise","tag-group-fitness","tag-high-intensity-interval-training","tag-spinning","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}