Burn Calories with Spinning
By Chris Fraser, owner of Shop Mountain Bikes
For many, the main purpose of going to the gym is to burn off excess calories in the most efficient manner possible. Since your workout session is like any other task in life, you want the best "bang for the buck." You want to get the best workout you can get in the shortest, reasonable amount of time. Let’s face it, most people go to the gym to get fit, tone up, and stay toned up.
Everyone knows that burning calories and fat is a numbers game in a sense. If you’re maintaining the same weight, then you are burning the same amount of calories that you are eating. Eating less is not really the best solution – sure you’ll lose weight, but you’ll end up with the body of a deflated marshmallow. The key is to not only eat smarter, but to train your body to burn those calories efficiently and build up that metabolism. But we already know all this scientific mumbo-jumbo so let’s check out a few numbers.
A 130-pound person works out for 1 hour and here’s how it looks depending on activity:
High Impact Aerobics - 413 calories
Running a moderate pace - 472 calories
Walking an average pace - 207 calories
Walking up stairs - 472 calories
Stationary bike riding moderate pace - 620
These numbers are rough but you get the idea. Stationary biking is the best "bang for the buck." Now for those of you not familiar with Spin here’s the general idea.
A typical class involves a single instructor at the front of the class who leads the participants through routines that are designed to simulate terrain and situations similar to riding a bike outdoors. Some of the movements and positions include hill climbs, sprints and interval training. A well-trained instructor uses music, motivation and enthusiastic coaching to lead students through a ride that best suits their fitness level and goals. Most instructors will lead what is called an interval ride – this is where students will sprint, run, climb, and jump all in the same ride but there will not be definable pattern to the exercises.
Each person in the class can choose their own goals for the session. Besides being a great form of aerobic activity, indoor cycling is also beneficial in strengthening the muscles of the lower body. It tones the quadriceps and hamstrings, along with working the back and hips.
Most gyms and health clubs offer Spin classes, and these classes can be combined with all workout routines.
Keep in mind also that in addition to being a very good source of Aerobic exercise, it’s also relatively low impact compared to other options. You may not be able to keep up with the instructor but the good news is that you don’t have to, so if you are just starting out or if you are looking for an alternate exercise to add to your routine, check out a spin class, you won’t be disappointed.
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