Believe it or not I had an irrational fear of taking a spin class. Nervous anxiety. Sweaty hands, talk myself out of ever trying, kind of fear.
1. You do your own thing.
Don't get me wrong, there is an instructor there telling you when to change positions, turn up the tension, etc. However, the lights are down, the music is blasting, and you ultimately can make your workout as challenging or easy as you want.
2. Low impact.
Running is a high impact exercise, it's not really great for your joints and you will need to have a longer recovery time. Spinning however is still a great cardiovascular exercise while maintaining a low impact for your body. #DoubleWin
3. Physical fitness concert.
Depending on where you take a class or who leads the class you basically get to attend your own concert. You're still working and sweating hard but great music and fancy lights can make it worth it while distracting you from your burning muscles. Plus if you're singing, that means you're breathing!
4. Can be a full body workout.
Spinning is mostly legs, however hand weights can be used to engage your upper body along with regular push ups and triceps push ups!
5. Sweat.
When I am angry or frustrated, spinning is the perfect outlet for me to push out all the tension and negative energy. I have never left a spin class feeling worse than I did when I walked in. My quads may or may not agree with this statement but I'm talking mental health here.
6. Can be inside or outside.
Since I started spinning in a class at the gym, I have been more open to the idea of riding my bike outside and I love it. I find myself being able to ride longer distances and at faster paces. Plus it's almost time for summer and riding my bike on the Atlantic City boardwalk is something I think I will be doing a lot of this year!
7. Special shoes.
There are shoes specially designed for spinning/cycling. I would highly recommend making sure spinning is something you love and can see yourself doing long term before investing in a pair of shoes but once you have made that choice, holy moly, they are a GAME CHANGER!
8. Macarena
Yeah, that's right. When the Macarena comes on, we dance.
9. Push/Pull.
Everyone knows that there is importance in training with a push and pull method. In spin, you HAVE to do this when the resistance is high. You push your peddle down with one foot, while pulling the peddle up with the other.
10. Long term health benefits.
Of course any sort of physical activity is good for your health and promotes longevity of life, but statistics show that people whom cycle regularly have a lower rates of getting heart disease and cancer. A study in the United Kingdom shows that cyclist on average can expect a 20 year gain of life!
I hope this article helped with any reservations you may have had and encourages you to jump on the bicycle!
