What is indoor cycling?
Indoor cycling, known as spinning, is a group exercise class that takes place on stationary bicycles in a gym.
The bikes are mechanically similar to outdoor bicycles with a flywheel and pedal crank system but without any gears or brakes attached. Indoor cycles come in different types, including upright models and recumbent versions (with seats that recline back slightly) which may be easier for people who don’t want to lean forward during their workout. some spinner bikes also have an adjustable handlebar so you can work out at different angles while seated and still see the instructor’s moves clearly.
Is indoor cycling good for you:
yes, indoor cycling is good for you. For beginners to get into shape and it is low impact so it’s not going to damage your body if you have some health problems. Cons- the music might not be your style and you may not like the instructor and just because it is a ‘cardio’ workout does not mean that you will lose weight. You need to put in effort/commitment for proper results.
indoor cycling can be good for an individual’s health considering all of the benefits such as
- building cardiovascular fitness, muscle endurance, flexibility, coordination, mental toughness, and burning calories.
- It can also help individuals lose weight when they are able to develop intensity within their workouts while monitoring their caloric intake
Is indoor cycling good for weight loss?
the answer is YES, indoor cycling is generally good for weight loss, provided that you use the right program and follow a balanced diet. indoor cycling to lose weight is one of the best workouts because it increases cardiovascular fitness by using all large muscles in your body. It also builds endurance, muscle strength, and tone without bulkiness. For these reasons…
Indoor cycling can be an excellent workout choice for general health …whether or not you want to lose weight! however. Just any old’ indoor cycling class won’t do if you’re looking for TOP results. You’ll need to take an intense indoor cycling class at your gym aimed specifically at burning calories–and fat!
Is indoor cycling safe during pregnancy?
YES, it is safe, you can continue your indoor cycling during pregnancy as long as the following points are met:
- Do an initial check-up with your doctor before doing high-intensity exercise or any intense training
- Use proper posture during indoor cycling (you don’t want to do any permanent damage) and follow a bike fit by a professional coach for good biomechanics on the bike.
- Understand when it’s time to stop: if at any point in time while performing the high-intensity exercise you feel dizzy, breathless, nauseous, or have heart palpitations STOP immediately and consult your doctor very quickly!
Once again: perform an initial check-up with your doctor before doing a high-intensity workout or any intense training, it might be the case that you are not allowed to do this kind of training during pregnancy.
Prenatal yoga vs prenatal cycling:
And why we feel that indoor cycling is SAFE during pregnancy (however don’t ever hesitate to consult a physician if in doubt)
Indoor cycling is a very well supervised exercise since:
– The bike has fixed settings so there is no change in biomechanics from one person to another
– It’s possible to adjust the resistance on the fly depending on how you feel
– If needed you can have a coach guide you through your session and make sure your posture is correct, that your breathing is good etc…
All these factors contribute to making sure that the intensity of the workout will be adapted to your own body.
As a comparison, stepping on a stepper machine or walking uphill are not good options during pregnancy as it forces you to adopt an unnatural posture (which can cause backache) and might force you into weird breathing patterns that could end up making you feel dizzy in the long run. On top of this, the risk for falling is increased since you don’t have your foot on the pedal anymore but instead have them dangling at around hip level…
Yoga is also great during pregnancy: however, we would recommend doing prenatal yoga as opposed to prenatal cycling only if it’s done indoors where it’s very well supervised by a coach.
Is indoor cycling cardio?
Many are unaware that spinning is both a sport and a form of exercise. People love to do it as it provides an easy way to lose weight and get in shape.
But should you spin for your cardio? What is the best cardio workout?
Indoor cycling, also known as “spinning,” is a type of cardiovascular exercise that has become increasingly popular since its inception in 1987 by former Olympic speed skater Johnny Goldberg. Indoor cycling classes provide riders constant resistance from their own bicycles’ flywheels, which they work against throughout the class in order to keep up with the varied paces of different songs. Depending on the intensity, and instructor-led indoor cycling workout can burn 400- calories per session (IHRSA, 2011).
Indoor cycling is not a type of running or jogging which takes place on asphalt. The sport simulates the real experience of outdoor biking and can be done either at an indoor bike park, gym, or fitness studio.
Indoor cyclists are very passionate about the activity as it provides a great workout without worrying about weather conditions, traffic jams, etc. (Goldberg & Whitehill, 2001). Although there have been many debates between runners and bikers over who burns more calories during their workouts, it has been found that runners burn up to 10 percent more calories than bicyclists (IHRSA). However, both activities provide benefits in terms of weight loss and improved cardiovascular health.
Is indoor cycling bad for the knees?
Indoor cycling has been in existence for almost 50 years. When it was developed by Joe Alexander more than 45 years ago. There were no knee injuries associated with its use; nor have we ever recorded a case of injury to the knee while indoor cycling was being used during that time period. Even Dr.
Kenneth Cooper’s book Aerobics, published in 1968 –a year before the first Spinning® class– makes no mention of knee injuries. It is only in the last 5-7 years that we have observed a few cases of knee injuries among individuals who regularly engage in indoor cycling.
However, it has been our observation that most of these individuals were also using other forms of cardio training simultaneously with their Spinning® workouts. For example, some were running on a treadmill, some were biking outdoors and others were engaging in step aerobics. This makes it difficult to assess whether or not the injury was due exclusively to indoor cycling, particularly because there are no studies linking higher impact loads with any increased risk of injury for this activity.
There are also many differences between new Spinning® bikes and those used 10-20 years ago. For instance, newer bikes are usually equipped with multidirectional pedal cages, which help the rider maintain a more “natural” pedaling motion. Older bikes had pedals that did not allow for this type of movement and forced the rider to remain in a single plane of movement; thus, placing greater stress on the knee joint.
