When it comes to the list of health and fitness benefits of Spinning®, the list goes on and on. From the improvements that show up in the mirror, like slimming down your waistline, to the invigorating experience a Spinning® ride offers each time you hop into a saddle, there are few things the Spinning experience fails to provide.

When in need of a challenging workout, innovative equipment, or a flat-out fun experience, look to Spinning and start enjoying these 7 benefits of indoor cycling:

1. Burn Calories

The benefits from Spinning meet a long list of health, fitness and lifestyle needs for a broad range of people. Whether you’re a roadie seeking performance gains or a newbie trying to drop a few pounds, Spinning likely has you covered. You’ll see the needs of many – regardless of age, gender, lifestyle – met by one experience. That’s why, as fitness options go, few are as dynamic and accommodating as Spinning. Consider this: a 45 minute ride at a moderate intensity burns approximately 420 to 622 calories at a moderate pace. When you put it side-by-side with Hatha Yoga’s (240 to 356 calories burned per hour), it puts that number into perspective.

If you need further proof of the benefits of indoor cycling, just look to the unified enjoyment you can often see on the faces of a full class of people. That type of unified enjoyment – the authentic excitement, inspiring environment and unified dedication, all rolled into one is rarely associated with weight loss. Spinning is an opportunity to enjoy your time while you burn substantial calories.

2. Improve Your Cardio for a Healthy Heart

Spinning classes include both endurance and cardiovascular training.

Heart health is one of the most obvious benefits of Spinning, as is lung capacity. As we work harder, we will learn to work on controlled breathing, as well. This can help with anxiety and help lower the heart rate when in a situation where physical exertion begins to take the breath away.

3. Set Your Own Pace

If you prefer to crank up the speed and resistance frequently, have at it. If you are new, recovering from injury or just not the “high-intensity type,” no worries. Every time you ride a Spinner bike find your comfort zone and make the experience your own.

• Embrace Being Stationary: The beauty of pedaling and not moving is that no one knows or cares how fast you’re going because it doesn’t impact them.
• Chat with Your Instructor: Your instructor may or may not be able to gauge your fitness level accurately, so open a dialogue and let them know how you feel and what you want out of your ride.

4. Join a Community That Feels Like a Team

Regardless of your fitness level, Spinning unifies groups of people through hard work and dedication. You don’t just sit in class unaffected by your neighbor, you and your neighbor begin to motivate one another. In those moments, you become more than a group of riders – you become a team.

Riding together also gives you the opportunity to encourage others. You can inspire those who have not yet reached your level of fitness, while those stronger than you inspire you. Working together, everyone who rides can reach his or her goals and share in the benefits of Spinning together.

As you power through each class level, it can be easy to lose track of the finer details your instructor provides. Luckily, the Spinning program was designed to use verbal and visual cues that reinforce the more important details. Similarly, your instructor should know how to create positive mental distractions, which helps keep your performance and morale up as the time flies. The mental clarity and endorphin rush many riders experience during these final moments is a signature of a challenging, yet rewarding ride.

5. Build Lean Muscle Definition

Before long some of the physical benefits of Spinning will start to show up in the mirror. One such benefit – added lean muscular definition – is a true sign of commitment to your new craft. Then when you add the loss of unwanted body fat into the equation, the combined results will have you jumping for joy – assuming you’re not suffering from post-workout soreness!

The primary muscular definition you can get from Spinning will be in your legs and core muscles, since those are the main muscles you use to ride.

6. Strengthen Your Core

Spinning Instructors should always cue reminders about technique and posture. Correct posture is essential to work the correct muscle groups. In addition to the major leg muscles worked during a Spinning class, the abdominal muscles get a workout, too.

As you ride, unlike racing a bike on the road, you get an upper body rhythm going that helps you keep your leg rhythm. The movement from a slightly bent position and side to side works both the central abdominal muscles and those along the side of your abdomens.

You may not see the results of your abdominal work immediately, but this is a benefit of indoor cycling that builds over time, as you start to feel your entire body begin to tone up.

7. Enhance Your Mental Strength

Spinning does two things particularly well regarding mental health:

• #1: The warmup and cool down are great ways to relax. Before and after putting your body through a strenuous Spinning class you can close your eyes, work just a little, and allow the physical exertion to become a catharsis for releasing pent-up emotions.

• #2: Spinning can help you develop a “can-do” attitude. Spinning also builds mental strength. When you ride, there are good days and bad. The important thing is that you carry through with your regular Spinning routine. Push through difficult times, work up the hill climbs and ride through the endurance training. Mental self-discipline is something often gained from Spinning and can often be applied to other areas of life involving self-control or confidence.

Give Spinning a try! You owe it to yourself...