When I first moved to NSU this past August, I knew I should take full advantage of the RecPlex and its many amenities. Of the multiple group fitness classes available, which are free to NSU students, I immediately fell in love with spinning. The mere mention of spin class is enough to send shivers down people’s spines, but the full body workout is worth it.
Spinning takes place inside one of the group fitness rooms, which are to your left once you scan into the RecPlex. The room is dimmed and music blasts as you pedal away on stationary bikes.
You begin to pedal a few minutes before the class even starts as a warmup, and the instructors often encourage you to increase the resistance to get a better workout. During the course you transition between sitting, standing and leaning positions in order to exercise different muscles in the body. Your leg muscles, especially your quads, are worked out the most in my opinion, especially during sprints. Your abs are worked during transitions from sitting to standing or leaning. Some instructors use the transition to exercise your abs, and you will definitely feel the burn.
Spinning attempts to create the feeling of actually riding a bike over the outlined course, with downhill sprints, plateaued cruising and uphill strides; the variation of intensity allows for a better workout.
According to the frequently asked questions on the official Spinning website, “On average, participants burn about 400–600 calories in a 40 minute workout. The ‘distance’ traveled depends on cadence. As an estimate, an average 40 minute class at a cadence of 80–110 rpm is equivalent to approximately 15–20 miles on the road.”
The best part about spinning is that it actually is for everyone, no matter how physically fit you are. Although the instructors encourage you to push yourself, you are still able to go at your own pace, and you do not need to do every transition or set of sprints. Simply being on the bike and pedaling for the full 45 minutes to an hour is a great cardio workout. Just make sure you do the post-workout stretches the instructor leads you through, and do some stretches in your own time.
Overall, spin class is a fantastic workout for you and your friends to go to. Stay fit, NSU.
