by Schneider

Created on: March 07, 2009   Last Updated: March 14, 2009

Johnathan Goldberg, an ultra-marathon cyclist champion, developed and patented the Johhny G Spinner bicycle. In the late 80's, he began teaching indoor cycling classes, now known as Spinning in his garage. This fat-burning, muscle-building intense workout provides the perfect opportunity for off-season training if you are an avid cyclist, but even if you don't know what a toe clip is, you will love this unique workout.

A Spinning bike isn't your Grandmother's exercise bike, you know the one I mean, the one gathering dust in the back of her sewing room. Spinning uses a specially designed flywheel bike, with the tension knob being the key to the high-energy exercise. Spinning bikes are available for home purchase but are found in most gym and fitness centers across the nation.

If you take a Spinning class at a gym, a trained instructor will begin with a warm-up, and will then lead the class through a series of sprints, races, climbs, different paced cadences (pedal speed/how many pedal stroke revolutions per minute-RPM); all of which are done through out of the seat/in the seat routines. The workout should always end with a cool-down, and always make sure to stretch before and after class. The classes are set to high-energy music, and some fitness centers even offer video screens that show the terrain you are "traveling" across.

One of the best things about a spinning class is that people of various fitness levels can actively participate, by controlling the resistance of the bike to make pedaling as easy, or as challenging as you can handle. (Remember the resistance knob?)

If a particular routine becomes to intense, simply lower the resistance knob until it feels comfortable, and pedal at a slower pace than what the instructor is calling for. Conversely, you are able bump up the intensity of any routine, and push yourself harder, by adjusting the tension knob to a higher position. Additionally, the rider's position on the spinning bike also affects the intensity of the workout. (For example: standing upright, standing squat, seated, racing positionelbows in or out)

How many calories does spinning burn? Good question! How many calorie you can expect to lose during a typical Spinning class depends on several factors including the weight of the rider, resistance levels, exertion levels, and the length of the session. A one hundred and eighty pound person will burn approximately 409 calories in a typical one-hour class, so depending on the rider, you can expect to burn 300-700 per hour of Spinning.

This workout is everything you want and more. You can lose weight, strengthen and tone your muscles, lose belly fat, and build endurance. Oh, I almost forgot to mention - it's fun!

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