It’s an interesting question because of spinning’s popularity and the fact that many serious riders enter spinning classes frequently in the winter season.
I believe most people can benefit from spinning classes. Spinning bikes are different to ride than regular road cycling bikes, but the physiological adaptations are so close to adaptations from road cycling. Thus it’s almost certain you will improve your cycling performance when you enter a spinning class.
Though I have to say that it’s impossible to compare 1hr spinning with 1hr road cycling. There are many external factors that will influence on your perceived exhaustion (temperature, humidity, music, instructor etc.) Thus, you might very likely subjectively feel you’ve worked harder than you objectively have (a power meter might tell you a different story…)
Also remember that most spinning lessons are made with fitness people in mind. The spinning instructors want to entertain and train people who enter the fitness room once or twice every week, not cyclists who train 8, 12 or even more hours per week. I don’t think it’s a bad decision, but it’s worth to remember when you are road cyclist with a much larger training amount and a different goal with your training.
I have previously outlined how you can achieve better results with spinning and these recommendations illustrate why some riders might end up with the conclusion: “Spinning is not for real cyclists”.
I disagree with the above conclusion, because all cyclists can benefit from spinning classes if they remember the differences between regular cycling and spinning.
Share your experiences
Please write a comment with your experiences with spinning and how you integrate spinning in your training routine.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
As a long time indoor cycle instructor I agree with your article. I have one additional comment if your readers/cyclists are taking an indoor class but not training with the rest of the class. I don’t mind at all that cyclists come to my class but if their agenda is different from mine I do ask that they sit in the back of the room so as not to throw off other participants. I also tell my “real” cyclists that this class can definitely benefit their cardiovascular system and help with their training but does not generally translate to their outdoor ride.
To add my own commentary to this subject, I prefer to mix in a spinning class here and there in my Winter training program for a number of reasons.
•It gets me out of the solitary experience of riding the rollers for what seems like eternity.
•I can add on some seriously high resistance for strength training
•It affords my wife and I the opportunity to work-out together for a change
I also have a few caveats to add regarding my spin training:
•I loosely follow the routine provided by the instructor; No jumps, only sprints when the training plan calls for it, and my bike setup looks very different from everyone else in the class.
•Arriving to the class an hour early lets me get a full two hour work-out in for that session. I sometimes will do two classes one after the other when the opportunity presents itself.
•Use your heart rate monitor. This is the only way to adequately gauge your spinning workout.
•Never, ever ride with no resistance. I always keep at least a few twists of resistance on the spin bike because as we all know there is no such thing as a flat road with no resistance.
•I also tend to mimic actual conditions while on the spin bike. For example, after a “hill” I’ll back the resistance off slightly and increase my cadence to imitate the corresponding decent.
I’ve now been riding for roughly around 6 months and therefore walked into cycling at the height of summer. Reaching the winter period was depressing because it meant investing in a whole new series of kit, lights etc and dealing with (especially recently) some very tricky road conditions including snow and ice and the potholes that result.
As a result, I’ve attended a spinning class at least once a week and done a quick hour beforehand. The 90-120 minute total workout is arguably better than a road ride since there are no traffic lights etc so in theory it is possible to work a little harder.
Although I do not strictly agree with this view, I have found spinning to be an excellent addition to my training. As a beginner, I’m not sure I could have made the significant advances in power I have managed through spinning unless I lived in a more undulating area.
My conclusion is that spinning is extremely advantageous for beginners.
@cyclegirl
It’s a good point you have. If a rider plans to ride a different program he should try to be as anonymous as possible.
@Frank
You use some solid principles that makes spinning an advantage for you. Thanks for sharing these tips with us.
@ Eliot
I haven’t really thought much about the traffic issue since I’ve always lived in smaller cities, but you’re right.