Take me in your arms…

….and spin me around!!!

Other than the occasional body pump or yoga class every now and then, I’m not much of an exercise class person.  I never feel like I get as good as a workout as I do with a gym workout.  An exception to that, however, is spinning.  After ages, I finally attended a spinning class yesterday evening.  I walked in with a ‘I can run 10 km so this is going to be a piece of cake’ attitude but oh, how wrong was I!  Running is child’s play in comparison.  By the end of the class I was real attractive…if sweaty beasts are your thing ;).  It was definitely one of the most challenging fitness classes that I’ve participated in a while. 

For those unaware what spinning is, it’s basically a group workout on exercise bikes.  Although the stationary cycle at the gym barely raises my heart rate, spinning certainly kicked my ass.  The atmosphere is worth writing home about blogging about 😀 : flickering lights, pumped up music, and an instructor shouting out commands.  It’s the perfect mix to give you a surge of adrenalin.  During a few of the tracks, I even found myself cranking up the resistance…and then swearing to myself that I would never come back 🙂 !   Although I am skeptical about the class’s claim to burn up to 800 calories per hour, I have no doubt that I burnt a fair few.  The instructor tells you when to turn up the resistance/rise from the saddle and how to grasp the handlebars so it definitely works more than your legs. 

All in all, I would recommend spinning to those who want to get a good sweaty workout.  It raises your heart rate to the max, without causing any discomfort or impact to the knees.  If the idea of spinning intimidates you, worry not!  Each bike has its own resistance control, so you can keep adjusting it according to your own fitness levels.  Although running still remains my preferential form of cardio, I am looking forward to getting back into the saddle next week :roll:!