Why Spinning Bikes are So Popular

     If you are interested in getting on board with one of the most interesting, strenuous, popular exercise routines of today, give spinning a try! It is fun, motivating, and a great way to burn fat, build muscle, and strengthen your core.

Spinning is best for toning your front and outer thigh muscles, not so great for the glutes and hamstrings, so you will want to do some other lower body workouts as well. But spinning classes are a great addition to your cardio routine, offering less impact and stress than jogging or treadmill workouts.

Your local gym probably offers spinning classes. Make sure you ask for some help during your first class -- your instructor can help you adjust your spinner bike, for example, which is very important.

You'll want the seat height set so that your knees are just slightly bent at the bottom of the downward pedal movement. If you find your knees hurt, try raising the seat slightly, and lower it if your crotch or lower back is uncomfortable.

Spinner bikes also let you move the seat forward and backward, not just up and down. You should be able to reach the handlebars with your elbows slightly bent -- adjust the seat accordingly.

For beginners, you normally have the handlebars a little higher than the seat as you learn to balance and move on the bike -- over time, the handlebars should be about in line with the seat height. If you get tingling or numbness in your hands, try raising the handlebars slightly.

You will definitely want a water bottle on hand for at least forty five minute workouts, a good towel, and padded cycling shorts are popular as well. Once you get going, you'll find there are five main spinning movements or positions.

As we said, spinning classes involve both standing and seated positions. The first is the seated flat position, which is just a normal biking position, hands in front of you, seated flat on the seat.

Next is the standing flat where you stand on the pedals and essentially "run." Then come the seated and standing climb positions, with increased wheel tension and in the standing position, a hunched over position and extended hand grip.

Finally, you have the jumps, which involves controlled movements from sitting to standing and back to sitting, over and over. You will learn all these moves during your first spinning workout.

Keep an eye on the other spinners around you for tips on how to move -- that's a nice feature about being in a class, is that you are in a big motivated group all working together to burn calories and get fit! For more information on how spinning classes work and where to find a spinning class near you, try searching on the internet.

You can find a lot of sample spinning workout routines online, complete with suggested music. For example, one workout calls for six minutes of seated flat warm-ups, followed by three minutes of standing run, one minute of recovery, fifteen second seated sprints for three minutes, three minutes of jumps, one minute of recovery, six minutes of seated and standing climbs, three minutes of thirty second seated sprints, four minutes of seated flat, four minutes of standing climb, three minutes of seated climb, four minutes of seated flat, and four minutes of cool down.

Of course, if you are part of a class, you have to go with what the instructor has planned, but if you have your own spinner bike you can do whatever you want that suits your training mood. The real trick to burning fat is the variety built into these routines, forcing your body to constantly work, rest, and adjust to different stress loads.

By incorporating some cycling and spinning into your workout routine, you avoid the boredom that eventually sets in when you always do the same thing. But spinning is not for everyone.

Men in particular tend to be less comfortable sitting on the saddle for extended periods of time - so give it a try and see if you like it! There is no reason to shy away from a routine because it may seem hard, or even impossible.

Push your body and you may find the results you are looking for. You never know if you don't try it!

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