Spin Your Way to Fat Loss

According to a recent study, women tend to lose more weight when they choose workouts that are safe, convenient and comfortable enough to become part of their day-to-day routine. Specifically, indoor spinning is one option that foots the bill perfectly.

Spinning is a nice alternative because it is easy on the joints, burns a lot of calories and can be done in a group setting, such as a spin class, or alone and the weather indoors is usually a lot more consistent. The only inconvenience is getting to the gym, and if that’s a problem, a home trainer might be the best option.

For those who would rather spin solo at home or at the gym, we have come up with two 45-minute spin interval workouts to get your heart pumping and burn fat fast.

Interval Spin Workout #1: Sprints

Interval Spin Workout #2: Climbing Ladder

* A dial that acts like a brake on the flywheel usually adjusts the resistance of most indoor stationary bikes. The more you turn the dial, the more difficult it is to pedal. This workout is customized to anyone who wants to burn calories comfortably, because each suggested resistance setting (easy, medium, hard) is determined by the individual. Your perceived level of resistance will increase with your experience.** The speed that you spin the pedals is called cadence. During a workout, you can increase or decrease the cadence, depending on the required task. You can spin the pedals around as fast as an egg beater or grind the pedals as slowly as a cement mixer. Keep in mind that a very high cadence will often fire up the cardiovascular system just as much as grinding against heavy resistance. So even if you don’t think you are working hard enough, your heart is still burning calories. Like the resistance setting, cadence is customized to the user because each suggested cadence (slow, fast, very fast) is determined by the individual. Your perceived cadence speed will increase with your experience.

References:
Bicycle riding, walking and weight gain in premenopausal women. Anne C. Lusk, PhD; Rania A Mekary, PhD; Diane Feskanich, ScD; Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPH. Arch Internal Medicine, Vol 170 (No 12), June 28, 2010.