Are there science-backed benefits of spin class or spinning at home?
If it seems like everyone has their own personal spin bike, you can thank the pandemic for that. Spinning gave people a way to work up a sweat and work out their excess energy while stuck inside during lockdowns.
Now, as COVID restrictions start to loosen, spin classes are booking up and even waitlisting gym members eager to try indoor cycling for the first time.
But what does the research show about the benefits of spin class or spinning at home?
As it turns out, science says spinning delivers incredible boosts for your health, and it doesn't matter where you do it -- just as long as you hop on a bike and get going!
So let’s find out why so many people swear by spinning and why you may want to consider giving indoor cycling a go too.
4 Benefits of Spin Class and Spinning At Home
If you’re on the fence about signing up for a class, these four reasons may steer you in the right direction. According to science, spinning may help you:
1. Lose Weight and Body Fat While Increasing Lean Muscle Mass
Research shows spinning for weight loss actually works.
According to scientists in one study, spinning three times per week over 12 weeks helped participants:
- Lose body weight and fat mass
- Increase lean muscle mass
- Decrease body circumference measurements
These researchers determined that spinning makes a powerful tool for changing your body composition for the better.
Scientists from another study wanted to see how spinning affected young girls specifically. So they asked girls to spin for one hour three times a week for 16 weeks after school. They noticed that spinning helped lower body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentages. It also improved the girls’ physical fitness.
So if you were wondering whether spinning for weight loss was a good idea, it absolutely can be! And that’s not the only perk this type of exercise offers.
2. Reduce Your Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Research also shows that spinning can decrease your resting heart rate while increasing your oxygen uptake. This one-two combo helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, on top of being an efficient way to lose weight (which also lowers your risk).
Another body of research uncovered that spinning can significantly reduce blood pressure, fasting glucose levels, and harmful blood lipids (like triglycerides, for example). Scientists in this study also learned that spinning helped decrease waist circumference in participants with metabolic syndrome.
These findings were supported by another study that found spinning helpful for reducing blood pressure and cholesterol.
3. Improve Your Cardiovascular Fitness
Spinning can improve your aerobic capacity, which also helps lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Researchers in one study noticed that spinning generated a boost in participants’ Vo2max. This measures how much oxygen people uptake during exercise. Spinning also increased their ventilatory threshold, which is the point in exercise where you start to breathe heavier.
Increasing both of these metrics leads to higher cardiovascular fitness levels. And the better this number, the more physically fit and healthier people tend to be.
4. Enjoy Exercising (and Do It More Often!)
Finally, but no less important, some studies have shown that spinning can be an enjoyable form of exercise for many people.
One body of research found that spinning -- with or without an instructor -- conjured up more positive feelings towards exercise while reducing negative ones.
Another study demonstrated that dimming the lights and adding music, which is common in many spin classes, helped people enjoy the class more. Participants even reported feeling less tired and more energized as a result.
So if you’re struggling to actually enjoy your workouts, you may want to add a spin class to your weekly routine, especially one that dims the lights and adds music you can vibe to.
Final Thoughts On These Reasons To Try a Spin Class or Spinning at Home for Exercise
If you’ve made it to this point in our guide, you now know the science-backed benefits of spin class and spinning at home. These reasons prove indoor cycling, whether done at home or in a studio, delivers fantastic health benefits on top of being fun.
So if you needed a sign to hop on a bike and give it a try, this is it. Whether you want to use spinning for weight loss or to improve your health, fitness, and body composition, you’re making a good decision.
Go ahead and enjoy the ride, even if you don’t end up going anywhere!
Author: Devan Ciccarelli
Email: devan@behappynothangry.com
Instagram/Facebook Group: @behappynothangry/Be Happy Not Hangry
Website: www.behappynothangry.com
