What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “spin class”? 

Monotonous pedaling ? Loud Music ? Ladies cardio? Too easy?

In an age of short-lived fitness fads across the world, Spinning is one exercise that has gained popularity over the years and still shows no sign of slowing down. From a professional soccer player like David Beckham to the world famous singer Lady Gaga and not to miss one of the most loved TV show host Oprah Winfrey everyone is obsessed with spinning!

While trends are common amongst the famous essentially what everyone is searching for is a good way to break a sweat and burn calories. Spinning is a well established exercise that is said not only to benefit one’s physical health but also mental health. This form of exercise has been recommended to those suffering from anxiety or depression.

Spinning looks the same as outdoor cycling or riding a stationary bike, but is a more intense Workout. The group cardio fitness activity on stationary bikes increases your endurance, energy levels, cardiovascular health and most importantly – lower body strength.  The muscles used on a spinning bike, the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes are some of the largest and core muscles of the body. Research has shown that spinning also helps improve body composition, decrease fat mass and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

I love heading to my gym but there are many days I feel pretty lonely at the gym and always felt adding a few sessions of spinning can help meeting new people and experiencing team camaraderie can probably do wonders for my overall health.

Keeping that in mind, I jumped at the opportunity to check out a relatively new and Exclusive Spinning Studio on Sarjapur Road – PedalBeat

PedalBeat has to its credit of being India’s first chain of Indoor cycling studio and Bangalore’s first exclusive spinning studio. They have studios across India in Chennai, Coimbatore and Hyderabad with the latest addition in Bangalore.

They have customized workout routines and a typical class involves a trainer at the head of the pack, who leads the participants through routines that are designed to mimic conditions that resemble biking outdoors. The instructors here use a combination of music, inspiration, and enthusiastic training to lead members through a ride that encompasses each one’s fitness level and goals.

During my session here I felt that a combination of high energy music, coaching and camaraderie made it a fun and exhilarating workout.

A very important part of this spinning session is the use of heart rate monitor watches where the members are encouraged to set goals based on their heart rate. The readings from the watches would be visible on a large screen TV for the instructor and the member to monitor, hence altering resistance and cadence during the course of the session. This means you can choose to maintain a moderate, aerobic intensity level, or aim for throwing in intervals of an aerobic activity in your workout, on a particularly strong day!

Be it skilled riders, or novices, you can adapt your workout to fit your experience and comfort level. In the end, it’s your workout; the level of intensity is yours to choose.

After my high intensity 45 minutes trial session here, these are my 8 reasons why to join a spin class atleast 3 days a week, 

1. Burn Calories: On an average a person will burn close to 500 calories in a single 45 minutes session. In addition to burning calories, you will get the energy you need to give 100 percent to the whole workout.