The Spinning Problem for Women
Why spinning classes may not be the most effective way to achieve the figure you want
By Strength Sensei CP
Nearly every major commercial gym has spin bikes and spinning classes with highly-caffeinated instructors. For many women, I believe spinning is counterproductive…unless their primary goal is to develop bulky legs!
I’ve trained several fitness models, one being Chrissy May, a former figure skater who achieved success in the Fitness America circuit. She hired me to help prepare her for a photoshoot for Oxygen magazine.
When I asked her about her current exercise program, she said spinning was part of her training. However, she also said that she had trouble getting her legs lean. I told her that if she dropped the spinning classes immediately, she would quickly achieve the look she wanted.
Chrissy was reluctant, claiming that the spinning made her legs feel “tight.” My response was that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result was a definition of insanity. She agreed, switching to high resistance interval training (such as with German Body Comp) and dropping the spinning classes altogether. In just three weeks, her bodyfat decreased from 15 percent to nine percent.
Want lean legs and lower bodyfat? Ditch the spinning bike and hit the weights! (Miloš Šarčev photo)
The problem with spinning is that the high velocities of spinning fatigue a specific point in the neuro-muscular junction that is responsible for the rapid firing rate of the motor units. In other words, you perceive a large amount of fatigue even though you have not performed much work. This also applies to the upper body. For example, you took a pair of fly swatters and tried to swat imaginary flies for about 30 seconds, you will feel tremendous fatigue in your triceps. Would such a workout stimulate significant growth in muscular mass? No. Or a significant hormonal response necessary to stimulate significant fat loss? Heck no!
Another issue is that with spinning, the body will adapt to the exercise by increasing intramuscular and subcutaneous fat stores in the thigh and hip areas so that during aerobic recovery periods, there would be a more readily available fuel source. That is, the body adapts by decreasing how long an energy source gets to the muscles. Why is Kobe beef so popular (and expensive!)? It’s because of all the marbled fat it contains – this is what is happening to your hips and thighs.
Yes, any form of exercise is better than no exercise for fat loss. But if you want 100 percent results from your training to get you lean and sculpt your figure, you must commit 100 percent to programs that work. Spinning is not one of those programs. (SS)
