Why should you consider joining your gym’s cycle squad?
- Burn a lot of calories
- Improve endurance and heart health
- Develop lean and not bulky legs
- Gain benefits without risks
- Enjoy with your friends
Cycling is one of the best workouts for people who are looking to shed a few extra pounds. You can confirm this with a professional trainer from a gym in Makati or any other fitness expert that you trust. Aside from being a great form of exercise, it can also be considered a fun and healthy pastime.
There is a slight problem with this activity, though, and it’s the fact that not everyone feels comfortable or safe cycling through the Philippines’ congested roads. Sure, there are dedicated areas and/or paths for cyclers but those are rare and few. On top of that, the cost of this hobby can get very high especially if you intend to join cycling groups and get deep into it.
Luckily, there’s a way to enjoy and benefit from cycling without having to risk your safety or pay a huge amount and it’s through your gym’s Cycle Squad. A Cycle Squad is a basically an indoor cycling or spin class where you hop on a bike and pedal away along with your fellow gym-goers. There are many reasons why you should consider joining a spin class and they are:
Burn a Lot of Calories
We’ve mentioned it before but joining your gym’s Cycle Squad is actually one of the most effective ways to burn calories, and we’re not just talking about a couple hundred calories here! A single session usually lasts somewhere between 40 to 60 minutes and in that time you can burn as little as 400 calories and as much as 750 calories.
Naturally, the amount of fat you shed depends on the intensity of your cycling. If you’re cycling at a leisurely pace, then don’t expect to burn more than 500 calories. If you’re on intense settings, then you may be able to reach the maximum. A gentle reminder, though, to not overdo it in order to hasten your weight loss because then you risk getting some serious injuries.
Improve Endurance and Heart Health
Muscular endurance is the ability of your muscles to repeatedly exert force for long periods of time. Cycling helps improve muscular endurance and heart health, among other things.
As you continuously attend your gym’s spin class, you slowly but surely improve the endurance of your leg and thigh muscles including the hamstrings, calf muscles, and quadriceps. Moreover, you also strengthen the surrounding parts such as the tendons, ligaments, and bones.
Heart health is another thing that regular cycling improves. Most medical professionals actually recommend getting at least 2 and ½ hours of moderate-intensity workout per week for cardiovascular health and one of the most suggested forms is cycling. The longer you do the activity, the lower your chances of developing coronary artery disease and other heart problems.
Develop Lean and Not Bulky Legs
A lot of people believe that constant and rigorous cycling makes them develop big and bulky legs and it keeps them away from pedaling. Although cycling does help build muscles, it’s more accurate to say that it helps develop lean muscles.
Everything has to do with the way you set your bike up. If you do it wrong, then you really risk building large muscles. If done right – meaning the height of your sit or saddle as they call it is at the perfect level – then you’re well on your way to lean and beautiful legs!
The secret to doing this right is making sure your leg never creates an angle of less than 170 degrees when fully extended. The rule of thumb is to place the saddle at hip-level, but this may not work for everyone so just adjust the saddle until you’re comfortable with the height.
Gain Benefits Without Risks
Cycling outdoors comes with its own set of benefits such as enjoying the scenery and taking in fresh air. However, these benefits come with an equal amount of risks that are mostly related to safety. For many, these risks sometimes far outweigh the benefits that they opt out of the activity altogether.
By joining your gym’s Cycle Squad, you can get the benefits of cycling without any of the risks. You may not be able to breathe in fresh air at the gym but, let’s face it, do we really have fresh air outdoors either? As for the scenery, it may not be much but some spin classes do put up backgrounds and such that change from time to time to make participants feel as if they’re cycling through places. Safety risks, of course, are completely gone.
On top of all this, cycling is a low-impact exercise. What this means is that it is gentle and easy on your joints and don’t put too much pressure on these body parts. This is perfect for those who have upper-body injuries or have weak knees, hips and/or ankles.
Enjoy with Your Friends
In case you haven’t been to or seen a Cycle Squad class, we’ll paint a picture for you. Essentially, you take the class with a number of other people while a professional instructor in front oversees the class. He or she sets the cycling pace, motivates the class, and makes sure that the students aren’t hurting themselves.
During the first few minutes of the class, you’ll be cycling at a leisurely pace with as mellow and subtle music plays in the background. As the class goes on and the intensity increases, so do the music. It will transition from relaxing to heart-pumping and stimulating music in order to match the workout.
This kind of atmosphere setting is sure to encourage you to do your best and push you to work as hard as possible without ever making you feel the least bit bored. If you’re with your friends, you might even nurture some friendly competition that is sure to keep you happy and engaged.
Key Takeaway
Indoor cycling or spinning as the professionals call it certainly offers a lot of benefits, which is why you should really consider joining a Cycle Squad. If you don’t know how you can do it, ask around at your favorite gym in Makati or some other place. You’re bound to discover a spin class near you that you can enjoy alone or with your friends!
