How to Interval Train in Spinning Class

Spinning, also known as indoor cycling, classes provide fantastic exercise for people of all fitness levels. You can up your calorie burn in a spinning class by adding interval training to your workouts. Interval training involves increasing the heart rate through intense movements and then decreasing it via recovery periods. Here are tips for adding interval training to your spinning classes.

Things You'll Need

• Spinning class
• Heart rate monitor
• Water
• Proper cycling attire

Instructions

1. Warm up fully prior to starting to interval train. Take five to 10 minutes, cycling at a steady, comfortable speed with light resistance. This will help to warm up your muscles and slowly build your heart rate.

2. Increase your cycling speed. This pace should be more challenging than your warm-up pace but still a low-intensity pace. Maintain this pace for two minutes.

3. Ramp up your speed to a very high intensity for one minute. This pace should feel very different than your low intensity pace. Your heart rate should rise during this interval.

4. Return to your low intensity pace and maintain for two minutes. You will feel your heart rate drop as your body recovers from the high intensity interval.

5. Repeat your intervals, alternating between shorter bursts of high intensity and longer, low intensity recovery intervals. You can vary the bursts and recoveries as you wish. Intervals can be as short as 30 seconds or as long as 10 minutes, depending on your training goals.

6. Use your bike's resistance for interval training. Adjust the resistance so you are on a medium hill. For your high intensity interval, increase the resistance dramatically so you are on a very steep hill. Once you have completed the interval time you determined, back off the resistance and return to your medium hill to recover.

7. Vary your interval times and types with each workout. This will keep your body challenged and prevent fitness plateaus.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear a heart rate monitor so you can honestly monitor how hard you are working. While you can monitor your intervals by your rate of perceived exertion (simply tuning into how you feel and how hard you feel you are working), it is much more accurate to use a heart rate monitor.

• Always hydrate before, during and after spinning classes. You will perform better when you are hydrated.

• Wear proper cycling attire such as bike shorts, shoes and socks for maximum performance and comfort.

• Never perform any exercise in spinning class that you feel is unsafe.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish