Quantification of spinning® bike performance during a standard 50-minute class

Abstract

Spinning is a type of indoor fitness activity performed on stationary bikes by participants who pedal together to the rhythm of music and the motivating words of an instructor. Despite worldwide popularity of this type of recreational activity, to date there have been few, mainly non-scientific, studies of the impact of spinning on metabolic, respiratory, and cardiovascular functions. The main aim of this study was to evaluate a number of metabolic and cardiovascular variables during a standard 50-min class performed by Spinning instructors of both sexes: six males (age 30 +/- 4.8 years, body mass index 24 +/- 2.5 kg x m(-2); mean +/- s) and six females (age 34 +/- 6.3 years, body mass index 21 +/- 1.9 kg x m(-2)). The mean power output, heart rate, and oxygen uptake during the performance were 120 +/- 4 W, 136 +/- 13 beats x min(-1), and 32.8 +/- 5.4 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1) respectively for males, and 73 +/- 43 W, 143 +/- 25 beats x min(-1), and 30 +/- 9.9 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1) respectively for females. Analysis of individual performances showed that they were compatible with physical exercise that ranged from moderate-to-heavy to very heavy, the latter conditions prevailing. The results show that this type of fitness activity has a high impact on cardiovascular function and suggest that it is not suitable for unfit or sedentary individuals, especially the middle aged or elderly, who are willing to begin a recreational physical activity programme.

Evaluation of intensity during an interval Spinning® session: a field study

“…Despite its large popularity, until now very few studies have focused on Spinning ® in laboratory settings [7][8][9]. The authors continuously provided information to the participants regarding their HR and invited them to remain within the required HR target .…”

Intensidad del ejercicio en ciclismo indoor / Exercise Intensity During Indoor Cycling

“…Nosotros observamos que los sujetos permanecieron alrededor de un 18% del tiempo total por debajo del 70% FCmáx teórica, y el 82% del tiempo por encima de esta zona, superando el tiempo observado por otros autores en zonas de intensidad elevada (10,11). Esto confirma la idea de que además de una alta intensidad en momentos puntuales, en el ciclismo indoor se mantienen intensidades altas durante periodos prolongados.…”

“…Pocos estudios han cuantificado directamente la intensidad de entrenamiento durante la práctica de ciclismo indoor, y la mayoría de las investigaciones publicadas han examinado la respuesta de la FC en un laboratorio simulando una sesión (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Hasta la fecha el mayor estudio sobre la intensidad en el ciclismo indoor es el de López-Miñarro y Muyor-Rodriguez (3), sobre una muestra de 59 sujetos principiantes que fueron monitorizados durante una sesión.…”

“…Más recientemente Piacentini y col. (12) monitorizaron la intensidad de entrenamiento en un entorno real de ciclismo indoor en 15 sujetos. Hasta el momento, los datos disponibles indican una alta intensidad del ejercicio durante la práctica de ciclismo indoor (3,(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). Battista y col. (10) demostraron que la FC y el VO2 en ciclismo indoor podrían alcanzar valores más altos que en un test incremental de laboratorio.…”

Quality of Life at Levels of Physical Activity of Volunteers from the University Community

“…Regular physical activity has been linked to health promotion, and cited as a key factor in improving the quality of life (10,11). Their absence is considered one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular morbimortality (12,13).…”