Spin / Cycle

(Alex ) #1

Hugely underrated exercise for helping with fat loss and fitness! I love it!

I have just pulled myself back into classes - anyone else doing them??

(less is more, more or less) #2

If you love and enjoy the exercise, that’s great. I love cardio as well. Stationary cycling is extremely boring for me but to each his own.

Exercise for fat loss, however, may very well be a CICO-based misconception. Phinney and Volek sees this differently with backing research. In short, they argue we can tap into a static amount of energy per day. Vigorous exercise merely depletes this static amount of available energy more rapidly, thereby decreasing our basal metabolism for the rest of the day.

I love to run. On Saturdays, I do an 8-mile run. Not for fat loss, but I’m addicted to the “me time” and there’s a beautiful trail I get to spend me-time on. However, I’m not at the same energy level afterward, which isn’t surprising.

Again, if you enjoy it great! But don’t confuse it with weight management.

(Alex ) #3

havent read them unfortunately, but sounds like a lot of deep science opinion to me to be honest!

(Doug) #4

Interesting topic. I think in general, exercise reduces appetite in the short-term, but over the course of a 24 hour period the body likely responds to energy depletion by increasing appetite.

I’ve done things like burn 2000 calories on a stair-climber machine or similar - an intense 2 hours for a 300 lb/136 kg person. That’s a large enough portion of daily energy intake that I have to think that day will be a net negative for me, i.e. no way will my metabolism slow down enough to offset it, unless some serious pigging-out happens.

For the past few decades I’ve not been in shape enough to do that for enough days in a row to get any feel for how things play out, there.

(Alex ) #5

It is definitely interesting, I’m open to reading these books.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not poo pooing anyone’s research, I’ve no doubt that the vast majority of body composition changes come from diet… but I know I definitely feel MUCH better and see more efficient results in fat reduction physically when I’m working out regularly and monitoring my food intake.

You can quote as many scientific studies as you like, but until someone is there at the gym with me for 6 months, watching my own progression, I’d be hard pushed to read a book and go “oh that’s how it works” and tear up my own thoughts on what I’ve actually experienced.

No disrespect to anyone in this opinion of mine!

(less is more, more or less) #6

None taken. Anyhow, I strongly encourage that book. Phinney and Volek were voices in the wild, perhaps the only among a handful in the '80s that took low-carb food regimen seriously and did research. So it’s the product of their research, not their druthers.

(Laurie Porter) #7

Alex, I have been spinning for about a year now. Recovering from ACL reconstruction and a followup surgery (motorcycle accident). I use the Peloton App and have a Keiser spin bike. I’m totally addicted to it. I’m on the bike 30 minutes to an hour, every morning. My co-workers probably think I’m on happy pills when I get there in the morning. The spinning, along with a regular yoga practice, has been the key to getting my knee function back and at 59 years old, I’ve never felt better and can’t say enough good things about spinning (and Ashtanga).

(Lesley Craig) #8

I’m a mountain biker (my first love) but when the weather wrecks the trails and we can’t get out, spin keeps my legs strong and gives me the cardio aspect also. When we are finally set free in the spring to shred, I have a huge advantage over my friends that have not been spinning. I’ve gotten half the guys in our group to start coming.

(Alex ) #9

@a59yankee

HI Laurie… yeah, Peloton has a huge marketing drive at the minute here in the UK - seems SUPER expensive to me though… if you buy the official bike to go with it though.

Whenever I cycle outdoors though, even if it’s just the morning work commute, it definitely enhances my hormones!

As far as Spin goes, I haven’t managed a class in a few weeks now with the pressure of long hours at work, but I’m sure I’ll do some more at some point.

I like the fact with Spin that each instructor brings a different workout / vibe - keeps it interesting!