spinning has sped its way to one of the most popular forms of group exercise. riders on stationary bikes follow an instructor to get the most out of a workout by sitting, standing, increasing resistance, going hard and lifting weights — often in time with the music.
some classes incorporate music, others incorporate heat and some even bring in dumbbells for riders to get more of a full body workout. spin classes usually last an hour or so, with riders sometimes able to burn more than one thousand calories, depending on how hard they pedal.
when did spinning start?
spin classes took off in the 1990s, as the world spinning and sport conference kicked off in los angeles, according to sport prosthetic company
ispo
.
but before that, indoor stationary bikes were taking off in the united states in the 1970s and ’80s as an alternative to actual bike riding, purely for exercise purposes.
south african cyclist
johnathan goldberg
combined intense stationary cycling workouts with music, developing what we know as spinning today.
goldberg was inspired to make stationary cycling a more engaging and active workout when he was almost killed while training for the
race across america
, a nearly 5,000 km race that starts in san diego on the u.s. west coast and ends in annapolis, maryland on the east coast. in pursuit of a safer ride, goldberg brought the workout indoors, initially rigging his bike to a treadmill before developing the first spin bike.
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