Read to the bottom to learn more about how Fitness-Tek can help you eliminate your pains that may be associated with your choice of cardiovascular activities!

People are surprised to hear that there is actually a difference between Indoor Cycling and Spinning®. It's pretty common to use the term Spinning® in a generic way to describe any studio cycling class. To most, it's not a big deal to use the two words interchangeably. Same difference, right? There are some subtle differences between the two, and whether you use the word Indoor Cycling or Spinning® comes down to the type of bike, the training format, and the instructor.

Indoor cycling is a challenging and high-energy cardio workout using stationary bicycles. Indoor cycling classes get your heart and legs pumping. Our indoor cycling instructors will lead each class on a journey through mixed terrains (hills, flats, mountain peaks, time trials, and interval training) to the rhythm of high-energy music.
Spinning® was invented in the early 80s by American athlete and martial artist Johnny Goldberg, known today as Johnny G. While he was training for "Race Across America," he felt the need to develop a new method to allow him to train during the cold season. He then designed a stationary bike that perfectly gave him the experience of riding a real bike.

Let's start with the similarities between Spinning® and Indoor Cycling.

• Both are ridden indoors
• Both have instruments like a stationary bicycle
• Both training programs take place in a framework with lively rhythms of music, several bicycles

There are some differences, as well. The type of indoor cycling bikes is different from those of Spinning®. The Spinning® bike is specially designed more like a road bike. In addition, this type of bike has so many adjustments to the seat, handlebars, pedals, and various levels of difficulty. Being very flexible and since it covers all the areas of practitioners, this is best for both beginners and advanced riders. You will have a different position on a Spinning® bike that you will feel. They are unlike most indoor exercise bikes that are more upright having wider seats, and are often more "comfortable."

Spinning bike pedals, unlike other indoor bikes, have a system of gears that allow the wheels to spin freely if you stop pedaling. Thus, your tendons will react to this natural inertia by contracting circular added at the time of maximum pedal stroke to minimize inertia. Your tendons work more intensively on a Spinning® bike. For example, on Spinning® bike exercises, you can "climb" (when pedaling upright), so you can actually work with either more muscle groups, or you can do exercises that isolate specific muscle groups.
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You will also discover that additional rotational inertia encourages an accelerated pace, generally leading to an additional voltage on the cardiovascular system. This is why your pulse usually accelerates while  Spinning® compared to a typical indoor cycling workout.
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As the pace increases, as does pedaling, you lose more calories. Another advantage of Spinning® bikes is how they are built. Spinning® bikes are designed to replicate the forces and resistances of a real bike. Because of this, Spinning® bikes are made with a transmission chain, unlike the rest of indoor cycling bikes that use a strip of textile or plastic.

Transmission chains allow for a very realistic simulation of the dynamics of a bicycle and offer high resistance to stress. Spinning® is like a cycling race, taking place in a gym under the guidance of a certified instructor. The pace is set depending on the level of the participating customer.

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At Fitness-Tek, our classes stay fairly true to the idea of road cycling, without the use of hand weights or movements such as jumps, hovers and press-ups on the handlebars. Our classes are all about empowering the rider with the ability to accurately track and measure their cadence, power output, distance, and heart rate. Music is key to the experience with our classes set to an inspiring soundtrack.

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What if your spin or cycling class is contributing to your pain?!?

At least once a week, I get asked by our clients if their particular form of cardio is good or bad. The truth is....there is no good or bad exercise. There is only the impact it will have on your body, and everyone's body is different.

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Determining the type of exercises and forms of cardio that are good for you though, is your body's compensation pattern or said another way, your specific muscular weaknesses. That's right, we each compensate completely differently than the person next to us, making it impossible for one exercise or cardiovascular program to be correct for everyone.

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So how then do we figure out what would work best for your body?

The answer is simple.........Muscle Activation Tampa, MAT!

By using the MAT techniques, we can identify exactly what muscles have stopped correctly working. These muscle weaknesses create your body's preferred compensation pattern and eventually lead to pain by causing joint and muscle tissue to become chronically inflamed.

During your MAT sessions, we will not only identify the weak areas but also give you specific muscles to work on for your body! 

If you have pain or want to avoid pain completely, do not put off giving us a call today! You will not be disappointed!

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You may also want to check out a few of our other Blogs about MAT. Is stretching a waste of time and The benefits of MAT

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