Spinning: why classes are so successful – 02/09/2023 – Equilíbrio

“It does feel a bit cult-like.” That’s what I said to my sister the first time we went to a spin class together.

On the social network X (formerly Twitter), there is no shortage of comments playing with the idea. “I’m joining the spinning sect today my friends,” writes one user. “The hard part is that spinning is really a sect, I can’t wait to go again”, comments another. There are even those who compare exercise to other activities, such as crossfit.

The widespread idea is that, after attending just one class, the practitioner can be “converted” and become a regular attender of the classes.

Exercise, done in a group, consists of cycling sessions on stationary bicycles. Loud music and low, colorful lighting, however, always ends up being part of the package. The environment, designed to be stimulating, is the decoy of the practice.

“I think this all ends up creating a playful aspect in the spinning class, and takes away that boring part of you running on the treadmill, alone, without any context”, says personal trainer Yuri Motoyama.

Although popular on social networks, and proliferating through the streets of São Paulo, spinning classes are not new.

“In the mid-2000s, a lot of investment began to be invested in alternative classes that could work on the aerobic part. So the gyms already had treadmills and they used spinning as an alternative”, he says.

It is not possible to know exactly when the practice emerged, but studies that evaluate the characteristics and impacts of indoor cycling classes have been carried out since the early 2000s.

A mix of lights, music, incentives from teachers and a group forms the classes of the main gyms in São Paulo.

According to Shane Young, founder of Velocity, the franchise was created after observing the success of the practice abroad.

“After many trials and errors, going back and forth to the United States to better understand the essence of the classes and the bike fever that was happening there, in addition to a lot of exchange and training with the best teachers in the market, we arrived at the concept we have today” , reports the New Zealander, who moved to Brazil in 2010.

According to Young, success is also a result of the connection between students during practices, in addition to incentive strategies. “There are several stories of students who met during classes and today formed groups of inseparable friends, even couples who started relationships”, she says.

The preference for exercising on an ergometric bicycle is also one of the reasons, since it can be more comfortable than running or lifting weights, for example.

In the case of publicist André Sinkos, 35, the difficulty in maintaining constancy in traditional gyms was one of the reasons for risking a spinning class. He was looking for an aerobic activity to complement his strength training when an indoor cycling studio opened near his home.

Despite some initial hesitation, Sinkos became interested and joined the exercise.

“What enchanted me a lot is that, even though it is a collective activity, it is an individual performance activity”, he ponders. “There’s all that about having a group guided orientation, but the teacher won’t force you to, turn faster, to put a lot more force. He guides you and you do it, as you feel comfortable.”

For the publicist, the classes offer the ideal level of competitiveness and stimulation by providing, after practice, a ranking in which only the user knows his position in relation to the rest of the group. “I feel very welcome doing physical activity and with people there who are also going through the same difficulties, the same moments as me”, he says.