WHEN THE FOUNDER of Spinning came up with the concept of an exercise routine for a stationary gym bike, it was perhaps the closest any fitness instructor had come to re-inventing the wheel.
Devised in the US in 1987 by personal trainer and endurance athlete Johnny G, as a form of indoor training for professional cyclists, Spinning is a group exercise performed on specially adapted bicycles.
Although it has long been popular with cycle enthusiasts and gym rats, Spinning is gaining wider appeal as a form of exercise that focuses on the mind/body connection, as do Pilates and yoga.
Florida native Tony Vargas has been Spinning for more than 10 years and is a master instructor at Mad Dogg Athletics, the company formed by Johnny G to promote Spinning.
'Spinning is cardiovascular conditioning using technique, balance and timing with a strong mind and body connection,' says Vargas, who was in town last week to train instructors, and lead a three-hour endurance marathon at New York@hAL club in Central.
Spinning is very much a group activity, in fact it is almost impossible to 'Spin' solo, as it is designed for a peloton - the main pack of cyclists, as in the Tour de France - and is performed to music, which is synchronised by the instructor to reflect the 'route'. For 20 minutes it could be a full-on dance track as the instructor leads the group up a hill, over jumps where you have to get up off the saddle and peddle for dear life. Then, when the summit is reached, the cyclists 'Spin' back down switching off the torque on the bike and the music changes to chill-out, ambient or classical.
If all this sounds like a form of group humiliation - remember aerobics classes in the 1980s? - then think again. It is a high-energy group exercise and the camaraderie is important to give you that extra push, but an individual is encouraged to set their own pace and the mental focus and inner strength from spiritual awareness is just as important as achieving those thighs to die for.
