Spinning is one of the most popular workouts across the country right now. It is also known as studio cycling and is a great way to make your heart stronger while toning your legs. Spinning classes usually involve up to 20 participants sitting on special stationary bikes. They have a unique weighted flywheel which will pick up your speed while pedaling. The handlebars and seats are both adjustable. During the class, your instructor will guide your "ride", leading you over an imaginary route that includes hill climbs, sprints, intervals, circuits, and more. Most classes are set to music and last 45 or 50 minutes.

How Many Calories Are Burning in Spinning?

Studio cycling is a great way to burn calories, but it is hard to pinpoint the exact number of calories burned in spinning. That is because it depends on numerous factors, such as your intensity and weight. The average 40 minute workout will burn between 400 and 600 calories depending on these factors. The amount of "distance" you travel on the bike will depend on the calories. In most cases, however, a 40 minute class will have a cadence of 80 to 110 rotations per minute, which equals between 15 and 20 miles worth of cycling.

To help you better guess how many calories you burn while spinning, consult the following chart.

Tips to Burn More Calories in Spinning

If you are concerned about the calories burned spinning, then make sure you follow some steps to increase your calorie burn. Try as many of the following methods as possible.

1. Keep Moving During Transition

You may be tempted to take a quick break during a song transition, but resist the urge. This is when it is the most important to keep moving if you want to begin calories. Avoid the urge to sit down or do something else that lets your heart rate slow.

2. Turn up the Heat

If you are working out correctly, you are probably sweating. You can increase your sweating and calories burned by working out in a hotter room. In fact, if you spin in a room that is heated, you may burn as many as 1,000 calories in just 55 minutes!

3. Increase the Resistance

Increasing the resistance on your bike is the easiest way to burn more calories. Try increasing it by 10 percent for any sprint, jog, and hill. This will help you burn 10 percent extra calories and help you feel the burn.

4. Push Your Limits

Use your spinning class as the chance to push your limits. You know the workout is doing its job if you feel almost like you can't finish the hardest parts, but push through. Remember to push yourself by using a higher resistance with a slower pace as opposed to less resistance and quicker pedaling. They each work on different things, but the first option burns more calories and pushes you more.

5. Remove the Bounce

Avoid bouncing while spinning at all times. When you bounce, it puts stress on your joints and reduces the calorie burn. Instead, if you are riding out of your bike's saddle, try hovering closer to the saddle. This requires the muscles to work harder, helping you burn more calories.

6. Prepare Before Spinning

To get the most out of your class and increase your calories burned in spinning, prepare ahead of time. Try jogging or even just walking to class to give your body a head start and a bit of a warm-up. You should also prepare your body by drinking plenty of water and continuing to do so while working out; getting dehydrated will burn you out. Also, avoid riding while your stomach is empty. Try having a small snack like fruit an hour before class. By increasing your energy, it lets you put in more effort and burn more calories.

More Calorie Burning Workouts

Spinning isn't the only option for getting a great workout. You can also get a similar amount of calories burned spinning when doing other activities. The following workouts are great for burning calories.

1. Kickboxing

Depending on your weight, you can burn 800 calories in a single hour of kickboxing. It is a full-body workout that uses every major muscle group. The interval training structure helps burn more calories since your heart rate rises and stabilizes.

2. Zumba

Zumba is another incredibly popular and effective way to burn calories. You can expect to burn 500 or more an hour because it uses resistance exercise and interval training. This workout will boost your metabolism.

3. Jumping Rope

Jumping rope is an effective workout and all you need is a rope, no equipment required. You burn 780 calories in an hour of jumping rope, or the amount you would if you could run a mile in 8 minutes repeatedly for that amount of time.

4. Running

Even if you aren't very fast, running is a great way to burn calories. If you are 145 pounds and run a 10-minute mile for an hour, you will burn as many as 650 calories. If you don't have the stamina to go a full hour, try interval training with a treadmill and get similar results.

5. Butterfly Stroke

The butterfly stroke is a swimming method that will burn as many as 150 calories for every 10 minutes worth of laps. Be sure to warm up before getting into the butterfly stroke. Swimming is great exercise because of the resistance from the water.

6. Weight Training

Lifting weights is a very intense way of expending energy, particularly when you lift more weight as you get stronger. Best of all, strength training increases the number of calories you burn while at rest. Each extra pound of muscle yours body burns an extra 50 to 70 calories daily. There are also Body Pump classes that are great for those who are new to weights.

7. Elliptical Trainer

Elliptical machines are more interesting than treadmills and can let you burn 600 calories an hour. You can increase the burn by going backwards. It helps that your arms can get into the workout as well.