FitnessWorkouts

The many benefits of spin class that prove it’s so much more than a leg workout

Trainers explain the many benefits of spin class, what to know before clipping in, and what you can expect both in the studio or when spinning at home.

alt
Photo: Getty Images/RichLegg
Published Apr 25, 2020

Written by 

Rachel Lapidos

Ahhh, the joys of riding a bike. You can leisurely zoom around your neighborhood or trek across a town on vacation. Or, you could remain totally in place… in your home… while getting your heart rate up and sweat dripping down. The benefits of spin class abound, and if you’ve never hopped on a bike to check off your cardio for the day, allow me to tell you why it’s such a top-notch workout.

Riding a stationary bike in a fitness studio (or at home while streaming a workout) is quite different than your run-of-the-mill bicycle riding. “You’re going in for an experience that involves an elevated heart rate, lots of support, and loud music,” says Kendall Toole, Peloton instructor. “Spin classes are a great way to get lost in an experience that helps your body and mind as you get lost in something that takes you away from the day-to-day life.” Keep scrolling for all of the perks of taking a spin class, how it impacts your body, and tips for getting the most out of your sessions.

Spin class benefits

As you would imagine, pedaling really, really hard and going as fast as you can for extended intervals is challenging for your lower body, in particular. But trainers say that cycling is a full-body workout. “A common misconception about cycling is that it’s only a leg workout,” says Toole. “Of course your main muscles that are prime movers in the workout are your quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip flexors, plus your glutes. But you’re also working your entire core, and that involves more than your rectis abdomonis and transverse abs—it includes your lower back.”

That’s because there’s a good bit of muscle control that’s required to stabilize your trunk. “It’s all about supporting the body—the better your form is on the saddle, the more stability is required in order to make sure that you’re finding that power when pedaling through different portions of the class,” says Toole, nodding to sprint intervals particularly. “And, most importantly, you’re working your cardiovascular capacity too.”

Besides all of the muscles that you’re working while cycling, the bikes in spin class and techniques used challenge you in various ways. “There are two key things that you’re looking at while riding,” says Toole. “You have your cadence, or your speed, which is controlled by how quickly you move your legs. Then you have your resistance. When you turn it, it gets heavier, so you’re emulating the experience of going uphill or downhill.”

Another element that gets worked in a spin class is balance. Oftentimes, a spin instructor will have you stand up and down in the bike seat, or saddle. “We call up and downs out of the saddle a ‘jog,’ where you take your body out of the seat and shift your weight,” says Toole. “It’s like you’re actually flying, especially when your speed is up and your body is lifted off of your feet—you’re finding that power and holding your core and using your balance and stability to keep yourself moving forward.” Standing up on the pedals is something you’ll often do in sprints, or as a drill to get your heart rate up as it tests your balancing skills.

What to expect in an at-home spin class

Whether you’re getting your spin class sweat on in your fave cycling studio or on your at-home spin bike, you’re going to reap the same benefits (number one being: feel-good endorphins). “In a spin class, everyone is focused on doing their best,” says Toole. “At a certain point, you can get lost in the workout, your endorphins are rushing, you’re sweaty, and you’re feeling great. And that’s why you keep going back.” But certain major differences can make spinning at home different than the studio experience.

Riding your at-home bike, you can spin on your own, or you can stream one of a number of spin class apps that you can download. Major ones include Peloton ($13 per month for a membership with a 30-day free trial), Studio SWEAT onDemand ($20 per month), CardioCast ($10 per month), and the Variis app ($40 per month). Toole notes that the studio standard for the length of a spin class workout is between 45 to 50 minutes, but many apps—like Peloton—offer everything from five minute classes all the way up to a 90-minute endurance ride (and everything in between). “Our most popular classes are in the 30-minute to 45-minute range,” she says. As for what to keep in mind for your best at-home workout, here are her tips:

1. Have the proper bike setup: “If your setup isn’t correct or your form isn’t proper, it can take away from the power that you create on the bike, and it can stress your body,” she says. “A lot of times the seat can be put down either too low or too far forward, which can give you an arch in the back and really stress the lower back muscles and make you feel contracted.” The key is to have the seat height give you a 10 or 20 percent bend in the knees, and when your knee is bent right before you push on the pedal, your pedal is directly above the toe box. “You should be in a straight line from your knee to the ball of the foot,” says Toole. “Make sure you can really push down and create the level of output that your body needs in order to get a better workout out of it.” If you need help, she points to YouTube, which has plenty of tutorials for setting your bike up properly.

advertisement

2. Challenge yourself: According to Alex Harrison, PhD, sports performance consultant, you want to make your spin class uncomfortable (as far as your effort goes). “All of the best training adaptations come from suffering when it comes to cardiovascular fitness,” he says. “The biggest VO2 max and threshold improvements are going to be seen with two to three really challenging sessions per week.” Also, Toole says that it’s common to think that you’ll plateau if you’re spinning at home for days on end. But there are easy ways to make sure this doesn’t happen. “A lot of spin class apps let you track your progress, which shows your output for each class and what your personal best is,” she says. “You’ll know if you should up your resistance a little more or speed up, or take your numbers a little higher in your next workout.” Her pro tip? When your instructor calls out a resistance range, add one more point than you usually do, which results in you continually creating more strength in your body.

3. Take advantage of the community: When you’re using a fitness app like Peloton, you can choose to take spin classes live with hundreds of other people. “There are so many different features that allow you to connect with a leaderboard,” says Toole. “Or you can compete with yourself and that personal best number that you have.”

4. Drop your worries: Harrison strongly recommends dropping your workout fears and trying not to hold back. “Push yourself! Anxiety about how you’ll do or if you’ll be able to make it until the end of the class will limit how much you get out of it. If you have to recover for a second then jump back in, do it.” His take? You’ll be even more proud of yourself than if you wondered “what if?”.

5. Listen to your body: Even when taking an at-home spin class, Toole says that you have plenty of support. “But the key thing is to always listen to your body—if something is giving you an alert that it’s uncomfortable, it’s because something is going on,” she says. Make sure that you have body awareness and keep your form proper throughout your workout. She recommends placing your bike near a mirror so that you can watch your form firsthand and make sure everything’s in its proper place.

Spinning classes in the studio

Although the nation’s fitness studios are closed for the time being due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this doesn’t mean that they’re never to open back up and that you’ll never be able to ride with an IRL class ever again. This is great news, because in-studio spinning is quite the experience.

If you’ve never been to a studio class before, Toole acknowledges that the first time can be intimidating, which is only exacerbated by the act of clipping into your bike. “Know that this is going to be awkward the first time as you find a way to attach,” she says. “But know that there are always instructors to help you through that.”

Besides getting set up, expect the spin class to be an immersive workout. “Usually the lights are dim, there’s loud music, and your mind and body get lost in the exercise,” says Toole. Be sure to arrive at class early, bring a water bottle and a towel, wear a comfortable workout outfit, and wear the proper sneakers (some studios let you rent cycling shoes that clip in). Once things get started and your legs start pedaling harder and faster, your heart rate is going to spike, you’re going to get sweaty, and you’re going to have an exhilarating, fun time.

BTW, this is what it’s like to take an *underwater* cycling workout: 

This is what to know if cycling gives you knee pain. And here are expert-approved spinning safety tips you should know about before clipping in. 

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.

FitnessWorkouts

Adult Ballet is on the Rise—And Yes, You Should Totally Try it

Here's what to know before your first class.

Published Feb 26, 2025

Written by 

Lauren Wingenroth

Maybe it's the reemergence of balletcore, or maybe we're all just trying to discover our inner child, but ballet classes for adults are majorly on the rise. 

advertisement

Former Miami City Ballet dancer Miriam Landis has seen the adult ballet boom firsthand in her adult beginner classes at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle. “My classes have grown up to the point where I’ll have 50 people in one class,” she says. “Especially since COVID, people really have this need for connection and shared sense of purpose. It’s really different from going to an exercise class—it’s a little bit of a meditation.” 

While many adults are finding community, creativity and purpose in ballet classes, there can also be an intimidation factor. After all, it’s an art form often depicted as elite and exclusive. But Landis says the vibe of most adult classes couldn’t be further from the cutthroat worlds of Center Stage or Black Swan. 

“People do feel like it has an exclusive aura,” she says. “But we’re really trying to include rather than exclude. I’ve had students say they were always too scared to come, but they were so glad they did. When people discover it, it really becomes something meaningful in their life.”

Inspired to hit the ballet barre? Here’s what veteran teachers and adult ballet regulars think you should know before you go, plus the benefits you can expect to get out of ballet as an adult. 

What to know before your first adult ballet class

“Beginner” doesn’t always mean beginner.

Confusingly, just because a class is labeled “beginner” doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for first timers, says Landis. Instead, look for classes called “absolute beginner” or “fundamentals” to learn the basics. “It’s like a language,” says Landis. “It’s not like a yoga class where you can go in and follow along.” 

If you aren’t sure, call the studio to ask if a class is intended for first timers. Or, some studios will even let you observe a class before you try it, says Dawn Hillen, who teaches absolute beginner ballet at The Ailey Extension in New York City. “Go see the teacher, and watch how they interact with the students,” she says. “That’s the single best way to know if it’s a good fit for you.”

It isn’t a fitness class.

Yes, ballet is a form of exercise. But a ballet class is not a fitness class. Plenty of first timers come in with that mindset, only to have their understanding deepen over time, says Landis. “There’s a real artistic aspect to it that doesn’t exist in an exercise class,” she says. “You’re going to be thinking about every part of your body, not just executing a step, but how you execute the step; the quality of it.” (FYI: Though barre classes often claim to be ballet-inspired, real ballet classes are actually very different.) 

Expect your ballet teacher to speak in metaphors and imagery more than you may be used to. (For instance, Landis might tell students to hold their hand as if they have “a million diamonds on their fingers.”) There’s also the focus on moving to the music, and on performing for an imagined audience. “Everything is taught based on how your audience is going to receive it,” Landis says. “How are you going to offer your cheek to the person sitting in the third ring so that what you’re projecting reaches them?” 

Though you’ll likely gain strength, coordination and flexibility from a ballet practice, ultimately ballet is about learning a craft, says Landis. 

advertisement

You don’t have to splurge on leotards—unless you want to.

If your adult ballet dreams involve a leotard, pink tights and a ballet skirt, that’s great. Hillen says for some students, feeling like they look the part enhances their experience. But if you don’t feel comfortable in traditional ballet attire—or you don’t want to spend money for an activity you aren’t sure you’ll stick with—she says anything you can move in is fine to wear. Form-fitting activewear is ideal, she says, so that teachers can see the alignment of your body, but she understands that some beginners might feel better in looser clothes. 

Shoes are a different story. Street shoes are typically not allowed in dance studios, so you’ll either want to invest in ballet shoes (jazz shoes are also fine, says Hillen) or wear socks. But be aware that socks can be slippery, says Landis, who often sends new dancers to the school’s lost and found to try and find a pair that’ll work for them.

Be respectful, but don’t worry too much about “ballet etiquette.” 

If you’ve watched enough ballet movies, you may be familiar with the concept that ballet culture contains countless unspoken rules and etiquette norms. While there’s some truth to that, in the low-stakes world of an adult ballet class, you don’t need to worry about much that isn’t common sense or similar to what you’d encounter in a fitness class.

For instance, you’ll be in close proximity to others, so be mindful about personal hygiene and not wearing heavy perfumes, suggests Landis. Arrive early, try to avoid having to leave and reenter the class, and keep your phone in your bag and on silent. 

Spatial awareness is key: Avoid standing too close to anyone else, or standing directly in front of anyone while working in the center of the room. Landis says that it’s common for regulars to use the same barre spot during every class, so it’s a nice courtesy to ask someone if a spot is available before parking yourself there. And when you’re doing steps that travel across the floor, “maintain the traffic pattern, even if you mess up the steps,” says Hillen. “If you come to a dead stop and people are traveling behind you, people can get injured.”

It’s customary to thank your teacher (and pianist, if there is one) at the end of class, but Hillen recommends also saying hello before class begins, to introduce yourself, explain that you’re new, and flag any injuries you may have. 

Embrace the corrections. 

Unlike in a yoga class, where you may get one or two hands-on adjustments, or a fitness class, where the coach may give some general form suggestions, in ballet, teachers give individualized corrections near-constantly. 

When a teacher gives you a correction, rather than dwelling on the fact that you’re doing something wrong, try to see it as an opportunity to learn and grow, says Hillen. Often, she says, teachers give corrections because they see potential and they want to help you reach it. “If a teacher turns their eye to you, it’s a gift,” she says. That said, if you feel the environment of the class is such that corrections aren’t well-intended or are making you uncomfortable, you may want to find a teacher who is a better fit for you.

“I always tell students that they can mess up in front of me; that this is a safe space and I’m here to support their journey,” says Landis. “Even if teachers aren’t skilled at communicating that, their role is to help you learn the skill you’re there to learn.” 

advertisement

The benefits of adult ballet classes 

Practicing ballet as an adult has myriad benefits, depending on what you’re hoping to get out of it. First, there’s the physical: A ballet class is a form of anaerobic exercise, says Hillen, meaning there will be short bursts of movement that get you huffing and puffing, followed by rest as you learn the next combination. She says ballet also develops strength, flexibility, mobility, coordination, balance and good posture. 

There are also the mental benefits, she says, like greater spatial and body awareness. “You’re constantly being asked to remember new things,” Hillen says. “So you’re making a healthier brain by learning something quickly and producing it physically.”

For Beverly Lippman, a regular at Hillen’s class, ballet helps her “focus on the moment,” she says. “Everything else goes away. It’s a very restorative space.” Landis agrees. “The ability to slow down, listen to music, be in your body and be present is incredibly valuable,” she says. “That is so missing from our general lifestyle.” 

Often, adult ballet classes are highly social, welcoming spaces, says Adrienne Chan, who takes Landis’ class at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. “I’ve made a lot of friends—it’s been wonderful,” she says. “Everyone cheers each other on.”

For Melissa Castañeda, who teachers adult beginner ballet at the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance in New York City, there’s power in learning that you are capable of something new as an adult. “It’s always a joy to see students discovering something they didn’t know about themselves,” she says. “It’s common for people to discover that their bodies are able to move in ways they never thought they could move. Your confidence will increase if you’re training with a good instructor who allows you to discover that in yourself.”

“They’re just immeasurable,” says Hillen on the benefits of ballet. “It expands your life.”

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.

All Stories

Food
Cooking
Recipes

25 Immune-Boosting Comfort Food Recipes

Cozy, comforting, *and* full of all the vitamins and minerals you could need to get yourself to spring happy and healthy? Look no further.

by Christina Manian, RD
on Mar 8
soba noodles
Shopping

Yes, You *Do* Need a Pair of Barrel Jeans—Because They Look Amazing on Everyone

If you think barrel-leg jeans seem too bold for your wardrobe, don't knock 'em until you've tried 'em.

by Jamey Powell
on Mar 8
barrel jeans trend
Shopping

The Best Wellness Sales This Weekend: Athleta, Cozy Earth, and More

Bargain shoppers, Well+Good is surfacing the best sales this weekend that you won’t want to miss. Ready, get set—shop!

by Khuyen Dinh
on Mar 7
alt
Health

It’s Time To Stop Believing These 7 Myths About Endometriosis

The biggest? That your pain is normal.

by Tabitha Britt
on Mar 7
person lying on their back on their bed while wearing a white tank top and light blue jeans, holding their stomach and worrying about endometriosis myths keeping them from getting diagnosed
Food
Nutrition

Hold Up: Is Your Nutrition App Working Against You?

Here are 6 warning signs experts say to watch out for when using nutrition and fitness apps.

by Korin Miller
on Mar 7
High angle shot of fitness young Asian sports woman relaxing after working out, lying on yoga mat and using her smartphone against sunlight in the morning, reusable water bottle and headphones by her side.