Quote:
Originally Posted by squeeeb
i would think riding outside is a bit more of a workout due to all the variables. wind, steep grades, road surface, all give you variable amounts of resistance that you dont get on a stationary unless you are constantly changing the settings. you can hammer for 30 minutes at a certain setting and your body will get used to it. but going against the wind, then riding down a hill, then up a hill, then on a smooth surface etc etc forces your body to react and never quite get on autopilot mode. i think you end up burning more calories on the road, if for no other reason you end up riding longer.
for what it's worth, i was out mountain biking with a guy who claimed he was a spinning instructor. i dropped him like 3rd grade calculus. he may have been used to the stationary workout routine, but on the ground riding a bike up a hill he was having a hard time.
that said, i've done both. if you can, why not do both. as thespian pointed out, the stationary bike does give you a consistent, regimented workout and is great in shitty weather.
|
Interesting. I think it depends on the person and spin instructors aren't always the best riders. They think they are cool but are just individuals.
I rode at least 20 miles every day when I lived in SFLA. Did a ride of 40-80 miles at least once and sometimes both weekends days. Then I moved to Michigan - in the winter, no less.
So, I began taking spin classes to stay in riding shape. I had no idea how things would work and was extremely curious how I would be the first time our in the spring. Was I surprised. I did a 20 mile ride the first day on shitty roads with hills. My average speed at the end of the ride was nearly 2 mph faster than my average speed in FL before I moved.
The moral of the story: it doesn't matter what you do, just how you do it.
I use a heart rate monitor so everything is based on the heart rate I'm trying to achieve. Doesn't matter if it is a spin bike or a road bike outside, either works fine. I do long rides often on my spin bike, specially in the winter, say 90 minutes to two hours. I always have a good book for these rides and listen to classical music on my Bose III sound canceling headphones. I am always amazed at how much I sweat, where my heart rate stays and the calories I burn just riding and reading!
But of course, I also do HIIT rides, hills and other workouts. Even with those I read during the first 15-20 minutes of the warm up phase. That takes care of the potentially boring portion until I get into the crazyness.