Sports training
Strength workout for spin classes: legs, jumps for bone, back, neck and shoulders
Spin classes work the heart, lungs and thighs hard but don't load your bones, and riders' aches cluster around the knees, back, neck and hands. Strength training improved cycling power in trials, and in other sports it cut injuries to under a third. This session takes its exercises and doses from our gym strength workout and mobility routine for cyclists, with dumbbells instead of machines so you can do it at home. You need dumbbells or a kettlebell, a bench or step and a mat, and an exercise bike for the warm-up if you have one.
Warm-up
- Stationary cycling5 min easyBeginner · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoOr march on the spotEasier: Recumbent exercise bikeHarder: Air bike intervals
- Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoEasy rangeEasier: Sit squat (partial squat)Harder: Dumbbell goblet squat
- Beginner · Glutes, Hamstrings, Abs · 3D demoSqueeze at the topEasier: Pelvic tilt into bridgeHarder: Single-leg glute bridge
Jumps for bone
Rest 30 to 60 s
- Pogo hops5 × 10 (2 × 10 in weeks 1 to 2)Intermediate · Calves, Quads, Shins · 3D demoQuick, quiet contactsEasier: Ankle bounces (mini pogo)Harder: Single-leg pogo hops
- Heel drop (impact for bone)2 × 10, building to 5 × 10Beginner · Calves · 3D demoInstead of the hops if you're new to jumping, leak when you jump, are pregnant or have osteoporosis: rise onto your toes and drop onto your heelsHarder: Forward cone hops
Legs
Rest 60 to 90 s, up to 2 to 3 min when heavy
- Dumbbell goblet squat3 × 8 to 10Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoStop each set 1 to 3 reps short of failureEasier: Bodyweight squatHarder: Barbell front squat
- Rear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)3 × 6 to 10 each legIntermediate · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoRear foot on a bench: the one-leg work the cycling trials did on a leg pressEasier: Reverse lungeHarder: Split squat jump
- Dumbbell Romanian deadlift3 × 8 to 10Intermediate · Hamstrings, Glutes, Back · 3D demoHips back, back long, weights close to your legsEasier: Hip-hinge practiceHarder: Single-leg Romanian deadlift
- Single-leg calf raise from a step3 × 6 to 10 each legIntermediate · Calves · 3D demoHold a dumbbell and lower slowlyEasier: Slow calf raiseHarder: Single-leg pogo hops
Back, trunk and neck
Rest 60 s
- Supported single-arm dumbbell row2 × 8 to 12 each sideIntermediate · Back, Biceps, Shoulders · 3D demoHand and knee on a benchEasier: Incline ring rowHarder: Bent-over barbell row
- Side plank2 × 20 to 40 s each sideIntermediate · Abs, Hip abductors, Shoulders · 3D demoHips highEasier: Knee side plankHarder: Side plank with leg lift
- Bird dog2 × 6 each side, with 5 s holdsBeginner · Back, Abs, Glutes · 3D demoKeep your back stillEasier: Bird dog, one limb at a timeHarder: Bear crawl
- Prone Y-T-W raises1 to 2 rounds of 8 of each letterBeginner · Back, Shoulders, Neck · 3D demoForehead on the matEasier: Wall angelHarder: Bent-over reverse fly
- Chin tuck10 × 5 s holdsBeginner · Neck · 3D demoGlide your head back, chin levelEasier: Lying chin tuckHarder: Isometric neck holds (four-way)
Stretch
- Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch2 × 30 s each sideBeginner · Quads, Glutes · 3D demoTuck your pelvis underHarder: Couch stretch
- Doorway chest opener2 × 30 sBeginner · Chest, Shoulders · 3D demoElbow at shoulder heightEasier: Elbows backHarder: Fish pose (Matsyasana)
Tips
- Twice a week, after an easy class or on a rest day, and not the day before a hard class.
- Stop each set 1 to 3 reps short of failure: leftover fatigue costs you rides.
- With osteoporosis or a past fracture, keep to heel drops and ask a physiotherapist before harder jumps. In pregnancy, don't start new jumping.
- Back sore on the bike? Raise the bars or sit more upright, as Spinning's set-up guide and our cycling page suggest.
- Numb fingers after rides: change your hand position often, and see a GP if numbness or weakness doesn't settle.
- Coming back from rhabdomyolysis? Not yet: our return session comes first, and heavy weights, jumping and new classes come back last.
The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.
Guides that recommend it
Find more moves like these
More sports training
Injury prevention exercises for runners
Foot, calf, balance and hop exercises taken from the running trials with positive results, in a 25-minute home routine for 3 or 4 days a week.
25 minBeginner11 movesOther / check instructions, A bench or box
Plyometrics for runners
A 20-minute hop and bound session for runners: ankle bounces to pogo hops, one-leg hops and bounding, building foot contacts slowly over 10 weeks.
20 minIntermediate8 movesCardio machineStrength workout for cyclists (gym)
A 50-minute gym session for cyclists: heavy squats, one-leg presses, hip flexion and calf raises as in the cycling trials, plus jumps for bone.
50 minIntermediate13 movesCardio machine, A barbellQuestions people ask
How long does the strength workout for spin classes: legs, jumps for bone, back, neck and shoulders take?
About 45 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.
What equipment do I need?
You need: Cardio machine, A dumbbell, A bench or box, A step, A wall. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.
Is it suitable for me?
It is written at intermediate level. 14 of its 16 moves have an easier option listed beside them; use them freely.
How do I make it easier or harder?
Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.