In a Spin

Fast, furious and fun, Spinning classes put you in a pack of fellow cyclists hurtling towards your fitness goals without having to take to the roads.

Spinning is a trademark, by the way, so you may find it masquerading in your gym as RPM, or anyone of a number of other aliases, but you can tell if you're in the right place the moment you swing a leg over the saddle. Start to turn the pedals and you'll realise that they are connected directly to a heavy flywheel. You spin, it spins. The trick is to remember that, unlike a bicycle, if you stop, it doesn't. To slow it down you have to press a knob that pushes a brake pad against the flywheel. To make life harder you have a control to increase the drag against the flywheel so it takes more effort to keep the pedals spinning around.

What can I expect?

Spinning classes start with some nice easy warm-up exercises to get you used to the feel of the bike, and to give you an idea of what's in store. There are three basic moves - sprints, climbs and jumps. Sprints are exactly what they sound like - the instructor encourages you to set a level of resistance and then bum away as fast as you can. Climbs mean a high level of resistance and standing on the pedals to keep it moving. Jumps mean short, sharp spells out of the saddle.

The instructor will encourage you to turn the resistance up and down depending on the 'road' ahead. Your gym will provide stomping music, perhaps darken the room, and maybe even put on a light show. The emphasis is on an all-singing all-dancing total absorption into the moment and the result is good, sweaty, cardio fun. If you're worried that the pace is likely to be too hectic for you, don't be. It's up to you how much you increase the resistance - your instructor's legs may spin like a washing machine but that doesn't mean you should follow suit straight away.

What good does it do?

Converts tend to see Spinning as the closest you can get to partying in the saddle. Even the less committed have to admit that the fierce calorie burn (up to double normal cycling on your own) plus the toning of hamstrings, calves, hips and abs adds up to quite a workout.