After two months it was the spinning group that reported the best outcomes. In an earlier study by Wainwright, published in Healthcare journal in 2020, a five-year follow-up showed that, of 83 people with hip osteoarthritis who were introduced to a weekly spinning class for six weeks and encouraged to carry on themselves, most were still using self-management strategies to manage their hip pain five years later. Almost half (45 per cent) had not returned to their GP for further treatment of their hip pain once they started spinning, and 57 per cent had not undergone hip replacement surgery. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe instinct is to stop exercising when something hurts,\u201d Wainwright says. \u201cBut with osteoarthritis you need to do the opposite and keep using your joints in the right way.\u201d Exercise will help osteoarthritis joint pain only for as long as you keep it up. \u201cIf you do spinning for six weeks and then stop you\u2019ll go back to how you were,\u201d Wainwright says. \u201cSo we helped people to prepare how they would continue with their activity when the study was over.\u201d <\/p>\n
Spinning can be better for joint problems than physio<\/p>\n
Hip joints respond well to spinning because they are continually mobilised. \u201cYour good hip is helping to push through your weaker hip in a cyclical motion,\u201d Wainwright says. \u201cTypically people do between 60-100 revolutions per minute, which is a lot higher movement dose than exercises traditionally recommended as part of physiotherapy rehab.\u201d <\/p>\n
He adds that even people who hadn\u2019t exercised for years were not put off trying it. \u201cSpinning is very inclusive \u2014 nobody knows what resistance your bike is set at or your cadence [revolutions per minute] so it removes comparisons that create barriers for some people,\u201d he says. \u201cSwimming and aqua aerobic classes have been advocated for people with joint problems in the past, but not everyone wants to put on a swimsuit or trunks and get in a pool, whereas with spinning you can wear what you like within reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 The definitive guide to London\u2019s gyms for every personality<\/a><\/p>\n Spinning can be a gateway class to many other forms of exercise<\/p>\n GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n It can burn as many calories as running \u2014 but without the impact on bones<\/p>\n It was the South African cyclist Jonathan \u201cJonny G\u201d Goldberg who came up with the idea of spinning classes and who first lured a wave of body-conscious gymgoers to studios with the promise they could burn up to 600 calories an hour by bobbing up and down in unison to music led by an enthusiastic instructor on custom-designed stationary bikes. A 1997 study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise found that the calories per minute burnt in an indoor cycling class ranged from 7.5 to 19, or \u201cequal to a 150-pound (10.5st) person running a seven-minute mile\u201d. However, the report highlighted that \u201ccompared to running or step aerobics, indoor cycling is a considerably lower-impact exercise\u201d \u2014 suggesting that even back then it was considered good news for those with joint problems. I was an early convert \u2014 I tried my first class in 1998 and still do a spin-style session at least once a week and more often in the winter. <\/p>\n You can set your own pace \u2014 perfect for beginners<\/p>\n Spinning is \u201ca gateway class to many other forms of exercise\u201d, says Steve Barrett, head of global fitness for Matrix Fitness and a fitness trends analyst, who was a personal trainer in the 1990s when spinning arrived on the gym scene. Over the decades there have been many spin-offs (excuse the pun) including SoulCycle, 1Rebel and Psycle studios, rebranded classes at gym chains and home versions of bike workouts such as Peloton, but the premise of these remains rooted in the original concept. Barrett believes it has stood the test of time because although the premise is simple it has evolved with fitness technology. \u201cYou can now track metrics such as heart rate, watts, distance and calories used in a session and there\u2019s added entertainment value such as in-class leaderboards that connect to bikes and wearables.\u201d <\/p>\n That said, you can still go at your own pace. \u201cYou can hold back in your first few sessions and be next to someone who has been doing group cycle classes for 20 years,\u201d he says. Follow your instructor\u2019s lead, but adjust intensity as required to stay within your comfort zone as you get used to classes. \u201cNobody will be any the wiser if you are easing back a bit \u2014 you are in total control of your own bike. If it is your first time you can be really gentle with your resistance and build up in the next class.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\/f716929a-6547-40ce-bfcb-18a00d3453b8.jpg\")
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