SoulCycle isn't benefiting you as much as you may think

Soul Cycle may seem like the perfect quick cardio workout and with added weights you'll feel like you're doing the perfect balanced workout. I, too, had jumped on the SoulCycye band wagon and was so excited to try it until I did a little research. In reality it isn't as beneficial as it seems. Riders use 1-3 pound weights and are constantly moving in and out of the bike seat, adjusting the amount of resistance on their legs, but during this they are not repeating enough of the same consistent motion to generate muscle fatigue or hypertrophy- which occurs when the same muscles are put under stress. The only way to build muscle is to lift from 70-80% of your one rep max and these 1 or 3 pound weights are most likely no one's one rep max. You can calculate yours using this 1RM calculator. While SoulCycle can inevitably be very fun it isn't going to do what you want it to if your goal is to lose weight. When the riders are bouncing in and out of the seat they make it look easy and in all honesty it is because they are using the momentum from the wheels to push you, instead of your muscles. Not to say that SoulCycle isn't a great experience, it can be. The instructors are encouraging and soulful and many who do it frequently even say how much they feel like they feel that they have changed mentally for the better. But when it comes to the body, over time it will seem that your stomach is shrinking and your legs are becoming more toned and while this is true for the short term it is equivalent to the beginning stages of long distance runners. When a person begins to run 15-20 miles a week they will see the fat shed off, but once your body goes in to a catabolic state, the running actually begins to slow down your metabolism, burning hard earned muscle and making it harder to keep off the weight.

It may seem too simple but the body burn fat through breathing. When our fats and proteins are stored in triglyceride molecules in our blood, which consist of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen atoms, the triglyceride molecules must be broken up through oxidation in order to lose weight. Because the lungs are the the primary way we lose weight, by focusing on pulling in air to the chest we have momentum to go off of and additional power during our tasks. I hadn't realized the importance of breathing through my exercises until I noticed how uptight and nervous I became when I was doing certain movements without while I tended to hold my breath. This is because when we breathe through or nose, oxygen is released in to our blood stream to our brain, allowing it to function properly.

A study done by the School of Biotechnology and Bio-molecular Sciences at the University of New South Wales, shows that 84% of lost body weight is turned into carbon dioxide and is excreted out of the body through out breathe, and the other 16% is done so through sweat.

In my experience and from the information on gathered, it's much more beneficial to mix up your workouts, whether light interval training, an intense HIIT workout or a moderate run. The kinds of workouts you do should have different levels of intensity. When I am doing a more intense HIIT workout compiled of sprints, for example, my heart rate and maximum rate of oxygen ( VO2) are high and I am burning more calories. I personally use a fitbit to monitor my heart rate, but there are many other devices you can use to do so. While these workouts are great it's wise to have a variety in your week.

---

References