Movements in the Spinning® Program

The Spinning® program was founded on the principles of outdoor road cycling. The movements that are part of the Spinning® program were developed to simulate conditions we encounter on the road. They were designed with safety and biomechanical efficiency in mind to promote healthy training principles. However, there are instructors that have created movements that are unsafe, can lead to injury and have no foundation in road cycling. They should not be performed by anyone.


There are five core movements in the Spinning® program – the seated flat, seated climb, standing flat, the standing climb and jumps. In addition, more advanced movements are derived from the five core movements. These include running with resistance, jumps on a hill and sprints. There are no other movements in the Spinning® program.

Most students will blindly follow their instructor without knowing if the movement is correct and true to the Spinning® program. So how do you know if a movement is not part of the Spinning® program if you have not gone through a Spinning® Instructor training program? Simply ask yourself this question: “Would I do this on a road bike?” If the answer is no, then you probably shouldn’t be doing this indoors on a Spinner® bike.

So you say you have never seen anyone on a road bike do jumps. True, jumps were designed to improve a road cycling skill of smooth transitions in and out of the saddle. But we actually use the movement out on the road, just not in a repetitive motion like we do indoors. And don’t let anyone tell you that you should be performing jumps in a rapid-fire motion. Jumps are performed to allow you complete each segment of the movement – the rise out of the saddle to the standing flat and the controlled return to the saddle to a seated flat – without compromising your safety. Lift out of and return to the saddle using your legs and not your arms.

There are many other movements that can cause injury while riding the Spinner®. You may have heard of these movements – hovers, squats, riding with your hands behind your back, riding with little to no resistance, riding with too much resistance, and pushups on the bike to name a few. The list can go on forever. These movements are often created by instructors that lack faith in their coaching abilities or feel students need something different in order to “feel the burn” and get a great workout. They can lead to serious injury!!!

No movement should cause you to feel pain or discomfort because your body is stressed in a compromised position. Sure, you’ll feel fatigued, but you shouldn’t ever feel pain during any movement during a Spinning® class. Learn to recognize the difference between pain and fatigue.

Just remember that simple question – Would I do this on a road bike? If your answer is no, then most likely the movement is incorrect.