Five reasons to try iCycle

Treadmills have had a tough time of late. Innovative fitness equipment and classes are exploding across Europe, giving us more choice and more opportunities to workout. No one likes staring at a timer for half an hour, playing psychological tricks on your own brain and body to sweat it out ‘til the end.

At Holmes Place, we design our classes to give you workouts that wow - iCycle is no different. You could compare it to spinning/ stationary bicycle/ indoor cycling activities. But this blood-pumping workout is so much more. It’s sexier, more strategic and definitely more dynamic.

It’s not easy finding a fitness class that ticks all the boxes, but iCycle covers everything a good cycling workout should:

1.    It’s a speedy way to burn 700 calories

The World Health Organisation state that people between 18 and 64 should be doing at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity. Depending on the class you choose, you can squeeze 30 to 60 minutes of the latter in one session, burning 700 calories in the process.

2. You can keep it at your own pace

Yes, you’ll work out hard and your heart rate will rise. You’ll also be pushed to adjust your bicycle to higher or lower degrees of resistance, but only what you’re comfortable with. There are four different levels of intensity, allowing you to grow and progress with the class and slowly but surely smash your goals.

3. Tunes to motivate

Music is “a type of legal performance-enhancing drug”, says Dr Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University in London. The world-leading expert has studied the psychology of exercise music for decades, putting words to something we’ve all felt when a motivating track drops during a workout. Our iCycle classes combine nine music tracks that guide you from warm-up to climbing hills to pedalling with power to winding round a mountain trail. Each track is designed to boost your mood and endurance, helping you bike longer and faster than usual - without even realising it. We’ve even shared our iCycle playlist for those rides you take without us.

4. You’ll drop fat mass, not muscle 

We might still call it losing weight, but what we really want to drop is fat, not lean mass. The type of exercise you choose is so important if you want to drop fat and keep muscle. iCycle is split into different segments: strength, cardio and endurance. Strength training is famous for building and retaining muscle, while cardio and endurance torches calories and melts fat. Best of both worlds.

5. It’s fun

Dragging yourself out of bed at 6-actual-am is torture if you feel like you’re going to a workout you hate. But that one simple element - fun - can be the gateway into a regular routine. Holmes Place members see iCycle classes as the bright spot during the day that picks them up and pumps them with endorphins (and the occasional belly laugh).

Working out should never be a bore, or feel like a punishment. Take an iCycle class for a spin and starting moving in a way that makes your body, mind and soul feel good.