I'm asked all the time about the benefits of spinning.  Especially as it applies to running.  I know personally how it's helped my running, but in addition to my own thoughts, I did some research and found some additional information.  Below is a compilation of what I know from experience and what I found on some websites and specifically what I found in a 1992 issue of Runner's World.  Hope this helps some of you.

Spinning.....:

• strengthens your leg muscles
• helps tired legs recover faster
• maintains or increases your fitness level
• provides easy and intense workouts without the pounding

If you're trying to improve your running through cycling, avoid "Grinding"in the Lower Gears.
"Grinding"-trying to pedal fast in the lower gears-is really bad for runners, because this hard pedaling doesn't imitate your normal running motion. Grinding can result in unwanted muscle mass in the "quads" and "glutes."   All of us who run know we don't want to gain too much weight through muscle mass because too much weight will make us run slower.  So, when I tell you to lighten it up, keep some resistance on, so you can get your heart rate up, but not too much.  We want those legs moving fast.  When you add tension, don't go to fast.  If the tension seems hard, then slow down the pedaling and focus on good form.  That good form will improve your cycling and your running.


The Spin Cycle and Running
During Spinning class I have you change the pace and your position frequently. This enables you to train different energy systems and to use different muscle groups throughout the workout.  When I tell you to increase the resistance, slide backwards on the seat to generate more power. When I have you lower the resistance, slide forward to create more leg speed so you can spin faster. As always, focus on pushing the pedals all around the complete 360-degree spin cycle.  Keeping your pedal stroke as smooth as possible is very important in improving your running legs through spinning..

Ok, so how does Spinning really help your Running?

Spinning can actually make you a faster runner!   This is from the Runner's World article.

The relationship between spinning and running is all in the hip rotation, specifically the relationship between cadence and the velocity of your hip rotation in degrees per second. For example, an individual pedaling at a cadence of 90 or 90 rpm's, is rotating his/her hips at a velocity of 220 degrees per second. This is equivalent to a 6:45 per mile running pace. For those of us in the "average" running department, a cadence of 70 is equivalent to about an 8:00 minute per mile pace. So, getting those legs moving on the bike will also get them moving when you run.

Cycling will also benefit muscle development in the legs.  A pedal stroke requires more muscle power than a running stride. So, if you ride regularly, you will increase the size of your leg muscles. For an elite runner, this may have a negative affect (as I mentioned earlier) on running speed. However, for us average folk, the added strength will increase knee stability without hurting your running speed too much and the increase in your cadence will increase your turnover when you run. 

The bottom line: replacing easy running days with cycling can increase your running intensity on your hard running days (such as your speedwork days). Therefore, you will improve your running speed on less mileage. Pretty cool huh?

This may also act as a replacement for running if recovering from a running related injury. Below is a cadence/running equivalency chart. Because everyone's stride is different, the equivalencies will vary, but the chart is fairly accurate. If you are interested in measuring cadence, you will need to purchase a bike computer that offers this feature.  Unfortunately we don't have these available at the YMCA, but if you want to get serious about this, you can go to Spinning.com and purchase a computer for the spin bikes we have.

For those of you who thought this was a new idea to spin to improve your running, it isn't.  A lot of the information in this article came from Rick Niles who had an article called "Spin Cycle" in Runner's World (June 1992), page 33.

I hope this information helped a little.  As always, if you have any questions, please let me know and I'll do my best to help answer them for you.