Best Spinning DVDs | Effective Indoor Cycling Workout DVDs
With The Best Spinning DVDs, Your Workout Won’t be Limited to Cycling Studios
When people think of cycling, they typically think of the outdoor type. Roaming through the mountains, rolling down the streets of Las Vegas, perhaps traveling the Tuscan countryside or any other type of outdoor biking. However, in recent times spin bikes have risen sharply in popularity, allowing people to get the health benefits of cycling without needing to leave the comfort of their own homes.
However, one would think that this would take away some of the natural wonders and sights that traditional biking would offer. Not so fast! People realized that cycling alone in their house would be boring, not to mention that many people would need some sort of direction on how to most effectively exercise. That’s why they invented spinning DVDs.
These indoor cycling exercise DVDs seek to cure both boredom and lack of knowledge about effective spinning. Plus, the cycling coaches help you ride safer by reminding you to stay hydrated and change your riding style for maximum results. Yet, there are a lot of spinning DVDs out there.
How do you know which one to choose? That’s where we come in. We’ve looked through hundreds of spinning workout DVDs to see just which are the top of the line. Whether it’s the best spinning DVD for beginners or those that simply want to give a look at the rest of the world, these can really turn a normal, boring workout session into an activity you can’t live without. Now with all of that out of the way, let’s hop on and cycle through our list of the best spinning DVDs!
Quick Overview Of Best Indoor Cycling DVDs:
Cathe Friedrich’s Pedal Power
Up first on our list of the best spinning workout DVDs is Cathe Friedrich’s Pedal Power DVD. For those who need the extra motivation and extra boost to get the most out of their cycling sessions, this might just be the spinning workout DVD for you. The warm-up phase of this DVD for spin bike workout is four and a half minutes long, allowing your muscles to get loose and your blood to get flowing before you get into the swing of things.
Once the warm up is over, you get into the workout phase of the DVD. This is where you’ll find forty-six minutes of a hill-pumping, heart-thumping and speed-jumping workout. This section consists of a series of ultra-motivating songs while you go through a variety of different challenges. These challenges could be anything from seated to standing drills, flat sprints to rolling hill drills, and tempo to tabata drills.
After this thrilling workout, the DVD refuses to let you stop immediately, as that would lead to cramps and sore muscles. It finishes with seven minutes of stretching, allowing the heart rate to settle down after such a thrilling and intense session. The total length of the DVD rolls in at fifty eight minutes and sixteen seconds. Long enough to get the calories burnt, but not so long as to be inconvenient to your day.
This is an instruction video for all levels, though the elite might not find a whole lot new here. The scenery of the DVD is a studio class, so there aren’t any rolling hills or ocean views here. However, there are three seperate ways to experience the video depending on how you like to exercise.
You can choose the “Vocals Only” mode, which only plays Cathe’s voice. If you’re not a fan of the music on this DVD, this will be the option for you. Then there’s the “Normal” mode, which plays Cathe’s voice, the instrumentals and the accompanying vocals on the various musical tracks. Finally, there’s the “Instrumental Path”. Unsurprisingly, this is the same as normal mode, only the vocals are removed from the music. Overall, this DVD would be a great pick for any cyclist out there.
Cathe Friedrich’s XTrain Series
In second place, we have another entry from Cathe Friedrich. This time it is Cathe Friedrich’s XTrain Ride DVD. Once again, Cathe Friedrich brings her A-game to this DVD, giving all the gusto, enthusiasm and motivation that you would expect from such an experienced spin bike instructor.
This DVD has a slightly longer warm up phase attached to it, coming in at four minutes and fifty-three seconds. Once again, this allows the chance of injuries to remain much lower than if you simply started straight away with the main workout.
The main workout on this DVD focuses on burning some extra fat that might have built up after the last meal out or that extra pint of ice cream you had a couple nights ago. Similar to the Pedal Power workout, this main section runs for forty-six minutes.
It consists of eleven motivating songs that each takes you through a specific riding profile. Depending on the song, you’ll stand, sit and hover your way through various hills, flats, jumps, and sprints. It offers plenty of variety for those who feel they need a bit of a mix in their cycling habits.
The cooling phase on this DVD is shorter than on the Pedal Power, as it is five and a half minutes long. It consists of a slower, more relaxing ride before asking you to do some stretches in order to stop the muscles from immediately tightening up after you get off the bike. This is quite a crucial step, as it keeps the risk of injuries further down the line as low as possible.
As with the Pedal Power DVD, this class will likely not hold any radical new changes for the more experienced cyclists, but it will most likely help beginners. That’s not to say everyone can’t use it, but it might just offer more information to beginners than veterans.
In fact, there’s a section at the beginning where Cathe goes over the safety aspects of the bike, so we’d say it certainly is geared more toward beginners. The scenery is again located inside a studio. Still no nature to be found here (though it’s coming, we promise).
The biggest aspect that sets this DVD apart from Pedal Power is the lack of musical options. The awesome choice that you had between the various settings of what to listen to? Gone. That’s why we ranked it lower, as otherwise, the two DVDs are extremely similar in terms of quality.
Colorado Springs Cycling DVD
Our first non-Cathe Friedrich DVD on the list comes in the form of Destination: Colorado Springs. This DVD is quite unlike the previous two, as it takes an entirely different approach in how it motivates you to keep on cycling. Instead of having a class led by a star instructor, this spin bike DVD for beginners seeks to put you in the simulated outdoor area of Colorado Springs (if you couldn’t tell from the name).
There are four separate destinations that you can visit on each of the four DVDs for indoor cycling that come with this order. Each of them has a different length, different intensity level, and different patterns of warming up and cooling down afterward. For example, the first of these is the Cheyenne Canyon Hill Climb, which is just about forty-five minutes in length.
The warm up for this ride is actually quite sharp and intense before giving you a breather before the main workout, which is an increasingly tough climb up one of the most breathtaking hills in the Colorado Springs area.
One of the other examples is the course that is known as the Garden of the Gods. This sprint takes you up and down various hills, all while looking out over the greenery and nature that surrounds the area.
The course takes sixty minutes, with much higher peaks than the Cheyenne Canyon Hill Climb, yet there are also much more frequent recovery periods. Instead of the slow climb of the aforementioned run, this really is more akin to running sprints, giving you a totally different feel.
It’s a similar case with the other two spin bike workout DVDs. You can climb up to the dizzying heights of Pikes Peak, all the way up to 14,115 feet. That’s certainly going to give a view to anyone who feels they want to challenge themselves.
Finally, you can negotiate a loose single track on the Columbine Trail before cutting into steep mountainsides high above the famous Broadmoor Hotel. This set of DVDs can fit cyclists of all levels thanks to the various courses offered. Obviously, there’s no studio to be found here, just views of Colorado Springs all around. A fine set for those looking to get away from the indoors.
Johnny G Live Spinning DVD
13 used from $2.83
Up next is a spinning DVD from one of the best in the business. The Johnny G Live Spinning DVD allows you to ride with the creator of the Spinning® program. “But wait,” you might ask, “isn’t the spinning program universal?” Actually, the term spinning has become akin to what “Google” is to search something online. It is so widespread that, despite the fact it was originally founded as a brand, it is now just the default term to refer to the activity. Just a fun bit of trivia for you!
The DVD itself contains approximately 60 minutes of workouts, including the warm-up and post-workout period. That technically puts the main workout of the DVD at about 40 minutes. The blood will certainly start circulating and the muscles will feel it by the end of the exercise. Thanks to those post-workout stretches, you won’t feel nearly as bad as if it did end flat.
The Johnny G Live spinning videos with good music is probably better for beginners, as it also has a section that shows how to set up the bike. Then Johnny G demonstrates the fundamental hand positions and core movements that are essential for this program.
There is a strong emphasis on music, timing and rhythm in this DVD, making sure that you really move with the music. This does have the drawback that if you don’t like the music that’s playing, you’re going to be missing a large part of the program.
Finally, this is not a spinning exercise video DVD that will show off the wilds of nature or some crazy sights. You’ll get a look at Johnny G and his studio. That’s it. If that’s what you prefer when you cycle, then that’s great. If not, it might get old after a while.
Spin Slim Express Spinning DVD
12 used from $7.15
Another DVD from Spinning®, which will become a common name by the end of this list. Not all of their products consist of Johnny G sitting in a studio showing off how spinning began. No, this one is led by a certain Mike Michels, who does a good job standing in for the founder of the spinning term. He’s no Cathe Friedrich, but will certainly be fine as an instructor.
As one might be able to garner from the name, this DVD is for those who are a bit more pressed for time. The total length of the DVD measures just about 48 minutes, including the bike setup, warm up and post-workout stretch. The actual workout itself is about 30 minutes long. You’ll get a decent bit of calories burnt, but obviously not as much as you would on a longer DVD.
Once again, this DVD does spend a fair amount of time at the start teaching the fundamentals of spinning. This means that those who are more experienced riders or already know what they’re doing will only find it useful for quick workout time.
While the Spin Slim Express DVD might not have Johnny G sitting in a studio, the fact is that it is still set in a studio. Once again, there’s no fancy sights or cool nature to be found here. For those who are just looking to get a quick workout in and get on with the rest of their day, this is great. For those who want slightly more from their spin bike workout DVDs, they might want to look elsewhere.
Las Vegas Spinning Rides
Once more, we have another DVD from Spinning®. What can we say? There’s a reason the term became known as “spinning”. However, this DVD is a bit different than the previous 2. This one goes out and around Sin City, allowing you to take in the sights that far too many people ignore when headed to Las Vegas. You’ll take on strength intervals, relentless rollers and challenging climbs in an attempt to see all around this part of Nevada.
Obviously, this DVD is different from one led by a Johnny G or Mike Michels. Instead of being led by a single person, there are a series of on-screen prompts that tell you what to do while you ride along the trails and roads that they have picked out for you.
Unfortunately, those who are wanting to see a ride down The Strip will be disappointed, as the routes that the DVD has does not include it. There are nice little bits of information that pop up about the history of the area, which are fun to read.
This DVD isn’t quite as beginner-focused as the other spin class DVDs since there is no instructor telling you exactly what to do. The total length of the DVD is 60 minutes, with a warm up included. There is no real cool down, which is disappointing. However, it does still provide a pretty solid workout in the roughly 45 minutes that it gives you.
The music of the DVD is up for debate. Some reviews don’t like it, some do like it and some don’t like it because there’s no voice in between telling them what to do. We generally leave that up to the cyclist to decide, but we just felt that it should be noted. It is often compared to other spinning workout videos about North and South Carolina, where there are more verbal instructions.
Crank It Up Spinning DVD
8 used from $4.12
The last of this group of Spinning® DVD’s is Spinning®: Crank It Up.We go back indoors for this DVD, this time being led by master cyclist Joshua Taylor. For some this is a good thing, for others, they might be disappointed in that fact. What is certain about this DVD is that it will get your heart rate pumping and really crank up the amount of calories you can burn off.
This DVD is a slightly longer one, as much of the beginning part is devoted to setting up the bike properly and the warm up. The total length measures in at about 67 minutes, though the actual workout is probably around 45 minutes. Thus, it is probably better for beginners to use this DVD than those who are more experienced at cycling.
A bit to note about this DVD is that the recovery times in between sets are rather long. This is keeping with the theme of being for beginners, but it can get annoying at times. There also seems to be a general consensus about this DVD that the music is awful. Fortunately, for those who aren’t just learning how to spin, they can just mute the DVD and ride with the instructions.
Overall this is a solid addition to the Spinning® catalogue of indoor cycling videos. It isn’t perfect, with Joshua Taylor saying some questionable things at times (“Perfection leads to growth” is a great one). However, it will certainly get the blood pumping and anyone who wants to get into cycling will be able to use it well.
Cornwall UK Virtual Ride Scenery DVD
Finally, we reach another DVD that isn’t one made by Spinning®. We get a break from the indoors of studios and even the shores of the US. This DVD takes you across the Atlantic to the shores of the UK – Cornwall specifically.
This DVD is 60 minutes and begins in rural Cornwall, in southwest England. WIth the ocean and coast in the distance, you’ll pass the hedgerows that have become so famous and so attached with England. Around every turn, there’s something new to be seen and something fun to explore.
When the video was recorded (August) there were plenty of flowers out and in their prime, especially hydrangeas. Eventually, you move away from the rural area and into a small residential zone. This area still feels quite quaint and fun to look at while you ride.
Following that, you return to the coastal road and enjoy the view as you cycle downhill. Finally, you ride down a hill along the coast and end on a footpath to the beach. Certainly a cinematic end to a great ride.
There’s not much instruction included in this DVD, so it might be a bit tougher for beginners to pick up exactly what to do. However, the actual workout doesn’t provide so much of a challenge that it actively discourages newer cyclists from participating. Because it does take place in Cornwall, there aren’t exactly any super steep mountains or intense climbs that happen.
One of the major complaints about this DVD is just how much of it is filmed with a hedgerow in front of it as opposed to the coast that is shown on the front of the box. With the exception of the beginning and ending sections, this does prove to be somewhat true.
There are a lot of hedgerows. The other major complaint is the sound of this video. Instead of playing music or having some pleasant nature sounds playing, it is the sound of a car window. Not exactly the most enthralling or most fun sound to listen to while you ride.
Costa Brava Virtual Cycling Adventure
This DVD from Bike-O-Vision is similar to the above in that it takes the approach of people needing to look at nature while they ride. Except this time instead of the hedgerows of rural England and the coastline of Cornwall, you are taken away to Catalonia, Spain. You’ll be able to look out over the beautiful Mediterranean Sea as you ride, all while getting in the exercise you need. Regardless of whether it’s an intense climb or recovery day, this DVD makes you feel like you’ve been swept away.
The DVD itself is around 75 minutes, with just about all of that being devoted to the ride along the Spanish countryside and coastline. You’ll begin above Tossa De Mar’s 12th century seaside castle. Then wind up various peaks in order to see the sunny sights and lands around you.
Once done with that, you’ll pedal along the waterfronts of laid-back beach towns such as Roses, Llanca and Portbou. After all, it’s nice to get some different sights during the long ride. These quaint little towns will give you a nice peak into what life looks like on the Spanish beaches.
Once done in the towns, you’ll be back to huffing up more switchbacks looking out at the sparkling blue-green water far below. The journey will take you all the way to the border with France, teasing you with a look at the French lands.
Since this is a DVD that is mainly focused on just the ride and the sights associated with it, beginners might find it a bit more difficult to get into. Experienced riders will most certainly have a good time with it, considering the length and the various hills that are involved with the path. Of course, we’re not saying that beginners can’t use this DVD. They just might be a tad lost with no instructions.
Overall, the Bike-O-Vision Costa Brava DVD should provide a beautiful outlook for any cyclist who wants to see something different while they cycle indoors. Just make sure that you’re warmed up at the beginning and cool down afterward, as you don’t want to get injured for your next DVD cycling adventure. You could always also use our free indoor cycling workouts or create your own if you don’t want to buy spin bike cycling classes.
Spinervals 29.0 Dropping The Hammer DVD
Rounding out our list is the Spinervals 29.0 Dropping The Hammer DVD. For this DVD we head back indoors to the studio.
This spin bike workout DVD was designed to develop your speed and your maximum anaerobic power. This time you shall be led by Coach Troy on this intense and gruelling journey.
The total length of the DVD is 60 minutes, with the actual workout being about 45 minutes. You’ll certainly get a solid bit of exercise done with this indoor cycling DVD, as it is designed to be one of the more intense workouts available.
Along with the instructor make sure to use different hand positions on the spin bike to avoid wrist and hand numbness during the indoor cycling class.
Speaking of that intensity, those who designed the Dropping The Hammer workout rate it as a solid 9.7 out of 10. Clearly, they regard it as quite the tough workout, which matches up with how intense it is.
This DVD will certainly fit experienced riders more since it is a lot quicker and a lot more intense. Beginners might simply find it a bit too intense to keep up with.
Choosing The Best Indoor Cycling DVD That Meets Your Needs
If you are looking for an exercise bike workout DVD, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, consider the level of difficulty that you are comfortable with. There are many DVDs that cater to beginners, as well as those who are more advanced. Second, think about the duration of the workout. Some indoor cycling DVDs are designed for shorter workouts, while others are meant to be used for longer sessions. Finally, take into account your personal fitness goals. If you are looking to lose weight, there are exercise bike DVDs that focus on burning calories. If you want to build muscle, on the other hand, there are DVDs that focus on resistance training. By keeping these factors in mind, you can be sure to find an indoor cycling bike workout DVD that is right for you. Here is also a couple of other factors to keep in mind when choosing the next spinning bike workout DVD:
Routine: When it comes to staying in shape, routine is key. Whether you’re looking for an easy or challenging workout, there is a DVD out there that can help you reach your fitness goals. For example, if you want a more relaxed workout with minimal stress on your body, opt for a DVD that focuses on stationary bikes, featuring recordings of scenic tourist destinations around the world. Alternatively, if you prefer a more intense cycling or biking routine, look for a DVD that has an instructor leading you through a rigorous high-intensity workout. With so many options available, there’s sure to be a spinning workout DVD that fits your specific fitness needs and lifestyle!
Rythm: It is an important element of any workout routine. Having the right music to match the cadence of your routine can help you stay on track and improve your results. But what exactly is the right rhythm? It depends on the type of workout you are doing. For example, if you are doing a strength-training routine, you will want to choose music with a slower, steadier beat. This will help you maintain your focus and keep your muscles working evenly. On the other hand, if you are doing a more cardio-based workout, you will want to choose music with a faster beat. This will help keep you moving and elevate your heart rate. No matter what type of routine you are doing, though, it is important to find music that you enjoy and that helps motivate you to keep going. With the right rhythm on your indoor bike, you can reach your fitness goals in no time!
Bike: When you’re looking for a workout, whether it’s to gain strength, lose weight, or just improve your cardiovascular health, biking is an excellent choice. Biking is low-impact, meaning it places little stress on your joints and bones compared to other activities like running. And, you can tailor your biking workout to match how you’re feeling that day. If you want a more relaxed tempo, then riding a magnetic stationary bike is a good option. You can increase the intensity by pedaling faster or increasing the resistance. If you’re looking for something more dedicated to spinning or cycling, then a standard bike with a turbo trainer is the way to go. You can find one with the right frame size and seat height to ensure a comfortable ride. And, if you really want to up the ante, you can invest in a road bike designed for speed and long-distance rides. No matter what type of bike you have or end up getting for indoor cycling, make sure it’s the right one for you and your workout routine.
Final Verdict
That wraps up our list of the DVDs for indoor cycling. Hopefully, this has given you a good idea on which spin class Workout DVDs will give you a look at the outdoors and simulate the real roads and which ones will allow for that intense, studio experience with some of the best instructors out there. Which one you prefer is up to you. Also, keep in mind that the key to an enjoyable and fun spinning workout is the proper indoor cycling clothing and indoor cycling accessories (an additional seat gel is almost always a must). Now pick up a DVD and get cycling!
Hi there, I'm Sayed Hamed Hosseiny, the founder and one of the authors at yourexercisebike.com (YEB). I am a former indoor cycling instructor and personal trainer with nearly 20 years of experience. With a passion for indoor cycling, I have spent years designing cycling parts, repairing, and importing exercise bikes. All the articles, tips, guides, reviews, and comparisons on YourExerciseBike.com (YEB) reflect my personal opinion and expertise in the field. I'm excited to share my knowledge with fellow exercise bike enthusiasts and help people find reliable indoor cycling information and the best exercise bike for their needs. If you have any questions or suggestion, you can contact me at sayed@yourexercisebike.com.
