Indoor cycling classes in the UAE: reviews and recommendations

From virtual reality racing in Abu Dhabi to high-altitude cycling in Dubai, here are some spinning classes with a twist.

A virtual reality indoor cycling class at Healthpoint, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi. Vidhyaa for The National

Virtual reality racing

Having never willingly entered a race before, I was a little apprehensive about trying out the new indoor cycling class at Healthpoint at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi. This class has you pitted against other cyclists in a virtual reality race on a giant screen. I was up against a dozen others, nearly all men with triathlete-like physiques. In real life, these guys would beat me hands down in a race. But fortunately, although this race is competitive, participants compete on a level playing field, as each machine initially assesses your fitness levels, then adjusts your avatar’s abilities accordingly. While my machine was set to low resistance for a faster pedal, I suspect other participants had theirs turned high to challenge themselves. During the race, you see yourself on screen as a cyclist wearing a number corresponding with the number of your machine, cycling along a virtual highway. The faster you pedal, the more you charge ahead. I still came last, but I found the racing element to be a great way to stay motivated.

• Classes are held on Saturday at 10am, and Sunday, Monday and Wednesday at 5.45pm, Dh45 per session. Call 02 492 9548.

* Jessica Hill

Almost like the real thing

It’s hard to sell an indoor cycling class to me because I find riding a stationary bike in an air-conditioned studio monotonous. But the classes at Surge Body Fitness in Dubai Media City piqued my interest because they use RealRyder bikes that mimic actual outdoor bikes, set up in nightclub-themed studio. You are doing much more than peddling in this class, as each instructor brings their energy and style of workout, including full cardio, strength and high-intensity interval training. For newcomers, the Swerve, Sprint & Surge workout with Clare every Friday will ease them into what to expect from an indoor-cycling workout. The instructor switches on the disco lights and turns up the volume on a radio mix of uptempo numbers that determine the pace and incline of the rides. The bikes move and tilt, forcing participants to engage their core and obliques to stabilise, while the resistance knob can be adjusted to work the glutes and hamstrings. Clare throws in several dance moves that use upper-body strength and ends with a hamstring stretch after the 45-minute workout. Every Surge class also has a “Self Surge” track towards the end of the workout, where you get to choose your difficulty level such as sprints, an uphill climb or a tilt ride as long as you are moving.

• Surge Body Fitness is located on floor 11 of Concord Tower in Dubai Media City. A single class costs Dh120; packages are available.

* Afshan Ahmed

Early morning class

It’s almost never that I drag myself out of bed for vigorous exercise in the morning, let alone at 6.30am. But when the gym is nearby, I wake up at 6.15am and know I won’t go back to sleep, and I’ve been slacking on the exercise front a little bit lately, well, there’s basically no excuse. I was a big fan of this class at Let’s Go Gym in Abu Dhabi, which is held in a pleasantly cooled room – not freezing the way many spinning studios are kept. While the flashing multicoloured strobe lights were a bit jarring, I did need help waking up. And since one thing that can really irritate me about this tough form of interval exercise is teachers who talk incessantly, particularly about how hard things are going to be getting any minute now, I really appreciated Saber the teacher’s word economy. It was a suitably tough class and I left sweating and happy.

• The 6.30am stationary cycling classes at Let's Go Gym are on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, for Dh50 per class. Let's Go Gym is in the Guardian Towers building on Al Himrar Street, Abu Dhabi. Call 02 666 0383.

* Ann Marie McQueen

High-altitude cycling

Some may call me brave, others stupid, but the first indoor cycling class I tried was the high-altitude offering at Talise Fitness, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. I’d always avoided stationary cycling, thinking it was too intense for me. Why taking on such a physical class with less oxygen appealed to me, I can’t say, but I’m glad I had nothing to compare it with. I didn’t push myself too hard in the Les Mills RPM class – I had real fears I may die – but I pushed myself enough that I was sweating and out of breath. Another fear was that I’d find the class boring, compared to outdoor cycling, but with the pumping tunes and variation of cycling speeds and intensity, I wasn’t in the slightest bit bored. After class, I chatted with some of the others and all agreed that they were gasping for air a lot of the time and that it was way tougher than a regular RPM class. Entry-level classes start at the oxygen equivalent of 1,600 metres above sea level, while elite classes reach 3,300 metres. Working out in a lower-oxygen environment is said to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness, and boost calorie burn.

• Classes are held on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at various times. The price for a single class for a non-member at Talise Fitness is Dh120, packages are available.

* Amanda Tomlinson

This story was amended to remove reference to Spin and Spinning classes. Spinning classes in Abu Dhabi are held at The Room at Zayed Sports City and Hiltonia. Visit www.theroom.ae for details.