You Might Be Spinning Too Much If This Happens To You

Cycling can be addictive. With indoor cycle studios like SoulCycle and the surge of popularity in Peloton bikes, it appears to quickly be becoming America's favorite cardio activity. In fact, at the end of last year, The New York Times reported live rides with Peloton have been known to pull in more than 20,000 users at a time. Even the most on-demand cycling classes have tens of thousands of rides completed. 

We understand the draw. The burning in your legs, the music, and sweat dripping from your pores makes finishing a cycling class feel equal parts liberated and exhausted. It's a great feeling and a great workout, but it is possible you can be doing it too much. Here's what can happen if your love for cycling becomes an addiction. 

If you are on the bike too much and using it as your only source of cardiovascular activity, then it may be possible you could gain weight from the undertaking. We know — we were just as surprised as you likely are now. How could all those intense sweat-dripping workouts lead to weight gain? Fitness expert Michael Mantell explains to Today why this is. "People do cardio as a main way that they're trying to lose weight, and the problem with this is 60 percent of the weight they lose is fat, and 40 percent is muscle," he says. "And we don't want to lose lean muscle, because lean muscle burns more calories per pound, per day, than fat does."