'This is not a ride on the Corniche – I want to see some resistance, I want to see it in your legs!', yells Hania Bissat, as she leads Exhale's packed spinning class to a soundtrack of Skybar classics. Bissat – who owns the gym with Trudi Hodges – has been a spinning devotee for eight years. They're Lebanon's official spinning facility and the gym is well-equipped with high-tech bikes, also acting as a training centre for other instructors. If you're a spinning virgin never fear – the class caters for beginners and hardcore athletes alike, with a program that follows the individual's own heart rate. 'When your heart rate goes above the desired, then it's time to slow down a little bit.' It's certainly not for the faint-hearted though; an hour of spinning burns a whopping 600 calories per workout (that's the equivalent of six bananas, two snicker bars or one large cheese manouche). Any tips for newbies? 'If you aim to come every day you'll soon burn out - start with two or three classes a week and then slowly add. Make it like an appointment in your head with a doctor and then you'll go.'



For full article check December January issue 16.