Is Performance Cycling/Indoor cycling the same as Spinning?

*Indoor cycling is often referred to and known by many people as Spinning ®, but officially Spinning ® is a trademark created by Johnny Goldberg (Johnny G) In conjunction with cycle makers Schwinn, Johnny G created the first specially built indoor cycle and instructor certification courses, which he trademarked as Spinning ®.

When launched, Spinning ® quickly became popular other manufacturers began creating their own version of the original Spinner ® bike and associated instructor courses - the quality, duration and content of which are known to vary greatly.

Originally Johnny G worked with Schwinn, so only they officially held the rights to call their courses Spinning ® instructor courses and their classes Spin ® or Spinning ® classes. Later Johnny G moved his Spinning ® instructor training and name to Mad Dogg Athletics and so now only they hold the right to use the Spin ® and Spinning ® name for instructor courses and classes.

Unless you have done the official Spinning ® certification you should not call yourself a Spin ® or Spinning ® instructor, or your classes Spin ® or Spinning ® classes.

In fact Spinning ®, Spin ® and Spinner ® are all trademarks. Many venues who advertise they run Spinning ® classes or courses or advertise they have a ''Spinning'' or a "Spin" studio, may not always be using the term correctly and may not offer official Spinning ® classes or courses, but instead be using the term to cover any use of fixed gear indoor bikes in a group cycling class format.

Whilst we would not encourage you to use the words Spinning ® or Spin ® to describe classes, courses, studios or yourself as an indoor cycling instructor unless you have done the official Spinning ® instructor certification, it is our experience that when asking about 'indoor cycling classes' or 'indoor cycling courses', very often venues and staff initially say 'No, we don't have that here' but if you then go on to ask the same person if they have 'Spinning ® classes or courses' there, the answer is often 'Yes, we do Spinning here'

All 'Indoor Cycling' instructors, do be aware of this when looking for classes and work or you might find you are missing out by not applying at centres who tell you they don't have indoor cycling there, when really they do, it's just that they only recognise 'indoor cycling' as Spinning ®'!