Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

Spin cycling classes have gained a sizeable following in Singapore.

At the same time, there has been more attention paid to rhabdomyolysis, which is the breakdown of muscle tissues from extreme physical exertion, after its causes and effects were highlighted in the media.

But that has not stopped others from having a go at intense training.

One person to have suffered from rhabdomyolysis is Gloria, aka @redmily, who posted about her experience on TikTok recently.

She shared about her experience with rhabdomyolysis -- after attending her first spin class.

What happened

An Oct. 11 TikTok that Gloria uploaded shared that she attended her first spin class on Friday, Oct. 7.

@redmily The doctors and nurses are very nice! but a def overworked D: #sgtiktok #rhabdo #rhabdomyolysis #fyp #fy #sg #spinclass #hospital #hospitalised ♬ 原聲 - 我是R醣 - 我是R糖

She shared in a comment that her level of intensity was pretty low as compared to other participants in the class.

However, she mentioned that she felt tired during the session, but thought that it was severe delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) -- an aching feeling in the muscles after an intense workout.

The pain only became worst the next day on Oct. 8.

By Oct. 9, her pee had turned brown, which sounded the alarm that something was wrong.

The colour of her pee resembled black coffee.

She headed to a general practitioner to get a referral to the accident and emergency department.

Subsequently, she was put on a drip and her blood and pee were tested.

Test results revealed that her creatine kinase levels were abnormally high and she was admitted to the hospital.

Speaking to Mothership close to a week after her ordeal, she said she was feeling better and was waiting to be discharged once her blood test results were favourable.

But as her body was "not retaining water", she was not completely optimistic.

Instructors were helpful

Mothership understands that the instructors in Gloria's class were helpful and offered options to cater to the participants' level of physical activity and allowed them to "go as hard or as easy" as they wanted.

In addition, Gloria shared that since she is already attending the class, she wanted to do her best and "go harder" or "up the difficulty" in the class.

She added that there are genuinely people who enjoy spin classes and attend four to five classes a week. 

Reactions

In response to the video, many commenters expressed their concern.

They told Gloria that this is a common symptom for first-timers at their first spin classes.

Some shared that they experienced the same thing, while others were curious about the intensity of the spin class and if she exerted herself too much.

Another user quipped that "attending spin classes have a higher chance of dying" than sleeping and gaming all day.

15 minutes of spin class can cause rhabdomyolysis for a first-timer

According to Singapore General Hospital, a spin class is a high-intensity workout session that can burn up to 300 to 500 calories in a 30-minute session.

As spin classes are often conducted in an environment with air-conditioning, coupled with fast-tempo music, participants tend to push themselves harder.

For first-timers, 15 minutes into the spin class is enough to cause rhabdomyolysis.

The intensity in spin classes can be higher compared to cycling outdoors as there are no external obstacles like traffic lights to stop them.

Top image via @redmily on TikTok