Somewhere down the line, some indoor cycling instructors have veered off course and taken the liberty to modify cycling cadence for no apparent good reason. Today, there are still classes conducted at unsafe speeds. So let’s revisit the correct parameters and highlight why they are important.

Simulating hills

According to Mad Dogg Athletics developers of the original Spinning® indoor cycling program, hill climb parameters are 60 to 80 revolutions per minute (rpms). Schwinn indoor cycling and Keiser also prescribe hill climbs at 60 to 80 rpms.

Riding at cadences under 60 rpms imply that resistance is too heavy which put undue strain on the knees. An analogy for outdoor riders climbing at lower than 60 rpms would mean that they are in the wrong gear, so shift down! How do you know if you’re riding at less than 60 rpms? Talk to your instructor and ask for a cadence check.

Simulating flats

Madd Dog Athletics and Keiser prescribe cadences  of 80 to 110 rpms for flat roads. Schwinn indoor cycling stretches the cadence to 120 rpms. Why higher cadences are not recommended? These cadences are not arbitrary, they are the result of legitimate studies which have concluded that higher cadences, at least indoors, while attached to a 40-lb. flywheel are not efficient and again, put undue strain on the knees.

A sure sign that you have too much speed and not enough resistance is the bounce test. Bouncing on the saddle is something that we do when we are unable to match our power with the correct cadence, resulting in an unnatural bounce on the saddle that comes from surplus energy from the pedals. This is inefficient and plain painful.

How do yo know if you’re bouncing? Sit close to a mirror and check yourself through out class. Your instructor may also point this out to you.

Why is cadence so important?

Because the risk of injury outweighs any benefit that a contraindicated cadence could possibly provide to us.

Proper bike set up and correct cadence are the two most important things in indoor cycling, if you can master these, you will enjoy the class and see real benefits from it.

Happy Riding!  

Alex~

If you live in New England you know that winter riding in this part of the world is tough. I do see a few hardcore cyclists on the road once in a while, they seem to be completely focused and at-ease with the frozen terrain. But for the rest, once the temperature hits a certain low number, they park their bikes for the winter or prefer to keep up training in the cavernous ambience of a dimly lit basement or garage... and there is nothing wrong with that... Or is there?

When boredom sets in

I really want to believe that riding a trainer at home is exciting... but even the most sophisticated visualization techniques can fail after the second week of regular basement training. When boredom sets in, we generally give up.

Taking indoor cycling classes as a great training alternative

If your goal is to continue building your endurance through the winter months but hate the thought of hitting a patch of ice or sand while riding in the dark, then indoor cycling presents a wonderful opportunity to continue training through the winter.

Indoor cycling has evolved through the years. Today’s classes are performance- oriented and many are designed with the goals of an outdoor cyclist in mind.

Benefits

One of the most defining success factors in any exercise plan is adherence. Indoor cycling classes are varied enough that anyone can benefit from taking one, and this makes adherence much easier. Whether you are a roady or prefer the unpredictable terrain of a mountain trail, indoor cycling provides an environment that allows for specialized training that cyclists can use to fine tune their riding skills in the winter. Motivating instructors, energetic music and the camaraderie that has become commonplace in the cycling room, are just a few of the factors that make indoor cycling an effective winter training alternative.

Practice makes perfect 

Through specific and targeted drills, indoor cycling can help cyclists in maintaining or enhancing their fitness levels and cycling skills.

Pedal stroke drills are some of my personal favorite drills in indoor cycling. They are designed to help cyclists in making their pedal stroke smoother and more efficient. Efficiency is obviously controversial in indoor training, as most casual exercises want to burn more calories, instead of less... the reality is that an efficient pedal stroke will allow the cyclists to focus on other areas, instead of wasting calories through a sloppy or choppy pedal stroke while minimizing the risk injury because of this.

Cadence drills are specially effective for cyclists who want to increase their speed. Indoor cycles present a unique challenge: a heavy fly-wheel permanently attached to our legs. Because of the fly-wheel, speed drills must be strictly performed at the prescribed cadence in order to avoid injury. When performed correctly, cadence drills can help cyclists to maintain or increase their outdoor speeds.

So whether you are an avid road cyclist or  a mountain rider, check out the wealth of possibilities that indoor cycling can offer you.

In health,

Alex

Carson Palmer is the Pro Bowl Quarterback for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. A major Pilates advocate and Balanced Body customer, Carson recently talked with Balanced Body about how Pilates has not only become a crucial adjunct of his training regimen but a huge part of his everyday life.

How did you first hear about Pilates?

My wife, Shaelyn, is actually a Pilates instructor and for years she was always trying to get me to try it. Like a lot of guys I mistakenly thought it was something that just the girls did – like an aerobics class or something. So I would always kind of laugh it off. I really didn’t know much about it.

“It’s crazy, we continue to do the same routine every day and still expect different results.”

For many of us the new year represents a fresh start, a new beginning. Many will struggle to stick to their resolutions and a high percentage will eventually fail... before June!

So I have compiled a few tips to help you kick-start your workout routine with a focus on building and enhancing aerobic endurance, and stay on the right path to extract better results from your hard work.

by Henry Abbot (Men’s Journal)

Basketball Pilates Buff and NBA All-Star Jason Kidd and his wife Pilates enthusiast Joumana have great bodies. Their secret is Pilates. Back in 2001 Joumana Kidd told Jason to try it. He put her off for a few years. He confesses “my first thought,”, “was that it couldn’t be that hard.” His first session with Pilates specialist Susan Whitlow turned out to be “a real eye opener,” he recalls. He kept at it, and noticed amazing things happening to his NBA-abused body. In addition to getting stronger and more flexible, he says he felt “ready to go tackle the challenges you’re faced with. It’s almost like coffee or something. It gives you a little kick.” “The more I got into it and the more I understood it, the better off I felt,” says Kidd. “And then the thing was, I just wanted to keep doing it.” Before long, Jason was stealing Joumana’s Pilates appointments. He learned quickly and his shape changed. He loosened everything up, he re-sculpted his center, and he did really well.”

Looking fit and fabulous is hard work but manageable! If you have struggled to lose weight or perhaps you have lost some but are stuck in a rut, let’s break down the weight loss process and get back to basics to get you back on track. What follows is a small list of pitfalls that sabotage your weight (and fat-loosing) management efforts.

1) You are working out too much or too little
Yes! There is a balance to everything in life and exercise is no different. The frequency, intensity, type and time (F.I.T.T.) is a formula that optimizes your training efforts by tweaking your exercise variables. You could be working too hard or not hard enough. Have a conversation with your personal trainer or fitness professional, usually minor tweaks will yield great results. If you are on a budget, mix things up a little with strength training and group fitness classes, and don’t forget to take a day off, rest is just as important as working hard.

Don’t expect to see new things happen to your body if you are stuck doing the same old things.

In all fairness, there is no clear answer to this question. It all depends on what your fitness and wellness goals are and the area of expertise that you are looking for. Both are great places to exercise but the similarities stop right there.

Here are some things to consider that could help you in making a decision:

1) Consider your personal situation

Are you recovering from an injury? How about any health conditions? Or perhaps you are simply looking for an activity that you can adapt to your fitness level. Specialty activities with special populations in mind are not the kind of training developed by most gyms, it is far too expensive and requires trained personnel. So the activities that you will find in a gym, while very effective, will tend to have a specific market in mind, and you may not be part of it. You will always find trainers eager to work with you but are they the right fit for you? Or, will they give you the same routine that they prescribe to most of their clients without much consideration for your needs and goals?

Spinning instructors are on a quest to stop contraindicated moves across America, and I have joined the battle!

For the past few years instructors have abused their creative license and morphed indoor cycling into some sort of aerobics (and acrobatics) class on a bike. I have seen absurd moves from one-legged pedaling, push ups on the bike, “walking” on the pedals to cycling with hands behind one’s back, all in the name of “fitness”.

Sadly, participants are dupped into believing that these perceived “hard-core” moves provide fitness benefits that outweigh the glaring risks of injury. In reality, these movements are contraindicated, unnatural and pose a great risk to participants.

"Jumps" are taking a beating lately... the text below is a re-print of an article published in my January 2008 newsletter.

Jumps:

Jumps are performed by lifting out of the saddle at intervals. This movement can be performed in two ways:

1) With a consistent pace: Keeping the leg speed consistent while shifting in and out of the saddle, emphasizing a smooth and controlled transition
or

2) Coming out of the saddle with a burst of power and increasing cadence for a short period of time as if “breaking away” from the pack.

A few years ago I took a 3-hour Mt. Everest Ride with my pals at the World Spinning and Sports Conference in Miami. The ride was masterfully led by Master Instructor and cyclist Josh Taylor.

Nope I'm not talking about physically fit instead I'm referring to credentials, experience and expertise that he/she has achieved to train you safely and effectively. With such a large number of certifications it is hard to know which one is better than others. Furthermore, this territory is still unregulated in the United States, which means that anyone can have a "certification" program without a standard number of hours or a specific curriculum.

So how do you know that you are in good hands? In order to make an informed decision before you shell out your hard-earned money, ask questions... interview your personal trainer candidate just like any person would interview for a job. Ask about certification but most importantly, ask about additional studies or complementary continuing education that he/she may have taken. Certification courses are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of training; personal trainers must continue to study to become proficient in areas such as anatomy,
kinesiology, exercise physiology, biomechanics and injury prevention.

Pro-athletes have used sports massage for years to help them gain a competitive edge. Most importantly, today sports massage is used before and after sporting events to keep muscles flexible and relaxed and to prevent injury.

But don't think that sports massage is only for pro- athletes! Massage can be extremely beneficial for anyone involved in athletic activities. A regularly scheduled sports or therapeutic massage can help alleviate Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) which is the achy feeling in our muscles one or two days after heavy athletic activity. Micro tears in our muscle fibers during concentric movements are the possible cause for DOMS, which are common in strength and resistance training. Massage can also help in restoring muscular pliability for overly tight and overused muscles. A massage is especially blissful for the lower back, shoulders and hamstrings after a long Spinning ride

Alex