TriCore Cycling: The Ironman's Guide to Indoor Cycling

TriCore strength. endurance. balance.

The Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

by Jack Nunn

Who is Jack Nunn?

Jack created Powerhouse Fitness after winning numerous medals in various events on the international stage. He was a gold medalist in 2007 at the first ever Concept 2 Team Indoor Rowing challenge, held in Essen, Germany. In 2006, he took silver at the Masters Nationals Open Single Event. As a member of the US Rowing National Team from 20012004 he placed second at the 2003 Pan American Trials in double sculls and had an outstanding 2002 that saw him claim a gold medal in Senior 8 and a silver medal in the Elite Double at the US Nationals. He was also a silver medalist in 2001 in the Nations Cup (now the U23 World Championships) 8 in Ottenshiem, Austria.

In 2008 and 2009 Jack competed in two international Ironman competitions in Nice, France and Florianopolis, Brazil.

Jack is also the head trainer for the Relay Fitness Group, the creators of a new type of indoor cycle called the Evo Fitness Bike. Jack is developing fitness programming, exercises, and workouts related to the special features of the Evo, including the use of the pivoting frame that promotes core and upper body workouts while also promoting a natural pedaling motion. Jack Nunn will be featured in a new workout dvd due out in July 2012.

The Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling Author Editor Photographer

Jack Junn Mark de grasse eric nelson

Sponsored By

RELAY FITNESS GROUP POWERHOUSE FITNESS

Indoor Cycle Types

Evo fitness bike: Evo i Evo fitness bike: evo ix Evo Fitness Bike: evo cx

Questions and feedback:

Powerhouse Fitness 1347 Loma Street, Long Beach, CA 90804 Phone: (562) 688-1716 Email: info@powerhousefit.com Online: www.PowerhouseFit.com

Relay Fitness Group 3189 Airway Ave. Suite F, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Phone: (866) 714-0009 Email: info@relayfitness.com Online: www.RelayFitness.com

DISCLAIMER: Relay Fitness Group and Powerhouse Fitness do not endorse and makes no representation, warranty or guarantee concerning the safety or effectiveness of either the products or techniques discussed or illustrated in this ebook. The publisher makes no representation or warranty concerning the legality of the purchase or use of these products, services and techniques in the United States or elsewhere. Because of the nature of some of the products, services and techniques advertised or discussed in this magazine, you should consult a physician before using these products or services or applying these exercise techniques.

COPYRIGHT: 2012 Relay Fitness Group. Material in this publication, including text and images, is protected by copyright. It may not be copied, reproduced, republished posted, broadcast, or transmitted in any way except for your own personal, non-commercial use. Prior written consent of Relay Fitness Group may be obtained for any other use of materials.

4

8

19 Contents

13

04

The Top 10 Reasons Why Cyclists Should Start Indoor Cycling

08

Proper Cyling Indoors & Out

13

The 5 Best Exercises for Indoor Cycling

16

The Top 10 Mistakes in Indoor Cycling

19

Bike Sway = Leg Strength

The top 10 Reasons: Why Cyclists should start indoor cycling

Indoor Cycling classes are an ideal place to work on proper cycling technique and provide a traffic-free environment that can go a long way toward replacing the on-theroad experience. It’s a great place for cycling novices to improve ten aspects of cycling that will quickly make them a better rider.

I

ndoor Cycling classes are an ideal place to work on proper cycling technique and provide a trafficfree environment that can go a long way toward replacing the on-the-road experience. It’s a great place for cycling novices to improve ten aspects of cycling that will quickly make them a better rider. It’s a great place for the veteran cyclists to refresh their technique as long as they remember not to ride an indoor bike the same way they do their outdoor bikes.

1

Safety

Let’s face it. Indoor workouts are extremely safe and effective! Cross training with indoor cycling is only valuable to a competitor in a sport if the cross training improves performance. Unfortunately, cycling on the roads can be dangerous. There is a saying among outdoor cyclists: Every cyclist has one major crash. It’s just a matter of time when it will happen and how bad it will be.

Subsequently, indoor cycling bikes offer the perfect Cross Training solution with all the training benefits of road cycling without the risks of crash injuries.

2

Climbing

There is no greater confidence in muscle endurance strength building than good climbing. That’s why it is crucial to learn how to use all the muscles of the leg and not just the quadracips. Hamstrings and glutes are used on the recoil of the footpedal stroke. There’s no better place to focus on this full rotation and pull up of the footpedal on the upstroke than on indoor cycling bikes.

Seated Climbing: Most outdoor cyclists know that they should pull up on the pedals on the upstroke, which activates your calves, hamstrings, and glutes while reducing the load on the quadriceps. In reality, outdoor cyclists rarely have the opportunity to do it for long periods of time on the typical outdoor ride as they rely on the environment of the ride. Here’s the technique for indoors: Engage your lower abdominal to help push your butt towards the back of the seat, then drive the pedals down with your heels lower than the toes. Keep the heels low when you pull up and as soon as you lift the heel above the ball of the foot, you turn off the calf muscle. Most outdoor cyclists sit too high on an indoor bike and don’t hinge their torsos forward enough while keeping their heels up and pulling up with their shins and quads, not calves.

Standing Climbing: In order to utilize the hamstrings, glutes, and back

muscles as you would outdoors you must adjust your posture for the lack of angle.

On an outdoor climb, the front end of the bike is tipped up. To replicate the position on an indoor bike, hinge at the hips, keep you back straight and parallel to the ground, and push your nose down to within a few inches of your handlebar. This maneuver is commonly known as ‘hovering’ over the seat of the bike in the typical indoor cycling class.

In addition, since a typical stationary bike cannot be rocked beneath you, simulate the effect by moving your body side to side. However if you are using the New EVO Indoor Cycling Bike the natural ‘swaying’ motion is already replicated and added to the real-time feel of an outdoor bike.

4

Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

3

Speedwork

Road cyclists are generally locked into a 90 rpm mentality. While the indoor cycling bike’s typical weighted flywheel will push any rider’s cadence higher, huge gains can be had with specific techniques.

Standing Speedwork: To build

explosive power and raise your lactate threshold as well as rapid turnover, stand straight up and “run” on the pedals. The key to is put the entire weight of the body on the quads and push the watts much higher in order to gain muscle endurance strength. The technique: Stand tall, with the head, hips, and bottom bracket in a straight line.

The upper body stabilized by engaged abdominals with light hand pressure on the bars as you blast your cadence up to around 120-130 rpms which blows away the 110 rpm most top cyclists can manage outdoors while running out of the seat on your bike.

Sitting Speedwork: Ideal for build-

ing rapid turnover, this technique is typically easy. The technique: Use little to moderate resistance as you get set in the forward position on the saddle while engaging the abdominal to stabilize hips and upper body, and then go as fast as you can. Try and hit around 130-140 rpms for maximum efficiency in your seated sprint workouts.

4

Gradual Warm Up

Throughout the typical indoor cycling class there is only minimal time for a ‘Warm-up’ and ‘Cool-down’ due to the time crunch of most cycling programs at your local gym. Consequently many classes go very hard right away from start to finish. Your heart-rate shoots up high and once it’s up, it’ll never come down for the rest of the session.

As a result you might not ever train for recovery, allowing your heart-rate to

drop, a key to cycling endurance. What that means is that a truly fit person will see his heart-rate drop by as much as 50 beats on a 30 second downhill. That is important because it allows the body to rest during that period. The problem with going out hard and fast from the beginning of a cycling class is that your heartrate is too high for too long and you risk burning out and leaving the class all together. Cycling and training at a constant high level is not realistic especially for novice riders and more importantly you never really train your heart to rest.

Warm Up Goal: Warm muscles in conjunction with a gradually rising heart-rate. Try to avoid doing any sort of speed-work until 12 to 15 minutes into class. Regardless of what your class is doing, unless you’ve done your own personal warm-up before class began, ride the first two songs seated and standing with light to moderate resistance, followed by a seated and standing climb for one song each.

5

Turn Up the Music!

Indoor cycling gives you the chance to train with everyone from the regular road extreme cyclist to the novice rider.

Indoor cycling programs create a great opportunity to socialize with other people in class and create camaraderie.

Don’t underestimate the value of having a small talk with people who are a lot stronger or weaker than you. Turn up the music and have fun with your indoor cycling.

Music can provide an amazing beat to follow in class as the instructor guides you through and works you out through the music. As a consequence you can almost get lost in the beats of the music as you follow the rhythm of the beats. The standard hour cycling class time should fly by with the utilization of upbeat popular music. Try to maximize your own indoor cycling experience by listening to upbeat music and follow the beats as you come down on the pedal stroke hit the beat of the music. Listen for the beats and let the music guide you throughout the work-

out. Before you know it you will have designed a heart pounding calorieburning workout that moves along fast while getting the best cardio workout ever.

Music is a huge advantage to utilize for indoor cycling classes or at home because it is safe and effective. Using music outdoors can be very dangerous and is not recommended due to the obstacles and distractions of outdoor riding. You must be able to hear what’s going on around you with cars, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles that you are sharing the road with. You must be responsible and aware on an outdoor bike. Ironman triathlon rules and regulations prohibit any use of listening devices while you cycle or run in order to prevent injury and/or collisions. You could be ejected out of any sanctioned outdoor cycling or triathlon event by simply listening to music on the course.

6

Extreme Calorie Burn

Indoor cycling can manage to burn about 500 to 700 calories during the average 60-minute class and the distance covered is about 15 to 20 miles on average. Results may vary with calories burned from individuals due to different weight, gender, and intensity levels. The distance of the typical indoor cycling experience depends upon how fast you pedal along with moderate resistance. The main difference between indoor cycle bikes and stationary bikes is that indoor cycle bikes operate on a flywheel mechanism that doesn’t allow you to coast. So as long as the wheels are moving, you must continue pedaling.

The braking mechanism utilizes a leather brake pad or a special alignment of magnets on the flywheel in order to increase and/or decrease resistance.

This is one of the reasons indoor cycling burns more calories than riding a bike outside. Another reason is because you’ll use a variety of speeds and resistance levels that may not be possible on the road to to traffic conditions and landscape. Using the typical ‘1-10 rule of intensity’ (1 being no resistance on Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

5

the bike to 10 being the most resistance added to the bike) the instructor can guide you to a long effective resistance training workout that is sure to make you sweat and burn off tons of calories.

Due to the heavy amount of sweat in a closed room at home or at the gym make sure to drink lots and lots of water to avoid dehydration and loss of performance during the ride.

7

The Cycling “High”

You probably have heard of runner’s high with that rush of feel-good chemicals, called endorphins, that occurs after a run. Individuals in an indoor cycling can get it as well. You can experience a ‘high’ after leaving an indoor cycling class with an incredible high or endorphin rush which sets you in a great mood for the rest of the day. The rush of endorphins leads to mental benefits such as improved sleep, increased relaxation, and reduced stress. One of the fundamental concepts of an indoor cycling program is visualization, guided imagery, and mental distraction making a mind-body connection to a real-time outdoor riding experience that will produce a powerful workout. It encourages students to focus on breathing, relaxation, and body movements or form. This connection most likely taps into the reward centers of the brain as participants achieve higher levels of physical performance during the rides.

8

Shaping Up

Cycling can change your body dramatically and give you that lean strong body you’ve been training for while training hard with cycling. Indoor cycling can develop long, lean, and defined bodies that have strong core muscles. The other great attributes of indoor cycling are primarily with the physical cardiovascular benefits with weight reduction, a drop in blood pressure, improvements in diabetes control, and improvements in overall strength.

6

Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

9

Core Workouts

Indoor cycling instructors never give up when it comes to talking about technique and posture. The right cycling posture is important to working the right muscle groups. In addition to the major leg muscles worked during a Spinning routine, the abdominal muscles get a workout. As you cycle, unlike racing a bike on the road, you get an upper body rhythm going that helps you keep your leg rhythm. The movement from a slightly bent position and side to side ‘swaying’ works both the central abdominal muscles and those along the side of your abdomens. You may not see immediate results of your abdominal work, but over time you will feel your entire body begin to tone up, including your abs. When using the Evo Indoor cyling bike the ‘swaying’ motion is a crucial proactive design that

10

Proper Cycling Gear

While training on an indoor cycling bike in either your home or at the gym then you need indoor cycling shoes. Indoor cycling shoes are very important as they help to increase the effectiveness of your cycling training on stationary bike.

They improve the efficiency of your pedaling. Indoor cycling shoes

are special shoes that are designed to attach to your exercise bike’s pedals by way of a clip. The typical standar ‘clip’ used on most indoor cycling bikes are the shimano SPD ‘clips.’ Attaching these shimano ‘clips’ to the pedals improves the efficiency of your pedaling since your foot will be well attached to your bike’s pedals and hence preventing your leg from slipping from the pedals.

This helps you to pedal consistently and hence improve your pedal stroke while training.

Lighter shoes and less sweat mess. Indoor cycling shoes are lighter

than ordinary outdoor cycling shoes.

This makes it more comfortable to pedal. The more indoor cycling classes that you attend you will need to invest in some cycling shoes due to the amount of sweat you produce in each class. Running shoes can only handle so much of a daily day to day use and will break down much faster if you use them on the indoor cycling bike.

Breathability. When training at

home or in a gym, it could get really hot inside and wearing fully-closed shoes would be uncomfortable as your feet begin to sweat. With indoor cycling shoes, some of them are specifically designed in such a way that there is enough ventilation for air to flow to your feet, hence making you feel comfortable. This is also important as it will help you to prevent foot diseases caused by bacteria on your feet, resulting from the constant sweating in you feet.

Maximum impact from a workout. Indoor cycling shoes are usually

designed with an extra inner padding that will help you to feel more comfortable when exerting pressure when pedalling. This will in turn help you to train more intensely without much pain on your feet resulting from cycling shoes with hard soles. You will then benefit %100 more from your cycling workouts. The ‘padding’ and ‘stiffness’ or the cycling shoe will help an individual maximize their workout while pushing force directly through the crank on the pedal and in turn will create the most watts and calories burned.

Preventing injuries. Indoor cycling shoes are usually designed with clips at the bottom so as to help you to attach your feet to the stationary bike’s pedals.

This attachment to the pedals will help to prevent injury on you when your feet possibly slip off the pedals of the bike like they would while wearing conventional running shoes. When you buy your indoor cycling shoe, make sure you buy the shimano ‘SPD clips.’ These ‘clips’ will be the ones that will help you to attach your shoe to the stationary bike.

if you sway on the road, you should sway at home While most indoor cycles have a fixed frame, there are a limited amount of brands that “sway.” Just like your road bike requires balance, so should your indoor cycle.

One of those indoor cycles is the Evo Fitness Bike. With an innovative sway frame that pivots 10 degrees to each side, you can work your upper body and core, while also promoting a natural pedaling motion that won’t throw you off next time you jump on your bike. Find out more at www.RelayFitness.com

PRoper cycling indoors & Out Over the past 10 years while teaching over 5,000 hours of indoor cycling classes throughout various fitness facilities across the USA, I have found that in order to get the best workout on a bike, you must have the right technique whether you are cycling indoors or outdoors.

8

Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

n

Proper Cycle Set Up & Pedal Interface

First, let’s look at how your foot connects to the crank arm. The widest part of your foot should be roughly in line with the pedal spindle. Some cyclists prefer to be slightly fore or aft of this point, but generally the more efficient position is in line from the forward front part of the knee cap to with the head or beginning of the big toe. The more solid the pedal platform driving straight down through the legs, the more force and power you will be able to create through to the crank arm.

A Shimano SPD clip carbon-soled shoe is very rigid and will transfer more power than a typical rubber-soled athletic shoe.

A soft athletic shoe will actually cause you to be very inefficient and not be able to create much power through to the crank arm. Make sure to obtain the proper cycling apparel and equipment in order to be more efficient, comfortable, and set to burn more calories. If your foot is rotated to the inside or the outside as you pedal, more force will be directed medially or laterally and therefore will negatively effect your power and efficiency going through to the crank arm. The rotational angle of your cleats should face straight forward but also match your natural bio mechanics and leg alignment.

T

he leg drive on a bicycle is a relatively simple process.

You may either pedal with greater force, more pedal velocity along with resistance in gears or brake, or both to achieve greater speed and power. In order to accomplish this, you must first transfer your body’s energy to the pedals.

How much of this energy you transfer is determined by your efficiency and technique during the pedal stroke.

There are many ways to increase power and efficiency. It is possible to be a fit and powerful athlete, but not necessarily a fast one if you are inefficient.

Some pedal systems have a high degree of “float” built into them and it is not necessary to adjust for rotational angle.

If you are a “pigeon-toed” or “duckfooted” cyclist, it is important to not lock your foot in a position that is contrary to how you are naturally built. This will cause compensation in your pedal stroke, wasted energy, and perhaps an overuse injury.

The Choice is yours...

Many indoor cycles comes with a variety of pedal options including SPD clips, cages, or other latching system. Some bikes, like the Evo Fitness Bike, include multiple pedal systems. The Evo has SPD clips on one side and a cage on the other.

Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

9

stroke, one leg will fight the other.

Through the bottom of the pedal stroke you simply need to un-weigh and apply a little of force while pulling up the pedal to keep the momentum going so that it can move at equal velocity to the crank arm on the upstroke. Use the hip flexors to accomplish this. They are the muscles you touch when you put your hands in your front pockets. Hip flexor strength and developement are extremely important when it comes to being strong and powerful on the bike. Some energy is lost in the pedaling cycle while using the core and other muscles to balance and some energy is used to stabilize your joints to produce force but the objective is to direct as much energy as possible directly into the crank arm. Be as consistant as possible while trying to drive as many watts as possible into the crank arm of the bike!

n 2. Proper Seated & Standing Form An efficient cyclist works within the limits of his or her own natural bio mechanics to optimally produce pedal force. What does this mean? Everyone has differnt body mechanics and composition and will have a slightly different pedaling style based on how they are built. Some cyclists are wide-hipped, duck-footed, sway-backed, overpronators, etc. It is important to not attempt to correct something that is natural as injury can occur. Keeping this in mind, there are ways to put more power to the pedals.

n

Proper Cycling Pedal Form & Force

With proper cycling form, you can ride your bike more efficiently, ride your bike faster, and ride your bike with less elbow, hand, neck, knee, lower back or butt pain. From toes to head here are five tips on proper cycling form and utilization of force.

n 1. Pedal In Squares When an individual cycles the feet are moving in circles, but if you can think in square rotation technique, you’ll improve your pedaling efficiency. Push your foot forward along the top of the square, and then down against the front side of the square. Next, scrape the bottom of the square as if your scraping mud off the bottom of your foot and then pull up the backside of the square.

Optimally, force should be applied perpendicular to the crank arm.

Any force that is applied in a different direction does not directly work towards your speed. Most pedal force is produced from the top to bottom of the pedal stroke. If you can imagine looking at a traditional clock, an efficient cyclist will begin producing force at 1o’clock position or just over the top of the cycle stroke. If an individual attempts to produce force by “pulling up” on your pedals through the bottom of the pedal

10 Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

Make sure your heels are not moving back and forth as you pedal. A small degree of float is needed in the pedal stroke, but if the heel moves excessively towards or away from the crank arm, energy is wasted. Dropping your ankles as you pedal or pedaling with your feet (ankling) does not produce force effectively. The muscles of the lower leg play an important stability role, but the bigger muscles of the upper leg are the prime force producers.

“Knees out” pedaling is another more common form issue that can lead to some possible leg and knee injuries. Your knees should track roughly within a line from the hip to the foot. When the RPMs’ (Revolution’s Per Minute) get to be too fast sometimes or when there is a lack resistance an individuals whole body may tend to ‘bounce’ in the saddle while pedaling, this translates to more lost energy and a very inefficient way of cycling.

The hips should be engaged and connected to the seat without much ‘bounce’ at all.

A straight back is a more stable platform for force production than a rounded back. However, there are occasions when you will lean forward in order to cut down on wind resistance for outdoor riding in order to increase speed and efficiency. When using the indoor cycling bikes there are many times when the use of your upper body muscles assist by pulling the body into the pedal stroke to create as much force as pos-

sible while leaning from side to side.

While doing this, try to avoid a tight grip on the handlebars and be efficient and light up top so that the upper body won’t atrophie and consequently last longer throughout a long ride.

An individual can and will burn more calories while using the legs.

tremendous upper body stress or injury. Instead, hold the handlebars (or aerobars) with a light relaxed grip, which will save energy, keep the neck and shoulders loose, slightly lower blood pressure, and keep you from feeling too tight on the bike. It’s a small adjustment, but can make a big Overall, pedaling form should be fluid difference in your comfort especially while the body relaxed. A relaxed body during long rides and events, which will ultimately improve your perforabsorbs road shock and vibration, mance. White knuckling the handlewhereas a stiff body fatigues from it. bars like this can lead to numbness in Video analysis and slow motion video the hands as well as attrriphy throughvisuals is a great way to prevent bad habits from forming and identify mul- out an individuals enitre upper body. tiple form issues.

Tightness in the chest will restrict breathing which will reduce oxygen n 3. Proper Cycling Fit consumption. Oxygen is essential for on the Bike both removing waste products and An individual’s bike fit must consider bringing fresh supplies of energy to your comfort, aerodynamics, and pow- your working muscles. Also remember er. The combination of these positions that the more an individual can relax will depend on the type of cycling the face and upper body while breathyou are doing, your biomechanics, ing in more oxygen the more energy and competitive level. A poorly fitted they will be able to produce. Just like bicycle, however, does not allow you a muscle car uses a super-charger to to produce force effectively. A seat that obtain more oxygen faster in order to is too high, low, or positioned too far gain more horsepower the more an forward or aft will affect power that individual can breath in and utilize can be produced through the crank more oxygen the more that individual of the bike. A seated position that is has the ability to produce more power. too condensed or stretched will be When a cyclist or athlete is short of uncomfortable and may cause neck, oxygen the legs will tire more quickly shoulder, back, shoulder, or hip-flexor and that individual will have a harder strain. time finishing the climb if they are not breathing freely.

A bike that is too big or small will not be nearly as effective as the proper frame size for your hieght and weight.

Only when you are on the right bike, comfortable, and lined up correctly, can you really put the power to the pedals. All of these variables affect how you concentrate and produce energy to that relatively small area near your big toe. Setting up the bike to an individual’s needs and adjusting for cycling efficiency translates to tons of “free speed.” You don’t necessarily have to work harder, just smarter.

n 4. Proper Cycling Grip When cycling indoors or outdoors remember to keep a light grip on the handlebars. Beware of the white knuckle syndrome where an individual tries to grip the handlebars way too tight and consequently could cause

n 5. Proper Forward Leaning Cycling Form

While a cyclist pumps the crank up a hill the muscles being used will become exhausted as waste products produced by straining muscles accumulate faster than they can be carried away in the bloodstream. It doesn’t take long to clear these waste products if you can make less use of the muscles for a moment. There is no such thing as ‘chilling’ or ‘coasting’ on a climb and the solution is to briefly work different sets of muscles throughout the climb to give particular muscle groups precious time to recover. There are several ways to do this.

If you typically ride with toes pointed down or feet flat, drop your heels for

a bit to bring your hamstrings and glutes more into play and give your quadriceps and calves time to recover.

Likewise, if you usually ride with your heels dropped, raise them so your feet are flat or point your toes down thereby taking the load off the hams and glutes and shifting it onto the quads and calves. Shift forward and back on the seat. Sitting on the front of the seat accentuates the quads, sitting on the back accentuates the hams and glutes.

Stand up for a brief interval and then sit back down. Just before you stand, shift into a bigger gear and then shift back to the smaller gear when you sit down. You will have more power when you stand and if you stay in the smaller gear you will lose momentum. Use these techniques for 10 to 30 pedal strokes periodically throughout the climb to buy recovery time.

Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

11

n

Be Efficient & Remain Seated While Climbing

Standing is terrific for short bursts of power or for a change in muscle use (and hence a bit of muscle recovery) on a very long climb. However, it is less efficient than sitting and will tire you out faster in the long run. You will be stronger at the end of the ride if you climb sitting at the beginning.

Less efficient to begin with, standing becomes much more inefficient if your technique is not good and good standing technique is much harder than it looks. Many riders with poor technique weave back and forth across the road when they stand and thrash back and forth, twisting at the hips. This wastes a lot of energy and is hard on the lower back possibly leading to back soreness or tightening on long rides.

Experienced riders are likely to disagree with this advice to climb while seated because standing on the climbs is a standard practice among advanced riders. Having developed the ability to climb efficiently while standing is one of the many skills that separates the advanced rider from the novice. If you stick with road cycling, you’ll learn to climb in a standing position but when you’re just starting out, I think it’s better to learn to climb efficiently and well while sitting before learning the more difficult skill.

In many of my own cycling classes I see all the benefits in the standing position while cycling and climbing in order to maximize power and stength, especially on the Evo indoor cycle with the sway frame that shifts back and forth and causes instability that forces you to use the core muscles to engage and burn more calories throughout the ride. More and more resistance can be added while in riding in the standing position and consequently more watts are produced and more calories will be burned!

12 Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

y d a e Geot rrock! t

5best exercises for Indoor Cycling

If you’re looking for rapid fat loss and conditioning levels, you need to be using these top five indoor cycling exercises.

Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

13

1

Exercise 1: Jumps

These ‘Jumps’ can be performed an indoor cycle during a class or at home while having the resistance set to a moderate level or out on the roads if you wish. Make sure that you have your hands steady on the handlebars when attempting these jumps; some indoor cycles are capable of swaying from side to side. Pivot your body from the hips back and forth over the seat and then in an upright position. Hold a jump in each position for at least a couple of seconds. The swaying motion of the EVO bike combined with the balance and core you need to control the EVO bike will give your obliques and arms an amazing muscle-tone!

A jump is usually help for 10-15 maximum revolutions of the cranks (for each leg) at as reasonable rpm or cadence. You can integrate a set of 5 to 10 sets of these jump workouts throughout various stages of your favorite song while cycling to the beats of the music. Let the beats dictate when you move back and forth over the seat while you jump. Ideally you should allow at least a minute of rest between each set and five minutes rest between sets to allow the muscles to recover. You could use jumps in every song you have throughout class or at home in order to utilize and train your core muscle groups.

You can also alternate sets of seated and standing jumps if you wish to target different aspects of your cycling as well as increasing the resistance as your power improves. Make sure to try to keep the resistance higher while doing jumps as you do not want to lose control of the bike. Resistance on the EVO Bike will help you keep pace with the beats of the music and will offer a much higher calorie-burn workout!

14 Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

2

Exercise 2: Interval hill sprints

3

Exercise 3: hovering

Resistance is typically higher when you climb and challenge your leg power and therefore the cadence is often lower than when you imagine riding on a flat surface.

A trick here is to lower the resistance a bit to increase RPM’s (revolutions per minute) with leg speed and carefully come out of your seat at the same time for around 5 intervals lasting anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds at a time. Make sure your hips are moving with the bike from side to side and that the momentum is carrying your feet out of the back-end of the cycle stroke for momentum and the knees are slightly bent. When you begin these exercises you want to try to initially build your cadence for the first ten seconds and then aim to maintain the cadence over the remaining ten seconds throughout each interval. After each sprint allow at least 1-2 minutes easy cycling as recovery time.

‘Hovering’ is preformed in order to maximize focus on strength in the quads and hamstrings. There are many cyclists who do not know how to use their hamstrings and therefore cannot maximize the full spectrum of the cycling stroke with the legs. This hovering drill can be used during class as an intensifying hamstring strength workout. While holding the handlebars with a light but steady grip move your hips back so that your butt is literally hovering above the seat at around 1 to 3 inches and hold that position for 10-45 seconds for 1-3 intervals in addition to your workout routine. The longer you hold that position while riding, the more intense the sensation will increase in the hamstrings and quads. Make sure to slightly bend the knees and really focus the use of the legs during this workout and try not to hold on to the handlebars too tight.

4

Exercise 4: tabata intervals

Dr. Tabata discovered that this kind of interval training produces much better results than aerobic training.

This included building as much muscular endurance as forty five minutes of normal cardio training. In fact in the study the subjects increased their anaerobic capacity by over a quarter as well a substantial increase in their aerobic fitness.

Something to keep in mind was that the subjects were as fit as race horses before they started the trial, so the improvements were remarkable. This makes it a very versatile program, you can use tabata for weight loss as well most improving performance in most aerobic and anaerobic sport.

Tabata interval training is the single most effective type of high intensity interval training, it’s also the most intense by far, and surprisingly its the shortest in duration, it only last for four to five minutes.

Resistance on the EVO bike stays at an easy to moderate pace and RPM, just enough that you don’t bounce in the saddle as you sprint. Your base ‘recovery’ pace is 60 percent of max of your exertion rate. During your workout plug in these Tabata Intervals of :30 seconds on and then :10 seconds rest. On the 30 seconds of work, sprint to 80 to 90 percent of your max. Go back to 60 percent pace on the 10 seconds of recovery. Try and incorporate this exercise 8-12 times during your workout to really intensify your workout and burn fat fast!

Tabata drills are very intense form of interval training consisting of :30 seconds of work followed by :10 seconds of rest. Multiply that by 8-12 times, and you get around one 4-5-minute Tabata. On the bike, this plays out as 8-12 :30-second sprints with light to moderate resistance. It also can be used for rolling hills - 30 seconds super steep, 10 seconds more moderate resistance, and so on for 8-12 intervals. Tabata drills effective and challenging for strength training and cardio circuits in an indoor cycle class setting or at home.

5

Exercise 5: HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

High Intensity Interval Training is a specific type of interval training routine. It is mostly used for individuals trying to lose weight. It has a number of distinct goals and differences which make it unique.

The first difference is in time, excluding warm ups and warm downs last no longer than 20 minutes. This may seem like a very short space of time but believe me if you do the workout correctly you will be exhausted by the end of it. The goal of HIIT is to hold an anaerobic state for a long cumulative time from 3-5 minutes using 3-5 intervals throughout the workout. It’s designed with rest intervals to allow you to sprint harder for longer. The rest intervals should last about only %10 of the total work time involved. For an interval work time lasting about 4 mintues the rest time should be around :30 seconds in between sets. In an advanced HIIT workout you would probably spend about 7-8 minutes going full-out in a 15 minute workout. If you are a beginner you should start with 2-4 minutes total workout time.

Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

15

top 10 mistakes in

indoor cycling

Are you making one of the most common mistakes in indoor cycling? Find out now!

Some of these mistakes can lead to injuries, others make your workouts inefficient and can prevent you from having the best workout possible.

I

came across an article in the L.A. Times recently that covered a cycling studio that uses weights while on the indoor bikes. I began to wonder how far we will go with indoor cycling to make it so different and unique that it suddenly becomes unsafe and dangerous. Indoor cycling is an amazing cardiovascular workout and is extremely popular among all fitness classes offered around the world. However, as with all group fitness classes, there is concern that instructors try new and ‘exciting’ ways to do certain exercises on the indoor bike and some of these moves can cause injury.

Jillian Micheals techniques on The Biggest Loser, as well as some new cycling techniques, remind me that less is more when it comes to indoor cycling. Many instructors use moves that may be dangerous in the name of creativity. Indoor cycling can be very safe, but make sure you are aware of the following mistakes that instructors make while teaching class or while using your indoor bike at home. When it comes to designing and planning an indoor cycling workout: less Is more! Focus on the beats of the music and try to keep it to a simple cycling routine so that everyone in class can follow no matter what level you are.

1) Make Sure Your Instructor is Certified The instructor should be certified as a group fitness instructor by a nationally accredited organization. There are many indoor cycling programs offered as cycling continues to dominate the group exercises classes around the nation. Nearly every bike has a certification and anyone who teaches classes should be well informed of proper cycling technique and coached on safe riding rules.

2) Mind Your Hearing Music is going to be the most important aspect of a cycling instructors indoor cycling routine. Most instructors like to play the music very loud so be sure to be cautious of everyone else in class. Music is an integral part of indoor cycling, and the classes are notorious for cranking up the volume. You can try to speak to the instructor about lowering the music, but if that doesn’t work keep yourself out of hearing aids by wearing ear protectors in class. You can purchase inexpensive silicone or foam earplugs that will reduce the volume while allowing you to hear.

16 Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

3) Properly Adjust Your Indoor Cycle Adjustments to the indoor cycling bike are very important in setting up an indoor cycling class. Making the proper adjustments can make a huge difference in comfort and overall calorie burn during class. The seat is typically as high as the individuals hip height where you would wear a pair of pants. To make this adjustment, make sure you are standing by the side of the bike and use your hip as a reference point in order to get the right angle for pushing down into the pedal. The seat should also be more fore than aft while riding in order

to get the best possible push and power straight down into the crank. This will burn more calories and will create less back tension and injuries.

The handlebars should always be higher than the seat position in order to create a relaxed position and avoid any lower back injuries. Refrain from grabbing the handle bars too tight. Relax the arms and shoulders as much as you can while riding. If someone is a competitive rider or is used to cycling with a lower handlebar setting then make sure you tell them it is an aggressive position and warn them of possible back soreness before letting them have that body position during class. Outdoor cyclists or triathletes tend to train with the handlebars lower than the seat in order to practice less wind resistance and be more efficient while taking that riding technique outside. A cyclist’s seat and handlebar adjustments and good form are keys to a safe ride. If you are unsure of the correct fit, ask a certified instructor before the class begins.

4) Always Con- A qualified, experienced, trol the Resisand inspirational indoor tance Yourself

cycling instructor can

Make sure not to let help you get the best anyone, including your instructors adjust workout possible while the resistance on your bike. No one can know also watching your form. how much resistance you are feeling except for yourself. Ride at your own pace and level and hold yourself to your own goals and accomplish them at your own pace. Make sure to avoid turning the tension too high where you find yourself barely able to turn the legs or even stopping the pedal rotation because the resistance is too high.

This is bad for your knee joints and also the bike itself. If you were turn up the gear on an outdoor road bike while climbing uphill, Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

17

the chain would actually snap (I’ve actually done this twice before :/ .. so it’s not realistic or effective strength training).

5) Leave the Weights on the Rack Do not use or hold weights while on the bike. Not only is it ineffective, but it is unsafe. You need your body and core stabilized to lift weights. Your instructor may tell you it will increase your heartrate, but any increase is caused by the “pressor effect.”

Instead, you will probably slow down your legs, reducing the actual intensity of the ride while you try to remain balanced on the bike.

6) Keep Your Hips in Motion Always move your hips and use your core while riding and never isolate them to put more emphasis on the quadriceps and hamstrings. By isolating the hips into one position, it actually puts extreme pressure on the knees and joints.

7) Watch Your RPM Refrain from going faster than 120 RPM at any point during your ride. The typical indoor cycling class should try and hold anywhere from 80-120 RPM while pedaling. Anything faster than 120 RPM (or what some programs like to call “Free-wheeling”) and you run the risk of literally flying out of the pedals with your shoes or clips and can cause serious injury with hyper extension to the knee joints or just by being hit by the crank while a 50lb flywheel moves the crank forward with tremendous momentum.

8) Indoor Cycles are for Indoor Cycling Push ups on the bike are unsafe and not effective for core and upper-body strength building. If you want to do some armtoning calisthenics hope off the bike and do your workout on

18 Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

solid ground. If you want to combine your indoor cycling with your upper body training workout, you’ll need a more capable indoor cycle like the Evo Fitness Bike. The pivoting motion of this indoor cycle allows you to work your core and upper body with each pedal. It also promotes a more natural, full body pedaling movement.

9) Indoor Cycles Have Two Pedals for a Reason Never take a leg out and pedal with just one leg at a time. If an individual has a leg out of the pedal while cycling to work on a one-leg push, they will run the risk of hitting their leg with the pedal as it comes around the back end. If you want to work the one-leg push on the indoor bike just power down one leg at a time while still tied in to the pedal and increase power with the opposite leg to get the same effect.

10) Bring the Proper Gear for a Proper Workout Wear the proper equipment in a proper indoor cycling room setting. Cycling shoes with the standard indoor cycling SPD clips, athletic shorts, towel, light-breathable dri-fit clothing to promote cooling body temperatures, and water in a room at home or fitness center. Make sure you have access to proper air circulation! You do burn more calories in the heat, however you can run the risk of overheating and dehydrating or even get heat stroke. Always have the option to cool down as your body heat rises. Outdoor cyclists typically do not run into this issue because the wind usually cools your body while you sweat.

With indoor cycling, there is no wind so it can get hot quickly, especially with 30 people or more in a cycling class.

=

bike sway leg strength S

Should your bike “sway” while you ride?

ome cyclists would say that the less sway the better, however, the act of throwing every ounce of leverage, weight, and power into the pedals while incorporating a side to side movement is the visible result of trying that hard to move forward when riding outdoors.

If you could stay absolutely still and input the same amount of force to the pedals, then more of that energy would go to moving forward, but physiologically it is very difficult. It’s a matter of balance and leverage. Further, there is a mechanical advantage to be had in terms of body mechanics by swaying the bike, and it lets

the cyclist apply a bit more force than if the bike remained completely straight.

The swaying motion from side to side will allow the cyclist to use more of his arm strength than he/she would otherwise be able to. Being able to use your full body weight in a sprint has its advantages, and that’s one reason that cyclists shift the bike back and forth under them to ‘throw’ their body weight down on alternate legs to create additional momentum and speed. They must sway the bike back and forth because of the mechanical reality of the situation.

Bike sway is not always a conscious act;

if a rider didn’t do this, the bike might fall out from under them. Sometimes you will see someone move a traditional indoor cycling bike off the ground from side to side and hop around the floor in class.

These riders are applying extreme power to each pedal. Since the pedals are not centered laterally, applying a large force to the right pedal will apply a rotational force that pushes the top of the bike to the right and the bottom of the bike to the left. Without this counterbalancing motion, they would quite literally kick the wheel out from under them.

By ‘swaying’ the bike in the opposite Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

19

direction, they increase the amount of force on the legs and core that can be applied to the pedals without crashing.

It is an intuitive motion that happens automatically for any rider, from novice to advanced. For a quick mental picture, imagine somebody swaying in the same direction as the pedal being pushed. For instance, somebody leaning the bike to the right while they apply a large force to the right pedal. The rotational force would rotate the bicycle clockwise, lifting the wheel off the ground. Not something you want to happen, especially at sprinting speeds or in a indoor cycle class setting. For a great example of how this technique comes into play in road cycling, watch any Tour De France finish line approach. It’s incredibly intense and you can see how hard everyone sprints and works the whole body in order to get through the finish first. Legs, lungs, muscle endurance, and core play a massive role in the use of the bike!

In an indoor cycle studio setting with a range of beginner to advanced riders, a sway bike can work to engage the core muscles that you don’t often feel on a traditional indoor cycle. Indoor cycles like the Evo Fitness Bike are equipped with just the right amount of bike sway to get the job done; only 10 degrees from one side to the other which

20 Ironman’s Guide to Indoor Cycling

provides a fun, core-blasting, muscle toning workout. Sway bikes move with your body so you can engage your core muscles in order to get more out of a traditional cardiovascular indoor cycling workout.

Engaging Your Legs AND Your Core A 10 degree bike sway motion from side to side can enhance your workout by engaging your core and upper body as you pedal. Plyometric exercises may also be referred to as explosive exercises.

With the use of a sway bike, an individual can take up the RPMs (Revolutions Per Minute) to the high range of 100-120 rpm or low range at 60-80 rpm in order to work the core in and out of the saddle.

Plyometric movements, in which the leg muscles are loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength, elasticity, and core muscles and surrounding tissues to jump higher, run faster, cycle longer, or hit harder depending on your desired training goal. Plyometrics play a huge role on sway bikes and can be used to increase the speed or force of muscular contractions. Incorporating bike sway into your indoor cycling provides a perfect training tool in explosiveness of the legs and core muscles around your abdominal, obliques, shoulders, arms, and legs, help-

ing to contribute power and strength to a variety of sports activities.

The use of bike sway uses every principle of plyometrics training and has been shown across the board to be beneficial in a variety of athletes. Benefits range from low impact injury prevention and rehabilitation, building lean muscle, and core strength among athletes and novice riders alike.

Sway bikes aren’t trying to simulate turning a bike; for that, you need the g-forces that can only be generated with momentum. Rather, sway bikes simulate the natural motion of the body while pushing the pedals and balancing on a bike, as well as the upper body motion needed for standing sprints. With the integration of the ‘sway’ and or ‘lean’ of the bike, an individual is forced to automatically engage his or her core in order to control the handlebars and sway.

Sway bikes, like the Evo Fitness Bike, will teach individuals how to use their core muscles and be smoother while swaying from side to side. In order to keep a little balance on the 10 degree sway, an individual must turn on their core, and as a result, receive a total body workout from the shoulders and arms all the way down to the feet!

Get Focused on your training The time to get into shape is now... all it takes is a consistent, focused effort (and maybe a workout method that doesn’t bore you tears).

The Evo Fitness Bike offers a fun way to burn calories in the shortest time possible.

Find out more at www.RelayFitness.com

TriCore strength. endurance. balance.