Don’t resist resistance
If you’re a beginner, arrive early at the class and tell your instructor you’ve never done it before. Give yourself three classes to learn about the bike, resistance and format before you start trying to keep up with everyone else. Always ride with a little resistance on the wheel, or you could strain your joints and you won’t have enough control. But only turn it up to where you feel comfortable, and you don’t have to leave the saddle until you feel completely ready. If you need to take a breather, that’s OK. Try not to stop, just keeping your legs moving until you feel good again.
Checks and balances
To check your saddle height, stand next to the bike and raise your leg so your thigh is parallel to the floor. Adjust the saddle to line up with the top of your thigh. When you sit on the bike, your leg should be completely extended at the bottom point of the pedal stroke, with just a slight bend in the knee to prevent the joint from locking. If you’re too low down, you don’t use the whole of your thigh muscles, which reduces your power and can lead to muscle imbalances. If your hips move from side to side as you pedal, you may need to lower the saddle slightly. Other common mistakes are having the handlebars too high, which leads to tension on the neck and shoulders, and having the saddle too far forward, which places excessive strain on the knee joint and can cause lower back pain. To correct this, ensure that your knee lines up over the ball of your foot, not your toes, when the pedal is at 3 o’clock. Aim to have your handlebars at about the same height as your saddle, and slide your butt right to the back of the saddle.
Aim for the goal
Before each class, set yourself a goal. If you’re a beginner, this might be to climb for five minutes before taking a rest, or to work on keeping your shoulders relaxed as you ride. For more advanced riders this might be to work on activating your hamstrings during climbing, or to improve your two-minute heart rate recovery through diaphragmatic breathing. Having a goal of your own choosing increases your motivation to achieve it, and gives your workout a specific focus.
Ride smart, not just hard
Be kind to yourself. If you had a heavy training session yesterday, are recovering from a cold, or have had a stressful day at work, your system will already be fighting to get you back to full strength. If you ride too hard on top of this, you could end up with overtraining syndrome, an injury or infection and be out of action for days. The beauty of indoor cycling is that you can ride the same terrain and techniques as everyone else but adjust the resistance to keep your intensity level moderate instead of high.
Don’t hold back with the feedback
Finally, give your instructor some feedback. Tell them what you like and don’t like about the class, and ask questions if you’re unsure about anything. Good instructors will take the time to answer questions and welcome feedback, and if you don’t tell them, they can’t do anything about it.
Schwinn, America’s biggest and most well-known bike maker, has just appointed sports and fitness developer Inspirit as exclusive UK distributor for its new indoor “Authentic Cycling” range, designed to closely simulate the feel and aerobic qualities of road cycling. www.inspirit.co.uk
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Fitness Professionals Ltd or Virtual Magazine. Consult a qualified health or fitness professional before making changes to your diet or exercise.
