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In: Physiology, Heart Rate & RPE
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How important is the warm-up in a 60-minute indoor cycling class? Far more than you might imagine! Too often instructors don’t give the warm-up the attention it deserves. In part 2 of this series, you will learn the physiology behind warming up. I give you an analogy that I think will greatly enhance your understanding of why having “all hands on deck” is so important to functioning properly during your event or training session!Read more…

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In: Free Articles, Physiology, Heart Rate & RPE
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I used to race mountain bikes years ago, but if I knew then what I know now about proper warm-ups I would have been much better prepared and probably would have performed better! This article is part 1 of a 6-part series on effective warm-ups for cycling classes. The purpose of this first article is to get you to pose the question to yourself, “Are you warming up properly in your classes? What can you be doing better?” (Originally posted in 2016, this series has been updated with new information and tips) Read more…

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In: Class Profiles, Training Videos
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Last year, I was in New York and had the pleasure of taking Michael Reilly’s class at Equinox. Michael has been an instructor since 1997 and is one of the original members of the Indoor Cycling Association (thank you, Michael!). It was the day before one of the big American holidays that serves as an entrée to summer, Memorial Day. Michael did a Memorial Day ride that was very moving and I wanted to share these videos with you. Pay attention to his coaching—he’s got a great way of engaging his audience.Read more…

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In: Theme Ride Thursday
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Sometimes a song about breathing is the perfect prescription for your profile playlist, whether you are performing high-intensity intervals, riding at a steady-state sub-threshold aerobic level, or encouraging your riders to immerse themselves in a meditative state. Take our playlist of almost 150 songs to create your own theme ride and “just breathe.”Read more…

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In: Music Resources, Physiology, Heart Rate & RPE
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Here is the follow-up to my Facebook Live video on the importance of recovery within your interval-training sessions. This one comes with lots of great add-ons, including a 12-page guide on how to use music and coaching to keep riders engaged during the recoveries. It also comes with three Spotify playlists to help you choose both your high-intensity short interval songs of 1–3 minutes, and short songs that are good for your recoveries. You’ll never be lacking for recovery song options! Read more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, Instructor Issues & growth, Physiology, Heart Rate & RPE
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How do you counter the mindset of riders who reject recoveries? How do you educate them so that they not only understand the importance of recovery, but they relish it? What intensity should your recovery be at? Is it always that way, or are there exceptions? How do you keep riders engaged during recoveries so they don’t get distracted or bored? I answer all that and more in this informative Facebook Live training session.Read more…