The world lost an incredible musician today. Here is a list of some of my favorite Tom Petty tracks to use in my cycling classes, and how I use them. I’ve also created a Spotify playlist of what I feel are some of his best songs for a wide variety of uses in your classes, from the warm up, to the cool-down, to fast flats, hard climbs, and much more. Read more…
If you haven’t yet organized a charity event to raise funds for one of the (far too many) disasters, Puerto Rico needs us! Let’s bring our Spinning® / indoor cycling community together and raise money for these Americans. The need is urgent! The best news is that there is some fantastic music from Puerto Rico—we’ve put together a Spotify playlist with some of our favorites. Read more…
What? Me? Doing push-ups on a bike? This video is from last year’s popular 22 Push-up Challenge that was going around Facebook. I decided to do my final day of the challenge on the bike. But don’t despair, I haven’t lost my marbles…there’s a teaching moment at the end so make sure you watch it all the way through. And feel free to share this page or share our YouTube link with those who might think push-ups are an acceptable way to gain strength. They may be surprised at what they learn! Read more…
The traditional way of doing VO2 max intervals was through excruciatingly long and hard efforts, but we’ve got really good news for you based on the latest science. While they are still HARD…you don’t have to go as long to get the benefits! That makes VO2 max training (and its benefits) more accessible to everyone.
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You and your riders are going to love this versatile profile…I bet you’ll use it again and again! It’s also easily modified for all abilities if necessary. Your riders will feel very successful when they are done and will be singing your praises!Read more…
Threshold training refers to exercise intensity designed to raise the lactate threshold (LT), a high, sustainable intensity. Even a student who never ventures outside will benefit from training to raise LT; working harder helps burn more calories during the class, as well as afterward. Learn how and why you should be doing threshold intervals in your classes. Read more…
The Indoor Cycling Association is embarking on an interval education series that will highlight the fact that not all intervals are created equal. Written by Jennifer Sage, founder of ICA, and Jennifer Klau, Ph.D., we will start the series with a primer on exercise physiology, and then dive into intervals of every stripe. But first…take this important, short quiz to test your knowledge of intervals.Read more…
I discovered this track in 1997, and it quickly became a staple in my cycling classes. Its evolving energy is perfect for crafting a story, culminating in a powerful finale as your legs transition from 65 rpm to 80 rpm, driving you over the summit.Read more…
These threshold hill repeats are an excellent way to improve power at threshold and improve oxygen delivery. They will leave your riders begging for more profiles just like this!Read more…
I received a great question recently in the ICA Facebook group from Sarah asking what the difference between a “spin-up” and a “surge” is. We had an Ask the Expert post from 2013 with a similar question from Angela asking, “How exactly do you teach a spin-up? Is it different from a sprint?” So, I have edited the previous article below and updated it with Sarah’s question to help you fully understand what a spin-up is and how to teach one, including referencing a full profile on these drills.Read more…