ICA member Kristen read in a book about cycling that suggested some serious maneuvers indoors to “mimic” the position of riding a bike outside up a steep hill. I conferred with fellow cyclists and Master Instructors Tom Scotto and Jennifer Klau, two people who know a whole lot about bothRead more…
You’ve heard me talk about improving efficiency by helping students improve their technique. But did you know that doing so might decrease caloric burn? Yup, you heard me right. But wait! Don’t go deciding not to help students improve their form because you’re afraid they’ll mutiny if they knew aboutRead more…
You’ve decided to conduct a field test and teach your students about threshold-based training. You’ve been training for awhile with the new heart rate numbers, and you’re about to do your first re-test. Now what? How do you interpret the results? How do you answer your students’ questions? What ifRead more…
A facility in Southern California called Studio Sweat has announced that it is going to start offering online streaming videos of its “Spinning” classes. They have several of them posted on their site. Here is one they call “SpinCore”. Before you watch it, has anyone here taken the official “Spin®Read more…
After Halloween, Valentines is one of my own favorite theme rides. Every year I alternate with a Valentines theme and an Anti-Valentines theme, or as I like to call it, “Cupid is Stupid”. In fact, I bet spurned-love songs are only second to the number of love songs in theRead more…
I love knowing the beats per minute of a song. I’ve transitioned from someone who didn’t use the bpm very often (except for climbs) to one who heavily relies upon it to match the cadence objectives of my planned ride. This is not a discussion of whether you should orRead more…
Here is the Audio Interview with Jennifer Klau, PhD for ICA members to download in MP3 format. You can transfer it to your music library or to your portable music devices to listen to on the go.Read more…
Katie asked if this move was contraindicated. It is something that you might see in certain types of cycling races, such as track cycling. It requires huge amounts of power output, and hence, a potential enormous strain on the joints and musculature that is involved in turning the pedals. WeRead more…
Tom Scotto’s article on how to train the neuromuscular system was incredible last week, but several instructors wondered how to incorporate the knowledge into their own classes. Is Neuromuscular training for all of our students? Is it beyond their comprehension or basic needs of general fitness? You bet it is! SeeRead more…
This week’s Ask the Expert is about the foot position during the pedal stroke. Does the toe push down, or does the heel push down? Both Tom Scotto and Jennifer Sage provide advice on how to cue a proper foot position with your students. ICA member Dan asked a greatRead more…