“Fartlek” is a Swedish term meaning “speed play”—and it’s a fantastic way to add unstructured, playful intervals into your ride. Fartleks sneak bursts of intensity into your class, creating the feel of an outdoor adventure where the landscape itself sets the pace. It’s a way to challenge your riders while keeping things unpredictable, boosting intensity in a way that feels natural and fun!Read more…
In part 1, I provided six general tips for teaching switchbacks, including how many, how often, how long, and how to use the music. In part 2, you will find five different scenarios for designing and cueing your switchbacks to make your classes more exciting and engaging, increasing your coaching repertoire and improving your visualization and motivation skills.
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Discover everything you need to know about teaching switchbacks in your indoor cycling classes—from using music to define the turns to deciding how long they should last, how many to include, and when to incorporate them for maximum impact. Read more…
Here’s a great drill to add to your profiles that teaches standing and sitting with control and efficiency. Once mastered, the technique will improve every other drill that requires standing.Read more…
Riding rolling hills on a bicycle can be a thrill, especially when they are short and continuous. Because of this, they translate beautifully into indoor cycling classes. But teaching rolling hills is more than just alternating a climb with a “downhill.” To coach them in an authentic way, it’s important to understand how a cyclist would approach them, how gravity will affect your speed of ascent, and how cyclists take the descent. Then you need to know how to use the energy of the music to define your ups and downs. They are so much fun that your riders will be asking for them by name!Read more…
I’ve been teaching this pedal stroke drill for almost as long as I’ve been teaching (20 years). I first introduced it at a conference in my session called The Anatomy of the Pedal Stroke at WSSC in 2002. It’s a fabulous visual to help riders connect with their pedal strokes.Read more…
This drill is designed to increase your body’s ability to process lactate in your muscles. The goal is to increase your maximum sustainable power, as the majority of the work is below threshold. Get ready, in 3-2-1…Read more…
The opposite of a regular paceline drill. The key to success is how you set the scene and describe the challenge.Read more…
It’s close to the end of class and you know they’ve still got a little bit left in them. Here’s a drill that will help them expel that remaining “canned heat left in their heels” and push them to the finish line.Read more…
Obsessed with Cycling Drills: Paceline drills are a fantastic way to simulate a group ride or racing scenario such as a Tour de France stage. They are also a fun way to do intervals. You can design an entire profile around this drill, or simply insert a paceline into any profile. You will be surprised how quickly the time passes when you keep your riders engaged in this manner!Read more…