Here are the power files from two different riders in an interval class. Can you tell me what the purpose of the class is by looking at the cadence, power, and heart rate? One file is how the effort should look; the other is someone who struggled a bit. Can you guess why? How might this impact your teaching?Read more…
Whether you currently teach with power or not, chances are you’ve heard of FTP. Maybe you even know it’s important information for the more serious outdoor riders in class…but should your everyday, non-cyclist students bother with it? After all, they aren’t coming to improve outdoor cycling performance, they just want to lose weight and get fit! Read on to explore what knowing FTP can do for the non-cyclists!
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When you learn how to read and interpret a workout file it is an amazing tool to aid in putting together profiles. You will better understand the possible impact your choices (cadence, resistance, power, etc.) will have on your riders. By looking at a file from a less fit rider who suffered in the class or was unable to do the prescribed workout, you will understand why some might struggle with your coaching. Or, maybe you might discover that some things you are doing might not be as effective as you thought. Read more…
Heart rate training has been a source of confusion for a long time in the indoor cycling world. The good news is that there IS an easy way to create meaningful training zones by performing an assessment known as a talk test. This detailed PDF will teach you the physiology of this assessment and provide everything you need to know to conduct a talk test in total confidence. This test should be done as a precursor to every FTP field test, as it also is an excellent means of reinforcing riders’ understanding of perceived exertion.Read more…
Have you ever taken a class in which the instructor said you were going to do a high-intensity interval effort, but didn’t tell you how long it would be? As a result, you didn’t know how hard you should push for fear that you wouldn’t last the whole time? What was the result? Here are the basic rules for teaching interval sets and reps. Great tips for new instructors or as a brushup for seasoned instructors.Read more…
Josephine has a rider who loves to sit right in front of the fan, but she never sweats. Is this good or bad? She also wonders if sweating plays a role in weight loss. We turn to the ultimate expert, Dr. Jennifer Klau, who did her master’s thesis on sweat. Dr. Klau’s answer goes way beyond this question and will help you understand the physiology of sweating at a much deeper level so you can inform your riders correctly about what it means…and even more importantly, what it doesn’t mean. Read more…
As temperatures rise, the topic of AC and fans in the studio heats up too. Learn the guidelines for temperature and ventilation in an indoor cycling room, the physiology of how the body regulates temperature, and the potential dangers of excessive heat.Read more…
Cynthia has a question about the perceived exertion for threshold intervals and the recovery in between the intervals. She also asks for motivational cues for threshold efforts. I’m sure she’s not alone with these questions, so I hope this helps many instructors.Read more…
In part 3 of this series, you’ll get the perceived exertion descriptions and creative cues to help your riders push themselves extra hard for up to 1 minute. But…these are not sprints! Sprints require their own set of cues because they rely on a completely different energy system. Stay tuned for part 4! Read more…
With the New Year upon us, you will be getting a LOT of questions about calories burned in your cycling class. How much do you know about the calorie estimates you see on your heart rate monitor, computer console, or power meter? Are these estimates accurate? Here is everything you need to understand how the wrong information—or faulty understanding of the data—can lead you or your riders to believe they did more work than they actually did. Read more…