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In: Class Profiles
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Not that I want to encourage any of my riders to throw a tantrum, but bringing them close to the edge is fun. What is riding tempo? How does cadence affect my power output, sustainability, and efficiency? How are heart rate and power affected when that delicate and steady world of tempo is disturbed?

There is more action and variables in this ride than you can shake a stick at. Even though the target intensity is Zone 3, you may find many of your riders lying on the floor kicking and screaming when it’s over.Read more…

Power Profiles

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In: Biomechanics, Cadence, Power
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Even if we don’t understand slow twitch from fast twitch to nose twitch, the muscle fiber mixes we are born will inevitably guide us towards riding or racing that takes advantage of our strengths, and minimizes the drawbacks of our weaknesses. We are encouraged by what we do best and thus we continue to build on it. Add a little training that continues to improve on our strengths, and some desire to achieve objectives with those strengths, and now we will begin to see specific rider types emerge in a way that can actually be quantified to help with both prescribing training as well as understanding just how variable power is from one individual to another.Read more…

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Richard Mullins is an ICA member from Ireland whose passion for teaching is contagious! Who better to create an Irish-themed profile than a blue-blooded Irishman with passion?! I know you’re going to enjoy this fun interval profile built around events that catapulted Ireland to the global stage, including many sporting references. Read more…

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In: Biomechanics, Cadence, Power
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I am a big proponent of using all of the tools at your disposal, so the idea of training without a heart monitor just leaves too much information on the table. Why handicap yourself for something that is both easy and relatively inexpensive to measure? More to the point, heart rate should be seen as what it ‘costs you’ to generate a specific power level and sustain that level. Read more…

Training Tools

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In: Biomechanics, Cadence, Power
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Maybe a better title for this chapter would have been ‘What’s It All Mean?’ This is really the bottom line, after all. If we are going to research the best power bikes to buy, learn how to use the power consoles, perform heart zone and power zones baseline tests, we need to know how to understand the data that flows from all this work. Since this chapter is a bit long, we’ve broken it into two posts.Read more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, Free Articles, Instructor Issues & growth, Keep it Real & eBooks, New Instructors
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The term “Keep it Real” in regards to indoor cycling has gotten a bad rap lately. This subject has been talked about a lot lately on online forums and websites, so it’s time to put the stake in the ground and describe exactly what it means and what it does NOT mean. I wrote the e-book Keep it Real in 2008, and wrote the workshop for Spinning® in 2006 which was based on that concept, so I have skin in this game.Read more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, Form and Technique, New Instructors
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Two weeks ago Robin Robertson provided an idea for a mini periodization plan in your schedule. During the first week you focus on Form and Foundation drills. Of course, you can do these any time, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a part of a periodized program. Here are six great drills for all new and longtime students, since every one can benefit from reminders about skill improvement. These are also great for new instructors to implement.Read more…

New Research

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In: Biomechanics, Cadence, Power
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The byline of this chapter is “If you can measure it, you can improve it.” Data collection is the final step before beginning our journey of taking the knowledge we have gained, and applying it to produce tangible, measurable, and most importantly repeatable results. Any system for this type of measuring and monitoring must have both a clear structure and a solid scientific foundation.Read more…