18 months ago, following a rash of press that Spinning®, and even just plain cardio, is “bad” for you, Dr. Jennifer Klau and I got together to discuss the lack of science behind these claims. Originally the audio for this interview was for members only, but I am resurrecting this and making it free for everyone to hear. This discussion specifically goes into debunking a Charles Poliquin article about the “negatives of aerobic training”.Read more…

Endurance

Indoor cycling endurance classes are a lose-lose situation. Low-intensity, steady-state classes are hated by your fitness enthusiast (or non-outdoor rider), and the fact that you attempt to deliver an endurance class to your outdoor riders within 60 minutes is just enough to tick them off. Instructors that try to force these mind-numbing, ineffective classes down riders’ throats will receive the same response as parents telling children to eat some nasty-tasting food because it is good for them. Some of you right now are possibly confused, stunned, angry, unfriending me from Facebook… What in the name of Keep it Real is Tom talking about?!Read more…

James Fell, my favorite irreverent fitness myth buster and journalist, has just posted an excellent article on silly techniques in indoor cycling classes. James was one of the first to publicly challenge some of the unsafe and ineffective techniques done at SoulCycle (and other similar programs) in his front-page feature in the LA Times two years ago. Both Tom Scotto and I were interviewed for that article. You’re going to want to share this one with every instructor, student, and group exercise director or studio owner you know.Read more…

Chapter 3 of Gene Nacey of Cycling Fusion’s e-book Power Training. This chapter discusses your limiters. A limiter is a physiological, mechanical, environmental or other circumstance that constrains or ‘limits’ performance. Put in terms of power, we would say that there are a variety of factors that can limit how much power we can produce. Read more…

This year I took a compilation of the four inspirational New Year’s Profiles on ICA and put them together into one 90-minute ride. If you want a longer ride, this will give you ideas how to combine these profiles. Remember, New Year’s rides can be done all through January as riders set goals for 2014 and you commit to helping them!Read more…