This climbing strategy helped me get over climbs of two or more hours in the Alps and New Zealand. I’ve found a way to use it in my classes and really get students to zone inward when their road tilts upward for long periods. It’s not quite what you think!Read more…
Climbing big mountains is a rite of passage for cyclists. Getting you and your bicycle up that hill in defiance of gravity is one of the most difficult aspects of riding a bicycle, but it is also one of the great attractions to cycling. Overcoming the mountain challenges you—it bares your soul; it asks you to perform beyond what you thought was even possible. Over the next few weeks, Tom and I will be giving you our favorite strategies—both physical and mental—to get you and your students over that hump. We’ll be drawing from our own experience climbing long, hard mountains.Read more…
I created this profile In Honor of Mountains to celebrate International Mountain Day on December 11, but, of course, good climbing profiles with great music can be used any time of the year. Almost all of the songs are based on the theme of mountains and being “on top of the world.” 2023: A NEW ALL-CLIMBING VERSION OF THIS PROFILE HAS BEEN ADDED!Read more…
Did you know that December 11 is International Mountain Day? What a joy to know that something we love to simulate in our cycling classes has been given its own day to be honored! It’s a great way to create a theme and promote a special day of climbing to honor mountains. We give you a playlist on the theme of mountains, summit, and top of the world with 160 songs to help you create your own mountain-themed ride. We also have two special profiles on this theme, including a new one called “The Alpine Ascent: Celebrating International Mountain Day.”Read more…
One of our more popular series on ICA is a set of articles with various strategies for inspiring your students up long climbs. The series was called Strategy for Strength, and is one of the favorites we’ve done on ICA. One of the strategies was to inspire students to come up with a mantra that they repeat over and over to themselves as they climb. Of course, mantras aren’t just for climbing. I was inspired recently to come up with some for sustained tempo pace.Read more…
Most indoor cycling classes are 45–60 minutes long. Longer rides can serve as great training sessions and an accomplishment for riders to be proud of. You can teach them on their own or use longer classes as part of a progressive program to prepare participants for outdoor rides or multi-hour charity events. However, when you exceed a one-hour workout, you should alter how you design and deliver your class.
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A comment on my ICA Facebook page got me thinking that perhaps the FREE articles on ICA aren’t as evident as they should be. So I would like to highlight these articles and their wide ranging topics so you can see what you might have missed. These articles and interviews are just as educational and insightful as the premium articles, and you are free to share them with all the instructors you know. And don’t forget that articles on the Sage Advice Blog are always available to anyone at anytime, many of them hitting on very important topics for indoor cycling instructors.Read more…
We’ve all heard the phrase “Exercise is the best medicine.” However, no medicine is equally good at any dose; too little and the desired effects will not be achieved, too much and negative side effects result. Dosage in the context of exercise means training load: the intensity, duration, and frequency of a given activity. What are the best doses of each level of intensity and how will knowing this help us plan our classes?Read more…
By now, I am hoping you recognize the physical and mental benefits of incorporating longer intervals into your repertoire of classes, whether you plan on doing FTP testing or not. The question remains, how do I keep my riders interested? Won’t they be bored? What if I get bored? Here are nine tips (linking to numerous drills and over a hundred cues) to make your long intervals more interesting so you can keep your riders engaged and happy. Read more…
You know those red boxes where you break the glass to throw the emergency alarm? You need one of those in your instructor toolbox. The reason you need one is the defiant student.Read more…