Welcome to the Indoor Cycling Association
The Art of the Warm-Up, Part 1: Is Your Spinning Class Warm-Up Sufficient?
I used to race mountain bikes years ago, but if I knew then what I know now about proper warm-ups I would have been much better prepared and probably would have performed better! This article is part 1 of a 6-part series on effective warm-ups for cycling classes. The purpose of this first article is to get you to pose the question to yourself, “Are you warming up properly in your classes? What can you be doing better?” (Originally posted in 2016, this series has been updated with new information and tips) Read more…
Theme Ride Thursday: Light It Up!
If you’re looking to shine a little light on some new music then there’s bound to be something in here for you. Read more…
Facebook Live Mini Training: Why Cadence Matters, Part 1
This mini training provides a basic understanding of cadence and how it’s measured, and helps you understand the physiological factors of cadence that you should consider when designing your profiles. Read more…
RIP, Reverend D. Wayne Love (Jake Black) of Alabama 3
Best known for the song “Woke Up This Morning” which became the theme song for the HBO series The Sopranos, Alabama 3 has a number of tracks that should be in your indoor cycling repertoire. Jake Black was a clever song writer; the music industry has lost a great soul.Read more…
Memorial Day Ride by Michael Reilly
Last year, I was in New York and had the pleasure of taking Michael Reilly’s class at Equinox. Michael has been an instructor since 1997 and is one of the original members of the Indoor Cycling Association (thank you, Michael!). It was the day before one of the big American holidays that serves as an entrée to summer, Memorial Day. Michael did a Memorial Day ride that was very moving and I wanted to share these videos with you. Pay attention to his coaching—he’s got a great way of engaging his audience.Read more…
Quick Profile: Just Breathe
Julianne has created an outstanding profile targeting Zone 5, the training zone that helps improve the body’s VO2 max. VO2 max is the highest volume of oxygen your body is able to process and convert to energy, which is enhanced by better breathing techniques. To make the profile more interesting, the entire playlist consists of songs that focus on the breath. Read more…
Theme Ride Thursday: Breathe Through It
Sometimes a song about breathing is the perfect prescription for your profile playlist, whether you are performing high-intensity intervals, riding at a steady-state sub-threshold aerobic level, or encouraging your riders to immerse themselves in a meditative state. Take our playlist of almost 150 songs to create your own theme ride and “just breathe.”Read more…
I Took a Peloton Ride…and I Liked It. A Lot!
Last week, I took a Peloton ride, and I liked it…a lot. It wasn’t my first ride that I enjoyed, but this one was different. It was a 20-minute FTP test. Here is my review and what I did when I thought I would quit partway through.Read more…
A Celebration of Theme Rides: ICA Contest Winners!
Theme rides are all the rage these days. They are fun, they keep riders engaged, and they will inspire instructors to expand their song repertoire. Some riders will even ask for them. So we had a contest and have been posting them through the past 4 months. Here are the links and the winners!
Read more…
Masterclass: The Importance of Recovery (Part 2)—Cadence and Music Choices During Recovery
Here is the follow-up to my Facebook Live video on the importance of recovery within your interval-training sessions. This one comes with lots of great add-ons, including a 12-page guide on how to use music and coaching to keep riders engaged during the recoveries. It also comes with three Spotify playlists to help you choose both your high-intensity short interval songs of 1–3 minutes, and short songs that are good for your recoveries. You’ll never be lacking for recovery song options! Read more…