On one of the Friday Favorite song suggestions for a flat road at 90 rpm, an ICA member was unsure how much to stand and how to invite students to take breaks on long songs like that. He asked, “How do I invite students to take a break while on a flat road? Are we talking about standing breaks? If so, they would need more resistance to stand, right?”
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Often times (like during the Indoor Cycling Summit), people will ask, “What part of the pedal stroke does the calf muscle power?” This is a great question because it does not have a simple answer. My favorite kind. Now I could say that the calf does not power any part of the pedal stroke and this would be true. I can also say that the calf powers the entire pedal stroke, which can also be true. So which is it? Read more…
Many thanks to Kimberly Matte for passing along a question her riders asked concerning the new Schwinn AC bike with magnetic brake.Read more…
I received a question from a cyclist who said a master instructor told him he should allow movement in his upper body and he disagreed, because he was always taught to keep his upper body still. But there is an important difference between an outdoor bike and an indoor bike, and that has implications in how you should modify your riding indoors.Read more…
I want to thank Robyn Stricoff, who attended our IC Instructor Insight Webinar, for this great question. There is a lot of confusion concerning how much force/weight we place on the handlebars when out of the saddle. This confusion also extends to the perceived “core” workout one receives while riding. In this article I will touch on both.Read more…
Melinda asked if the weight of the flywheel could add too much stress to the knee joints if we dropped below the recommended 60 rpm on indoor bikes. The weighted flywheel can present a safety issue in classes. It comes down to momentum, resistance, and proper form.Read more…
I received an interesting query from an instructor who is worried about one of her co-instructors who takes a caffeine and Nitrous Oxide (NO) supplement prior to teaching. Students have described him as inattentive, distracted and even “psychotic”. I turned to Dr. Jennifer Klau for advice on this subject. Even if you’re not taking this particular supplement, you might want to keep Dr. Klau’s admonition in the back of your mind when considering supplements!Read more…
Renee asked about teaching jumps properly. Jumps can be controversial; some programs obviously love them and they are a big part of their program, and others list them as part of contraindicated moves. If you must teach jumps, I give you 3 things you must never do when coaching jumps, and 4 ways to choose how to present them to your students. Read more…
Moritz asked an excellent question in the comments of the recent Lactate Threshold Field Test post about why I suggest a higher cadence flat instead of a faster hill climb for field testing. You’re going to learn the important reasons why a faster cadence is preferred for a field test, but you’ll also learn that there is a time and a place for a fast uphill time trial! Learn here why, when and how!Read more…
Have you ever taken over a class from a popular instructor, or at a new gym, and you not only get the sense that they don’t like your style, but you’ve gotten complaints or negative comments from students? That’s what happened to ICA member Beth, and she’s pretty down about it. I’ve got some suggestions to help build your confidence and stand your ground, as well as how to make sure you learn from the situation.Read more…