Leave it to the fitness industry to aggressively destroy yet another sound athletic training concept. Hone in on certain indoor cycling circles and it can be an absolute free-for-all. It is not uncommon to see massive high-speed sprints (with little to no resistance), producing an eye-popping 20 watts (not a typo), upper-body gyrations that appear to be from a scene in the Exorcist, and now Tabata, Tabata, and more Tabata. Read more…
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…
There is a silly division between those who train with heart monitors and those who use power meters, as if people either fall into one camp or the other. Because power meters are the latest technology, there is often an attitude that heart rate training is the old way andRead more…
My interview on the Ben Greenfield podcast was posted yesterday (my third podcast in two months!) on whether indoor cycling is bad for you. Actually, Ben, who is an elite triathlete, personal trainer, and fitness blogger/podcaster/presenter, is really good with creating headlines that turn heads! Basically we discuss how toRead 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…
Last month Tom wrote a post asking whether we should educate our students. It was in response to an article on another website that suggested that the role of cycling instructors is less to educate and more to entertain and give the students what they want. We feel strongly that by teaching our students the reasons why we do what we do, they will be far more likely to instill fitness into their everyday lives than those who simply are “entertained” by a rah-rah instructor. By learning how their body adapts to training they will be more likely to eschew popular gimmicks and trends in favor of more science-based training. The best part: they’ll love you in the long run!Read more…
Don’t miss this interview on the Endurance Planet podcast by Tawnee Prazak. Their discussion gives insight on the world of stationary bike classes with tips on finding the right class, what “trends” to avoid, power and watts, biomechanics of stationary riding, techniques for athletes, enhancing hill climbing skills, customizing your workoutsRead more…
Last year we mentioned we were going to reprint the Power Training e-book written by Gene Nacey of Cycling Fusion here on the pages of the Indoor Cycling Association. I’m happy to say that we are ready to offer you a new chapter of this excellent e-book every week! We start tomorrow with Chapter 1 which will define what power is and why it’s important to both cyclists and the non-cycling indoor cycling student. Sally Edwards wrote the forward for Gene’s book, reposted here. Read more…
Get ready to suffer…well, I hope not through this interview. David McQuillen tells us the inspiration and “painful” process of creating virtual rides that push our classes to the limit.Read more…
The Cycling 360 podcast aired today featuring an interview with Jennifer Sage. They discuss how a cyclist can Keep it Real in indoor cycling classes and why it’s important. The topics they discuss are relevant and important not just for cyclists, but for anyone teaching or taking any indoor cyclingRead more…