When and Why is High Cadence Too High?

Following my previous article on what I believe to be the number one error that indoor cycling instructors make—cadence that is too high, I got a few comments, emails, and Facebook challenges to what I said. This is great, I appreciate all questions, challenges, and input. I don’t want everyone to just categorically agree with me “just because.” If you wonder why I am saying what I say, ask me! Challenge me!

But I do want to clarify: I am not saying you should never pedal faster than 100 rpm. I’m not saying I don’t believe in cadences above 100 rpm or that there aren’t instances when it is appropriate to pedal quickly. But what I am saying is that far too many instructors pedal faster than 100 rpm too often, without the supporting resistance underneath. I’m suggesting that they do this because they do not know the science behind pedaling a bike. Cycling is a pure and beautiful manifestation of the laws of physics; laws that have been studied and are well-understood for several centuries.

I am also saying that far too many instructors do not coach their students on the proper form required to pedal quickly. As a result, they are not helping their students get the most out of their experience in their classes, regardless of what their individual goals are as a student. Every single indoor cycling student, from an experienced cyclist who wants to increase performance, to a non-cycling mom who just wants to look and feel good, to an overweight newbie to indoor cycling who wants to lose weight, will benefit from a proper application of the science of turning the pedals properly.

In my previous article, I was suggesting that you, as an instructor should know that 100 rpm is already on the high side of a cadence range that makes sense in a physiological way, and that there is not another 40 or 50 rpm to add to the 100 times per minute your legs are blurring around the bottom bracket.

I’m saying that if you DO pedal faster than 100 rpm, you (and your students) should demonstrate excellent form in doing so, in such a way that you are not relying on the flywheel to pull your legs around and that you can pedal quickly without bouncing in the saddle. At all.

Finally, I’m saying that there are those who should not pedal that fast because they have not (yet) developed the skill to do so and are therefore not getting the benefits. You would be surprised how many of them there are. I’d venture to say in some indoor cycling classes, over half of the students should not pedal over 100, 95, or even 90 rpm, because they cannot do it efficiently. This is especially true in locations with a demographic that contains few if any cyclists in the class. Many cyclists, even recreational ones, have at least a cursory understanding of what happens when they pedal too quickly outside and end up shifting to a higher gear to slow down their legs to move the bike forward. Some will transfer that understanding to their indoor cycling experience.

So go ahead and do drills faster than 100 rpm. I do! Just know what you are doing and why, when, how, and how long.

You are an instructor and a coach—you should be very good at explaining this to your students. The science behind cadence is a key component of indoor cycling instruction. So ask yourself the following questions: Do you know why those super-high cadences do not make sense? Do you know how to coach (reasonably) faster cadences properly? Do you know when your coaching is needed when a student cannot pedal quickly with good technique?

My Motivation

I don’t bring this up because it’s my personal “philosophy” of teaching indoor cycling as some have suggested. My motivation is to legitimize indoor cycling as a solid training tool for cyclists and non-cyclists alike. I’d love to see the education level of indoor cycling instructors reach a higher level so that those laws of physics I mentioned above are applied as they should be.

I press this point because I’ve learned the physiological and biomechanical reasons for not pedaling that fast (on an indoor stationary fixed-gear bicycle)—it comes down to power output. I caution against excessive unsupported cadence because I understand how it can jar the body, especially the hips and back, and potentially lead to injuries and discomfort that might keep your students from coming back. Those students who do not come back may not be able to put their finger on why indoor cycling is uncomfortable; they do not know to say “I don’t like it because the fast pedaling hurts my back.” All they know is that after class they feel discomfort, ergo “Spinning® is bad.”

We also know that excessive high cadence without a realistic amount of resistance is cheating riders out of potential fitness. This ultimately is the biggest reason for my rant against roadrunner legs on indoor bikes. Forget the science of pedaling a bike for a moment and consider this very simple example. If you took the chain completely off a bicycle and got on it and started pedaling, it wouldn’t take you long to realize that it was an exercise in futility. Your heart rate would no doubt soar as you furtively turned the pedals, but not only would the bike not move because you have no torque to push against, your knees, hips, and back would start to hurt from the jarring effort. Even if that same bicycle was put on a stationary trainer and did not have the lack of forward movement to clue you in on the fact that pedaling with no chain was beyond silly, you would still realize it after a short time.

This is what is happening in many classes around the globe. This is the situation I described in my last post about the number one error indoor cycling instructors make. Those instructors (and students) I saw in California, and whom I’ve observed at conferences, certifications, and trainings over the past 14 years, are essentially riding a bike with no chain. That is how fast their legs are going and how useless the movement is. Their heart rates are still soaring, but without much resistance, it is a futile exercise.

On the other side of the coin, I also know that high cadence drills can be a very effective training tool when coached by instructors who have spent time teaching their students how to turn the pedals with good technique against resistance, and who have gradually progressed to higher and higher cadences over time. Properly done, it can lead to improvements in leg speed, and when tied with leg strength increases (slower cadence high resistance work) the rider achieves increases in muscular endurance. Good muscular endurance is what makes indoor cycling so effective as a training method – the rider can last longer in classes, feels strong, achieves great fitness, loses weight, and much more.

This is the beauty of properly conducted high cadence drills. I am sorry to say that it is very rare.

As I have mentioned a couple of times in this and the previous article, it all comes down to power output. To completely understand everything I’ve written, it is important to understand the science of power, even if the bikes you have do not have power meters, or even if you will never train with power. In an upcoming series, I will discuss the biomechanics of turning the pedals. I’ll teach you how to “pretend” that you have power, in case teaching on bikes with power meters is not in your future.

This knowledge will help you understand why I will continue to argue that the number one error that indoor cycling instructors make is riding at, and teaching students to ride at a cadence that is too fast.

Please slow your legs down!

For permission to reprint this article, please contact Jennifer Sage at Jennifer@indoorcyclingassociation. Redistribution unlawful without permission.

photo courtesy of Erwin Van der Ham