Wednesday, January 27, 2010

spinning class...it is real for cycling?



It is an interesting question, because of the popularity of spinning and the fact that many major driver of the spinning type classes frequently in the winter.

I think most people can benefit from spinning classes. Spinning bikes are to ride two different bikes racing bike, but the physiological adaptations are necessary adjustments to road cycling close. Thus, it is almost certain to improve the performance of his bike when he in a spinning class.

Although I must say that it is impossible to compare 1 hour to 1 hour spinning road cycling. There are many external factors that affect your perceived exertion (temperature, humidity, music teachers, etc.) Therefore, it is very likely a subjective feeling that he has worked more than they are objective (a power meter might tell a different story .. .)

Also, remember that the teachings are fitness-round with the people in the eye. You want to talk to and people who enter the fitness room, once or twice a week, not the cyclists, 8, educate train 12 or more hours per week. I do not think it a bad decision, but it is borne in mind when you are cycling on the road with a much larger amount of training and other purposes, with their training.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

FIND YOUR RHYTHM AND SPEED



Use the right gears and shift early to balance the work of your muscles and aerobic system. New riders often make the mistake of pushing their muscles until they can not push any more. When they decide to shift to an easier gear - if they have one - it is often too late. The muscles are exhausted and unable to continue.

BREATHING


If you start to breathe irregularly, take a deep breath and hold it for a few pedal strokes. Try synchronizing your breathing with your pedal stroke - start by taking a breath every time one foot (your right one for example) reaches the bottom of a stroke. Then try 1 1/2, and finally every two strokes. You will actually deliver more oxygen to your system with a controlled rate.

TRAINING FOR CLIMBING - DO SOME HILLS


After you've developed a good strength base in the weight room, the absolutely best way to

If you are going to be riding hills as part of an event or a tour, you might consider building up weekly climbing volume to around 125% of event climbing volume. If it is a one day event, aim to climb at least 60% of event elevation change volume on several rides. For example, if the event has 10,000 feet of climbing, you must climb 6,000 feet in training in one day, several times.

And don't foget to train for technique as well.

  • Find a hill that's 1/4 to 1/2 mile long - not too steep.
  • Find the gear that lets you spin at 100 rpm all the way to the top.
  • Keep your breathing steady. If you start panting, the gear is too high.
  • Then find a higher gear that reduces your cadence to around 50 rpm, but again without causing you to have labored breathing.
  • Now the exercise:
  1. Climb the hill in the low gear with a fast cadence. Work on spinning smoothly.
  2. Coast back down and then climb the hill in the higher gear (slow cadence) concentrating on applying an equal force all the way around the pedal stroke.
  3. Repeat the cycle (4 total climbs)

Hills


For beginning cyclists, hills can be a big challenge. Experienced cyclists actually have no problems with hills - they know how to shift, to brake, to pace themselves, and they have gotten stronger on hills with practice. There are two areas with hills to be concerned with:

  • Uphill. Cycling uphill is not that hard if you shift to the right gears. It took me a little while to learn this. What I like to do is build up some speed going into a hill, shifting to a bigger front gear and getting some momentum. This will carry me a little ways up the hill. As the pedaling becomes more difficult, I gradually shift to easier gears until I'm on the smallest front gear and largest back gear. If I'm lucky, I do not get to that point. It's also good to learn to pace yourself - do not pump the pedals too hard early on in a long hill, or you'll tire out.
  • Downhills. Steep downhills can be scary for us beginners because of the speed. I recommend slowing yourself down with intermittent braking. If the downhill is not too steep, I recommend shifting to your big front gear and smallest back gear - you can really build up some speed that will carry you when you hit the flat or the next hill.

Braking


Obviously this is a pretty important area. It's a major safety skill that takes a little practice to learn. A few tips:

  • Down hills. The temptation going down hills, to limit your speed and make sure you do not get out of control, is to brake the whole way down. It's recommended that you do not do this, though - the brake pad could burn out. You want to do it in spurts.
  • Front brake. Many beginners use both brakes simultaneously to brake. But more experienced cyclists (and I'm not one yet) use the front brake most of the time. If you practice using the front brake, you will lose the fear of flipping over the front wheel.
  • Rear brake. This is good For certain situations, especially if it's slippery or your front tire blows out.

Shifting Gears


This is a topic that might seem simple, but true for many beginners, it can be confusing and a little scary. But with a little practice, it's actually pretty easy. Here's what you need to know:

  • Three front gears. There are usually three gears in the front - the large, medium and small. There is one shifting mechanism at the handlebars for switching between these gears (marked 1, 2 and 3). The large one is for when the pedaling is the easiest, and can go the fastest. Good for downhills and flats. The small one is for hills, and takes a lot of pedaling to go the same distance as the other two, but is much easier to turn. The middle is between them, and is probably going to be used most often (at least by us beginners).
  • Seven back gears. These also go from small to largest, and have a shifting mechanism for switching between them (1-7). I usually pair the small front gear with the largest three back gears (1-3), the medium front gear with the middle back gears (3-5), and the large front gear with the smallest back gears (5-7).
  • Basic premise. Basically, you want to pedal using the largest front gear with the smallest back gear that you can handle while still pedaling at a high cadence (pedaling fast). That means that if you can shift to a larger front gear while still pedaling at a high cadence, you should. But if it begins to get too tough for you to pedal at a high cadence, shift down to a smaller front gear (or larger back gear or both). This will take a little practice, but it's not hard. And as you get better at cycling, you will be able to pedal faster with the harder gears, over time.