Your First Three Years ~ Part 13:

“Training in the Off-Season”  &  “Spin Class?”

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

(Hopefully, during the just past hiatus, you’ve been out simply enjoying your bicycle!  Now let’s get back to business.)

Seasonal Shift:

Even the most die-hard among us will admit that Autumn and Winter require a different approach.  It’s just not possible to ride outside as much now.  It’s time to think about some varied activity.

This is actually a good thing in disguise.  It’s not possible to maintain peak fitness all the time.  The darker months are a good time to back off some, to rest up, and to re-group.  Of course, taken to extremes, this results in the dreaded “de-conditioning.”

What’s the solution?  Simple.  Do less, but work on specific skills, and targeted activity.  Done correctly this approach will avoid deconditioning, provide a variety of activity, and prepare one for the following year.

Enter Spin Class!

Shameless Self Promotion:

We put on a dandy class at Bicycles Unlimited.  It is a carefully calculated program, designed to improve skills and increase the basic fitness a cyclist needs.  Please, check us out!  (Classes will be starting on Tuesday, November 6.  Cost is reasonable, and the program has been tested.  It works!)

Before we go father  ~~  Let’s face it, trainer work can be boring.  Done right it is rewarding, but complicated.  And there’s the whole accountability thing.  It’s really hard to keep getting on your own trainer, and working alone.  You start.  For two weeks you are good and conscientious.  Then you miss a session.  Then two…

If you are signed up for a class, you know the class is meeting.  Miss one, and people will ask you about it.  There is a kind of sick and twisted camaraderie to these things.

The Bicycles Unlimited Program:

Unlike most spin classes offered by commercial gyms, ours is “cyclist specific.”  It is designed to address weakpoints, to improve efficiency, and to increase skill.  Of course there is a strong fitness benefit too!

Class Structure:

Classes meet twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Each class is approximately an hour long.  Tuesday classes are shorter, but with higher net intensity.  Thursday Classes are a bit longer, but the net intensity is lower.  (It will not feel that way!)

During the first two weeks of class, we teach and lead a “directed warm up.”  After the first two weeks, class members are expected to be responsible for warming up on their own, prior to the start of the class.

Improving the Spin:

During the first two and a half months of classes work is done on increasing cadence (pedaling speed), and on muscle development.  Work is specifically targeted at the weaker muscle groups so that power can be evenly applied all the way around the crankstroke.

The second two and a half months see the emphasis shift to more targeted cardio-vascular workouts.

A Step-Interval Program:

No two classes are alike.  The intensity and volume of the work changes constantly through the progression of the classes.  The early classes are less strenuous.  As the instruction progresses, intervals become longer and more demanding.  In the later months more work is done on “active recovery.

The work is “Individualized”

You do not have to be a super-athlete to gain a lot of benefit from our program.  On the other hand, this is not a “beginners only” system.  Advanced athletes most definitely will realize a powerful benefit.

We manage this trick by relating the training efforts to individual heart rates or to individual ”perceived exertion.”

What’s needed for class?

Minimum:  You, your bicycle, a stationary trainer, summer cycling clothes, a towel, two full bottle of water.

To get the most out of the class…

In addition to the above, you will need a heart rate monitor, a recent Lactate Threshold Test, and a cycle-computer with a cadence feature.

By the way…

It helps if you have a tolerance for puns, silly jokes, and strong music!

Next Week: Dealing with Fear

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This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

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A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.