Helping you on your way
The Health Benefits of Indoor Cycling One of the major reasons people avoid doing exercise is time. In today’s world, it is extremely inconvenient to fit some quality gym time among all the other commitments in a day. Things like work, family, relaxation and social life will always take precedent over spending an hour in Read More ...
Nothing burns calories quite like indoor cycling – regardless of what iteration it’s called in your area. The combination of high-intensity workouts on the indoor bike, coupled with the camaraderie with like-minded gym rats, and the pulsating beats of electronic dance music make it a guaranteed hit, regardless of its brand or franchise. You can burn thousands of calories over a week through indoor cycling; this, coupled with a healthy diet, will put you on the fast track to a fitter body and a more confident appearance.
It is for this reason that we have come up with six ways to improve your performance on the indoor bikes; check them out and apply them to your fitness regiment for optimum results.
This device monitors your cardiac frequency during physical activity. Thus, you’ll be able to burn off more calories due to the device showing whether you are at optimal training levels. Many of those who do not see progress in indoor cycling are probably not participating at levels that are optimal for burning calories.
Indoor cycling often needs specific cycling shoes; these shoes are the same ones used by professionals that are specially formulated and designed for the rigors of cycling, and have hard soles that maximize the energy that is transferred when you pedal. Using soft-soled shoes will cause discomfort or swelling as it forces your feet to arch.
Periodizing is what the schedule for indoor cycling sessions is called. Certain trainers have a specific program in mind when they periodize, such as uphill and downhill exercises, incorporating weight lifting in your indoor cycling workouts, among other gimmicks. This maximizes your workouts, which is why try to stick to a trainer’s schedule as much as possible; otherwise, you may lose out on the gains. If you really can’t make it, try to invest in an indoor cycle or an elliptical machine at home, so that you can approximate the class you will miss with your trainer. Of course it’s going to be different, but it’s better than not training at all. Indoor Ellipticals has another checklist as well as further information on elliptical machines as an alternative for when you couldn’t make it to your spinning class.
The act of cycling, in any of its iterations, will obviously put a strain on your buttocks; bike seats in indoor classes tend to be very narrow. Hence it is helpful and in your best interests to invest in a gel pad seat cover to ease the strain on your back and take care of hygienic considerations. Otherwise, you may opt to purchase cycling shorts with extra support for your buttocks so that the strain and the discomfort is lessened.
Keeping a bottle of water or electrolyte-infused drinks at your side at all times is of paramount importance, especially in such a high-intensity activity such as indoor cycling. Dehydration is the worst enemy of fitness, and making sure that you stay hydrated means that you’re training at your peak levels.
Always keep a hand towel nearby you at all times. Indoor cycling will entail a lot of sweat, so it’s important to dry your hands and your body to avoid accidents such as slipping from your handlebars.
Following these six tips and internalizing them is guaranteed to bring out the best out of your indoor cycling workouts; now that you’re perfectly equipped, go out and set that studio ablaze with your newfound confidence.