Want to ‘pump’kin your cycle participants up with your creepy and frightening class? Try some of these drills and skills this Halloween!

Ghostbuster Hill Drill

Did you know that the word “ghost” is sung 30 times in the original Ghostbusters motion picture soundtrack song? Why not use this to your advantage and have your cycle participants increase resistance every time they hear the word “ghost”.

Now for those who have a tension knob, participants can increase with small increments in the seated position each time they hear the word and stand when their revolutions drop below 50 rpm for a standing hill climb. For those with gears, why not have cycle participants climb two hills increasing from gear 5 to gear 20 (move to standing to reach the top of the hill), with 30 words, these lucky folks get a break dropping back to 5 before climbing again (apparently this hill has a dip near the top!).

Both ways, the hill is just over four minutes total and I would encourage adding in downhill at the end to another classic Halloween song, Monster Mash!

R.I.P. Power

I found these really wicked Halloween glass tags with six themes – Trick, Treat, Bats, Witch, Haunted House, and Jack o'lantern (see above). I laminated them, place them on each bike and use them to perfectly divide participants into six groups.

Power work has been a focus this term and thus, R.I.P. Power is the perfect way to put cycle participants into the grave! Split the group into 2 groups (Group 1: Trick, Treat, and Bats; Group 2: Witch, Haunted House, and Jack o'lantern). Group 1 start with seated power for 15 seconds while Group 2 rests. After the 15 seconds, the groups switch where it is Group 2’s turn to go. Continue to switch groups while increasing the duration of the seated power (i.e., 30, 45, 60, 90 seconds). If time permits, start again and steadily increase in duration with standing power.

Need more inspiration? Check out October 2010’s post for another drill idea for sprints!

Happy Halloween!

I like to have cycle participants engage with one another, particularly when they are in a registered class. It is nice to make the group feel more like a community rather than separate individuals coming to a single fitness class. It is actually part of my role with Campus Recreation at the University of Alberta to promote community. Their mission speaks about it loud and clear: “To create a sense of community through quality recreation programs at the University of Alberta and in the community beyond the University”.

Thus, I like partner drills. This drill truly is a balancing act between the partners as they are required to complete a power drill that is short but also try to ensure their partner has adequate rest time as well. Let me explain...

Partners are required to maintain a power drill for a total of three minutes between them. As we know, power drills are intense and tap into the anaerobic lactic energy system. Each partner takes a turn completing the work while the other partner takes a recovery ride. As power is intense work, each partner may only be able to maintain the drill for say 60 seconds at which point they signal to their partner that it’s time to switch. Over the three minute period, partners may swap up to three or four times depending on each others’ physical fitness ability.

So how do you cue this Lisa? Well, I typically count out the time in 15 second blocks. This allows participants to complete their part of the drill in 15 second increments (i.e., 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds).

Now, for your beginner groups, try two minutes to start and slowly increase the duration as the class progresses. And for your advanced riders, try five minutes. Be sure to explain that they are working with a partner and they may need to take up the slack at times when their partner needs an active recovery. Feel free to use seated power work and standing power work for this drill.

It is nice to hear cycle participants interact on the bikes. I enjoy hearing the giggles, groans, and high fives as they connect with a fellow cycle participant.