Have you ever attended an indoor cycling class where someone was wearing a wig, or a tiara, or even a cape? Well, I have and I encouraged it! Yes folks, it's that time of year again when adults get to play dress up, at least in my classes, and we play Thriller by MJ for the whole class!

What will you do with your class this year? Here's one idea (want more ideas? Check out my previous posts here and here on Halloween games) using homemade Trick or Treat cards.

This is an easy way to incorporate “tricks” (i.e., challenging drills) and “treats” (i.e., easier drills). Simply have participants pick a card, either trick or treat, and the predetermined drill assigned to that card will dictate what drill is performed. I’ve decided to have six possible tricks and three possible treats.

Possible Tricks:
1. Two minutes of jumps with 30 second break; repeat two to three times

2. Two one minute standing hill climbs and a couple two minute standing hill climbs; 15 second recovery between each climb

3. Five one minute sprints with 30 seconds recovery between each sprint

4. 15 squats off the bike followed by one minute of seated hill climb; repeat two times (be watchful of participants’ footwear particularly if they are wearing cycling cleats)

5. 10 sprints for 15 seconds. Recover for 45 seconds.

6. Attack the pack power! Six intervals of seated power for 30 seconds, recover for 30 seconds

Possible Treats:

1. Standing jog/ride for two minutes

2. Meet your neighbor spin out. Participants discuss best and worst Halloween costume they ever wore for three minutes.

3. Steady time trial pace for six minutes singing to the song everyone knows the words to, Thriller (the album version is 5:58)

After you've constructed your family’s costumes and your Halloween decorations, it's easy to whip up these trick or treat cards. Here's how I did it:

Step one: collect crafty items such orange post-it notes, black card stock, "trick" (6) and "treat" (3) labels,  and fun Halloween pictures or stickers.

In my previous post on using the energy systems in your indoor cycling class, I discussed the aerobic energy system and provided a drill that would challenge your participants’ aerobic power. Now continuing down the list of energy systems most used in spin, the focus shifts to the first of the two anaerobic, or short duration, energy systems. This post will focus on the anaerobic lactic (also called glycolytic) system.

Here’s a quick refresher on the energy system and how we should focus our drills to use it effectively.

The anaerobic energy systems are the systems in which oxygen is not required to make energy. They are what fuels our initial movements when we start exercising and they are what work extensively at high intensities. The anaerobic lactic energy system, specifically, is able to generate small amounts of ATP but is also relatively faster at making energy compared to the aerobic energy system. This also holds true for the anaerobic alactic system, the quickest system, which will be the focus of the third and final post on this topic. As stated in my previous post, it takes the aerobic system time to generate energy and so the body uses anaerobic glycolysis to make energy within the first couple minutes of exercise. Put more simply, instead of using oxygen within the cells to generate energy, it is able to produce ATP via a cascade of chemical reactions. The problem with this energy system is the by-product it produces, namely lactic acid, which breaks down into excess hydrogen ions and increases the acidity of the working muscle cells. Why is that a problem? Well, increased acidity causes stimulation of the nerve endings causing pain, decreased muscle contraction and fatigue.  Performance suffers! Kind of like hitting a brick wall!

When these by-products are accumulating in the body, the tipping point for a lack of a better word is called anaerobic threshold (also closely related and referred to in the literature as lactate threshold and/or ventilator threshold). Without going through the gory details, it is sufficient to say that by training close this anaerobic threshold, we can improve our performance.

So how do we apply our knowledge of the anaerobic lactic energy system and anaerobic threshold to our drills? Well, let’s look at the appropriate work to rest ratio, the time it takes our bodies to recovery from anaerobic work. For anaerobic lactic work, we must design sessions with the ratio 1:2 to allow the muscles to recovery and remove (as much as they can) the nasty by-products. Typically, this energy system kicks in at around 15 seconds out to about 120 seconds.

Power drills work very well with the anaerobic lactic energy system. By incorporating multiple groups in the drill, you can build in the appropriate recovery for each participant. Let’s take a look on how to set this up.

Hockey you say? But it is June! The biggest night in Canadian sports happened on June 11 where the LA Kings won the Stanley Cup! This is the first time in their team’s franchise history. It was a blow out after the first period power play that lasted five minutes after a New Jersey Devil’s major misconduct. During the Kings’ power play, they scored three goals and set the tone of the game, taking them to victory. We sure love our game, so I'm dedicating this post to all hockey fans!

What would you do for a hockey inspired workout? Do you train hockey players on the bike? The bike is one of the best places to cross-train for our rink loving, hard hitting, puck shooting athletes.

If you are not familiar with the game, here are the basics. With the exception of the goalie, each player plays the game in short bursts or "shifts" of players who are on "lines" consisting of defensemen and forward. At any time on the ice, there are two wingers, a centremen and two defensemen. Although some players are in more offensive and defensive roles, the key to victory is playing as a unit, both in the offensive zone (trying to score a goal) and in the defensive zone (trying to avoid a goal scored on their goalie)...meaning each player needs to constantly keep skating to stay with the play.  Each shift typically last for about 45 seconds followed by recovery on the bench for a slightly longer period of time (i.e., 90 seconds). For this drill, to keep things moving I’m replicating a team with three forward lines; thus the recovery is two times the work.

For a basic hockey inspired drills, try the following two drills:

1.       A regular offensive shift: 45 second interval with 90 second recovery

2.       An extended defensive shift defending a power play: 60 second interval with 2 minute recovery

For more advanced drills, try the following:

1.       A extended defensive shift capitalizing on a power play: 60 second interval including two 15 second “surges” with 2 minute recovery

2.       A extended offensive shift capitalizing on a power play: 60 second interval including one 30 second “surge” with 2 minute recovery

Have participants maintain their cadence between 80-100 rpm and up the resistance to mimic a RPE of 8-9/10 for the 45 or 60 seconds of work. For the recovery, reduce resistance and ride at a comfortable pace (RPE = 5/10). Surges are increased cadence and resistance for more challenge, which can be thought of as power and acceleration on the ice.

Repeat each drill up to 4-6 times

With hockey season wrapped up for the year, you may find athletes ready for off season training in your classes. But why not also let your regular participants explore the feeling of a hockey shift by working them hard during an indoor cycling session. With the NHL draft just wrapping up, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about training for next year.

And as a side note, I was quite happy with the outcome on June 11! Way to go Jarret Stoll!

Aren’t the Olympics inspiring! The drive and determination of the athletes is untouchable! And what about TWO Olympic Gold Medals in hockey!

I am very fortunate to have trained the University of Alberta’s Pandas Hockey team on the bike. Talk about dedicated athletes! They hoot and holler and push themselves to the limit just like our Olympic athletes. Here is a hockey inspired drill that I use when they are on the bikes.

Start by splitting the group into three groups.

1.       Defense

2.       Wingers

3.       Goalies and Centres

Group 1 participants/players work hard (i.e., 100% effort) for 30 seconds pounding the pedals just like a shift in hockey. The other two groups recover for 60 seconds just like sitting on the bench waiting for their next shift. Group 2 follows with their 30 seconds followed by Group 3. The work to rest ratio is 1:2. Resistance and cadence should match Power drills. And rest between each stage of the drill should be between 2-5 minutes.

Stage One (6 minutes):

Each group completes Seated Power for 30 seconds X4

Stage Two (6 minutes):

Each group completes Standing Power for 30 seconds X4

Stage Three (9 minutes):

Each group completes Seated Power for 45 seconds X4

Stage Four (9 minutes):

Each group completes Standing Power for 45 seconds X4

For each player, this would equal 16 shifts on the ice, which is close to the number of shifts a player would play in a typical game. Depending on participants’/players’ fitness level, adding or removing a stage may be necessary.

If you want to train like a world class hockey player, try this drill out!

As an Edmontonian, I am fascinated by the 'diehard' cyclists who ride their bikes in four feet of snow and minus 30 degree weather. Now those people are true Canadian cyclists! I dabbled in winter riding back in 2007; lots of fresh powder to fish tail through and the feeling you get of frozen snow on your tires. This drill reminds of those cold, power driven rides!

Power Through the Snow!

Power drill refresher: Increased resistance and increased cadence equals power. It is a fine line between too much added resistance and too many revolutions. Keep in mind that power drills are short in duration (15-60 seconds) and are tapping into the anaerobic energy system (aka the hard, intense work!).

The drill includes seated power and standing power (hint: ensure you add additional resistance when you stand up!)

Seated power for 15 seconds

Standing power for 15 seconds

Recovery for 60 seconds

Repeat four times.

 

Standing power for 15 seconds

Seated power for 15 seconds

Recovery for 60 seconds

Repeat four times.

As you and your cycle participants get more fit and strong, increase the duration of the power (as recommended above) and recovery time and/or increase the number of repetitions.  Ensure to keep the duration with a 1:2 work to active recovery ratio.

This drill reminds me of winter riding because the snow and ice builds up on your tires adding resistance and you need to POWER through the deep snow.

Now – are you ready to ride in the snow???

Picture courtsey of:
www.bikingsociety.com/blog

The song title is fitting for the time of year we are moving into - WINTER. This cycle drill is more suited to mid to advanced cycle participants. Using the song "Wizards in Winter" a combination of sprints and power (increased resistance and cadence) can be timed to coincide with the instruments used.

Set resistance at moderate or slightly higher to get your best sprint work/small recovery tension. Power (either seated or standing) requires participants to up the resistance and maintain increased cadence.

Get ready for a 3 minute ride of your life!


Intro (12 s)
Sprint (5-6 s); 100+ rpm
Quick break (2- 8s) ; 80-90 rpm
Repeat three more times to the intense synthesizer playing
Break (8 s)
Power (20 s) to the slow guitar playing
Break (6-8 s)
Sprint (5-6 s); 100+ rpm
Quick break (2- 8s) ; 80-90 rpm
Repeat one more time to the intense guitar/playing
Power (25 s) to the slow guitar playing
Break (6-8 s)
Sprint (5-6 s); 100+ rpm
Quick break (2- 8s) ; 80-90 rpm
Repeat one more time to the intense violin playing
Sprint (15 s)
Power Finish (18-20 s)


Wizards in Winter
Trans-Siberian Orchestra