Trick or Treat: You Choose Your Fate

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.

Step two: equally place post-it notes on the card stock and stick labels onto them. Add your fun Halloween embellishments.

Step three: cut out each card and place a number in the back of each card (1-6 for tricks and 1-3 for treats).

Step four: laminate if you want to use again next year or in another class (think how these would work in a portable equipment class!)

There you have it! Easy peasy craft for your class!

Now place them in a jack-o'-lanterns container or fun Halloween bag and pass it around your class to have participants pick a treat or treat!

Happy Halloween!

Post script: I was at the dollar store and came across these after I had constructed my cards. So if I had to do it again, I probably would have used these instead.