Creating Endurance Buy-In

My day was supposed to begin with masochism. Instead, it was one of the most rewarding of my coaching career.

There's a framed poster in my medical school's library that I really dig: "Knowledge is making the people around you feel smarter." When I saw it for the first time eight months ago, I saw it as a most profound concept that applied to both my medical and coaching "life spheres" -- and from then on, walk a few steps out of my path every so often just to see it. The poster makes me smile; the concept makes me get out of bed in the morning. Conceptualizing my role in the world to try my darnedest, every day, to teach somebody SOMETHING that empowers him or her to make a meaningful contribution to his or her own life -- the art, of course, being to develop the tools necessary to convey that SOMETHING in the specific right way for the right person.

A while back, I accepted a colleague's request to sub her 6:30AM class this morning -- forgetting that I'd be working til 11PM at the rural medical clinic (an hour away) where I recently started training. In New York, I used to teach 6:30AMs every day: they were my favorite. I taught one in VT over my first four months here before I found my "groove," and it was miserable. I counted down the weeks til I could drop the class. Today would be my return to the AM scene, and I was not excited. I anticipated that I'd have zero "regulars" (I teach a permanent class tonight, too; they'd be at that one!), and running on four hours of sleep (after having woken up at 4AM yesterday to make time for studying AND the gym, going to school all day, then spending nine hours on my feet at the clinic and two hours of interstate-driving was sub-ideal to say the least.

I hadn't officially even decided what ride I'd do. I don't wing rides (when I do, they suck -- and, as a general life policy, I try not to suck) but at any given point in time, I'm typically prepared to present 2 or 3 different profiles (an old habit from my 21-classes-a-week days in NYC -- I'd often get sick of myself and want freedom to "abort mission" whenever I so chose). I hadn't decided because I just plain didn't want to present ANY ride. I just really friggin' didn't want to do it. I wanted to go back to bed and sleep as long as I can maintain 65% MHR (i.e., forever).

As I got into my car and thought about how awful life was in that moment, I had an epiphany. Even without caffeination-induced clarity, it became clear to me what ride I would do.

The ballsiest one in my arsenal.

Yes, at this sub gig, a 6:30AM sleepy crowd of college undergraduate strangers with whom I have 0% street cred, I would do the most TEDIOUS endurance ride in my arsenal. Clearly, it was not enough to keep 'em aerobic for 45 minutes when I know they're used to, ahem, something different. No. I would go for broke. I would take these complete strangers, keep them exclusively between 70-75% MHR (not that they'd have HRMs...), and keep them seated the entire time. And I'd friggin' make them love every minute of it.

Oh, and for kicks, I also decided to coach it entirely off the bike (but for periodic demonstrations of posture).

Suddenly, I got a burst of energy -- and it wasn't just from the loud, booming techno blowing out my ear drums in the car.

Arrive to class. Meet n' greet, mingle, all that for 15-20 mins. Nobody's awake. There's no way this is going to work. Intellectual challenge. Intellectual challenge, I repeat to myself. Shut the lights (I coach in darkness with some white Christmas lights for safety, always. The mirrors are nowhere near the bikes to monitor form-- annoying -- so there's really no reason NOT to facilitate complete self-absorption). Introduce myself, give my safety "I'm only here as your guide" speech and permission to ignore me whenever they feel uncomfortable.

When I do a ballsy ride, I always open with a purely absurd comment. Not "kinda strange." Blatantly ABSURD. It's all in the way you grab their attention. I employ the same device in my writing.

"I woke up yesterday at 4AM just to practice feeling awful..."
What?
But now they're listening. I see it in their eyes.
"... Indeed, there's something about waking up at the crack of dawn to get our workout in before the day, because we're "supposed to," and feeling like we should 'make it count' by pushing hard and giving it everything we've got..."
Starting to lose 'em... window of opportunity closing. Gotta make it count.
"...which is great. Until 3 hours later, when we fall asleep in class or at work and are completely USELESS for the rest of the day."
Oh, they're listening again.
"See, as it turns out, it's a myth that the harder we push, the more results we get. In fact, physiologically, we have different energy storage systems -- different ways we use fuel. And as it were, the system that allows us to burn fat actually ONLY works when we're working moderately intense -- able to use oxygen to carry out those processes. I don't know if you guys have heard this before -- but, a good way to think about it is that majority of fat-burning takes place, loosely, when our heart rates are low enough to be able to talk.

So, this morning we're going to 'shake things up,' OK? Your job is going to be to BURN AS MUCH FAT AS POSSIBLE by paying attention to your breathing, which I'll teach you how to do, to control your heart rate to feel like you're able to have a conversation the entire time. You're not going to push as hard as you can -- you're going to work at a level that you can SUSTAIN the entire time. This way, when you're done, you are PROUD of yourself for waking up and investing in yourself -- ready to take on your day and conquer it... not ready to go back to bed. Ready?"

They didn't cheer or hoot or holler or any of the "validation signs" that I so value from MY classes. But they "got" it.

How do I know? Because my class of strangers, who didn't know me from a hole in the wall, who owed me nothing, stayed in the saddle for 40 minutes when I ABSOLUTELY know that this is not what they usually do.

I didn't tell them not to stand. In fact, I kept giving them the option to stand. And they DIDN'T stand. It's not that they weren't working, either. I saw them adjust their resistance as I coached them through three blocks of progressive loadings with accelerations (yes, profile will follow...). I saw them breathing. I heard them breathing.

I kept reminding them about their controlled intensity, their breathing, their form, and how they were training their heart to get better at doing more work without working harder. I cued them to think about what it meant to them to control their heart rates, the physiology of their being, how proud and strong they felt to have that kind of power. I asked them to think about what they were able to accomplish, with their newly empowered energy. I asked them to soothe themselves with their forceful, controlled breathing.

When I invited them to stand, I did so with the caveat that they acquired this option solely by the ability to control their heart rates to continue to burn "oodles of fat."

And they all stayed seated.

And it was awesome.

PROFILE: "SHAKE IT UP" (45 mins)
Warmup
Loop 1: Maintain 70% MHR - 3 minute seated climb (progressive loadings) + 3x accelerations to maintain 70%
Loop 2: Seated climb 2 minutes 70%, 2 minutes 75% (progressive loadings) + 3x accelerations to maintain 75%
Loop 3: Seated climb 2 minutes 70%, 5 minutes 75% (progressive loadings) + 3x accelerations to maintain 75%
Cool-down

Yes, that was it.

Afterwards, one girl came up to me and said: "I've been Spinning for 2 years... I've never done a ride like that, making those adjustments to keep the same heart rate. It's crazy: I feel SO energized."

I didn't need more coffee anymore. That was enough for me.

Make 'Em Want It Bad.

And by "it," I mean a super-low key, refreshing Endurance ride. The kind that leaves them refreshed and ready to take on the world... as opposed to ready to take a nap.

I introduced a ride a few weeks ago with this premise. That we can't conquer our worlds if we're exhausted -- so, therefore, we should probably pace ourselves. People giggled/chuckled/etc. (I even thought I heard a bona fide "guffaw" coming from the back). But I was serious. And they knew it.

I'm writing this post, inspired by four big-deal personal experiences within the past week:
1) I received a most LOVELY email from an instructor who reads "Spintastic," describing her challenges of showing her riders the light of aerobic training -- as well as her steadfast resolution to stay true to what she believes in. I was so encouraged (actually a bit misty-eyed), knowing with full confidence that this coach is absolutely making a difference in the world around her.
2) By some crazy fluke, I taught the best ride of my Spinning career last Friday -- in the face of two majorly crazy challenges: a) the speakers were broken; b) it was a 90 minute ride... which I'd never coached before, and NONE of my riders had ever ridden before. Getting 25 people to remain focused, engaged, AND aerobic... for 90 minutes? With compromised volume? OH my goodness. I was petrified of this being the worst ride I'd ever presented. Instead, I truly felt like it was some of my most creative and precise coaching language -- I could SEE people "getting it." I even taught them about mid-ride re-fueling, and even got them on board (I expected people to think that they "knew better," not bring food, hit the glycogen-exhaustion "wall" and crash). Not so. Everything just WORKED, right to the tee. And afterwards, three people made me cry. (Noticing a pattern?)
3) I presented a pretty lame ride yesterday, same heart rate parameters, similar themes of focus and mindfulness. But didn't take the time to re-explain fat metabolism from scratch, reminding people of the basics behind why they were being asked to demonstrate self-discipline to maintain a low heart rate. It was scientifically sound and occasionally engaging -- but mostly, it was a pretty boring Endurance ride. But afterwards...? 5 people came up to me asking about HRMs. 24 hours later, 3 of them actually ordered some. No joke.
4) I learned about the actual biochemistry of endurance training today (what hormones are going where to direct a muscle's "choice" of energy substrate: fat vs. glycogen; what substrate uptake molecules kick in; who activates and/or inhibits whom). I was super-existed to soak up all the subtleties that go above and beyond my current knowledge base -- as, clearly, MEDICAL SCHOOL would offer. Turns out, not so much. I was SUPER-underwhelmed at how, consistent with my own experiences and those of my riders and clients, the average doctor knows NOTHING about exercise other than "you should do it." The appreciation of intensity having an impact on... anything? Non-existent.

So what's a person to do when he or she knows better... and knows it? I believe that one, in possession of knowledge that will improve the lives of people who experience one as a resource, has an obligation to share it in a meaningful way.

If that means that your classes aren't packed to the nines like the psychospin cheerleader-type calling for the "10 out of 10" (of resistance, of course -- to layer on the tragedy thicker) hills and balls-to-the-walls 10-minute "sprints," SO BE IT.

It's a matter of figuring out a way to share your knowledge in such a way that people come to LEARN a) what a good, solid aerobic base actually is; and b) why they should train to develop one.

One of my life policies to try to find a new way of doing this at least once a month, to keep it fresh and interesting. I don't do this perfectly by any means. But I did have a line backed out into the hallway, having to turn away people from my Friday night 90 minute "boring Endurance ride." But in thinking back to how it was that I initially commenced my master plan to woo the masses, converting them to fat-burning junkies, I actually did it by tricking them. I'd been teaching for about 6 weeks at that point. I made my first loop ride. Called it "Loop It. Loop It Good." (Point of trivia: I hate all of my rides once they are older than 4 months old, as I feel that my coaching -- and even musical -- style changes so rapidly. Even rides from 6 months ago strike me as such amateur stuff -- and 6 months ago, I felt the same way about rides from 6 months prior to then, and 6 months before that and... so on and so on. But I've been doing "Loop It. Loop It Good" for years, and continue to dig it.) I didn't have the confidence to do an all-out Endurance ride... yet. So, I told them that the trick to this ride was that the last 6 minutes were the hardest part -- so that their job would be to pace themselves, to conserve their energy, so that they'd have enough left to really "go at it" when we hit that 6 minute mark. During the warmup, I explained a very BASIC overview of fat vs. sugar as fuel, where your HR or perceived exertion should be to increase your likelihood of burning fat. Periodically, I would remind them of that ever-anticipated "6 minute mark."

So how the profile worked was thus:
3 loops: seated climb + run
6x "accelerations" -- first 5 seated for 30 seconds; last one standing for 1 minute

SO SIMPLE. And they walk out remembering that high-energy finale. A "stunt" to lure them for buy-in.

Then, I built on that. "Hey remember that thing we tried? Wasn't so bad? Can we add another layer to that?" -- start to work in progressive resistance loadings, aerobic speed intervals (maintaining or at least controlling heart rate). Oodles of variations you can do with that. And, turns out, you don't even need that "stunt" at the end anymore if you coach it the right way.

Want them to "want it bad?" Educate them. Make them understand WHY they should want it bad. Choosing your words with precision, translating science into concepts that mean something to people, is a profound responsibility as a coach. It's one of the life skills that I try my darnedest to continue to invest in, as it perhaps has its most direct application to my life as a physician-in-training. It's a big deal, a tremendous privilege.

It's just a matter of making it count.

"Breath is Fuel."

BREATH IS FUEL. Repeat after me: "BREATH IS FUEL."

Continuing our Summer '08 theme scheme, that's the theme for this week's rides -- two (maybe even three, if I have time) brand new rides plus one of my favorites from the archives ("Just Breathe."), all designed to 1) improve your awareness of your breathing in general, and 2) improve the efficiency of your breathing techniques.

As we kick this off, behold the epic breathing post I've been promising you for a month now. Here's how this is gonna roll:
PART I: WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT EFFICIENT BREATHING
PART II: WHAT IS EFFICIENT BREATHING?
PART III: HOW DO WE APPLY THIS IN CYCLING... AND IN LIFE?

PART I: WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT EFFICIENT BREATHING
When we breathe, we bring oxygen to our blood, muscles, nerves, and our brain. Sounds like something we should be doing, eh? Well, the WAY we breathe has a direct correlation to our physical and mental performance. Breathing takes energy to do: every time we breathe, we expend energy. So if we breathe deeper, more rhythmical and coordinatedly: we don't need to expend so much energy to do it. But this doesn't just happen on its own; we have to work at it -- first, by being aware of how we're doing it.

I *love* breathing. Let me tell you why. It's very simple - and there's power in the simplicity of it. When we are well-oxygenated, we are calm. Our perceived exertion is low. We are empowered. We feel that we can "do." Physically and mentally, we perform better when we waste less energy breathing inefficiently.

Breathing should be the easiest thing in the world -- so easy that we don't have to think about it, right? No. How we handle our breath is directly related to how we handle our lives, and how we handle changes in our lives. Controlled, rhythmic breathing enhances our own image of what we are capable of being. I don't just mean this on a bike -- I mean all the time: when your boss is a jerk, when you get bad news, when you bomb an exam... whatever. Every breath is an opportunity to re-focus and rise to the challenge at hand.

Pretty cool thought: Breathing is the only physiological life process that can be both involuntary and voluntary. When we stop thinking about our breathing, our body starts breathing on its own --pretty irregular and haphazardly, at that. Yes, you'll survive -- but will you excel? So, you've got a choice to make: You can either allow your breath to run haphazardly, or you can make it part of your awareness and coordinate movement and breath harmoniously.

Another pretty cool thought: We have total control over improving our breathing. So much of our physiology and physical abilities are inherited -- but our breathing efficiency and lung capacity (which is what distinguishes elite athletes from the rest of us mere mortals) is directly under our control.

So let's do it.

PART II: WHAT IS EFFICIENT BREATHING?
Before we talk about efficient breathing, let's talk about inefficient breathing. Most of us breathe with our upper chest -- and we know this because we can see our upper chest/shoulders rising and falling as we breathe. And when we do this, we produce short and shallow breaths that are inadequate to oxygenate our muscles, nerves, and brains -- and we create tension and stress in our bodies.

To understand why this is so, let's consider a bit of anatomy. We have two groups of breathing (respiratory) muscles: PRIMARY and SECONDARY.
Primary respiratory muscles (all located in the torso):
1) Diaphragm (responsible for 75% of our breathing)
2) Intercostals (located between the ribs)
3) Abdominal muscles

All three of these are large and strong -- they need to be: they work up to 22,000 times per day! Just as the heart beats constantly to keep us alive, the primary muscles keep on' truckin' without fatigue to give us oxygen and keep us alive. I'm all about that.

Secondary respiratory muscles (located in upper chest):
1) Scalenus - front of neck, attached to uppermost ribs
2) Pectoralis minor - chest
3) Sternocleidomastoid - runs from behind the ear across the neck
4) Upper trapezius - from mid-skull to shoulder blades

In contrast, the secondary muscles are smaller and tire quickly. Now we see why we don't want to ask these muscles to do the majority of our breathing, yes?

That said, here's how EFFICIENT breathing with the primary muscles works: At rest: Diaphragm looks like a parachute, rounded upwards.
Inhalation: Diaphragm flattens (moves downwards into abdominal cavity). Abdominal muscles relax, allowing the volume of the abdominal cavity to expand as it takes in air... and as the diaphragm moves, all the abdominal organs are rolled/massaged, squeezing nutrients into and out of them. (Admit it: that's cool, and you know it.) Exhalation: Abdominal muscles contract, forcing air out of the lungs. Diaphragm forced back up into parachute-dome formation; carbon dioxide (as a waste product) is forced out. Relaxed, freely moving intercostals (between the ribs) help this process.

PART III: HOW DO WE APPLY THIS IN CYCLING... AND IN LIFE?

The key to efficient breathing is learning to use the abdominal muscles to assist the diaphragm. On the bike, this begins with your setup. We want the hip, shoulder, and ear to be aligned. Jaw relaxed (teeth not touching). Soft tongue resting on the roof of your mouth (opening the nasal passage). NOW we can breathe easily.

First, get used to feeling your abdomen move as you breathe. Try an exercise I've done in class several times, and certainly will do during some of my classes this week: Place your hands with thumbs resting on your belly button and fingers on the lower abs. As you inhale, relax your abdominal muscles, allowing your stomach to make space for the diaphragm to drop down (and allows the lower lobes of the lungs to expand). As you exhale, contract the abs to assist the diaphragm as it moves up and forces air from the lungs. Pay attention to how the abdomen feels as it expands and contracts. Later, with your hands on the handlebar, you can visualize this abdominal expansion and contraction to help orient yourself to breathing with those same muscles.

Here are some more exercises/games that I'm going to play in this week's rides:
1) "Tense then Relax"
Squint your eyes. Notice what happens to the diaphragm. You may feel the diaphragm jump slightly, restricting its movement. Relax the muscles around the eyes; feel the diaphragm open up and air flows in/out freely. Try this with any other muscle -- upper back, lower back, jaw. Bonus: Tensing and relaxing a muscle will automatically result in a lowered heart rate. Try this on heavy hills! It's very cool.

2) "Puff and Relax"
Try to think about truly relaxing your abdomen on the inhale - not letting it HANG, but actively puffing it out. Many people think that muscles get stronger by "tightening" or "keeping it in" -- it's totally not true. When we ride, we do NOT suck in our abdominals -- that keeps them from freely moving, and keeps us from breathing! We maintain core stability by bearing down and engaging the pelvic floor... but we do not hold our abs tight. Muscles get stronger when they move. By relaxing the abdomen on the inhale, we can then CONTRACT the abdominal muscles on the exhale. That movement is what will work those core muscles.

3) "Relaaaaaaax your Lower Back."
I'm not going to say it like that - just, as an aside, I used to take this ridiculously intense body sculpting class at a dance studio in DC where I went to college - with this former Mr. Universe with a thick somewhere-European accent. During the warm-up, he'd say: "Relooooox your lower boooooooock" and "Move those hips front and booock, front and boooock..." and it was hilarious. Ok, moving on. While we want a STRAIGHT back (we ride hinged forward at the hip, not the mid-back), we do NOT want a tight back. When we tighten the back muscles, we thrust the chest forward and constrict all but a small portion of the lungs. If, instead, we "reloooooooox your lower booooooock" (heh), and breathe into our backs (observing the gentle contraction and relaxation), we trigger a nervous system response that says, "Hey, Body, chill out. Everything is okay." Heart rate drops.

I do this periodically throughout the day -- for example, when the 6 train is about to ruin my life (by making me late to teach you guys) --and it really does work.

4) Breath in Motion
Coordinate your breathing with your pedal strokes. Just decide which part of the pedal stroke to breathe on -- on a flat road, maybe you want to take 5 pedal strokes to breathe in and 5 pedal strokes to breathe out. On a hill, inhale on every other pedal stroke while you exhale on every other pedal stroke, keeping the heart rate steady. During jumps, inhale as the body goes up and exhale as the body goes down, matching the rhythm of body movement with the breath. If you inhabit the rhythm, your 45 minutes will not only FLY by... but think how much more efficiently you will be oxygenating yourself!

5) Exteeeeeeeeend the Exhalation.
Many people "accept" that they should breathe deeply - whoooosh, air in, abdomen expand.... and then they drop the concept after that. The exhalation is JUST as important. By concentrating on the breath on the way out, we trick our breathing into becoming THAT much deeper and more efficient. With a long, smooth breath on the way out, our HR drops and we maintain control that way, too.

By controlling our HR, calming and soothing ourselves, we can then reach down a little bit deeper - expanding the limits we've set for ourselves. Make every breath count.

How to Become a Fat-Burning Machine

As many of you know, I continued my irresponsible jet-setting ways (for the woman supporting herself entirely by Spinning, that is) this weekend -- this time, down in Miami for the annual World Spinning & Sports Conference: a 4-day continuing ed conference attended by over 1,000 instructors from around the world. It was awesome!

I will be writing tons of posts over the next few weeks to share various training principles (nothing I haven't shared -- or attempted to share -- with you before... but perhaps more effective ways of communicating these principles in a way that better 'drives them home' for you?). For now, though, I want to share with you an experience I had for my own training that underscores the concept of aerobic base-building -- towards the end of becoming fat-burning machines!

As many of you know, we try to individualize our training according to heart-rate for purposes of making our metabolism work for us (instead of just fighting it... or even just complaining about it!). Exercise intensity relative to metabolism is truly what determines the effectiveness of all that time you spend in the gym. Scores of students tell me on a daily basis about how they've been training hard for years and years and "yet" are still not losing any weight, and they are tremendously frustrated. Very common, but very unsurprising.

Why do I say this? Because of how the body fuels itself. We tend to think "more" is always "better" - but it's actually not true. Below a certain heart rate, the body utilizes mostly fat as its main source of fuel. Above that certain heart rate, the body uses mostly sugar. By training above that point without having first established an "aerobic base," you are actually training the heart to prefer to burn sugar, not fat, at rest. So all those PsychoSpin instructors who have you doing crazy "sprints" (which are commonly not real Spinning sprints, usually -- but the word "sprint" tends to get people excited, so instructors toss the word around for mere accelerations) every day, this is not necessarily going to help you burn fat. At extreme high heart rates, you are mostly burning sugar (and if you run out of sugar, you'll start breaking down muscle), leaving you sore and feeling hungry (which then sets off a whole 'nother cycle...).

If, however, you can "re-boot" the heart by training it in that lower aerobic heart rate zone (below 80% MHR), you can actually re-set your metabolism. While you will burn fewer calories in a 45 min period, those calories will be coming from FAT instead of sugar.... and by re-setting that metabolic rate, your body will continue to work for you all day long. While you're laying on the couch watching TV or out sipping a glass of wine at an outdoor cafe... yup, you'll be burning fat the whole time. Love it.

How do we pull this off? First, get a heart rate monitor. Second, chat with me about how to use it (hint: your age-predicted target values are probably not entirely accurate, as they do not account for conditioning level). Third, commit to the following short-term sacrifice... towards the end of long-term fulfillment.

Behold, your invitation to burn some fat:

FOR 8 WEEKS
Discipline yourself to remain below 80% MHR (or, below your lactate threshold - if you know it) throughout all cardio exercise (not just Spinning). You will be improving your cardiovascular fitness, and you will see and feel this measurable improvement in a matter of weeks.

This may mean that you have to modify your usual efforts. In a Spinning class, if an instructor (including me) tells you to rise out of the saddle -- if you can't do that without crossing 80% MHR, don't do it. Whatever modifications you have to make to maintain that base-building plan, just make them. This is your body. Your training. You're calling the shots. Over time, however, you will start to notice that you're able to do more and more (closer to your former efforts) while still remaining below 80%. This is called adaptation, and it's very cool.

I've been talking about this for a looooooooong time (on the left-hand side of this blog, click the links for "endurance," "HR training," and "periodization" to start!), and many of my students have found great success with their base-building efforts in that they have started to lose weight, find themselves physically and mentally energized, sleeping better, and performing better in all of their recreational and competitive athletic activities.

But now I'm going to tell you how base-building worked for me:
In 2005, I started training with a HR monitor. I had been cycling religiously 3-4x per week for several years, and had not lost a pound. I was 40 lbs heavier than I am now. When I started training with a HR monitor and staying entirely below 80% MHR, I lost 20 lbs in two months (with no major dietary changes), and ultimately came to lose another 20 over another four months.

<<--- (Top & Bottom): 2003, even while Spinning 4x per week! Before training with a HR monitor and staying exclusively below 80%.


It was crazy -- and yet, not at all. It was just science. Above lactate threshold (for many people, this value occurs between 75-85% MHR), fat is not the predominant source of fuel. If we train above that point, we are mostly NOT touching our fat stores (Occasional anaerobic effort important to incorporate into any training plan, for other reasons --but it still does not burn fat!)

What I've been leading up to: this weekend, I had my aerobic base and metabolism actually measured to determine at what HR my body is still using fat as its dominant fuel. I rode a Spin bike while wearing a special piece of equipment that monitored my respiration and heart rate as I exerted myself at various degrees of intensity. For most people, they are burning the greatest PERCENTAGE of fat calories (below 80%, we burn fat and sugar) at very low heart rates (55-65%-ish). We very rarely train at those low rates when we're at the gym. But yet, it's training at these moderate intensities (for example, 70-80%) that ultimately helps us raise that aerobic base so that our greatest percentage of fat burning occurs at HIGHER heart rates... so we can burn more calories, get that endorphin "rush," and all that good stuff... but still be burning fat. Lance Armstrong, by the way, burns the greatest percentage of fat calories at his anaerobic threshold... he's essentially burning fat all the time. But Lance spends 12 weeks a year training at 60% of his MHR. All I'm asking YOU for 8 weeks of just below 80%!

Over time, the goal is to build up to being able to sustain the upper limit of that <80% range for entire training sessions.

Getting more work done, without working harder.

Avoiding Overtraining

FROM THE SPINTASTIC ARCHIVES...
Excerpts from my mailings, relating to overtraining -- how to recognize it and how to avoid it...

12/10/2007

My first full week of life as a full-time spin instructor is upon us. I've been at this 4 days, and it's already the best thing ever. But it was a warm-up. Now here's when the 4-5 classes per day begin... which calls to mind my most favorite topic: HEART RATE TRAINING. My new life policy is that I will do absolutely no cardiovascular training without a monitor - if I forget it, done, no activity. Even if you're not spinning 5x per day, it's important to be mindful of not overtraining. Overtraining is NOT reflective of frequency of exercise - it's reflective of intensity. The Spinning program was actually designed to be done 7 days a week... but properly distributed by hr range:
1-3 days Endurance: 65-80% max hr
1-2 days Strength 75-85% mhr
1 day Interval: 65-92% mhr
1 day Recovery (or off): 55-65% mhr

See that? One day a week when you're going "all out" - that's it! For many of you, you're doing 92% far more often than that. Overtraining is totally counterproductive. I did it for years, prior to commencing training with a hr monitor. So let's just... not.

Here are some warning signs that you may be overtraining:
1) Constant fatigue
2) Changes in sleep patterns
3) Irritability
4) Frequent illness/infection
5) Sugar cravings
6) Elevated resting heart rate

If that looks familiar, it's even more important to focus on building (or rebuilding) that aerobic base - specifically, staying below 80% max hr with NO exceptions - for a straight, consistent 4-8 weeks. If you want to do this right, get a monitor! (I often bring my extra one to classes as a conversion tool - ask to borrow it for a taste of just how enlightening it is). If you're still not sold, you can do a bit of guesswork: 80% is that "comfortably uncomfortable" point I talk about in class - can't talk much, but no burning in your legs.

"But if I stay below 80%, I'm not getting a good workout!" I hear that often. It's BULLSHIT. You are getting a fantastic workout, and an important one. Here's what happens when you stay below that burn point:
1) Increase size/strength of your left ventricle of the heart, the part that pumps blood to the whole body
2) Increase blood volume pumped throughout the body
3) Increase fat metabolism - burn fat instead of stored muscle glycogen
4) Increase capillary density around working muscles - so more oxygen can be exchanged, and it's easier to stay aerobic... a circular pattern that keeps these benefits flyin'
5) Increased lactate threshold (the point where you switch from aerobic to anaerobic training)
6) Boosted immune function
7) Decreased blood pressure

Clearly, these are all things we want. Agreed? NOTE: This does not merely apply to cycling! This is hr training in general! I cannot encourage you more enthusiastically (at 3:14 am, at least) to get a hr monitor. Check the spintastic listserv archives for recommended links. Doing cardio exercise without a monitor is like taking the odometer out of your car. And we clearly wouldn't do that - now would we?

Would we?
___________________________________________

Heart Rate Training & HR Monitors

FROM THE SPINTASTIC ARCHIVES...
Excerpts from my Spintastic listserv mailings of yesteryear... compiled by topic, for your convenience.

12/10/2007: SIGNS YOU MAY BE OVERTRAINING... AND WHY WE SHOULD KEEP OUR HEART RATES IN THE FAT-BURNING ZONE MOST OF THE TIME

Here are some warning signs that you may be overtraining:
1) Constant fatigue
2) Changes in sleep patterns
3) Irritability
4) Frequent illness/infection
5) Sugar cravings
6) Elevated resting heart rate

If that looks familiar, it's even more important to focus on building (or rebuilding) that aerobic base - specifically, staying below 80% max hr with NO exceptions - for a straight, consistent 4-8 weeks. If you want to do this right, get a monitor! (I often bring my extra one to classes as a conversion tool - ask to borrow it for a taste of just how enlightening it is). If you're still not sold, you can do a bit of guesswork: 80% is that "comfortably uncomfortable" point I talk about in class - can't talk much, but no burning in your legs.

"But if I stay below 80%, I'm not getting a good workout!" I hear that often. It's just plain wrong. You are getting a fantastic workout, and an important one. Here's what happens when you stay below that burn point:
1) Increase size/strength of your left ventricle of the heart, the part that pumps blood to the whole body
2) Increase blood volume pumped throughout the body
3) Increase fat metabolism - burn fat instead of stored muscle glycogen
4) Increase capillary density around working muscles - so more oxygen can be exchanged, and it's easier to stay aerobic... a circular pattern that keeps these benefits flyin'
5) Increased lactate threshold (the point where you switch from aerobic to anaerobic training)
6) Boosted immune function
7) Decreased blood pressure

Good stuff, right?
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10/4/2007: UPGRADE YOUR LIFE! GET A HR MONITOR!

This has been the best week EVER. Not only did I get my first med school interview invite but 15+ different people in my classes asked me about getting heart rate monitors! Best thing ever. Riding with a HR monitor will literally revolutionize your training. Among MANY other benefits, you'll be able to:
* Observe your progress in recovery time and increased lactate threshold (how high your HR goes before you leave the aerobic training zone)
* Balance your weekly training schedule to cycle between high intensity and more moderate intensity rides
* Meet whatever your fitness goals happen to be - whether it be weight loss, building cardiovascular endurance and/or strength, etc. (I'm happy to discuss a training plan with anyone interested in where their HR ranges should be, depending on your goal).

Amazon.com typically has great deals. I recommend anything by Polar with a chest strap model. Cheapest, lowest frills: Polar FS2
Next step up: Polar F4
One step higher: Polar F6

If you train in "close quarters" with other HRM users (i.e., Spinning classes with lots of beeping watches), I recommend at least the F4 (if not the F6) to prevent cross-feeding heart rate signals.
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1/27/2008: WHAT DO I DO WHEN I GET MY NEW HR MONITOR?

I am thrilled at the recent surge of HR monitor converts! I come home every day and report to my boyfriend about all the new HR monitor-wearers who came to me to get their new ife-upgrades set up. It's seriously my favorite thing in the entire world. My second-favorite thing in the world is when people get cycling shoes. But that's for another post…

*BUY A HR MONITOR. DO IT. JUST DO IT.*

As Master Instructor Iona Passik says, "our hearts are the most important muscle in the body – and one that we cannot see!" Brilliant observation, really -- so true. The HR monitor is our only mechanism for observing our most important muscle, observing when it is strong, observing when it's not doing too hot, and observing its improvements over time. You can get a decent basic-function one for less than 50 bucks (ask me for shopping help! I look at web links students send me all the time…). For those of you who have never seen one, it's a light strap you wear around your chest, with a wrist watch that reads from the transmitter strap.

Without a HRM, you're going on perceived exertion – and perceived exertion is totally fallible. For example, I rode today at what I thought was REALLY REALLY hard effort (burning, pain, the whole nine yards). Looked down at my monitor: 118 bpm. Seriously. I wasn't working at all. This happens ALL the time.

*ONCE YOU GET YOUR MONITOR*
Step 1: Open box. Strap on transmitter.
Step 2: Gasp in shock that your HR is through the roof, even when you don't
think you're working that hard.
Step 3: After you chat with me, you discipline yourself to spend the next 4-8 weeks remaining completely below 80% max HR. You slow down your pace. You stay in the seat for most of the ride, no matter what the class is doing.
Step 4: You complain to me that you're bored, you feel like you're not working hard, you're miserable. You miss pushing really hard and getting that endorphin surge.
Step 5: After 4-8 weeks, you have so greatly re-built your aerobic base that you find that you actually need to push HARDER with MORE resistance to hit that even that 80% aerobic barrier than you were using when you thought you were going "all out."

This is called *adaptation*. When we let the body work in the heart rate zones that it's supposed to work at, it gets damned good at it. It just requires a little bit of patience – an investment at the front end – to be able to get to that point.

*"WHAT'S THIS 80% STUFF?": MAX HEART RATE & PERCENTAGES THEREOF*

Everything we do in HR training relies on taking percentages of our "max HR" – i.e., below 80% MHR is aerobic training. The problem is that most of us do not know our max HR!

Since it is the anchor point for *all *of our training, we at least need to take an estimate. We can do that in one of four ways: (1) actually get it measured in a laboratory setting (best way, but costly and inconvenient); (2) lactate field test (very good way, but requires a lot of self discipline); (3) sub-max HR test (pretty good way, requires a bit of self-discipline); and (4) age-predicted calculations (not ideal, but better than nothing!)

Of these, I will walk you through the ones we can do ourselves. *All of these should be done when we feel rested, and have not engaged in intense anaerobic exercise (both Spinning and non-Spinning – anything above 85% MHR – any BURNING!) in 24 hours.*

*1) Foster Sub-Max HR Test (developed by Carl Foster, Ph.D.)*

* **I have modified the descriptions to make more sense than I think the actual Foster scale instructions read:*

Step 1: Warm-up adequately for 5-10 mins
Step 2: Get yourself to 120 bpm. Recite the Pledge of Allegiance out loud.
* Ask yourself: Can you speak COMFORTABLY? "Yes" or "Uncertain"*
Step 3: Increase your exercise effort to raise your heart rate by 10 bpm (i.e., 130 bpm)
After 90 seconds, recite the pledge of allegiance out loud.
*Ask yourself: Can you speak COMFORTABLY? "Yes" or "Uncertain"*
Step 4: Repeat this every two minutes until your answer is "Uncertain." *Record your HR (in bpm) at the point where you answered "Uncertain."* **

Step 5: Cool down adequately for 5-10 minutes
Step 6: Calculations/mathematical adjustments:
If you are in poor shape, add 50 bpm
If you are in average shape, add 40 bpm
If you are in excellent shape, add 30 bpm
If you are in competitive athletic shape, add 20 bpm.

Step 7: *Arrive at your calculated estimated maximum heart rate*.
This is the number we then multiply by 70%, 80%, 85%, etc. for our various
training zones.

*2) Lactate Field Test* ***Requires a HR monitor that records average HR!*

Step 1: Warm up adequately for 20 minutes.

Step 2: Get on a tough seated climb. Accelerate until you are pedaling as fast as you can while sustaining that resistance, keeping all your weight toward the very back of the seat. NO BOUNCING. If you're bouncing in the seat, slow down. Think: MAX EFFORT WITHOUT BOUNCING. *Start your HR monitor.*

Step 3: Hold this for 30 minutes. Yes, 30 minutes! *Stop your HR monitor*.

Step 4: Look at what the HR monitor reports as Average HR. That is your field-measured 85% MHR value (otherwise known as "Lactate Threshold" – when we start to go anaerobic). If we then want to reverse-calculate your max (to then calculate the other percentage numbers), take Lactate Threshold divided by 0.85 = Max HR. Then we can work with that number further.

*3) Age-Predicted… with a new twist that I just learned today!*
You've heard me (or others) talk about age-predicted Max HR values. In the
fitness world, we use the age-predictive formulae as follows:
For men: 220 – age = Max HR (then we multiply by percentages)
For women: 226 – age = Max HR

This of course does not account for fitness conditioning level, body composition (fat vs. muscle), or the phase of the moon. It's just a starting point, when we have nothing better.

There's a standard reference chart where one can find their age and then see all their percentages pre-calculated. I have the one for men posted on my website, http://spintastic.googlegroups.com/ under "Features." Women are a bit different, since it's based on 226, not 220 – age.

I took a Spin instructor continuing education workshop today and learned the COOLEST trick ever in the entire world, to adjust the numbers to make them more accurate.

I'd like to credit NYSC instructor (and Master Spinning Instructor) Iona Passik for this absolutely friggin' brilliant amazing technique. I'm obsessed with it, and I want to do it for all of you who have HR monitors. And it's just so amazing that the rest of you NEED to go out and get HR monitors, *just* so that I can do this for you (in addition to that whole "change your life" thing).

Here's how it works. You tell me the highest HR number you've ever seen on a HR monitor during what you call your most intense, ridiculous over-the-top effort. I ask you if you felt like your heart was going to explode out of your chest and you were going to throw up. I add 5-10 bpm to that, perhaps a few beats more if you tell me that you didn't feel like you were seriously going to be sick. That imagery is *fantastic* to recall that feeling of feeling utterly maxed out. We don't do that in spin classes – we don't go higher than 92% in our classes. That's why I add a few points higher. I've been there. For me, it's 198 bpm and I've had it on psychotic explosive runs (when someone else is teaching, of course. I never run at max effort with you guys… I can't talk at 198 bpm!).

We call that your max HR. We then find that number on the standard reference chart, regardless of what age that number is associated with, and read off the other pre-calculated numbers. Starting tomorrow, I am bringing these charts with me to every single class I teach.

*If you have a HR monitor and need help calculating (or re-calculating) your heart rate percentages** per this estimated max HR, PLEASE COME TALK TO ME. I'm seriously so excited to do this for all of you. I'll spit out your numbers to have in front of you, and it'll be fantastic. *

*REMINDER: "ONLY GO ABOVE 85% ONCE PER WEEK"*
From my previous posting from Dec 16th:
*Overtraining is NOT reflective of frequency of exercise - it's reflective of intensity. The Spinning program was actually designed to be done 7 days a week... but properly distributed by HR range:
1-3 days Endurance: 65-80% max HR
1-2 days Strength 75-85% MHR
*1 day Interval*: 65-92% MHR
1 day Recovery (or completely off from cardio exercise): 55-65% MHR

See that? One day a week when you're going "all out" - that's it! For many of you, you're doing 92% far more often than that. Overtraining is totally counterproductive. I did it for years, prior to commencing training with a hr monitor. So let's just... not.

Here are some warning signs that you may
be overtraining:
1) Constant fatigue
2) Changes in sleep patterns
3) Irritability
4) Frequent illness/infection
5) Sugar cravings
6) Elevated resting heart rate**

*If you train particularly hard on a given day* *(see also: ANYONE who took my class at 41st/3rd this morning…)*, active recovery rides (nice and easy, low HR, work on form, smoothness of pedal strokes, relaxation) or passive (completely off from exercise)* recovery* *days should follow the day after.
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3/2/2008: ENDURANCE TRAINING - WHY WE DO IT, WHEN WE DO IT

Why do we do Endurance work?
Because when we stay below 80% MHR, we burn fat the entire time... as soon as we cross that, we're burning sugar - not fat.
What happens when we don't do Endurance work?
When we train above 80% MHR without having established an "aerobic base" (accomplished for most people by staying below that mark for at least 8-12 weeks - without exception!), we teach the body to *prefer *to burn sugar all the time... instead of fat.
What happens when we burn sugar, instead of fat, for sustained periods of time?
We eat more. Our appetites are ravenous. We get fatigued... if not immediately after exercise, then we can almost certainly expect to crash at some point later in the day. We are prone to injury, compromised immune systems. We are irritable, anxious, and moody.
So why do we LOVE aerobic base-building work, through Endurance training?
Our bodies learn to accommodate greater effort (more resistance, faster speed, etc) -- and thus burn more calories -- while REMAINING aerobic... and thus, burning fat (not sugar) even at that greater effort!
How do we know when our heart rates are below 80% MHR? Can we just "feel"
it?
Uh, sure, go ahead... but you'll be wrong. BUY A HR MONITOR. Check out my archives for links to cheap, good ones on Amazon.com. I'll help you set it up, and it'll change your life.
Does this apply only to Spinning?
Absolutely not! This applies to ALL of our training. When you're base-building, staying below 80% MHR is a requirement throughout EVERYTHING you do. Wear your HR monitor during everything... it's fascinating to see how your heart responds differently to different challenges. For example, I've recently taken up kickboxing as a cross-training mechanism (SO important for one's body to cross-train... not just when you're teaching 16-18 Spin classes a week, either!) -- turns out that, for me, kickboxing is the PERFECT aerobic exercise for me. I don't have to discipline myself to control my HR at all -- I'm square between 65-80% MHR the entire time with no special effort (whereas to remain in that zone on a bike, at times, takes
a lot of control) -- so, perfect base-building activity! So, wear your HRM and experiment to find what works for your body!
Did I have any intention of creating this Q&A list?
No. I'm just ranting now... I'm done. I definitely encourage you to visit the Spintastic homepage (link above) and read through the archives. I've written a ton over the past few months about the merits of training by heart rate.
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2/10/2008: PERIODIZATION -- WHAT IS IT, WHY SHOULD I DO IT, HOW DO I DO IT?

Now let's chat about Periodization -- a training concept that requires a great deal of discipline and planning, but from which we can derive a rich host of rewards. As an overview, periodization is the concept of dividing the calendar year into different "periods" where we focus on different types of training - recovery, aerobic base-building, cardiovascular strength development, and anaerobic training. Research has shown that this is the most effective way to train for athletes -- which you all are -- of all conditioning levels.

I initially became acquainted with Periodization whilst preparing for my advanced Spinning certification last year - and I started on this training path (and truly started to see its effects in my own fitness!) then got distracted when I quit my day job and started teaching so much. I always wished that I could somehow adjust my life to be able to commit to it - and I've even successfully started a few of you on a periodization plan as you've begun to get HR monitors. Well, now I'm doing it, too! Starting tomorrow. I welcome you to do it with me!

Here's how it works, as an average plan based on a 6 or 7 day training week (not just Spinning - ANY cardio, this applies to). If you're interested, I will be happy to tweak this for you to your own time-availabilities and needs.

*WEEKS 1-8: AEROBIC BASE-BUILDING PERIOD* - *below 80% MHR the ENTIRE TIME
*- 4-5x cardio sessions per week - 50-80% MHR
- Every 2 weeks, try to ride a bit longer... arrive to class 15 or 20 minute early to make it a full hour (1-3 hours is what we're shooting for), all below 80% MHR

*WEEKS 9-12: STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT*
- 2-3x/week: 75-85% (don't drop below 75% either!)
- 2-3x/week: 50-75%
- Every 2 weeks, as above, 1-3 hours all below 80% MHR

*WEEKS 13-15: ANAEROBIC FOCUS*
- 1-2x/week: 85-92% MHR intervals (~ 80% inbetween... remember, this is just ONCE per week)
- 2-3x/week - 50-80% MHR
- Note that we exercise fewer times per week during these two weeks

*WEEKS 16-17: RECOVERY*
- Either "active" (train between 50-65% for the entire two weeks)
or "passive" (off all-together).
- I swear to you, you will not lose your fitness. I had to do this after my surgery over the summer, and I didn't lose an ounce of what I'd gained in my training before surgery.

*AFTER THAT....*
You can repeat the cycle just as above - 8 weeks base-building, 4 weeks strength, 3 weeks anaerobic focus, 2 weeks rest. Or, you can do what is called "microperiodization" - where we shorten each phase as follows:
*4 weeks: micro-aerobic & strength combined
*- 2-3x/week: 50-80%
- 2-3x/week - 75-85%
- Every 2 weeks, like before, 1-3 hours <80%>

*3 weeks: micro-anaerobic*
- 1-2x week/ 85-92% intervals
- 2-3x/wk - 50-80%
*2 weeks: rest*
.... then repeat the micro-periodization cycle all over again

Micro-periodization is not effective until you've completed the first cycle with the full base-building period. I know, it sounds rough. But it works. And your body will thank you for it for the rest of your life.

If you feel like reading more, here's an article written by Johnny Goldberg ("Johnny G")- founder of the Spinning program:*
http://media.godashboard.com/spinning/periodization.pdf*
*Just to clarify some of the terms he uses: The Spinning program uses "Energy Zones" to correspond with different HR ranges. When Goldberg refers to the "Endurance Energy Zone," he means " staying under 80% MHR the whole time."
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3/9/2008: AEROBIC BASE-BUILDING PERIOD... NO "CHEATING" ALLOWED!

Remember, to be able to get the effect of what I've been promising you about staying below 80% MHR (re-setting the body to prefer fat-burning over sugar-burning) for 8 weeks, there can be NO exceptions (on the bike or off the bike!) -- no matter how good it feels to rip into that explosive sprint or monster climb out of the saddle. *8 weeks of pure discipline.* Adaptation will occur -- but only if you truly commit to it. To that end, I am starting over tomorrow. Not allowed to cross 80% MHR until May 13, and that's final. Do let me know if you want to start with me, and I'll do my best to personally discipline you to stay on-track. Science works... if you
don't obstruct it!

When we train anaerobically before building that aerobic base, we actually teach the body to *prefer* burning glucose instead of fat. *This leads to sugar cravings, irritability, fatigue, sleep problems, and all sorts of other bad stuff.

So, we've got to build that aerobic base. We just have to.

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1/6/2008: STAYING AEROBIC... WHEN THE REST OF YOUR CLASS ISN'T

Hope your 2008 is off to a fantastic start -- at *least* as fantastic as mine (on Thursday, I was officially accepted to medical school! Ahhhh!).

I'd like to begin this week's posting with two comments from students this week that really struck me:*
1) "I can't keep my heart rate down and do what all the instructors tell me to do!"
2) "I can't be over-training... I *only* spin 4 times a week... and besides, I haven't lost any weight."*

I'll take them one at a time.

*1) "I can't keep my heart rate down and do what all the instructors tell me to do!"
*The Spinning program was founded upon the belief that training is personal and individualized, with riders modifying in both speed and resistance according to their a) fitness levels; b) training program/schedule; c) any other reason they damn well please.

Right now, commit to a training schedule. *Always be "in training" for something*. It doesn't have to be a Century or an Iron Man. You can be "in training" to improve your energy level through an average day. What are your goals? If you've been away from regular cardiovascular exercise for awhile, it's a good idea to aim to build a solid aerobic base. To do that, you need 4-8 weeks of PURELY aerobic effort - that is, staying below 80% of your max heart rate for your ENTIRE course of exercise (whether that be on a spin bike, a treadmill, or whatever else you're doing). *Any time you exceed 80% during your aerobic base-building period, you counteract any progress you've made.* So commit to it.

Give yourself permission to accept that you know your body better than anyone else. If you're climbing steady, even hills at 75-80% for 30 minutes and then, BAM, your instructor (myself included) throws in a full-throttle push.... even a short one.... *don't do it*. Modify your effort. If you're in an aerobic base-building period (*which *all* new Spinners should be... and many seasoned riders as well!)*, and I coach you through those six 30-second accelerations to Kelly Clarkson and Pink at the end of a ride... *don't do it*. That 3.5 minute speed run to the finish line? Slow it down. *This isn't my ride; it's yours.* *Once you get your heart-rate monitor and can properly gauge where you are, commit to your training program and stick with it.

*Many of my students approach me before class and tell me things like, "Hey, just so that you know, I'm going for Endurance today... didn't want you to think I was ignoring you!" Nothing makes me happier in the world to hear stuff like that. That's *fantastic* when people have HR parameter goals carved out for themselves. *** If you want me to set you up with a plan for your training week/month/year*, I'd be happy to do so -- but you have to stick with it..*. *even if it's tempting to go all-out sometimes. *

You will be happy, later, that you did this. *When I first started wearing a HR monitor years before I became a certified instructor, I was shocked that I was averaging 95% MHR effort during what I thought were "easier" rides. I was further shocked to see that I could not stay below 80% anytime I got out of the seat -- no runs, no standing climbs, no jumps. I stayed in that seat. To give myself a challenge, I'd increase the resistance as much as I could while remaining aerobic -- and it was a completely different ride I was on than that my instructor was coaching. But that's what I needed then. After 1-2 months of aerobic base-building, you'll be able to do all of those runs, standing climbs, jumps, etc. at 80% MHR. And those seated climbs you plowed through? Those will be your recharges.

*2) "I can't be over-training... I *only* spin 4 times a week... and besides, I haven't lost any weight." *
Remember, over-training is not only a function of frequency of exercise! It is also a function of intensity. Even if you train three times a week - but you're pushing so hard to the point of post-exercise exhaustion (because you think that compensates for working out fewer days per week) - you run the risk of over-training. *Elite competitive cyclists do the majority of their training between 60-75% MHR for endurance, advancing to 85% a few days per week for a short period of their competitive year to build cardiovascular strength and get their anaerobic system geared up, then up to max effort leading right up and through Race Day*. *Why would we work harder than competitive cyclists?
*
As for this student's remark about "not losing weight," this is precisely *because* she was pushing so hard. *We do not burn much fat during anaerobic training. If your legs are burning, you are not burning fat as your primary source of fuel.

I'd also like to take this time to re-introduce the concept of proper Recovery. *Recovery can be both passive (total rest, taking a day off) and active (riding at 50-65% max heart rate with light speed and juuuuuuust enough resistance to feel that pull in the back of your leg).* Those active recovery rides can be quite energizing, indeed -- and it's actually quite effective in flushing out accumulated lactic acid from the body and improving oxygen circulation to tired muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Active Recovery is my new "thing" for 2008, now that I'm teaching so much but don't like to coach off the bike for full classes at a time. I encourage you to join me whenever you want. Just chill out.

Cheers,
Melissa