"To Intervene or Not Intervene: That is the Question. See also: The Perils & Pleasures of Correcting Form

Could my title have been more obnoxiously complicated? Maybe. But it's fitting for the topic at hand: thoughts on when/how to correct form in Spinning classes.

In the interim since I've last written, I've been spending less time training for epic bike feats (my race did go well, exactly according to my training plan in my last post, despite wiping out 100' from the finish line and bloodily dragging my bike and its broken chain the rest of the way -- I was actually SO pleased with the way I landed) and more time training for that whole "being a doctor" thing. I did, however, resume teaching Spinning classes for the first time in 2 months (the longest I've ever been away in my coaching career -- and to be honest, I'm a little stale. Ick.)

The weekend before my Burlington classes started for the semester (I teach on a college campus, so group fitness classes go according to the academic calendar), I *drove* to NYC for 14 hours and taught my old Sunday AM class. (Yes, I drove into Manhattan proper. I was SO proud.) The aesthetics of NYC Spinning studios (lighting, sound, general ambiance) can be quite powerful, if maximized to their potential. I happen to be good at that, which hid my staleness until I psychologically/emotionally warmed up to the task at hand. But as a sub (I moved a year ago -- though some regulars flocked when I announced my return, most of my "old class" isn't really my class), I was mindful of how stuck I was about correcting form.

Though I cued general form tips, there were more extensive interventions that I would have liked to pursue. But didn't. Were they dire safety issues? No. But could they have improved someone's efficiency and/or comfort? Absolutely. Did I feel like, as a sub, I had enough "street cred" to effect change? No. Hence my silence.

On the morning of my first class back in Burlington, the New York Times ran a pseudo-interesting article about trainer and participant perceptions of feedback on form. It didn't say anything ground-breaking. It's common sense that there is a continuum of effective feedback, and a continuum of how people perceive feedback. But there were a couple of comments that reminded me of a theme I try to bring to my coaching all the time -- that is, gauging people's goals and expectations -- yet often forget to apply to the issue of form.

A few months ago, I wrote on my other blog about an experience I had (as a sub, no less) in intervening into what I deemed a safety issue in a Spinning class I was teaching. Though I felt intimidated and ineffective, I reminded myself of my commitment to this theme of identifying people's values and educating them about framing various choices in the context of those values. Choosing a medication, a surgery, a heart rate training zone, a handlebar height, an angle of an SPD cleat, a pelvic tilt, a knee alignment -- they're all the same. That's always what every choice is about.

I feel strongly enough sharing the above-linked post (which presents this story as part of a larger point about synergy between my "medical student" and "coach" worlds) that I'll excerpt part of it:

The other day, a woman in an NYC class I subbed was executing all kinds of safety-contraindicated stuff: mashing her legs, cranking the resistance too heavy to even turn the flywheel, letting go of the handlebars. As a life policy, my interventions begin with general guidance to the group. This is usually sufficient; "offenders" often hear what I say, appreciate the inconsistency between what they hear and what they are doing, and make the appropriate adjustments. If this fails, I describe my corrections in alternate ways. If this still fails AND I think this is a major safety risk, I mute my mic and approach this person individually. As a sub, my threshold for individual intervention is pretty high -- I'm more concerned with pissing people off and inspiring them to cause a scene. So after 6 or 7 "group" interventions and very unambiguous "this pertains to you" signaling, I gave up. I knew that speaking to her privately during class would likely alienate her, and wouldn't actually have an impact on her training practices once I walked out of the room and out of her world.

I couldn't make a difference, so why bother? I gave up on her.

Then I remembered that I wasn't wearing a particular "hat." I was just ME, the cycling coach who knows what the hell she's talking about, who also just so happens to be training as a physician. Time to start acting like one.

I'd given up on this rider who ignored my educational pleas for health and safety. Just like a doctor giving up on an obese, hypertensive patient with Type II diabetes who eats terrible, drinks too much alcohol, smokes, and doesn't take his or her meds. That's what I just did. I didn't find a way to connect, so I blamed this woman as "refractory to cues." No. I just didn't find the right cues. Yet.

At the clinic where I'm working this summer, I'm running a survey that examines patient attitudes towards medications, taking medications, their involvement in their treatment plans, etc. I included an open-ended question that probes patients' reasons for skipping doses of meds. It was my goal to demonstrate that mismatches between patients' goals/values and the regimens prescribed by their providers, or misunderstandings/miscommunications mattered. That calling this phenomenon "non-compliance" is a cop-out -- and that by asking people a really basic question about their obstacles to a desired outcome, we can learn from this and improve said outcome.

Could I apply what comes so naturally to me in medicine... here?

After class, I approached her.
"Hey, I notice you have really strong legs and a great pedal stroke," I said to the woman.
Her eyes perked up.
"But let me ask you something. I notice that you often let go of the handlebar. I'm always interested in the thought process of the people who take my classes -- when you do that, what goes through your mind?"
"Oh, well, I'm pregnant -- and I don't like reaching over. It's uncomfortable."

Really? That's all this was about? Turns out, "non-compliance" doesn't exist on a Spin bike either.

Now I understood her obstacles to heeding the information I presented; now I knew how to frame my message in a way that was consistent with her values. I showed her how to raise the handlebars so that she could hold on without hinging forward too far, and educated her about how riding without holding on places undue strain on her lower and middle back. We then had a lovely conversation about exercise intensity and pregnancy and... get this... heart rate monitoring. By the end of those 5 minutes, she really would not ONLY always hold onto the handlebar (my goal) -- but would be investing in a heart rate monitor, and thus investing in her health and that of her future child.

It was an important reminder on what can happen with a commitment to not giving up on people. It's tempting to detach, to focus one's energy on causes more likely to yield the greatest impact. But the likelihood of impact is also inextricably linked to one's belief in one's ability to have that impact. Like anything else, it's all in the way one talks to oneself.

Take-home points?
1) Believe that fine-tuning form is important.
I will refer to you two previous posts:
"Do Your Riders Know Why They're Riding?" -- details the merits of explaining each and every form cue, and includes a ride profile based on educating people about why various aspects of their form matter. I forgot this exists, and I'm going to use it in my class on Tuesday. Sweet: one less new ride to make.

"Practical Applications of Life on a Spin Bike" -- where I described super-subtle changes I made to my form (pelvic tilt, wrist rotation, seat adjustment) that made LIFE-ALTERING changes in my ability to comfortably ride my first 70-mile and 107-mile rides outside. Just want to demonstrate that subtleties in form TOTALLY matter.

2) Believe that you are a useful and knowledgeable resource.
As a medical student, I struggle with this issue every day of my life. I spend so much time mindfully acknowledging that I know very little in the big scheme of things, and that I haven't actively earned many of the privileges bestowed upon me to learn them (i.e., the generosity of patients allowing me to practice rectal and vaginal exams) that it often distracts me from learning. But as a coach, 99% of the time I genuinely believe that what comes out of my mouth is informed, precise, and useful. When I am in that 1% mentality, that's when I don't speak up about form.

I refer you to a really long/verbose/annoying but probably one of the best posts I've ever written:
Trust Your Judgment: Evaluating Yourself... and Evaluating Others - describes my evolution from an unconfident "newbie" to a more confident, more effective (though, of course, always still evolving) coach, and suggests a few parameters for evaluating influences to which you are exposed.

3) Find multiple different ways of describing the same form cue
I took a FABULOUS, FABULOUS workshop at WSSC 2008 with Luciana Marcial-Vinson about identifying your most frequently (over)used cues and brainstorming alternatives to them. At that time, I hadn't realized how stale my cues were. Going through the process of physically writing down the things I said all the time was scary and occasionally horrifying. But by forcing myself to own my staleness, I could commit to improvement.

Common sense suggests that people respond to different things -- one way might "click" for someone and mean nothing to something else. So when we say the same thing all the time, there may be people falling through the cracks. If we deliver the same concept in multiple different ways, we have an increased likelihood of "reaching" more people. So where do you get your cues? The creative process can be accomplished in SO many different ways: Take continuing ed workshops. Take other instructors' classes. Read blogs and books and websites. Ride by yourself and think about the subtleties of what you're doing. Spend 10 minutes just being THOUGHTFUL, and you will come up with beyond-useful material.

4) Ask the questions.
I'm taught in medical school that 95% of diagnoses come from the patient's history. Not fancy lab or imaging tests -- just by asking subtle questions, and listening to what a patient tells you (and does not tell you). I think about that as a coach, too. The story I cited above in asking the "cue-refractory" woman who would NOT hold onto the handlebar about how she came to make that decision, I learned that she thought she was accomplishing x goal (i.e., avoiding discomfort in pregnancy). When I learned that, I could educate her about different means to accomplish x goal safely (i.e., raising her handlebars) AND how what she was doing wasn't actually having the desired effect she intended. Had I never asked the question, I would never have been prompted to educate her about those specific points. By asking the question, I made my feedback relevant.

Putting this all together:
Basic Cue: "Keep your feet nice and flat. Drop your heel as you pull back on the pedal, keeping your toes straight ahead."

Improvement #1: Tell Them Why
"By dropping your heel, you engage the muscles in the back of your leg for a more powerful pedal stroke."

Improvement #2: Make It Relevant
"Here's why we care about a powerful and efficient pedal stroke..." -- be sure to include relevancy for both outdoor and non-outdoor riders

Improvement #3: Alternate Description
"Think about a magnet on your heel. The floor is metal. Allow your heel to be drawn towards the floor, and pull up against that force to bring your heel towards your butt."

Improvement #4: "Intervention"
"I notice that [insert some sort of positive, empowering feedback]. That's awesome. I notice that you're pointing your toes a bit -- does it feel that way to you/are you aware that that's happening? If yes: What were you hoping to achieve by doing that, so that I can help you find a way to think about it. If no: Yeah, most people can't tell. I figured it was accidental. Here are some ways you can think about it instead, and here's why it matters..."

I need to stop writing massive blog novels when I'm supposed to be studying. I think *I* need an intervention.

Do your riders know WHY they're riding?

*TIME OUT. ALL-IMPORTANT "LIFE QUESTION"*
Have you participated in my research on the psychological effects of heart-rate training? If you've ever worn a HR monitor during exercise, you can take my 5 minute survey here. (You can also tell all your friends, colleagues, and riders about it, too!) I've been getting responses from around the country (and even quite a few international responses), and I'm learning SO much fascinating stuff that I can't wait to share with the world. But for now, I must bite my lip and refrain from biasing future participants.

I will, however, tell you where the first two weeks of this study have taken me. So far, it's been a sweet ride.

Last week, I had the unique opportunity to guest on the Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast this week. John Macgowan (who is one of the coolest people EVER, as an aside) invited me on to be interviewed about my investigation of the relationship between HR monitor use and self-efficacy: one's belief in one's ability to navigate the challenges of one's world. Listen to my interview here. I was super-nervous and awkward, and somehow took on a Southern accent -- despite never having lived in the South -- but it was a fantastic experience nonetheless. And next week, after my awful awful awful neural science exam, I'm going to write up a step-by-step guide to my protocol for helping new HRM users (who resist my encouragement to commit to even ONE metabolic testing measurement or a sub-max field test) figure out their training zones. I was so focused on NOT talking too much in this interview that I inadvertently came across as super-vague when this came up, as you'll hear.

This experience prompted me to observe how I truly wish I could talk and write and breathe "this stuff" all day long. But as it turns out, medical school isn't quite so conducive to that. But as I sit here brainstem-deep in the torturous treachery of neural science, I constantly remind myself WHY I'm doing this. I'm doing this so that when Mr. Smith tells me that his right knee is going numb and that he's falling down, confused and scared, that maybe one day I'll have a clue what the hell to do to help him. Because you know what? Right now, I don't -- and I want to.

I find myself wondering, often, if my riders know WHY they're doing whatever they're doing on the bike. For all my talk about deep, thoughtful analysis of physical and mental training goals, I can't help but wonder whether it's possible that SOME of my go-to "cues" have become so automated that I no longer take the time to explain -- with precision -- their origins and significance. Could I go deeper? Could they go deeper?

As per usual, I decided to make a ride about it.

"TELL ME WHY," as I titled it (they aaaaaaaaalways have titles: contributes to the vibe of having every class feel like a big event worth coming to), took four basic technical "concepts" and challenged people to probe the root of what each of them meant to them, their training, and their lives.

Pedal stroke. Posture. Breathing. Heart rate control.

I talk a good game about each of them ad nauseum, and I'm proud to say that my "regulars" are largely on top of all of those fronts. I glow when I see people respond to my cues -- and when they don't, I consider it an intellectual challenge to devise alternate ways of describing the same point until they are prompted to self-improve. Communicating to a large group in such a way that each individual internalizes one's words, interprets and processes it as a unique, individualized experience is a challenge, fo' sure. But the REAL task, as I see it, is to communicate in such a way that said individualized experience lasts. Inspiring someone to take away something that they can apply to their experiences training solo, training in other people's classes, and even when they're not training at all -- THAT'S where it's at.

So am I to assume that because I teach a group how to execute the Perfect Pedal Stroke, that Sally in the corner really 'gets' why said Perfect Pedal Stroke matters? When I coach a group to flatten out their foot to engage the muscles in the back of the leg and hamstring, does Sally do that because "I said so" -- or because she gets, at a deeper level, why one even WANTS to engage those muscles? Does she care why EFFICIENCY (a term I use often) is going to do her any good? Does she see why it's worthwhile to attempt to get more work done without working harder? Does she see how her pedal stroke directly impacts upon muscle imbalances -- and if so, why that's something we care about avoiding? Does she know how to become a fat-burning machine?

Don't get me wrong: I am ABSOLUTELY thrilled that Sally stopped pointing her toes. But you know what? If Sally doesn't 'get' everything at the root of why I coached her otherwise, Sally's going to go right back to pointing her toes when she leaves my class. She may have been riding just swell in my class -- but if her new practices don't 'stick' when she takes someone else's class, I have failed her. If I had an opportunity to translate my knowledge into a forum that could be meaningful to her and I blew it, that's unacceptable to me.

Hence, my new ride.

Here's how it worked:

PHASE I: "SELL IT TO YOURSELF"
4 loops. Each loop emphasizing one of those concepts:
1) Perfect Pedal Stroke
2) Posture
3) Breathing
4) Heart Rate Control


1) Perfect Pedal Stroke
5 minute seated climb --> 3x seated accelerations
I explained the Perfect Pedal Stroke and why it mattered, whether one rides outside or not. I explained why we can ultimately get MORE work done (support more resistance, more speed) if we allow 100% of our leg muscles to work instead of merely mashing down with the quads. I asked them to close their eyes (for an anonymous poll -- I employ this technique often) and raise their hands if they were opposed to any of my questions: Who's opposed to being able to demonstrate their own strength to themselves? No hands. Anyone opposed to seeing more sculpted legs? No hands. Anyone opposed to being able to last longer without needing to take a break? No hands. Anyone opposed to preventing injury? No hands.

Didn't think so.

So with that, I explained the Perfect Pedal Stroke -- went through the clock metaphor, and the three "secret power moves" I wanted them to focus on: the FORWARD drive, the BACKWARD wipe, and the powerful UPSTROKE. I explained which muscles they should feel working during each part. Then we did pedal stroke drills for 6 minutes. Imagine? Ballsy as hell. They loved it.

Direct all your energy into your right leg. Left leg is still moving but just let it go to sleep.
First, FORWARD strokes on the downbeat. Generate the motion from your glute, extend the leg. Kick your heel out to the front of the wheel.

Repeated left. Then right and left working together -- all just the FORWARD.
Repeated for the BACKWARD. Generate the motion from your hamstring, calf involved in the "WIPING" motion - like you've got something disgusting on the bottom of your shoe. Dropping the heel a smidgeon just to keep the foot flat. Right, left, right and left.
Repeated for the UPSTROKE. Motion comes from the hip flexor. Squeeze the hip flexor, forcefully pulling your knee straight up to your chest. Right, left, right and left.

I encouraged them to develop their own language to "coach themselves" through each part of the pedal stroke -- something that would ultimately become automated. Using the beat of the music in whatever way they found helpful.

Suggestions:
FORWARD-WIPE-UP / FORWARD-WIPE-UP
ANKLE-UP / ANKLE-UP
KICK-OUT / KICK-OUT
BACK / BACK / BACK
UP / UP / UP

Threw in 3x accelerations (30 seconds) seated, challenge to commit to the PPS.

2) POSTURE
Progressive loading -- seated climb --> heeeeeeeeeeeeavy seated climb (60 rpm - I don't talk cadences with my classes at UVM; I just give 'em a beat) --> 3x accelerations
Explained the merits of relaxed upper body posture to promote efficient breathing, to prevent momentum from being transferred to the joints.
Your challenge as you load more and more resistance is to breathe extra calmness into that upper body. As you accept more opportunity to demonstrate your strength, your upper body gets LOOSER and LOOSER. Find that natural groove to your shoulders. Give the energy you're creating somewhere to go.

3x accelerations -- get those shoulders movin'!

3) BREATHING
Seated climb --> progressive loading --> heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeavy seated climb
Start at 65% MHR. Every time you touch the resistance knob, DEEP BREATH in through the nose and LONG breath out the mouth. Heart rate goes nowhere. Extend the breath on the way out even longer. Heart rate drops. When heart rate drops, add a smidgeon more resistance. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Any time your heart rate does not come down, do not add any more resistance. Keep breathing, keep lengthening the exhalation. Smidgeon more. Smidgeon more.

At the end of 5 minutes, this hill is INSANELY heavy. 60 rpm. It's a "no joke" hill, as I call it.
But where's your heart rate? Still at 65% MHR because of HOW gradually you accepted that challenge, using your breath to fuel your ability to take on each opportunity to demonstrate success.

* This is my absolute favorite progressive loading drill. I call it "Increase and Breathe." I named my other blog after it, as I see it -- cheesy or not -- as a metaphor for life. *

4) HEART RATE CONTROL
Seated climb --> 3 intervals: first, speed; second, resistance; third, change resistance
Pick a heart rate. Observe how your body responds to challenges. Practice using breathing to maintain the same level of intensity.
(Trying not to fail out of school... so limiting my elaborations! I refer you to my "SURGES" described here.)

PHASE II: COMMIT TO IT. OWN IT.
Choose one of those themes. Make every effort reflect a pure commitment to it. Make it mean something.
20 minute climb. You choose how to climb it. And why.

At the end of the climb, I took another closed-eye anonymous poll.

Who feels like they accomplished what they set out to do today?
Who feels more self-confident, like they used their time wisely?

I reminded them that their training is THEIR time -- and that everything they do should be done for a SPECIFIC reason. And that if there's ever anything that I coach them to do -- that anyone coaches them to do -- that they should demand to "TELL ME WHY."

Tell me why I spent 90 minutes blogging about a Spinning ride instead of studying? Oops.

One more shameless plug, as justification: Please encourage everyone you know who has ever trained with a HRM to participate in my study!

Upper body form, revisited

As a general life policy, I consider it a top priority to help people learn from my mistakes. As many of you witnessed, I took a bad spill off the new love my life (Triumph, the most studly bike who ever lived). I was en route to teach a class on Wednesday night, coming out of Central Park through a path covered in horse excrement. Not wanting Triumph's new tires to get disgusting, I looked down at the ground below me -- instead of "slightly ahead of (me) on the ground" as I coach YOU guys to keep your heads -- and BAM! Missed a rock and went flying.

Here's why we want to keep our "heads lined up with our spines -- looking down but slightly ahead of you on the ground" (as I always say):

I don't know if this photo truly captures the magnitude of my injury, but it was a bloody, disgusting mess -- and I'd very much like for you guys not to repeat my mistake!


<--- *POUT* for bad upper body posture
But three cheers for wearing helmets and HR monitors!



OTHER POINTS ABOUT UPPER BODY POSTURE -- little mantras I hope you can repeat to yourself periodically as you ride:

1) Head/neck
* "Chin off the chest*
* "Gentle space between the chin the shoulders"
* "Head lined up with your spine -- straight line*
* "If you hang your 14 lb. head, you will be cutting off your airway and causing neck and head pain all day long. We hate that."

[*NEW* Tip from a fellow Spinner, Yen Cheong:
"I find one thing that helps my upper-body form (and form in general, I guess), is riding in front of the mirror so I can see myself.... the mirror reminds me to keep my head up and drop my shoulders."

ABSOLUTELY. I personally prefer to ride next to mirrors (as opposed to facing one). Ideally, I can position myself for side and front views... but if I have to pick, side view is more helpful to keeping my head/neck lined up, shoulders back and down, and smooth slope to the back...]

2) Shoulders
* "shoulders rolled back and all the way down"
* "drop the shoulders"
* "retract the shoulders -- pull 'em back"

3) Back
* "as close to a flat back with a smooth slope as possible WITHOUT STIFFENING"
* "smooth slope connecting head, neck, and back"
* "shoulder blades broaden with every inhalation"
* "lower back contracting and relaxing with every breath"
* "always moving, never static"

4) Hands
* in Hand Position #1 (seated, fingers connected at center of handlebar), Hand Position #2 (seated or standing run, hands spread wider on the horizontal part of the handlebar), or Hand Position #3 (standing climb *ONLY* - hands at the top of the handlebars, gripped as cups around the side with thumbs over the top of the handlebar like bullhorns).

If I leave you with NOTHING else, let it be this:
>> There is no Hand Position 2 1/2.
It's 2 or 3. That's it. No grabbing the handlebar halfway towards the top. You will be leaning, always - the geometry of the bike makes it so.
>> We do not use Hand Position 3 while seated.
Spinning bikes are road bikes with fixed gears. Road bikes have what is called a "laid-back geometry" in that their angles are directed backwards. There is no such thing as an "aggressive" posture on a road bike. "Aggressive," as it is called, is a time-trial/triathlon term because those sports use DIFFERENT bikes. On a road bike, if you extend your arms out, you inhibit your ability to breathe by compressing the abdomen. Forget it. If a Spinning instructor calls for hands out at the ends while seated, ignore him or her. It is unsafe and totally contraindicated.
>> We do not use overhand grips in Hand Position 3. You will be leaning on the bike, forcing you to treat the bike like this big cardio machine like a Stairmaster -- you will never have as smooth, elegant pedal stroke. Wrap your hands around the sides, *thumbs* over the top.

* "Light touch on the handlebars. Any time you tense up the grip, you use energy to contract those hand and arm muscles... you rob your legs of energy! Spinning is not an upper body exercise."
* Meaty parts of the hands lightly touching the handlebars. More than the fingertips -- meaty party of the hand.
* "Thumbs lined up with wrists" to make sure no tension/learning
* FOREARMS DO NOT TOUCH THE HANDLEBARS.
Forearms contact neither the bars nor the towels laying over the bars - totally un-involved. After all, they're called "hand-lebars" not "forearm-lebars"

Ride on... and don't trip over rocks ;-)

Pedaling with Precision and Power

One of my new rides this week, "Precision," is all about breaking down and mastering the Perfect Pedal Stroke -- even if we THINK we know how to pedal -- making sure that we are engaging the best muscle groups to get the job done, as opposed to merely allowing the muscles that happen to be dominant run the show... to the detriment of our entire bodies. (See: my posting over the weekend on muscle imbalances in cycling...).

I've written a ton about the Perfect Pedal Stroke before (check out the link to the left for relevant postings). But now I'm going to give you another way to think about your pedal stroke, similar to the way I've actually been coaching "Precision" itself...

Starting construct: Imagine your seated pedal stroke is a clock. Round, fluid, never-ending.
12 o'clock is at top of the circle; 6 o'clock is at the bottom of the circle; all the other places follow accordingly.

So here's what you should be doing at each segment of the "clock":

9 o'clock to 12 o'clock: "KICKING ACROSS the top of the circle." Drive the knee FORWARD.
3 o'clock (no earlier): push down, pushing through the BALL of your foot
5 o'clock to 7 o'clock: "WIPING the bottom of your shoe across the bottom of the circle."
7 o'clock to 8 o'clock: "PULL UP," lifting your knees directly to the chest.

The forward, wiping, and upstroke motions are really where you're going to get your power. But the key is making sure we are engaging the right muscle groups to get each motion effected. (How do we "engage" a muscle group? Just think about it. Just thinking about a muscle gets it involved... fascinating, eh?). So let us elaborate upon exactly which muscle groups we want working, when...

1) YOUR "KICK ACROSS" THE TOP OF THE CIRCLE
This is a horizontal motion... no up/down. Use your glute and your hamstring to drive the knee FORWARD and extend the hip. Think about maintaining a constant force, a fluid and elegant motion. Note: your pelvis does NOT come forward... only the knee!

2) YOUR "WIPING" BACK STROKE.
Also a horizontal motion, in the opposite direction from the "kick across the top." Here, we use the hamstring and the calf (dropping the heel for more power).

3) YOUR "UPSTROKE"
Remember that if you do not have a stroke upstroke with one leg, the other leg has to work twice as hard (if you're not pulling up with the first leg, it becomes dead weight and cancels out against the work of the other leg!). Sold that it's important yet? Good.
Here, we are using the hip flexor to drive the knee up towards the ceiling. We engage the hip flexor in order to give the hamstring time to recover (since it's firing so much for the other two key power-segments...). Do not let your knees go out to the side.

Try practicing each segment by itself, then start blending them toQgether until you have a seamless, fluid, elegantly PERFECT PEDAL STROKE!

Now, for standing climbs in Hand Position 3, it's a bit different. Still smooth and fluid... but no longer round. Instead, our pedal strokes become like pistons: straight up and down. So it's ALL about the upstrokes. No downstrokes; no mashing the pedals. Just pulling up forcefully, using the hip flexors AND the hamstrings to drive the knee straight up to the chest. Do not let your knees go out to the side.

Questions/comments? Email me at melspin@gmail.com

What We Can Learn from Pain

Pain can sometimes be a good thing, as it calls our attention to something -- perhaps subtle -- that is responsible for our pain, that we might otherwise not have noticed. Here are some common physical complaints amongst cyclists, and what they often mean. If you experience any pain during my classes, flag me over *immediately* - by the way.

NECK & SHOULDERS
* Soreness - Are you leaning on the handlebars? Don't. Especially when the core is weak, we lean forward and make the upper body work wayyyyy too hard. Cycling is about your legs and your core - not the upper body! ARE YOU SHRUGGING YOUR SHOULDERS? I did for years, until the pain got so bad that I *had* to pay attention. Think: "shoulders ROLLED BACK and down, elbows point downwards towards the floor."


BACK
* Lower back pain while riding - Are you arching your lower back, especially in Hand Position 3? Don't. (Ride beside a mirror to check yourself... or flag me over to come look!) Also might be your hamstrings just being especially tight, or even weak. The hamstrings attach at the lower back, so often lower back pain is not the back at all -- it's the hamstrings!
* Stiffness/soreness - Lack of counterbalancing training. Our proper cycling posture assumes a constant state of flexion, hinged forward at the hip and rounding the back out to lean over the handlebars -- so it's important to also incorporate balancing, counteracting movements (like backbends, which stretch/elongate the hip flexors and quads, too!)


KNEES
* Pain on inner side of knee - often indicative of foot misalignment. Make sure your heel is straight, not jutting out to the side
* Pain/burning on your outer side of knee - usually the IT band (strip of fibers from your hip all the way down the side of the thigh to the knee). Means it's tight and unhappy with our current stretching regimen.
* Pain behind the knee - Saddle may be too high or too far back, puts pressure on the tendons/ligaments behind the knees
* Pain in front of the knee - Saddle may be too low or too far forward, puts pressure on the knees

CALVES
* Pain - often indicative of foot misalignment. If you ride clipped in, *check your cleat alignment* -- cleats shift over time! Pain on one side of your calf usually corresponds to the cleat being crooked, with the cleat being higher on the side of the calf that has pain.
If you ride in sneakers, check your overall foot alignment -

FEET
* Numbness - nerve compression, often indicative of your shoes being too soft. Cycling shoes with rigid soles should hopefully address this!
* Pain in front of ankle -often you are inadvertently riding with your toes pointed down. Think: "heel down, scrape the foot straight backwards"
* Arch pain - you are riding with your foot too far forward in the pedal cages. Think: "ball of the foot over the center of the pedal." The balls of your feet can support your body weight; your arches cannot.

TAKE-HOME POINT:
Hips, thighs, knees, ankles should be in perfect alignment -- all directly forward. Any deviation from this, and you run the risk of muscle imbalances. Any part that juts out to the side (due to chronic tightness, injury... or just plain ignoring my cues! Heh.) is *not* working as hard, and imbalances (and injury) are directly on the road ahead...

Let me know if you have any questions! Email me at melspin@gmail.com

M

"Prehabilitation" to avoid muscle imbalances!

I try to learn something from any unfortunate experience I go through, both psychologically and physically -- that's just the way I (try to) roll. Tearing my hip flexor, as it turns out, has been a most fascinating experience -- a true crash course in the intricacies of muscular anatomy. I've learned a ton, which I can now share with you...

First, some background: Simplified, we have two kinds of muscles -- ones that mobilize, ones that stabilize. The "mobilizers" are the ones that produce rapid/powerful motion at high force (but lack endurance) -- and over time and with repeated use, they tend to shorten and tighten. The "stabilizers" work against gravity and support the body in a given posture. These "stabilizers" tend to become weak and lengthen (which is bad for "stabilizers") over time. Ideally, "mobilizers" and "stabilizers" work together to both move and stabilize -- which is how they start out. But sometimes, "mobilizers" can actually interfere with "stabilizers" -- and can actually attempt to stabilize on their own. When "mobilizers" start to do all the work (both mobilizing and stabilizing... and perform neither particularly well!), that's how we get muscle imbalances.

How does this play out in cycling? Our tight quads and even-tighter hip flexors pull the pelvis forward (tilting slightly), which sets off a whole slew of other imbalances.
* Pelvic tilt --> increased arching of lower back
* Arched lower back --> overloads muscles of lumbar spine; lengthens/weakens the abdominals
* Weaked abdominals --> can't support our body weight, compensation occurs with upper body and hips (which is how we started this mess in the first place...)

Meanwhile, these overactive "mobilizers" quads/hip flexors are also inhibiting the action of the glutes as "stabilizers." The glutes are a major stabilizers of the pelvic region, and are supposed to be the muscle that extends the hip. Yet, with tightness and overaction of the opposing hip flexors, the glutes can become weak and underactive.
* Weak/underactive glutes --> hamstrings must pick up the slack to compensate
* Overworked hamstrings --> tight hamstrings --> hamstring/lower back pain!

What's compensation, you ask? When the hip flexors, for example, are shortened/tight/inflamed from overuse, some of our other muscles "step up to help" -- and they're not particularly good at doing the original muscles' jobs. Our quads tend to be more developed than the hamstrings -- so instead of pulling up with our hamstrings, we try to push down with the quads... and we get hurt. Our glutes/core tend to be weaker than our hip flexors, so we use our tight hips to stabilize our body over the saddle... rendering them even tighter/shorter.

In my case, for example, when my hip flexor didn't feel like 'coming out to play,' I suddenly started to experience pain and spasms in my quadricep, calf, and even my knee. Compensation injuries, all of them -- and muscle imbalances can result in injuries far more serious than mine!

This can also happen with the upper body, too. When we ride, we have a rounded upper back (we're supposed to, at least...).
*Rounded upper back --> shoulder blades raise and pull back --> chest muscles/upper trapezius get tight
* Tight chest muscles/upper traps --> leave shoulders hiked up/forward (which is why I often coach you more than 10x per class with "shoulders rolled back and down!" -- to counteract that natural tendency!)
and also --> weaken the mid-back/scapula stabilizing muscles and cause neck tension/pain!

If there were ONE posture criticism that I think I'd make for 85% of my 250+ students, it's the head. Head should be in line with your spine -- looking down, but with your chin off the chest. When you tilt the head hanging downwards even a little bit, it shifts the distribution of the head's weight so that the seven vertebrae in the cervical spine are NOT supporting the head evenly; rather, the vertebrae at the base of the neck are rudely taxed with far more force. This leads to calcium deposits and even arthritic symptoms in the spine -- not to mention tightness of the neck flexors and weakening of the neck extensors. Undue stress on the muscles of the back of the neck commonly causes neck pain and headaches!

Get frequent headaches? RIDE NEXT TO A MIRROR AND CHECK YOUR HEAD POSTURE.

________________________________________________________
So, now that we've covered how we GET muscle imbalances -- how do we prevent them, you ask? Let me introduce the concept of "PREHABILITATION" -- the steps to take to prevent injuries from happening, before they happen. The three things you should keep in mind are as follows:
1) Make sure you are using proper technique in the first place. Sometimes ineffective techniques are obvious -- when I see them, I correct them. Sometimes, however, they are more subtle. If you are in doubt, come talk to me before class and I'll pay very close attention to your technique...
2) STRETCH. STRETCH. STRETCH. STREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETCH. (Hint: the cool-down stretching at the end of class is totally totally insufficient!)
3) Strength-training! We need to strengthen the glutes (not just the "gluteus maximus" on the backside - but the "gluteus medius" in particular... that's the one on the side, a prime stabilizer that gets long and weak!) and the hamstrings. We need to strengthen the core muscles. Strength-training makes us better cyclists... and keeps us safe!

Email me if you have any questions... melspin@gmail.com.

Everyday activities that can make us better cyclists...

I live in a fourth-floor walk-up apartment. It sucks. After four years of living here, those stairs have not grown any less heinous; however, over time, I've devised several mind games to play with myself to get them to pass by in a slightly more tolerable way ("tricking myself that things are fun when they're actually wretched" is my default coping mechanism for life, by the way). Earlier this year, I began to appreciate that climbing these wretched steps can actually be used to improve my pedal stroke. 'Huh?' you ask. Fo' real -- it's an opportunity to perfect your hip and knee alignment, just extra practice to work on the same things you focus on in class.

In fact, there's a ton of other "everyday activities" that, just by cognitively framing them differently, can be used to help us improve as cyclists. Read on:

1. Climbing Stairs -- keep your hips square, lift your knees directly upwards towards your chest (think: "square hips!" every time you lift), keeping the knees parallel to the hips. Any time your knee starts to veer outwards towards the side, pull it back in towards center.
2. Walking (especially uphill) - visualize your hamstrings and glutes engaging, pulling your legs upwards (think: "lift!") as you go.
3. Ankle rolls: Under your desk, on the subway... wherever you want (and as often as you can!): loosen up and strengthen your ankles and calf muscles by rolling your ankles (clockwise, snap up and down, counterclockwise). You might feel some popping - that's ok, but stop if you feel pain. Any time you feel tightness, stop and hold that position. Resume rolling. Loosening up down here is going to help you keep your heels down while you're pedaling (when your muscles are tight down there, it's VERY hard to pedal correctly...). If you need a reminder on WHY we care about pedaling correctly, do click the links to the left on the "perfect pedal stroke" and "riding form."
4. Hip flexor stretches wherever you can fit them in! Lifting one foot onto a chair (the other on the floor) or a few steps higher than the other foot on a staircase, push all your weight forward onto your hip flexor (feel a nice strong pull in the front-top of your leg). When we cycle, our hip flexors shorten and we end up using other muscles to compensate for activities that require them... and we end up injured like me!

Interesting Questions I've Been Asked This Week -- Crazy Knees, Allergies, and... Ridin' in the Breeze

I've been asked a few particularly interesting questions this week -- and what I find MOST interesting is that I've actually never been asked ANY of them before this week. All are seemingly basic questions that I'd bet at least SOMEONE else has wondered at some point in their lives. In the event that the lack of frequent inquiry reflects a general discomfort/awkwardness on the topics at hand, I figured I'd clear the air...

Q: "I got new cycling shorts and they're so uncomfortable! I thought they were supposed to make riding more comfortable! What's wrong with them? Maybe they're too tight... I can see my underwear line, after all."
A: Dead give-away -- you've introduced a new element of discomfort: friction from the underwear. Good cycling shorts have a padded lining (many are made with specific antimicrobial material, and many have seamless designs for a completely smooth fit), and are actually -- believe it or not -- designed to be worn without underwear, believe it or not. Underwear is just another layer of friction. Friction = bad. Smooth = good. The goal is to have as much protection but as little friction as possible (friction can cause irritation, "saddle sores" -- blisters or boils -- which can open up for further irritation/infection). So, shoot for padded shorts with antimicrobial lining (worn sans underwear), ride away to your heart's content friction-free, and then get out of those shorts as soon as you can into something cool and dry.

To combat and reduce further friction reduction, many cyclists use sweat-resistant anti-chafing chamois creams/gels to be applied to irritated or irritation-prone areas. I'm a big fan of Brave Soldier (http://www.bravesoldier.com/1/p_frictionzone.php) - but there are tons out there!


Q: "You always tell us to lift our knees straight up. I can't keep my knees straight, they go out to the side... they just keep going out to the side. What am I doing wrong?"
A: It is my suspicion that your seat height is too low. When legs bow out to the sides, that's usually the culprit. Let's try re-aligning the seat by standing on the floor next to the bike and aligning the seat to be hip height. Lift one leg up to hip height (at a 90 degree angle to the floor) and the seat should be align with the "tabletop" your leg is making. Then, re-mount the bike. While pedaling, your leg should almost fully extend... but not quite. There should be a 30 degree bend in the knee when the foot is at its lowest point in the pedal stroke. If no bend or insufficient bend, slide the fore/aft lever to bring you forward. If too much bend, slide the seat backwards.

Q: "I have really bad allergies, and I can't breathe through my nose. You always say 'breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth' -- does this mean it's impossible for me to keep my heart rate down?
A: Not at all! Many people have great success controlling their heart rate through rhythmic, focused breathing efforts through the in-nose/out-mouth technique -- but that is not the only way to breathe. That technique causes a natural relaxation and a natural influx of energy and works for a lot of people -- but you can train your body to respond to a variety of other cues (including mouth-only breathing). Get a HR monitor and practice breathing deeply through the mouth and forcefully out again... and keep practicing until you can reduce your heart rate, as evidenced by the numbers displayed on your HR monitor.

You also don't have to live your life unable to breathe through your nose, by the way. Go see your doctor! Maybe a referral to an allergy specialist is in order...

Q: "Is it ok to wear my outdoor shoes on an indoor bike?"
A: Absolutely -- I do! There are two major kinds of cleat-compatibility on pedals -- SPD and Look. NYSC has SPD-compatible pedals, so as long as that is what your road or mountain bike shoes support... bring 'em in! You'll have a much more enjoyable experience in Spin class with your cycling shoes -- you'll have so much more power and control in your pedal strokes, and will be better able to focus on improving your technique!

Q: "My wrists hurt all the time. What's up with that?"
A: You may be leaning on the handlebars, forcing your wrists to support your body weight... which they're not meant to do. Try shifting your weight backwards -- when you're standing (both running upright or climbing out of the saddle), your butt should always be right up against the tip of the saddle. You should always be able to feel the tip of the saddle against your butt... but that saddle should NOT be all the way between your legs. While you're in the seat, you should be sitting back towards the widest part of the saddle... sitting on your hip bones, hinged forward at the hips but keeping all your body weight towards the back of the seat.

As I always say, "you will never ever ever ever ever take your hands off the handlebars in a Spinning class... but your touch should be so light that you feel as though you could!"
PS - Anyone who coaches you to ride with one or both arms tucked behind your back is in total violation of the guidelines of the Spinning program. Ignore them! You're not working harder... you're just more likely to get injured.

And last but not least, this last one I *do* get asked all the time... and it's just so important to keep answering and driving home!

Q: "How do I know when I am at 80% of my max HR?"
A: Three words: Heart Rate Monitor. That's it. There's no other way. Check out the Spintastic archives (menu to the left), and upgrade your life with a shiny new (and even possibly quite inexpensive) HR monitor! I'll help you set it up and everything.

Thaaaaaat's it for now! Any questions about these or anything else, feel free to email me any time at melspin@gmail.com. Nothing's off-limits and nothing's a stupid question. If I don't know something, I'll tell you so... and I'll do my best to get you an answer!

Wanna go for a run?

No, not THAT kind of run. I'm talking about a standing flat on a Spin bike -- one of the only moves we do on a Spin bike that doesn't directly come from the road outside, and a move that is guaranteed to strengthen your core muscles (and thereby improving your riding form overall). If performed correctly, your core will not only feel stronger -- but you will actually be able to detect an observable change in core appearance, with proper training.

A guy in my class the other night remarked that I do a lot of long runs in my classes, which struck him as counter to the notion that the "best" cycling training comes from long seated climbs. The best cycling training DOES come from looooong, slow seated climbs ("LSD Training" - long, slow distance... endurance work, which I obviously do a lot of in my classes). But one is not going to derive the maximum benefits from cycling unless or she has perfect form -- and we will never have perfect form without core strength and stability. Have trouble keeping your hips from rocking/swaying on standing climbs? Have trouble stopping your body from bouncing during seated accelerations or sprints? Insufficient core strength. And when we do run, see yourself in the mirror bouncing up and down? Also, insufficient core strength.

That's where "running" comes in. Beyond the mere mental/physical break from monotonous climbing, running builds core strength. Long runs REALLY build core strength. As the legs get fatigued, the core muscles have to work even harder to maintain form. The same thing happens when we run really fast. And what happens when we build core strength? Our entire overall cycling form improves.

Except there's one problem. Many people do not run properly, with form ranging from moderately sloppy to HORRIFIC. I intervene when I see any horrific form distortions that will result in injury, but I usually let the moderately sloppy "go" without individualized corrections. I give general posture cues to the class, of course, in hopes that individuals hear my words and adjust their form accordingly. There are those, of course, who are frustratingly refractory to posture cues -- but what can you do?

My new ride, "Be It. Own It. Control It." is the hardest ride I've ever designed and choreographed. I've been thinking about it for months, and tinkering with various training principles to get it to flow the way I intended it. I'm really quite proud of how it turned out.
"Be It. Own It..." is designed to FORCE riders to perfect their running form.

What is the perfect running form?
1) HANDS: Hand Position 2 - hands lightly on the horizontal portion of the handlebar, shoulder width apart. (How I often describe it: "You're never ever ever ever going to take your hands off the handlebar in a Spinning class... but your touch should be so light that you feel like you could!")
2) ALIGNMENT: Lower body weight balanced directly over the pedals. Butt is up against the nose/tip of the saddle.
3) FEET: Feet are flat. Ball of your foot on center of the pedal (no pressure over the arches).
4) UPPER BODY: Shoulders down. Elbows square alongside your torso, elbows bent to point DOWN towards the floor. Chest broad and "open." Head looking straight ahead.
5) HIPS: Level. Not bouncing or twisting.

THAT'S a run. Thaaaaaat's what's going to work and tone those core muscles.

If you want specific critical feedback on your running form, come talk to me before class and I'll pay specific attention to your runs so as to be able to do so.

Here's to strong cores and toned hips!

How's Your Form? A Checklist for Fine-Tuning

FINE-TUNING YOUR FORM
With 22 classes this week, I will be spending the majority of my time coaching OFF the bike -- the perfect opportunity to help you perfect your form. Don't worry -- this is a GOOD thing! When I do form checks, I'll never embarrass you; I'll just quietly (with my mic muted, of course) make suggestions on how to smooth things out so that you are getting the most out of your ride -- so that you are toning and working the proper muscles, and so that you can avoid injury.

With this in mind, here are some things to keep in mind about your riding form:

SETTING UP THE BIKE
1. Step 1 - standing next to the bike on the floor, adjust seat height to hip level. Check by lifting your knee so leg is 90 degrees from the floor (like a sideways "L"). Leg should be seat height.
2. Step 2 - climb onto the bike, properly align your feet. Knee should have 30 degree bend (almost fully extended but not quite) in downward-most position. If your knee is locked out (fully straight leg), slide the seat forward to increase the bend in the knee. If too much bend, slide backwards.
3. Step 3 - handlebar height is your call. If you're new or have lower back problems, I suggest riding with the handlebar pretty high. It doesn't matter - it's just a matter of your comfort.

PEDAL STROKES (for detailed tips on the "Perfect Pedal Stroke," check out the aptly named category to the left)
1. Ball of the foot over the center of the pedal; not scrunched all the way forward.
2. Heels down, toes slightly up
3. Scrape/wipe your foot backwards (horizontally) before you curl the leg UPWARDS, leading with your heel

LOWER BODY
1. Hips square toward your front
2. Knees track parallel to one another, going out NO wider than the hips. Lift the knees straight up towards the chest, top and center.
(Note: if your knees are bowing out to the side, your seat is probably too low!!!)
3. Sit on the widest part of the seat (NOT towards the front of the seat), sitting on your "sit bones"
4. Seat should be far back enough that you are hinged forward at the HIP (not the waist or back). You are not sitting straight upward. If you are, that seat has to go further back.
5. When out of the saddle, hips far back enough to feel the tip/nose of the saddle graze against your butt -- on Runs, on Standing Climbs, on Jumps... all of that, the hips stay exactly the same.
6. As you ride, your hips stay square and level (on a horizontal plane). If your hips move up and down, vertically -- you do not have enough resistance on the flywheel. If you feel any momentum shifted upwards towards your hips, add resistance. If you don't add resistance and you continue to let yourself bop and bounce about, you are going to blow out your knees and hips. You cannot get big legs or a big butt on a stationary bike, so there is absolutely no reason not to add resistance! (See the "Resistance" link to the left for my musings on the scientific evidence that you can't possibly bulk up from Spinning!)

UPPER BODY
1. Super-light touch on the handbars. In Hand Position 1 (narrow grip -- optional, used for warm-up) and Hand Position 2 (wide grip, used for everything except Standing Climbs and "Jumps on a Hill"... the latter of which I call "breakaways" in class), be sure to be resting on the meaty parts of your hands. Thumbs lined up with wrists to make sure you're not leaning on the handlebars.
2. Elbows IN, bent softly downwards towards the floor.
3. Shoulders down and rolled backwards
4. Head floating on your spine -- smooth slope connecting your head, down your neck, down your spine. Chin is OFF your chest.

The Perfect Pedal Stroke

FROM THE SPINTASTIC ARCHIVES...
Ahhh, behold the Perfect Pedal Stroke. Here were some of my musings/rantings from Fall 2007 on how to smooth out your perfectly efficient pedal stroke...

11/1/2007: WHAT IS A PERFECT PEDAL STROKE?

Lastly, I have declared November to be the Month of the Perfect Pedal Stroke (PPS, if you will). I will rant about this repeatedly. It will be my month's mission to have all of you riding with flat feet ("like scraping gum off the bottom of your show"), pulling up with your hamstrings in perfectly smooth, circular movements. Some checkpoints to keep in mind for now. Ultimately, these will become second nature if you practice:
1. "How far forward are my feet on the pedals?"
Most people have a tendency to slide their foot all the way forward into the stirrup. You actually want the BALL of your foot on the CENTER of the pedal. This takes the pressure off your arch (note: if you get arch pain, try sliding your foot back). Try tightening the pedal strap with your foot properly aligned to prevent sliding forward by default.
2. "Are my toes pointing down? THEY BETTER NOT BE!"
Of the 200+ students I teach in a given week, I'd estimate that 70 percent ride with their feet pointed slightly. Hell, it's more comfortable! But it's also placing undue pressure on the ankles, and preventing you from maximally working/toning your legs. Flat feet, always. Think about lifting your toes toward the ceiling and extending the calf with the heel down to keep your feet flat.
3. "Pull up, Pull up, Pull up"
I repeat this to myself (silently, to avoid strange looks) even while I'm walking up steep hills. You want to engage your hamstrings by focusing on your upstrokes - the "pull" portion of the pedal stroke. If you pull up forcefully with one foot, the other foot is already halfway around the cycle... Just in time for THAT foot to pull up. Lift the pedals, pulling the knee straight up (top and center, not out to the side).I guarantee that if you start working those circles of repeated upstrokes, you're going to be able to increase your fluidity at stronger resistance levels. And it's going to be awesome.

So, with that, Happy Month of the Perfect Pedal Stroke!

____________________________________________

11/11/2007: FAST CHECKPOINTS TO ENSURE YOUR "PPS"

Hope you've had a great first week of Perfect Pedal Stroke Month! (I'm really quite a dork...). One of my Friday AM students told me that she repeats "flat feet, heels down" to herself in all her other spin classes ever since I delivered an epic PPS oration, and that absolutely made my day - and justifies my further ranting.

To remind you all, here are the tenets of the Perfect Pedal Stroke. Check in with them periodically throughout each ride, and I guarantee you'll experience a difference!
*1) "Ball of the Foot on the Center of the Pedal" **
*The first part of the PPS is your foot positioning - an oft-overlooked point. Most people ride with their foot all the way forward in the pedal cage. It's nearly impossible to keep your feet in the proper alignment, if you do this. Pull your foot back and tighten the straps, and periodically
check in with your positioning to ensure that the ball of your foot REMAINS right there in the center (since the tendency is to slide forward, even if you meticulously align yourself to start). You'll have more power on your upstrokes, and less pain/numbness in your toes and arches. *(*NOTE* - If you spin at least 2-3x per week, consider getting cycling shoes with SPD clips. They will keep the ball of your foot exactly where it needs to be. I recommend http://www.performancebike.com/ for stellar discounts. I got $300 shoes there for $45. One pair will last you at LEAST 6-8 years, since you're only wearing them indoors. They will not only make for a MUCH smoother pedal stroke, but they'll utterly change your life.)* You'll no longer have to worry about avoiding curling your toes (which is a common coping mechanism to keep your foot aligned, but stresses the tendons in the ankle and makes for atrocious form!), since your foot will now be kept in the proper pace. All you will have to do from now on is work on those "scraping" backwards motions -- and therefore be able to use more resistance... and burn more calories!
*2) "Heels Down, Toes Lift Slightly Towards the Ceiling... Like Scraping Mud Off the Bottom of Your Shoe."*
Check your heels (down) and toes (up) periodically throughout the ride. Again, the tendency is to shift your feet forward and point your toes down - try not to let that happen. If you're pointing your toes down, you're putting undue stress on the ankles and sides of the knee... instead of
letting your quads and hamstrings do all the work.
*3) "Powerful Upstrokes"*
We want to always be pulling UPWARDS, as opposed to pushing down. It's an uber-efficient way to go. After all, if you pull up forcefully with one foot, the other foot is already half of the way around. Cool, huh? I heard a colleague at a Continuing Ed workshop mention that he likes to use the mantra "Press and Pull" for focusing on those upstrokes. That works for some people... just remember that the "press" part is through the BALL of your foot (with heels down, toes still lifted slightly upwards) and NOT anything to do with pointing your toes. (*Again, cycling shoes make forceful, smooth upstrokes SO much easier to achieve!)

______________________________

11/21/2007: Trick to Drive Home the Upstrokes... Pull Up on the Downbeats!

I had a minor epiphany during my class this morning that I'd like to share with you. Lately, my rides have been oriented around steep seated/standing climbs to get you to focus on proper pedaling technique while engaging the proper muscles as you *pull up* all the way around a complete circle. To help guide you, I've used music with heavy downbeats - to which I've been cuing you to use the rhythm, so that you don't have to think about anything else but staying with the music. This morning, I looked around the room and saw my whole class climbing in unison... but not in unison with me. Why was that? They were pushing down on the downbeats... when, really, a fantastic way to discipline yourself to truly be *pulling up* is to *make your UPSTROKES be on those downbeats*. It may sound like a subtle point, but give it a whirl and see if it helps.

You Won't Get Big Legs on a Bike!

FROM THE SPINTASTIC ARCHIVES...
More from my Spintastic listserv excerpts, compiled by topic for your convenience...

2/3/2008

A few thoughts on refuting the age-old myth that Spinning results in bulky legs. A woman in my class this morning (not a member of the Spintastic listserv... all of you know better) approached me after class and said, *"I love you! I'm so glad you have us go fast... I don't want to go slow with... ugh... resistance... and get huge legs." *

This compliment was the furthest thing from complimentary. In fact, I sort-of felt nauseated. It means that I have failed in my attempts to explain this properly in class.

Here's the deal:
In order to build muscle mass in ANY way, we have two requirements:
1) *high weight - heavy enough to overload our muscle fibers*
2) *low repetitions*

This is why, when we lift weights with the goal of building muscle (bulking up), we use heavy weights with approximately 12 repetitions per set (the weight should be so heavy that we feel like we cannot possibly DO a 13th rep... that's what it feels like to truly overload the muscle, to break the muscle fibers). When we lift weights to tone/sculpt, we use lighter weights with lots of repetitions per set.

Here's how this does NOT apply to Spinning. On a Spin bike, the flywheel weighs approximately 40 lbs. For anyone who has ever used a lower body weight machine on the gym floor, you can appreciate how little weight this is - relative to what our lower body can support. So, requirement #1 is already out from consideration.

As for "reps," this is where our pace comes into play. I don't typically talk of specific numbers for our pace ("cadence" is the technical term) since numbers don't mean much to the average student - instead, I select my music so that if you lock into the rhythm, you're going at a specific cadence without thinking about it. It may appear random and unplanned, but it's anything but. The slowest climb we ever do in the Spinning program ever is 60 rpm (revolutions per minute) - and I personally *very rarely* include climbs that slow, at that. But that's the slowest that any certified Spinning instructor calls for (if they're doing contraindicated movements, I can't speak to that...).

So, even at the SLOWEST pace in a Spin class:
60 revolutions per minute x 40 minutes = 2400 revolutions (repetitions).
*2400 reps is not "low" (compare to 12!). *Bulk requirement #2 eliminated.

In my classes, my heavy-beat uber-steep seated and standing climbs support cadences of 75-80 rpm (as confirmed by the sparkling brand new cyclocomputer at 86th/Lex... sigh... I daydream about that thing!). That's even more reps!

So, in sum: *It is scientifically impossible for you to build bulky legs on a spin bike.* Use the resistance to help you burn more calories - don't be afraid of it!

Without the proper amount of resistance:
1) you're not burning the number of calories you think you're burning
2) you risk blowing out your knees and injuring your hips
3) you're just wasting your time

*Here's what you should keep in mind when selecting your resistance at any point in the ride:
**1) How does your heart rate feel? (*If you have a monitor, this is so much easier to gauge!) Adjust your resistance until you're in your desired HR zone - not necessarily what the instructor (myself included) calls for, but wherever you need to be that day.
2) Do you feel a pull all the way around a perfectly circular pedal strike?
If the answer is "no," ALWAYS add more resistance. We don't want any "blindspots" in our pedal strokes, points in the circular arc where the muscles are not engaged.
3) Are your pedal strokes fluid or choppy? If choppy, back off the resistance gradually until you feel fluidity return.
4) Are you bouncing or rocking up/down or side to side? If so, add resistance gradually until you feel the hips "quiet" down.

*#1 is sometimes tricky. For example, I may tell you that I want you to "feel like you can talk" at 70-75% of your max HR... but when you adjust the resistance to get there, your hips may start rocking. It's at that point where you engage the core muscles to stabilize your hips, gently add the resistance back on and use your breathing techniques to bring that heart rate down. I do this ALL the time, in order to keep my form perfect yet still be able to talk to you. If you try this and it does NOT work, come talk to me and we'll work it out together.
*
Form is the most important thing, always. If your heart rate rides slightly higher for a few extra minutes until you can strike a balance with your core/breathing, that is preferable to letting yourself rock/flop around on a climb.* Form is EVERYTHING. If you are not in the practice of at least occasionally choosing a bike near a mirror, I recommend that you try it. *During the 6 hour spin-a-thon I did yesterday in Rochester, I parked myself right next to the mirror so that I could fine-tune form allllllll day long - which I *never* get to do while I'm teaching (since I'm watching YOU!). It was such a treat to indulge in self-absorption. I know that we all have our "pet" go-to bikes... but even once in a while, I absolutely encourage you to sit as close as possible to mirrors. You'd be surprised how large a gap can sometimes exist between how our posture feels, and how it looks. Before I became an instructor, I used to have neck/shoulder pain every day... I thought it was because I carried a heavy, unbalanced (shoulder) bag. But it was really because of Spinning form: I always rode in the middle of the front row, right in front of my favorite instructor's bike. "My bike" became "my bike" because it was as close to this guy as possible - we used to race and feed off of each other's energy, and had a lot of fun. The problem was that I was shrugging my shoulders ever-so-slightly... I had NO idea (I didn't feel like I was shrugging), and this guy wasn't into form-checking. Riding beside a mirror changed EVERYTHING. Just try it... pay attention to every subtlety. Your body will thank you.