Spinning Bike Training
Indoor spinning bike training offers cyclists and fitness enthusiasts a way to maintain a functional workout that’s comparable to outdoor training. The spin bike offers cyclists an opportunity to construct their own “terrain,” which means hill workouts are possible even for those living in flatland areas. Exercisers whose main preferences are, for example, running or swimming, can use spinning as a way to complement their overall training goals because it exercises their muscles in a different way.
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Bike Adjustment
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Proper setup is crucial prior to training on a spinning bike. An improperly set up bike can result in an uncomfortable riding experience, and over time, it can lead to injury. The spinning bike has three adjustment points: seat height, fore-aft seat position and handlebar height. It’s important to set up seat height first, as proper height allows for proper leg extension, maximizing power and protecting the knee. Riders should have only a slight bend in the leg that is reaching through the bottom of the pedal stroke. Fore-aft seat positioning is the next most important; when the knee is at the top of the pedal stroke, it shouldn’t extend past the mid-point of the foot below. Handlebar height adjustment depends on rider comfort and ability to fully relax the shoulders.
Spin Bike Qualities
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A spinning bike is different from other indoor bikes because its adjustable angles and dimensions mimic those of a road bike. Further, its drive mechanism works off a real bike chain rather than a belt, as with most stationary bikes. Individual riders control how hard they work by applying resistance to the flywheel through a “resistance knob” located in reach just below the handlebars of the bike. Turning the knob to the right lowers a brake pad down to the flywheel, adding resistance; turning it to the left releases it and allows the wheel to spin resistance-free.
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Seated Flats
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Spinning bike training begins with the seated flat position, which calls on riders to stay seated in the saddle and apply enough resistance to the wheel to simulate gravity and wheel-to-road resistance. Proper pedal stroke technique is mastered during seated flat riding so it can then be applied to more strenuous training, like long climbs. Riders use the fronts of their thighs, or their quadriceps, to power the pedal stroke downward, and assist the quadriceps with the backs of their thighs, the hamstrings, to lift the pedal up through the back half of the stroke. Those who develop entire use of their legs through seated flat pedal stroke techniques ride more powerfully indoors and out.
Hill Climbing
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Spinning bike training utilizes two hill training techniques: seated and standing. Both involve using the upper body to help carry the rhythm and drive power of the lower body as it works. In a seated climb, riders hands stay seated in the saddle with their hands as relaxed as possible on the handlebars. Shoulders left to right and up and down slightly in rhythm with the pedal stroke. Riders try to keep the bottoms of their feet relatively parallel to the floor. In a standing climb, riders are out of the saddle and have just enough resistance applied to the flywheel that they must use body weight to help carry the pedal stroke without any pausing. The side-to-side rhythm of the upper body is often more pronounced in a standing climb.
Intervals
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One reason spinning bike training is an effective workout is because the bike makes it easy to interval train. Intervals are characterized by periods of intense work followed by periods of less intense work or rest. Spinning bikes help riders achieve strong interval workouts through pace changes, position changes, resistance changes or a combination of all of these elements. A spinning program promotes use of heart rate monitors so that exercisers can gauge their effort in a meaningful way.
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Resources
- Photo Credit bike race image by jeancliclac from Fotolia.com
