I participated in a Krankcycle orientation yesterday at 501Spin in Minneapolis. Part of the training used the Suunto Fitness Solution I will be talking about it on our next podcast but wanted you to see my interview from IDEA.
Originally posted 2010-08-29 09:09:31.
My friend Sally Edwards makes an excellent point here that applies equally to any endurance athlete and affirms our discussion from Podcast 368 — Does Intensity Trump Duration?.
It turns out that very fast runs are good for you–and that moderately fast runs (those just above threshold, in the Black Hole) are not. That’s because Black Hole runs are too slow to cause enough stress to make your body want to strengthen itself, and too fast to allow you to go long enough to improve your endurance. Studies of top runners find that they (by design or not) minimize their time in the Black Hole.
How fast is the Black Hole? In terms of pace, heart rate, and the Heart Zones chart, the Black Hole is actually a very narrow band. It starts at threshold, right as you enter Zone 5, and goes about 5 percent higher. So, if your threshold heart rate is 150 bpm, your Black Hole would extend from 150 to 157 bpm. That means if you really want to improve, your fast runs should roughly start at a second threshold: 158 bpm.
**This post is one of several in an excerpt series from the book, Be a Better Runner by Sally Edwards & Carl Foster**
But don't discount fun exercise = running/cycling that you enjoy just for how it makes you feel. Many people have no interest in structured “training”, they exercise because they find it fun.
Why There’s No Such Thing as Junk Miles
Whether you’re in training or not, every ride has a purpose–and just about every one is legit
Fun, however, is a legitimate purpose. Stress relief is a legitimate purpose. The fact that you can finally ride outside after being trapped inside by a wall of snow and ice for six weeks, structure be damned, is a legitimate purpose. The only non-legitimate purpose I can think of is if you’re out there joylessly slogging through some self imposed workout because you feel like you need more miles when those miles are not a) making you happy b) making you faster or c) building your reserves, but rather a) making you miserable, b) making you slower and c) breaking you down.
As an A type male, it was difficult to understand the whole “fun exercise” concept. What's the point of taking this class, if you're going to talk through it?
Once I understood that for some folks, Keeping It Fun is the objective, it became a lot easier to accept the appeal of SoulCycle type classes… and their wild success 🙂
Originally posted 2017-03-12 08:40:23.
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas
Video is taking over the world. Over 4 billion hours of video are viewed each month, and YouTube is the most-used search engine, after Google. Video is also changing indoor cycling classes everywhere. Like music, video engages our emotions. To reach a cycling audience with imagery and music creates a synergy that lifts indoor cycling to new levels.
Club owners seek something innovative. Cycling with video is enjoyable, entertaining, and a dramatic differentiation from the current indoor-cycling market. The number of emerging businesses that produce video attests to the impact it will have on indoor cycling.
As entertaining as video can be, however, the key reason people join clubs is to achieve their fitness goals and be educated in how to do that, not for entertainment.
Before writing the check, anyone investing in video programming must investigate the quality of education or coaching that accompanies the video product. This applies equally to live-instructor group classes and virtual group classes.
At ICG®, we believe it’s important to remember that video is JUST video. It’s an asset that can add to the indoor-cycling experience but will never dominate it. Even with the world’s best video, without proper coaching for the live instructor or excellent voiceover coaching in the virtual product, you’ll have:
Quality instruction has always been the key to any successful indoor-cycling program. That won’t change with the addition of video. As long as facilities offer live-instructor classes, the instructors must first appreciate, and be energized by, what video brings to their classes. Once they support video’s benefits, they will sincerely recommend virtual programming — so long as that virtual class stands up to the quality of live coaching.
Bringing video to your cycling program is not a stand-alone purchase. Whether it’s to enhance live instruction, provide virtual classes, or both, it must be supported by online learning, as well as live education and training offered by your video provider.
Empowering instructors to use video in their classes demands technology that allows them to control the video as easily as they control their music. (DVDs just don’t make the grade in that regard.) It also requires an education platform that teaches them to integrate video readily into what they’re already doing — while producing a significantly enhanced experience for the members.
If a club offers both live classes with video and virtual classes, then the instructors must stand behind the virtual-class program and see it as complimentary to, not competitive with, their positions. Participants will typically follow the instructor’s lead. However, that alone will not motivate the members to participate in virtual classes.
For a workout video to compel people to train in a cycling studio with no instructor, the content can’t be good. It must be great. There’s no motivating instructor who knows your name, maybe no social interaction with other members. What works for a solo participant on a bike in front of a small screen may fail miserably in the group-cycling studio. This is even truer if the facility doesn’t employ instructors.
So the question is: What makes a virtual class compelling?
There are four dimensions to a successful virtual cycling class — Sensation, Flow, Challenge and Convenience.
Does the visual sensation grab attention? A compelling member experience must elicit strong, positive emotions. Is forward-motion video of beautiful destinations around the world more visually engaging than the world’s top master presenters sitting on bikes?
Does the workout flow? To be effective, a virtual class must be better designed than a live class. Members will come in and take an average class from a live instructor, but they won’t come in to take an average virtual class. Sound levels, content, matching voice and tone to the content, pacing — the sense of flow delivered through the interaction of voiceover cues and video must be better than with live instruction to be as effective.
Was the workout successful? The members will want to be physically challenged by the workout and mentally engaged by the information delivered. With no instructor and possibly no other members, what encourages the member to work hard? It comes down to quality recorded instruction, selection and use of music, music/video synergy, and editing.
Were the virtual classes offered at convenient times? Does the technology offer “auto” scheduling, where the virtual class and projector turn on and off at scheduled times? Dynamic club schedules that allow virtual classes to be easily added to, or taken off, the schedule based on participation will have a big impact on virtual programming success.
At ICG, we consider ourselves the leading authority in cycling with video. We believe indoor cycling is driven by instructor communication and motivation, plus social interaction. We believe instructors need education and training to integrate video skillfully and professionally into their classes.
We believe that virtual classes can rock and that instructors must support the classes.
Virtual classes must be visually stimulating. They must flow, provide a challenge, be offered at convenient times, and be better produced than a live class. We’re committed to developing better techniques and technologies to make future indoor cycling experiences more “real” as classes with video and virtual classes go mainstream.
Originally posted 2013-01-28 10:29:20.
By John Macgowan
The FreeMotion S11.9 – Keiser M3 and Schwinn AC Performance Indoor Cycles all require calibration at some point. Ensuring that all of the bikes in your studio are calibrated to factory specs will keep them reading consistently from bike to bike and your participants happy 🙂
Regardless of what you may have been told, my suggestion for a Best Practice is to spend the time to go through all of your cycles monthly. None of these procedures take more than a minute of so to complete after you've done a few.
I felt it would be helpful to have links to all the Indoor Cycle calibration procedures in one place, so here they are:
Free Registration Required — Click Here. Opens in a new tab. [wlm_ismember]
Calibration may not be the correct word to use here as FreeMotion prefers to describe their procedure as Zero Reset – bringing the power meter back to the factory settings after replacing the batteries, making a repair or when something just doesn't seem right.
Download the Zero Reset procedures here.
Here is a video that shows you the Zero Reset procedure.
Download the FreeMotion Console User's Guide
Purchase a FreeMotion S11.0 with power meter at amazon.com
Keiser's console requires calibration between the gear selection lever and the magnet assembly to accurately display in what gear you are riding.
Terry at PowerBikeTrain.com has an easy to follow explanation here.
Watch a video of the new calibration procedure.
Download the M3 manual here. and M3 calibration here.
Dennis Keiser discusses the reasons for M3 calibration in this interview.
Order a new Keiser M3 with Power meter from amazon.com
Schwinn uses what they call “Tilt Calibration” to teach the cycle where the magnet is positioned = it will give you a proper readout of power and distance.
Watch a video on performing a tilt calibration of the MPower Console
Download the MPower Console Manual – Old Version 1
Download the new MPower Console Version 2 paring procedure.
Read reviews of the Schwinn AC Performance.
I'll be updating this post as new information becomes available.
[/wlm_ismember]
Originally posted 2012-12-04 11:22:29.
Click to learn more about carbon drive
FreeMotion introduced a new belt drive option for their S11 series indoor cycles at IHRSA this year. Bill Pryor and I discussed it on Podcast # 204.
Not being there to ride it, I figured that a belt is just a belt, right?
Well no, in this case it isn't. Instead of using a high tension automotive style v-belt, FreeMotion is offering the Gates Carbon Drive as an option. Looking more like a rubber chain, Carbon Drive is becoming very popular on single speeds and tandem bicycles. You can learn more at the Gates Carbon Drive System website.
I've ridden and taught on belt driven Indoor Cycles from; Keiser, Livestrong and LeMond. All of them offer a club owner reduced maintenance costs and Instructors a very quiet class.
But I've always felt something was always a bit off about the feel of these belt driven bikes. Do the people in your class notice or care? Probably not… but what if there was a solution that had all of the advantages of belt drive, without any of the negatives?
In the videos below Doug Crawford (VP of Product Development at Foundation Fitness and designer of the the FreeMotion S11.9) does a very good job explaining the differences between the two systems and shows how they tested and evaluated the Carbon Drive System to ensure would survive in a commercial setting.
In part three Doug shows how they tested it for thousands of hours.
Originally posted 2012-03-24 09:10:25.
My original concept for the Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast back in 2008 was simple and yet unique; use the power of an Internet Radio Show, delivered through iTunes, to provide a platform for the many voices in our industry. The show wouldn't be “about me” or a few self described “experts”, but rather my vision was for a vehicle that would be truly inclusive of the most progressive manufactures and education providers in our industry. ®
Over the past three years we have executed on this vision through partnerships with;
Now I'm very excited to introduce to you our latest partner:
The Indoorcycling Group (ICG) in support of LIVESTRONG® Fitness
With ICG / Livestrong MI's Dosta Dedic and Kimberly Treadway at Club Industry
To start things off I would like you to meet Jim Karanas, Program Director for the Indoorcycling Group (ICG for short). In this interview Jim and I discuss his 30 year experience in fitness, ICG, their relationship with LIVESTRONG® Fitness and touch on the fantastic FREE continuing education resources available to you from ICG.
The Indoorcycling Group supporting LIVESTRONG® fitness has made a substantial commitment to both sponsor our efforts here and to provide educational articles and Audio PROfiles for our ICI/PRO members. This is going to be a fabulous year 🙂
Check out the Indoorcycling Group (ICG) and here's information about the LIVESTRONG S Series Indoor Cycle
You can see samples of the Virtual Active Video Here.
Subscribe to our FREE Podcast in iTunes.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Originally posted 2011-10-21 09:50:43.