With ski season upon us I thought I would share a video from one of my most favorite places on earth, Vail Colorado.
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The increase was a 67 to 76% increase in energy expenditure for all standing cycling conditions. Image from the study.
New research sponsored by ACE demonstrates that standing (vs. sitting) burns more calories, as long as you keep everyone out of the saddle long enough. This study was conducted by a team lead by Dr. Len Kravitz at the University of New Mexico.[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
The study you can download here; Metabolic Cost of Weighted Vests During Standing Cycling was designed to look at the effect of adding additional weight (with a weighted backpack) to an Indoor Cyclist and learn the metabolic affect from how long you're out of the saddle:
Abstract
Whether cycling on the road or pedaling in a club cycle class, this mode of activity is done using
both seated or standing positions. Previous research has examined the effect that cycling position
exerts on physiologic parameters such as heart rate (HR), oxygen consumption (VO2), or rating
of perceived exertion (RPE) during exercise (1—3). This research was intended to simulate hill
climbing, which is applicable to a majority of road cyclists. However, no prior research has
examined the effect of wearing a weighted vest during stationary standing cycling. As well, no
research has investigated the effect of extended bouts of stationary standing cycling (1, 2, 3 and
4 minutes) on metabolic parameters. The implications for this research may directly impact
individuals engaged in fitness center stationary cycling classes, which have become very popular
in recent years.
Anything to burn more calories
I met Dr. Kravitz in the Fall of 2012 at a fitness conference. Once he learned my interest in Indoor Cycling, he excitedly told me about his idea to study the potential training and calorie expenditure effects of adding weight to an Indoor Cyclist. If I'm remembering correctly, he expressed the understanding that weight loss / weight management is high on the list of reasons our riders come to class. If strapping on a backpack full of bricks was going to help someone reach their goal weight, I was all for learning more – and then share it with you.
Based on the chart above, it doesn't appear that adding weight has nearly the affect that simply getting everyone out of the saddle does.
The first minute is just practice
The biggest take-away from this study for me, was the huge jump in calorie expenditure that occurs beyond the first minute.
Will seeing this change how you structure time out of the saddle?
Energy expenditure stabilized between minute 3 and 4 on all standing cycling conditions. This information provides program design suggestions for personal trainers and club cycle instructors desiring to optimize caloric expenditure utilizing research-driven methodology. Clearly, the inclusion of standing cycling bouts for 2 to 3 minutes during a cycling bout meaningfully increases energy expenditure. This increase in oxygen demand occurs during standing, with or
without a weighted vest (up to 15%BW was used in this study). According to Tanaka et al (3), this energy expenditure increase is attributable to the increased muscle blood flow and/or involvement of a larger muscle mass with standing cycling.
[/wlm_private]Dr. Kravitz's team has done a number of other studies that you may find of interest. I interviewed Doctoral student Micah Zuhl in 2012 and discussed the article he co-wrote with Dr. Len Kravitz entitled HIIT vs. Continuous Endurance Training: Battle of the Aerobic Titans. ICI/PRO Podcast #201 — HIIT vs Endurance Training with Micah Zuhl
Scosche RHYTHM+ Heart Rate Monitor Strap works with ANT+ and BLE devices and consoles.
I'm thinking this new Scosche RHYTHM+ Heart Rate monitor strap could be the best I've ever tested – for a bunch of reasons that include removing what I feel has always been one of the biggest objections to wearing a HR strap.
Despite all of our collective efforts explaining the benefits of training in specific heart rate zones, we're lucky if we have 30% of our participants monitoring their heart rate. I know that some classes are better than that, but based on all of the surveys I've done in the past that's about where we are.
Why?
If I put on my salesman's hat, I know that people don't buy a product or service for lot's of reasons. Salespeople call these objections. If you want to make the sale, you typically need to remove or minimise the prospect's objections; who in this instance is our class participant.
So what are the often stated objections?
No interest – it's almost impossible to sell anything to someone with no interest.
Too expensive – for relatively lowpriced objects like an $80 HR monitor, the selling price objection is often masking some other issue – or – means the prospect isn't seeing enough benefit.
Too complicated – do the manufactures of HR monitors actually use their own products? Setting the typical Polar watch is needlessly complicated. I've gotten to the point where I refuse to help people set their HR watches before or after class because I can't get sucked into a 30 minute project where, more often than not, I'll fail. See #5
Too confusing – as an industry, with all of the branded zone based training systems, we've made heart rate training impossibly confusing for new participants. IMO if you're talking about anything more than three zones based on thresholds, you've lost many of your club athletes. See #5
Too stressful – It's stressful to me when I'm offered a coupon the grocery store, good for my next visit. Why? Because then I'll have to remember the coupon the next time I'm there – which I won't when the cashier asks me; “do you have any coupons?” Our members aren't any different than me or you: getting to class on time is stressful enough. I don't need the added stress of remembering my HR monitor… finding both of my shoes is tough enough. See #8 for the source of even more stress.
Willful ignorance – face it, there are people in your class who want to believe they're burning 1,000 calories in a 45 minute class, where they don't break a sweat. You'll never sell these people on any form of performance measurement (these are the peeps who cover their power console so they can't see their wattage) unless you're running a special on unicorn spit detox syrup.
Uncomfortable – the old versions of hard plastic HR chest straps were very uncomfortable. The new soft straps are an improvement – but they are still not pleasant to wear. Many women won't even think of wearing a HR strap for anatomical reasons. Then there's the other type of uncomfortable as in; “I'm not comfortable opening my shirt to put this strap on, with other people around” 🙁
Unreliable – how many times have you found yourself thinking; IS THIS THING ON? Is the strap battery dead? Maybe I need some additional spit on it? Do I need to shave a horizontal stripe across my hairy chest to get this thing to connect? Wait, who's BPM am I seeing here?
That's 8 realistic reasons why you see so few people wearing a HR strap. The new Scosche RHYTHM+ Heart Rate monitor strap addresses many of the objections I've listed above:
Not complicated – the HR watch is the source of most of the confusion. No watch = no confusion. The RHYTHM+ pairs easily with any bluetooth device (iPhone / Android) using any fitness App that has a HR function. It also pairs with ANT+ monitor consoles found on the Schwinn AC, FreeMotion S series and Spinner Blade Ion. Sorry – the RHYTHM+ doesn't connect with the Keiser M3.
Removes a little stress – It's so small that I can tuck it into my shoe. So if I find both I've also got my HR strap 🙂
Super comfortable – just slide it onto your forearm. Because it uses optical sensors it doesn't need to be moistened and it's not affected by hairy arms. And no one will feel embarrassed when they put it on.
Better reliability – there's a little red light that shines when it's on and it comes with a USB charger.
You'll find more info about the Scosche RHYTHM+ Heart Rate monitor strap here.
In a single indoor cycling class we can have a combination of beginners, cycling enthusiasts, competitive athletes, fit and unfit. We have those who are just interested in some cardio fitness, some with a focus on weight loss and others desiring cycling-specific training. There are the young, the old and everyone in-between. So with all of these different interests, expectations and age groups, how do we determine who we are talking to when we lead our classes?
As an outdoor cyclist and coach who discovered indoor cycling 16 years ago, I found the classes available at the time to resemble aerobics sessions. I was the odd-ball and a rarity in the classes I attended. I tried to imitate riding outside to supplement my winter training while others whirled their legs, jumped and bounced up and down. The instructor appeared confident, gave a few simple commands and everyone seemed to know exactly what to do (except me). As indoor cycling has evolved and now more closely resembles “cycling”, it is attracting a wider audience. Our classes are not only attracting the cardio-psychos and weight droppers, but since we are teaching rides that produce real cycling fitness and results, the charity riders, cycling enthusiasts and even competitive athletes are also joining in on the fun. Although this evolution is a positive thing, it can present a great challenge to indoor cycling instructors. With such a wide spectrum of fitness levels, interests and expectations, who are we or should we be talking to?
A few weeks ago I attended a class of highly diverse riders, led by a great instructor. The instructor had taken great effort in designing a dynamic workout and had a full room to show for their excellence. Even though, I could see the instructor struggle with this identity crisis. At one point, in a single breath, they described the desired intensity as “Let’s increase to 80 to 85% of your maximum effort, just at your lactate threshold or ventilatory threshold heart rate, approximately a rate of perceived effort of 8 to 9 out of 10. Your breathing should be challenged.” It was like spraying machine-gun fire — everyone was hit. Every cue they gave had 4 versions to it. I asked a few riders after class if they felt they were able to target their effort appropriately during class and they said “we just go as hard as we can — It’s a tough class”.
This challenge is one of the driving forces for Cycling Fusion’s level-based classes (beginner, intermediate and advanced). Although this doesn’t solve all of the issues, it does place riders into classes that will address their needs and expectations. However, like the evolution of bike-aerobics to indoor cycling, adapting the concept of level-based classes will take time. So is there anything we can do in the mean time? Well, that is a question I’d like to propose to our experienced ICI/Pro members. What have you found successful? I’ll start by throwing my approach into the hat.
What is your predominant teaching style? What types of classes or rides do you gravitate towards? Don’t assume you know, but instead ask some of your riders and other instructors that know you and persuade them to be honest. Most people peg me as a coach. My classes mostly resemble coached training sessions. Although I attract all levels, cyclists and non-cyclists, the clubs have caught on to my style and dubbed my classes as performance oriented. This designation has helped guide my language, choice of words when cueing and training concepts dramatically. Better yet, it has given me confidence to teach without sounding like an auctioneer. The clubs have labeled my classes as such so members know what to expect. It hasn’t hurt my attendance one bit.
I now open the floor to you. Let’s help each other and share wisdom from our many years of teaching and overcoming this type of challenge.
I suppose I should start this by answering your question; “what exactly is their Golden Hour, John?”
It's my description of the 60 minutes, that follows the first 30 minutes, of aerobic activity.
For you, me and many (if not most) of the students in your class, we all have a period of time where we are the strongest on the bike. Depending on your level of fitness, that period could be anywhere between 30 minutes to 3+ hours. It “begins” for most of us after about the first 20-30 minutes of activity.
Now you may be sitting there nodding your head thinking; “yea, that makes sense… I do feel much stronger and capable of higher/longer levels of work, during the second half of class.
Competitive cyclists understand the Golden Hour. If you've watched the Time Trial stages of the Tour De France you've no doubt seen the rows of cyclists on trainers, pedaling through a very specific intensity profile. The picture at the top is of the British Women's Track Cycling Team going through their warm up protocol at last year's Olympics.
I found this at wattbike.com that shows Team Sky's preparation for last year's opening stage Time Trial for the Paris-Nice stage race. The completion of each rider's warm up is timed to coincide with their individual start time of the race.
Paris-Nice
Stage 1 Time Trial
Standard Time Trial Warm-Up
5 min light
8 min progressive to Zone 5
2 min easy
2 min to include – 3 x 6s accelerations to activate
3 mins easy
Notes:
Progressive means building to the power zone over the 8 minutes. Only in the last 1 min do you get to Z5
6 second accelerations are sprints & for a whole 6 seconds!
“Why is it an hour?” My perception is that most of our regulars could manage a 90 minute class – if we locked the doors and brought out the whips 🙂 So 30 mins + the Golden Hour = 90 minutes of achievable effort before fatigue sets in.
“But my class is only 45/60 minutes… how would this help?”
I use the Golden Hour to cultivate an abundance mentalitymindset in my class. Simply stated; you have a lot… so you can freely spend a lot. A common training technique,for time limited triathletes, is to limit your rides to just double your event distance. So on race day, when you're faced with a 20 mile bike leg, you're thinking; “I'm trained to ride 40 miles – so twenty's no big deal.” “I'll have a bunch left for the run.”
Contrast this with the scarcity mentality that many of our student's come to class with. They walk in thinking; “I need to pace myself, or I'll never be able to finish this class.” Which is the same as saying; I only have a little… so I need to be very careful when and how I spend it. You've no doubt experienced participants who appear to coast through most of class, only to give one big effort at the finish. They were “saving” some of their limited resources, so as not to “run out” before the end.
Here's a few ideas on how you can incorporate the Golden Hour into your classes.
Seek agreement
I talk frequently about the Golden Hour effect at the beginning of my classes, asking for my classes' agreement that they too feel stronger during the second half of class. Then at the 25 minute mark; ” do you feel it?” “Do you sense how you body is beginning to fire on all cylinders?” “Do you feel those early feelings of stiffness or limitations/distress in your breathing leaving you?” “Do you have new feelings of strength and confidence?” “Are you ready to take advantage of your Golden Hour?”
Make it a goal to reach the Golden Hour ASAP
It drives me crazy watching people come early to class, mount up and then spend ten or more minutes sitting there slowly turning the pedals. What are they waiting for? I make a point to commend all those making the most productive use of their time in class – and encourage the others who aren't to “get your money's worth” by independently beginning their warm up as soon as possible.
Your participants/students/riders come to your class with different objectives; burn fat, maintain/increase fitness, endorphin rush, etc… Success in any of these requires a commitment to do the work you intended for them. Coaching everyone to work at their potential is part of your role as an Instructor. Helping everyone understand that their capacity for work exceeds the length of available class time, can go a long way toward helping everyone reach their unique fitness goals.
