Standing burns more calories than sitting in an Indoor Cycling class

May 4, 2020 by John

Burn-more-calories-standing-than-sitting-in-a-Spinning-or-Indoor-Cycling-class.jpg

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.

The complete article is available to ICI/PRO Members Join ICI/PRO to unlock this today.

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

Originally posted 2013-11-10 09:00:43.

Exercises to Boost Hip Strength

February 19, 2019 by Joey Stabile

Exercises to Boost Hip Strength

Originally By Dan Kehlenbach – Active.com

When discussing muscles involved in the pedaling motion of cycling, most people think of quadriceps and hamstrings. While these muscles certainly play an important role, the many muscles of the hip also deserve attention, and the weight room is the perfect place to keep them functioning properly.

Before discussing different strength and mobility exercises, we should first look at activation exercises for your Gluteus Maximus (referred to as the glutes) muscles. The reason for needing to activate your glutes is simple–as a population, we spend way too much time sitting, and as a result, what happens is what noted spinal researcher Stuart McGill terms gluteal amnesia–your glute muscles can “go to sleep” and not function properly.

When your glutes aren't functioning properly, other muscles (hamstrings and lumbar extensors) are called in to do the job of the glutes, mainly hip extension. Think of hip extension as the downward action of pedaling.

The problem is that these muscles aren't designed to be prime movers–they're designed to support the action of the glutes. Inability of activating the glutes can result in low back pain (low back muscles compensating), hamstring strains (overacting hamstrings), hip pain (resulting from hamstring-dominant hip extension) and knee pain (poor glute medius strength).

So, to activate your glutes, try the Single-Leg Hip Lift. Here's how it's done: Lie down on the floor with your legs bent and lift one foot off the floor. Lift your hips up in the air, concentrating on contracting your glute muscles. Make sure you keep your toes of the working leg up as shown. Pause for a second or two and lower. Perform 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps on each side.

Hip Mobility: Keeping your hips mobile is important for overall hip function and athletic performance. Mobility refers to the ability of your joints to move through a pain-free, unrestricted range of motion. For cyclists, hip mobility is critical since pedaling occurs in one plane of motion, and after miles and miles in the saddle, hip tightness and restriction may develop. The following movements will help with hip mobility.

Split Squat: The traditional split squat is a great exercise to get started on hip mobility. To make this exercise even better, concentrate on contracting your glute on the trailing leg to help stretch your hip flexor.

Lateral Squat: Stand with your feet approximately double shoulder-width apart. Shift your weight to one side and drop your hips down and back, keeping your knee over your toes and your weight over your bent leg. Pause for a 2-count, return to the starting position and repeat to the other side.

Hip Strength: If you are currently doing a regular strength-training program, chances are you're already doing some foundation exercises for your hips. Squats, lunges, leg presses, and step-ups all work the prime movers of your hips. Along with these exercises, it's also important to do some supplementary exercises to work your hip's supporting muscles. you've probably heard of your shoulder's rotator cuff. Well, your hip also has a cuff, or a group of muscles that help stabilize and support movement. For these exercises, you'll need a mini-band, a longer thera-band or tubing (both are sold at many sporting goods stores, or can be purchased online), and a cable-column unit.

4-Way Mini-Band: Place a mini band around your ankles and spread your feet about shoulder-width apart. Keeping your legs relatively straight (you want the motion to come from your hips) and toes pointing forward, walk forward 10 steps, then backward 10 steps. Take a short break and then walk to the right 10 steps, then to the left 10 steps. Again, focus on keeping your legs straight and toes pointing forward. It is very important to start with a light-resistance band. You'll be working the smaller hip stabilizers, so you don't need a lot or resistance.

X-Band Walk: For this one, you'll need a large band or piece of tubing. Step on the band and spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Form an “X” in front of you with the band and stand up tall with your shoulders down and back. Keeping your toes pointing forward, take 10 steps to the right, pause and then return.

4-Way Cable Hip: You'll need a resistance band for this one. With this exercise you're focusing on four movements: flexion, extension, abduction and adduction. Stand up straight while doing the exercise. If you have to lean excessively, step closer to the anchor point of your band to decrease resistance. You'll find that not only are you working the muscles of the leg that's moving, the muscles of your stance leg will work quite hard stabilizing and balancing.

Modifications to Traditional Exercises: Our hip joints are very mobile and allow for movement in three planes of motion: the sagittal plane (flexion and extension), frontal plane (lateral movements), and the transverse plane (rotation). Knowing that, here are several modifications you can make to your traditional exercises to work your hips through a more complete range of motion.

Lunge Variations: You can do traditional lunges, or even clock lunges where you keep one leg stationary for 12 to 6 and then the other leg stationary for 6 to 12. To make the movement a touch more difficult, hold weights in your hands while you perform the exercises. There are Lateral Lunges, Rotational Lunges, Lateral Step-Up, and Rotational Step-Up as well.

Please see the full article for complete descriptions and videos of the exercises: https://www.active.com/cycling/articles/11-exercises-to-boost-hip-strength?cmp=18N-PB2000-S20-T9-cycling-AR2&eps=title_1004667

Protein Power: Itâ€™s Not Just for Muscles (Part 2 — Appetite Control)

October 17, 2018 by Joey Stabile

Protein Power: Itâ€™s Not Just for Muscles (Part 2 — Appetite Control)

By Joan Kent, PhD, and Shawn Bevington

Protein is used to make hormones, which are messengers in the body. Theyâ€™re produced in one part of the body and then distributed — through blood, interstitial or other body fluid — to other organs or tissues. There they modify activity and function.

This brief post will focus on just a few hormones and how they affect appetite.

*CCK (Cholecystokinin) – Satiety is the feeling that you donâ€™t need another meal because youâ€™re still satisfied from the last one.

CCK is arguably the most powerful satiety hormone in the body. It reduces appetite by stimulating the function of the brainâ€™s key satiety center, the VMH (ventromedial hypothalamus).

CCK is released when we eat protein and fats. It affects our food preferences by reducing the desire for carbs.

Anyone who suffers from an exaggerated desire for carbs probably needs to eat more protein. Vegans, for example, may experience strong cravings for carbs, including sugars. Finding a true protein source is a key factor in reducing vegansâ€™ cravings. More on that in Part 3.

Eating adequate protein can also be key in conquering sugar addiction for this same reason.

*Ghrelin – Ghrelin increases appetite by stimulating the brainâ€™s lateral hypothalamus. The LH can be seen as a ‘feedingâ€™ center.

Eating protein can help to reduce ghrelin release. In healthy men, a high-protein breakfast decreased post-meal ghrelin levels more than a high-carb breakfast. The high-protein meal also slowed gastric emptying. Researchers attributed both effects to the secretion of CCK and glucagon, both triggered by protein.

*Glucagon – Glucagon is a hormone made in the pancreas. Insulin is, as well, but the functions of the two hormones are oppositional and work to balance glucose levels.

Insulin also tends to be a fat-storage hormone, while glucagon moves fats out of storage and into the blood stream so they can be utilized as fuel, rather than stored.

While many foods trigger the release of insulin, only protein foods trigger glucagon. Glucagon is also secreted when we exercise.

As mentioned above, glucagon and CCK seem to control appetite by modifying ghrelin levels.

Donâ€™t miss protein and brain chemistry, age, and the vegan solution in Part 3, right here this week!

Shawn Bevington is a holistic health coach, certified by the National College of Exercise Professionals (NCEP). He has been a fitness trainer for six years, and boasts another seven years of activity in various programs, including football, shot-put, pro wrestling and other strenuous sports. Self-motivated, Shawn has spent years researching on his own – and putting that information into practice with his clients. His knowledge, skill and experience have made him a sought-after fitness trainer, both by clients and by colleagues who bring questions to him.

Dr. Joan Kent has a PhD in Psychoactive Nutrition. She was the first to document the brain chemical pathways of sugar addiction and to explain the sugar/fat seesaw hormonally and chemically. Joan has helped hundreds and hundreds of clients with metabolic conditions — diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer — as well as clients with inflammation and mood disorders. Joan has written 2 best-selling books: Stronger Than Sugar, on conquering sugar addiction, and The Sugar-Free Workout, on fueling before, during and after training for optimal performance. Visit www.LastResortNutrition.com and grab your free gifts.

Pedaling Backwards?

February 12, 2018 by John

ACE study on pedaling an indoor cycle backwards

This is interesting to me. Why choose to study this?

Talk about opening “Pandora's Box” – this is bound to get a few conversations going…

Cameron Chinatti from Stages Indoor Cycling alerted me to this. ACE (American Council on Exercise) published a scientific study that looked at the effectiveness of pedaling backwards. Please download the PDF and read it in it's entirety, so you have a complete understanding of the purpose and results of the study.

That ACE chose to study this at all is very interesting (and a bit confusing) to me. We've all been taught that we should always pedal forward and never backwards. So what's the point looking into this activity? The intro talks about the potential cross-training effects. Oh, and there's a quick bit about how variety can help prevent boredom…

Discussing this topic, I felt I needed to break it down to these three questions:

Is backwards pedaling beneficial?
Is backwards pedaling safe?
Should you consider adding backwards pedaling to your classes?

#1 Is pedaling backwards beneficial?

In the conclusion of the study, ACE says:

The Bottom Line

This study showed that pedaling backward on the Cascade cycle elicited higher heart-rate and energycost values than pedaling at identical workloads in the forward direction. The increase in physiological response was reflected by higher muscle activation of the quadriceps muscles (vastus medialis, vastus lateralis and rectus femoris), which is consistent with the subjectsâ€™ descriptions of feeling like they had to “pull” the pedals when cycling backward. “The concept of specificity tells us that pedaling forward should still make up the vast majority of a cyclistâ€™s training,” explains Dr. Porcari, “but the subtle differences in muscle activation seen when pedaling backward can be very beneficial.” Dr. Porcari recommends treating backward pedaling as a change of pace and a form of cross-training that better targets the quads. Maria Cress, a member of the research team for this study, points out that by improving quadriceps strength by pedaling in the backward direction, cyclists will experience improved strength for regular cycling. “They will be able to work at a higher workload at a lower RPE and heart rate,” says Cress, “which means that incorporating backward pedaling into your routine will eventually make pedaling forward mentally and physically easier.”

So the researchers are saying backwards pedaling is beneficial. These folks from UWL are exercise scientists after all and include Dr. Carl Foster. Dr. Foster's research has validated most of the zone based heart rate training you've learned – regardless of the source.

#2 Is backwards pedaling safe?

Let's start with this. All of the Indoor Cycling certifications recommend against pedaling backwards. But here's where my confusion comes in… why would ACE even consider studying and publishing this? They have to know that there will be many Instructors who will read this and think; “ACE isn't concerned about pedaling backwards, so I don't need to be either!”

I can already see the responses on Facebook; “ACE doesn't know what they're talking about… they don't understand cycling like Spinning®/Schwinn/Keiser/Stages/etc..

So why wasn't ACE concerned?

ACE quotes the manufacturer of this recumbent:

The Cascade CMXRT recumbent exercise bike is designed to mimic the real road feel of cycling outdoors. Its website says that the bike offers “quiet bi-directional resistance [that] lets you pedal forward and backward throughout the whole 360-degree pedal stroke for a more effective workout.”

I'm guessing that ACE saw this and thought; “you can pedal their bike both directions. Let's use it to see if backwards pedaling is beneficial.” Except…

ACE is mistaken about this part.

The Cascade recumbent is fixed gear drive

In the sidebar included in the study, ACE makes this comment:

Of course, bike safety is another issue entirely. Before telling participants in a group exercise class or a personal-training client to start pedaling backward, be sure that the bike you are using is designed to do so. It is important to note that this research was not conducted on a fixed-gear cycle, but rather on a specifically designed recumbent bike that provides resistance in both directions.

As you can see in the above screenshot from Cascade's website that their recumbent does have a fixed gear drive system, just like every other Indoor Cycle – the one exception being CycleOps which uses a freewheel.

What ACE should have highlighted is this recumbent uses magnetic resistance, combined with an aluminum flywheel. The eddy currents that create the magnetic resistance don't care which direction the flywheel spins = that's where the provides resistance in both directions comes from. The aluminum flywheel is light enough that it doesn't create the huge rotational momentum (and resulting “run-away flywheel” effect) experienced with a friction resistance system that uses a heavily weighted flywheel.

There isn't anything special/unique in use here. All of the Indoor Cycling brands (FreeMotion/ICG/Keiser/Schwinn/Stages offer a similar magnetic resistance. So it's my view that this experiment could have been conducted on any ICs with magnetic resistance and ACE would have seen similar results.

Quick side note: I jumped on my personal indoor cycle that has magnetic resistance and a Stages Power Meter, to try backwards pedaling. Believe it or not, I'd never, ever tried this before. The Stages Power Meter did display cadence, but the watts stayed at zero. So no backwards pedaling, power training for me 🙁

What struck me was how I felt everything flipped; where I could add the most force was lifting my lead foot, as it came forward and up. Pushing down seemed very awkward and I didn't feel I could apply much pressure.

#4 Should you consider adding backwards pedaling to your classes?

I wouldn't. There doesn't appear to be enough positive benefits, in contrast with the possible injury. Not to mention pedaling backwards just looks wrong/goofy, So I can't see including it in my class.

If you are thinking; “My class is super experienced and we'd like to try this”. I'd love to know your experiences.

One more note: I briefly rode this recumbent cycle when I was at IHRSA. The manufacturer, Cascade Health and Fitness, and ICI/PRO are currently conducting a small study of our own. We have two clubs who are using recumbents, along with conventional indoor cycles, to see if they can be successfully integrated together in a group class. Our objective is to see if adding a few recumbents can make classes more accessible, to people who have physical limitations that prevent them from riding a stationary bike.

Stomps: High-Resistance, High-Intensity Intervals for Indoor Cycling (Very Cool)

July 19, 2017 by Joan Kent

If youâ€™ve done stomps in your cycling workouts, you may think Iâ€™m crazy when I say this, but Iâ€™ve always liked them. Theyâ€™re extremely tough but appeal to that twisted part of me that enjoys hard training. (I know: youâ€™ve got that part, too.)

If you havenâ€™t done stomps, theyâ€™re designed to increase power in the saddle. I believe Chris Carmichael is generally given credit for the training, but his guidelines differ from the ones I know. The Carmichael method involves 15- to 20-second stomp intervals. Here's Chris' description at www.active.com

In Performance Max, the program created by Jim Karanas, we used 60-second intervals with a 60-second rest, and followed the format below.

A solid warm-up is essential, since stomps are difficult and can stress the knees and the lower back. Roll the legs for several minutes. Begin an alternating pattern of 2:00 of seated high cadence (110-120 rpm); 1:00 of 80-rpm standing runs; 1:00 seated with resistance at 80 rpm; 1:00 of recovery at 90 rpm. Go through the pattern several times, as your group requires. Change the order, if desired.

A stomp interval is 60 seconds; the recovery interval is 60 seconds. Allow 22 minutes for 10 stomps: a set of 5, a short break, another set. The break I used was 3 minutes total: one minute of the usual recovery after stomp #5, then 2 more minutes (sit out one stomp cycle). Itâ€™s enough, but you could go longer. Resistance during stomps is high to very high and drops during recovery. Recovery cadence is individual, but I suggest 90 to 100 rpm.

– Stomp at 80 rpm. Fatigue will tend to slow the legs, so it helps A LOT to have an 80-rpm song to beat-match. We almost always came back to Hallogallo by Neu! because itâ€™s a pretty precise 80 rpm. The fact that itâ€™s 10 minutes long helps sustain the energy of the training. Play it twice or change music for the second set.

– Keep the body centerline on the bike. During the stomp, donâ€™t move side to side, as you would in climbing. Keep hands in position 1.

– Rules for a beautiful, circular pedal stroke donâ€™t apply during stomps. Exaggerate the down-stroke and smash against the resistance, without moving the body side to side. I cue it as “punching the pedals.”

– Heart rate isnâ€™t the point. However, there are no HR limits on this exercise, and HR can spike quite high if the rider is seriously stomping without modifying the resistance. (Intervals under 60 seconds may yield lower heart rates.)

Avoid longer stomps. One instructor used 90-second stomps, but that means easier stomping, so whatâ€™s the point? A full-out, 60-second stomp will start to bring on failure at the 50-second mark, so 90 seconds requires reduced intensity. That makes it … something, just not a stomp.

Avoid “mushy” cueing. The instructor of the 90-second stomps would cue the stomp with, “Okay, you guys, do another stomp now.” Thereâ€™s NO WAY that will elicit a stomp from your riders. It will get you something, but absolutely not a stomp.

One time, the above instructorâ€™s cue was so mushy, I actually missed the start of the interval. That simply never happened when Jim Karanas cued stomps.

So I recommend Jimâ€™s cueing. It starts about 5-6 seconds before the stomp interval. In a firm voice, say, “And load the bike … AND … STOMP!” The slight pauses and the delivery are intended to let the word “stomp” hit the first second of the interval. Cue time during the interval — say, at 30 seconds and again with 10 to go.

If thereâ€™s a way to use some feature on the resistance knob to mark the resistance used on the last stomp, it makes things much easier than trying to re-determine resistance for each interval. Cue that reminder for your riders.

Resistance can be ferocious during stomps. Every time I do them — about 8 trainings per year in the PMax calendar — I notice that, despite growing leg fatigue as the intervals proceed, I can still raise the resistance for each stomp. Donâ€™t ask me to explain that, but itâ€™s too consistent to be a fluke. It even happens when I do stomp training on my own. As a result, I started cueing the riders to keep increasing the resistance so theyâ€™d get the added strength benefit.

If you use high-intensity intervals in your classes, this training could fit right in with your approach. Because the emphasis is on strength and resistance, stomps may offer variety, say, a change from speed intervals. If you try stomps, please let me know how they work for your classes.

Originally posted 2014-09-23 08:17:39.

Movement Prep – My Warm-Up

June 23, 2016 by Dennis Mellon

Many of my riders know that I'm also a Personal Trainer, so I often get asked questions about all aspects of fitness. Warm-Up is a subject that comes up again and again. I've been using the Movement Prep Warm-up featured below for nearly 15 years.

Cycle training is an exclusively linear exercise and I believe it's important to activate the lateral movers as well as muscle groups that are not emphasized while riding. Keeping all muscle groups active will assist in continued powerful pain-free riding.

These exercises, videos and .pdfs come from the book Core Performance by Mark Verstegen & Pete Williams which should be part of any fitness professional's library.

Would this create a more beneficial pedaling workout?

August 10, 2015 by John

I just became aware of a new Indiegogo campaign for an innovative* method of pedaling a bicycle. Similar in functionality to a KrankCycle, the Caron Bicycle uses independent left/right crankarms that create 6 different pedalling movements.

They have their crankset installed on a conventional IC in this video. Watch and then tell me if you feel these added exercises would improve your class… or is it just a solution in search of a problem that doesn't really exist?

This animated video shows the various muscle activation from the different pedalling techniques.

*I'd be curious to know if Matrix has patents on the KrankCycle that would extend to a leg powered bicycle?

In case you haven't seen the KrankCycle in action:

Caron claims this on their campaign page:

Technology for CARON Bicycle is protected by patents worldwide, including US Pat. No. 7,544,139.

It might be cool to observe power output – especially during one legged work 🙂

B Complex Can Trample Sugar Cravings: So Why Does It Sometimes Not Work?

March 17, 2015 by Joan Kent

Liquid B complex is the only Nutrition Magic I know. It can stop a sugar craving within a few minutes. But every so often, people will tell me they tried it and it didnâ€™t work. How could that be?

Careful questioning revealed a few common reasons that prevent B complex from working effectively. Hereâ€™s what Iâ€™ve discovered.

Not Using Liquid B Complex

The liquid formulation seems to speed up the effect so we can feel it within a few minutes. Tablets take longer and might be good for regular supplementation, but a “craving emergency” is better dealt with by using liquid B.

If you already take a daily B-complex tablet, you can safely add liquid B on a day that you get a craving. On the other hand, if youâ€™ve used liquid B for a craving before taking your usual dose of B, thereâ€™s no reason to take the tablet that day.

A one-day “overload” of B vitamins wonâ€™t be harmful, but itâ€™s best to avoid it on a regular basis. (If you have any questions about this, please check with your doctor.)

Taking B12 Instead of B Complex

For reasons Iâ€™ve never been able to understand, people misinterpret “B complex” as “B12.” Itâ€™s possible that this dates back to the once-upon-a-time practice of getting B12 injections for energy.

Whatever the reason, B12 is only part of the complete complex — and not even the most important B vitamin in trampling cravings. Yet this misinterpretation has happened so often, I now clarify immediately whenever I recommend B complex to a client.

So again, use LIQUID B COMPLEX. Not tablets, not B12, not any other individual B vitamin.

Not Eating Any Protein

When this mistake is made, itâ€™s usually by folks who havenâ€™t worked with me as clients. All of my clients know I stress the importance of protein.

Protein is a key element in the craving-killing plan. B vitamins work as catalysts to help form specific brain chemicals. Those chemicals can end cravings (and also prevent them) when theyâ€™re at optimal levels. But the brain chemicals are made from amino acids — which we learned in 7th—grade biology as “the building blocks of protein.”

We canâ€™t make the necessary brain chemicals without protein.

Junking Out On Sugar First

If youâ€™ve eaten half a bag of cookies, please donâ€™t expect B vitamins to stop you from eating the other half. The neurochemical changes that the cookies have set in motion are powerful — and even more powerful for some people than for others.

For reasons beyond the scope of this post, those brain changes will probably make you want the rest of the cookies.

Suffice it to say thereâ€™s simply no way that a teaspoon of liquid B complex can override the strong effects of whatever sugar you may have just eaten. The most helpful idea is to use B vitamins to stop your craving so you donâ€™t eat the cookies in the first place.

Iâ€™ll throw in a side note. If you find it too easy to reach for cookies because youâ€™re home and theyâ€™re conveniently located in your kitchen cabinet, please do yourself a huge favor: Donâ€™t keep cookies in your kitchen. Throw away the ones you have. Donâ€™t buy more.

It Works If You Work It

Liquid B complex is still the only nutrition magic I know. Itâ€™s effective; itâ€™s quick. But itâ€™s not a stand-alone miracle. Itâ€™s best used as part of a sincere attempt to reduce dietary sugar.

Please stay aware that B vitamins are a short-term solution for stopping sugar cravings. Getting rid of cravings permanently requires changes in diet.

And, yes, changing diet can virtually eliminate cravings. Think of the freedom that could mean for your students.

Losing Weight To Increase Power

December 22, 2014 by Joan Kent

Image credit http://cyclefit.co.uk/sportive-preparation-should-i-lose-weight-or-increase-power-part-1

As a nutritionist, I hear many clients say they want to lose weight — to look better, have more energy, improve their health. But losing weight can also help you increase your power on the bike.

Ratios intrinsically provide two ways to improve the ratio — by manipulating either variable. The results of improving both variables can be dramatic.

As covered in a previous post, efficiency — the ratio of work output to expended energy — can improve with increased work output or decreased energy expenditure (or both).

In the same way, your power-to-weight ratio on the bike (measured in watts per kg) can improve with increased power or decreased body weight, or both.

Power is itself another ratio, of work to time. If work increases or time decreases, the result is greater power. ICI/PRO is currently covering this topic in depth.

So that provides 3 variables in the power-to-weight ratio: increase your strength (work), increase your speed, or decrease your body weight (or all of them).

Why Lose Weight?

Even if youâ€™re not overweight, weight loss may improve your power-to-weight ratio. It need not — and shouldnâ€™t — involve a strict “diet” that leaves you hungry most of the day.

It does involve careful monitoring of your numbers — how many calories you burn (using your power meter or, preferably, a wearable calorie counter 24 hours a day), and your calorie intake.

The goal is to eat fewer calories per day than you burn, but not by much, just 150 to 300 calories. If that feels too restrictive, drop the deficit to 100 calories. The result would be a slow decrease in weight that you can stop or reverse at any time.

These days, the general recommendation for weight loss is rapid loss. (Is that to match up with HIIT and the shorter-and-harder approach to fitness, I wonder?) Rapid weight loss is said to keep the “loserâ€™s” motivation high.

Yet gradual weight loss — while also training for power — has the advantage of maintaining fat-free mass (FFM) so you wonâ€™t lose strength, an important variable in the power ratio.

Holding On To FFM

Weight loss often decreases muscle mass, especially rapid loss. But in the long-running (13-plus years) weight-loss program for which I was both the nutritionist and a training coach, we typically saw steady or increased FFM while the participants lost weight at a slow, sustainable rate.

That helped them maintain strength and power so they could do the training, which was frequently high-intensity. The intense training, of course, was designed to increase strength and power.

Maintaining FFM also prevented participants from having to drop calorie intake more and more (and more) for continued weight loss.

Donâ€™t Bonk

Make sure you don't restrict calories on the ride itself. Whether youâ€™re riding outdoors or doing tough power training in the studio, under-fueling before or during the ride could cause you to bonk.

Even without bonking, you may still feel week and have difficulty working up to your capacity — the power youâ€™re trying to improve. Fuel as usual while riding.

Keep the calorie restriction small. Cut back a little more on days that youâ€™re not training hard, or at least save the restriction for after the ride. If your power ride is late in the day, early A.M. calorie cutbacks may work. Just keep your pre-ride meal about the same as usual, and eat or drink whatever you need on the bike.

Be strict about post-training refueling (covered in a previous post) so you can train well the next day.

Technique and Efficiency

In all of this, donâ€™t forget that better technique on the bike will help you waste less energy by reducing the energy needed for pedaling, reducing energy lost as body heat, and retaining more energy for your next pedal stroke. Your functional strength, a power variable, will increase.

Combining good technique, all the power training tips youâ€™re currently getting here on ICI/PRO, and gradual weight loss will help you dramatically increase your power-to-weight ratio on the bike.

Wishing you great success with this!

ICI Podcast 319 – Developing your fitness product or service idea and then selling it to a large fitness brand

July 20, 2014 by John

That's Sara on the left.

If you've ever had an idea for a new, fitness related product or service? Dream about building a company around your new widget and then selling your company to a larger company? If that sounds like you, you'll want to listen to this interview with fitness entrepreneur Sara Shears. Sara invented the Ugi ball to help her personal training clients train more frequently. After years of effort, she was able to sell her company Ugifit to Mad Dogg Athletics.

Rather than trying to explain Ugi to you – watch this short video to see it in action.

Listen to Sara explain some of here entrepreneurial journey below.

I met with Sara at WSSC and took one of her 30 minute classes. It kicked my ass and the whole time I was suffering through Sara's class, I kept thinking how Ugi could be the perfect strength and balance compliment to a small boutique's cycling class.

Interested in training to teach Ugi classes? Here's the link to their website where you can find a certification training near you – or how to host a training at your club or studio. I'd love to know what you think about Ugi…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Standing burns more calories than sitting in an Indoor Cycling class

The complete article is available to ICI/PRO Members Join ICI/PRO to unlock this today.

Pedaling Backwards?

Movement Prep – My Warm-Up

Would this create a more beneficial pedaling workout?

ICI Podcast 319 – Developing your fitness product or service idea and then selling it to a large fitness brand

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