WHAT TO DO ABOUT THOSE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD? In a recent class we were working on maintaining focus during a pair of seven-minute sustained hard efforts. I was talking about going hard enough that riders were hearing "those voices" in their heads. You know the ones. The ones that say, "This hurts." "Can I do this?" Or, "Why am I even here?"
I described to the class how having those voices is normal. So normal, in fact, that we even use them as one indication of our perceived exertion. But even if they are normal, they are dangerous. They can defeat you if you allow negativity to take over your thinking. And they can defeat you if you allow your mind to aimlessly drift to irrelevant subjects. If your mind wanders, your riding suffers. You just can't maintain a hard effort without thinking about it.
During class, I realized that I use multiple strategies to defeat the voices. If one doesn't work, I try another.
1. Replace the voices with positive thoughts. "I am strong." "I can do this." "Everyone else is hurting just as much as me, or even more."
2. Replace the voices with mechanical thoughts. "How is my posture?" "Pedaling form? "Breathing?" We get sloppy when we get tired. We revert to our old bad habits. We need to consciously work to maintain our good technique. The added benefit is that those constructive thoughts drown out the negative ones.
3. Embrace the voices by reminding yourself of how they will help you achieve your goals. "Why am I here?" "What are my goals?" "How will this discomfort help me achieve my goals? One of my favorite stories about motivation involves one of my students who told me that every time it got hard in Spinning class she would remind herself why she is there. Her own personal goal is to be able to spend many years enjoying her grand-daughter. When the class becomes hard, she pictures her granddaughter and reminds herself that she is giving herself more years to enjoy their time together. For her, that provides motivation. For someone else, it might be the image of achieving an athletic performance goal or picturing yourself making your weight loss goal.
These are the "tricks" I use. If you have others, please share them with me.
Discomfort is part of getting better. If it wasn't, everyone would be training. One of the things that bonds us together in Spinning class is that we share the work, and the discomfort, that comes with getting stronger.
PEDAL WITH A FLAT FOOT: Improve your pedaling efficiency and put more pushing power directly into your pedals by keeping your ankles in a neutral position. A recent study discovered that when riders pedaled with their ankles dorsiflexed (heel down, toes up) their pedaling efficiency dropped nearly 3 percent. Worse, their calves expended 37 percent more energy while pushing the pedals in that position. Similarly, pedaling in a plantarflexed (toes down, heel up) position is believed to be inefficient. Keeping your ankles relatively straight gives you a more solid platform on the pedals and can improve your efficiency. But I urge you not to overcook this advice. Keep your ankles in a natural position and don't try to "lock" them in place.
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Every Monday 5:45PM at Southeast.
Every Wednesday 9:00AM at Southeast.
Every Wednesday 5:45PM at Merle Hay.
Every Thursday 5:45PM at Merle Hay.
Every Saturday 7:30AM at Hickman.
Check out all the schedules at http://www.aspenathleticia.com/group-fitness/schedules/
Join us at http://billroachblog.blogspot.com
Bill Roach
Star 3 Lifetime Certified Spinning Instructor
Aspen Athletic Clubs
bill.roach@mchsi.com
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