HOLIDAY GRATITUDE: Welcome to the final edition of this newsletter for 2011. And Merry Christmas to each of you in this holiday season.
A theme this year both in my life and in my cycling classes has been gratitude. Annie and I have been blessed this year with good health and happiness. My work at the Healthy Living YMCA, a quasi-medical facility, has also shown me how happy and productive life can be for those who are fighting their own battle with a disease or other condition. Those people have become a special blessing for me. They remind me that it really is all about the journey and the relationships we form along the way. This has been an incredible gift to me and my promise is to pay that forward by trying to live a life filled with gratitude, appreciation and service
NEWS: It’s been a busy fall for me studying for a major new personal training certification. I am happy to say that I’ve passed the curriculum from the National Academy of Sports Medicine to become designated as a “Corrective Exercise Specialist”. This new knowledge allows me to better understand and assess minor injuries and muscle imbalances in my clients and then apply correct strengthening and stretching strategies to alleviate or correct those problems. Anything outside my still-limited scope can still be sent to a Physical Therapist but I am excited to be better able to deal with some of the easier things that inevitably come up.
In another development, I also became certified this year as an instructor in Kettlebell. You’ve seen them. Those cannonball-looking things with a handle attached. Swinging them around is great fun and a great new tool in my personal training toolbox. I am currently using them for two of my three weight workouts each week.
MOVING INDOORS: We’re just coming into peak season for indoor cycling. It’s more fun for me to teach to a full class, and I believe participation in a full class is more fun for participants.
Sure you could put your bike on an indoor trainer. During my racing career, I did that. It’s mind-numbing. Yes, you can do it for awhile, but it’s hard to sustain all winter.
Classes, by contrast, have many advantages. There is an energy created in a group. The combination of fellow participants, good music and good instruction is hard to beat.
People. It’s just more enjoyable to work out with others. There is a shared energy in the room. And you get to know the instructors and other participants. You can draw support for your goals from these people. And they will let you know if you miss a class.
Music. It sets the mood and drives us. Sometimes it is strong and energetic sometimes more subtle. But the music always has a purpose tied to the class itself. And you will hear things to which you wouldn’t necessarily listen.
Instruction. Your instructor should be able to coach you to improve your form and technique. It’s the perfect place to perfect your posture, breathing or pedal stroke. Your instructor should also provide you with planned rides working toward specific shared goals. This coaching goes well beyond just riding your bike on your trainer. It should make you a better cyclist and motivate you to new heights.
Inclusion. The really amazing thing about indoor cycling is that everyone can share the same class regardless of ability. If you are new, injured or tired, you can just do part of what is asked of the class. If you want to go hard, then go for it.
Welcome to the joys of indoor cycling classes! Come try it, or recommit yourself for the New Year.
BUSY CLASS ETIQUETTE: Another note is that as classes become more full there is more competition for bikes. General etiquette is to reserve only one bike for yourself and to be back on that bike five minutes before class. Also be sure to wipe down your bike after class.
HEART RATE BASED TRAINING IN THE NEW YEAR: Some of you may be getting a heart-rate monitor under the tree this year. I strongly encourage the use of a heart rate monitor in class. Use of heart rate zones plays a big role in how I design your classes. With consistent, well-designed training your heart becomes stronger and pumps more blood. Ultimately your work output increases while your heart rate level stays the same. You become more efficient. Your heart becomes stronger. You become more fit. A heart rate monitor makes this process more precise. It helps you get the most from each workout and avoid over-training.
Classes should be designed to help you build a healthy heart and body by working at different target heart rates at different times in the class. The Spinning program refers to these as Energy Zones. Each Energy Zone offers specific benefits and is built around a Target Heart Rate (THR) that is a percentage of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).
The Spinning program incorporates five Energy Zones each with a recommended heart rate range. A brief description of each follows:
Recovery Energy Zone (50% to 65% MHR). The main objective of work in this zone is to help the body actively recover to gather energy and prepare for upcoming work.
Endurance Energy Zone (65% to 75% MHR). This zone trains the body to be more efficient at metabolizing fat and to maintain a comfortable pace for an extended period of time. An aerobic base should be build by riding primarily in this zone for several weeks before progressing to the other zones.
Strength Energy Zone (75% to 85%). The goal of work in this zone is to build the muscular strength and cardiovascular development needed to handle an uncomfortable pace.
Interval Energy Zone (65% to 92%). The goal of work in this Energy Zone is to shorten your recovery time. The goal of training in the Interval Zone is to develop the ability to recover quickly after work efforts. The characteristic of an interval workout is to push for a designated time and recover for a designated time. While the typical Interval ride involves anaerobic heart rates, aerobic intervals may also be used. Aerobic intervals range from 65% of max heart rate (recovery period) to 80% (work efforts). Anaerobic intervals range from 65% (recovery period) up to as high as 92% (work efforts).
Race Day Energy Zone (80% to 92%). Race Day gives you the opportunity to measure your progress. It is treated as a real race.
Since these zones are defined as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, you need to be able to estimate your MHR. Maximum Heart Rate is the highest amount of beats your heart can sustain per minute. The most common formula for estimating MHR is 220 minus age (for males) or 226 minus age (for females). This formula is based on broad averages which means it is imprecise for most of us. A rather large margin of error applies to this calculation.
There are other means to estimate MHR but it is important, at least, to test your theoritical MHR against your own perceived exertion to make it more accurate over time. Think of your heart rate increasing with exercise as a relatively straight increasing line - but with two abrupt points where changes occur more obviously. These two points represent you entering your aerobic zone (T1 or about 65% MHR) and when you leave your aerobic zone and go anaerobic (T2 or about 85% MHR). We discuss how these feel in class and that discussion should help you fine tune your heart rate settings. That is what I am doing when I ask if you are "becoming consciously aware of your breathing", “it would be difficult to talk much” or "having forced exhalations"
I recall my first time using a HRM. In the 1970's I was on vacation in Minnesota staying at a resort where I saw an obviously serious cyclist was also staying. Upon introducing myself, he turned out to be Dr. Herman Falsetti, team doctor for the U.S. Olympic Cycling team. At the time, HRM's were brand new but he let me use his and subsequently sold me one since they were not yet being sold in stores. I suspect I've been using a HRM longer than anyone in Des Moines.
Now you can buy an HRM in many different places. There is also a dizzying array of models. Spinning recommends the use of a HRM and has a specific relationship with the oldest company in this field, Polar. I am also testing a new brand that uses a small flashing light to designate the zone in which you are riding.
Finally, I am more than willing to loan one of my own HRM to any of my students who wishes to try it for a class. Just come to class early and I will give you a quick lesson. You can see if you'd like to have one of your own.
HAPPINESS: “Wag more. Bark Less.”
RESOURCES:
Recent past issues of this newsletter are available at http://billroachblog.blogspot.com
Thank you, and Merry Christmas
Bill Roach, NASM-CPT, CEx
Star 3 Lifetime Certified Spinning Instructor
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
bill.roach@mchsi.com
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