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CONTENTS:
80' MUSIC WEEK.
DISCOMFORT ON YOUR INDOOR CYCLING BIKE? SOME IDEAS.
POWER READINGS ON YOUR BIKE.
QUOTE.
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80' MUSIC WEEK: Here’s the thing. Last week I said,
tongue-in-cheek, that “no good music was ever created in the 1980's”.
Amazingly, some of you took issue with me. So this week is officially,
“80's Music Week” in my classes. Mea Culpa.
I don’t suppose this will fly? The movie, “The Big Chill” heavily
features music from the 1960's, but it was released in the 1980's. No?
I didn’t think so.
DISCOMFORT ON YOUR INDOOR CYCLING BIKE? SOME IDEAS: New
students at this time of year are still getting used to riding indoors -
both in terms of effort and in terms of getting their bodies to adapt
to being on the bike. Most of the comfort concerns of new riders are
fixable.
Most comfort concerns are first addressed by looking at bike fit. If
you have any doubts about your bike fit, let me know before or after
class. I will be happy to do a thorough fit with you.
Here are some of the common concerns.
Saddle Discomfort: First, check handlebar height. Having the handlebars
too high can put additional weight on your butt. However, having them
too low can cause your pelvis to rotate forward and down.
If your discomfort is obviously at the front or back of the saddle, then
looking at the saddle level is appropriate - and perhaps a different
bike might work better. The nose of the saddle should be parallel to
the floor.
Some saddle discomfort can only be addressed by toughening up the small
muscles in your groin that support your weight on the saddle. This
happens pretty quickly over time as you ride more but it can require
some patience. You can also give those muscles a break by standing for
just a moment when you begin to get uncomfortable.
I also recommend cycling shorts. They have padding and the tight fit prevents chafing.
Knee Pain or Discomfort: Continual or acute knee pain should be
addressed by a Physical Therapist, but often you can address milder knee
discomfort on the bike by making adjustments. If your discomfort is in
the front of the knee the saddle may be too low. If your discomfort is
in the back of the knee the saddle may be too high.
Numbness or Discomfort in Hands/Wrists: Usually this is caused by
failure of the rider to relax their upper body / shoulders. In addition
to working at riding in a more relaxed position, you might consider
raising your handlebars to take some pressure off your hands and
wrists.
Lower Back Pain: Low back pain is complicated and may be best addressed
by a Physical Therapist. However there are a few things you can look at
on the bike. Upper body posture on the bike is important. Try to
maintain a calm, relaxed upper body with a neutral spine. In general
you might also look to stretch tight hip flexors and strengthen weak
abdominal muscles.
Sore or Tight Neck / Traps: This also can be the result of the failure
to maintain a relaxed upper body riding position. It can also be caused
by reaching too far forward. Saddle fore-aft is dictated by the
position of the foot over the pedals so it is dangerous to change that
too much. However, the new Keiser M3+ bikes have an additional
adjustment for handlebar fore-aft. Those bikes may work better for you
if you have this problem. Oftentimes this problem is seen in women
whose relatively longer femurs require a seat-back position but their
relatively shorter torsos require the handlebars to be closer.
Sore Feet: Cycling requires a stiff-soled shoe. Today many running
shoes have softer soles. Perhaps this is a reflection of the
“bare-foot” running movement. In any event, all the pressure of your
work is focused near the balls of your feet. A proper cycling shoe not
only provides a very stiff platform but also can provide you with the
option of cleats to improve your pedaling efficiency. Simply, you might
also just try loosening your shoe laces. But, if you do that, be sure
not to leave laces loose where they can catch in the bike’s mechanism.
POWER READINGS ON YOUR BIKE: One of the best
features of the Y’s Keiser bikes is their ability to measure the power
the rider is creating. This power, measured in Watts, is a function of
the gear you have chosen and the speed at which you are pedaling that
gear.
The Keiser bikes used by the Y are the industry leader on using watts.
You may have noticed however that the watts measurement on our newest
Keiser bikes is consistently lower than on the older ones. The newest
bikes, Keiser M3+, feature a more accurate measurement of watts than the
older M3 bikes. The old bikes were said to be 90% accurate when
calibrated properly. The new ones are said to be better than that.
This is as good as it gets in the industry.
If you are seeking an accurate depiction of watts for real comparison to
an outdoor bike, the new bikes will be closer. But this is only useful
for riders measuring watts as a constant reference across multiple
platforms. This is not necessary for the vast majority of us.
The best way for most of us to use watts is to use it to measure
comparative effort within a ride. Used that way, the absolute watts
number is not as important as is your watts effort at any given time
compared to a baseline set early in the ride.
The Y is working to ensure that all of the bikes are properly calibrated
within the parameters of their original design but that has proven to
be a bit of a challenge with different software on different bikes etc.
Please know that is in progress.
The bottom line is that watts is a good tool for measuring effort along
with heart rate and perceived exertion. Using a combination of these
tools gives you the best opportunity to challenge yourself and reach
your fitness goals.
QUOTE: “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” ~ Jim Ryun
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COME ENJOY ONE OF THESE WEEKLY CLASSES!
Monday's - Cycling for Neuro Wellness 1:15pm - 2:00pm
YMCA Healthy Living Center
12493 University Avenue, Clive, Iowa.
Monday's - Cycling 4:30pm - 5:15pm
YMCA Healthy Living Center
12493 University Avenue, Clive, Iowa.
Monday's - Cycling 5:45pm - 6:30pm
YMCA Healthy Living Center
12493 University Avenue, Clive, Iowa.
Thursday's - Cycling 9:30am - 10:20am
Waukee Family YMCA
210 N. Warrior Lane, Waukee, Iowa.
Saturday's - Cycling 8:00am - 9:00am
Waukee Family YMCA
210 N. Warrior Lane, Waukee, Iowa.
First Saturday of Each Month - Lactate Threshold Field Testing for Training Zones
10:30am - 11:30am
Walnut Creek Family YMCA
948 73rd Street Windsor Heights
$10 members, $20 non-members.
Advance registration at any Welcome Desk
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Personal Training Sessions:
YMCA Healthy Living Center
12493 University Avenue, Clive, Iowa.
Call for an appointment 515-201-6496.
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Bill
Roach is an indoor cycling instructor (Star 3 Spinning lifetime
certified) and personal trainer (NASM-CPT, CEx) for the Des Moines Metro
YMCA’s. He is also a contributing writer for the Indoor Cycling
Association, a national organization of indoor cycling instructors. As a
former competitive bicycle racer, he has ridden over 60,000 miles
training for and competing in one-day races of more than 300 miles.
Bill served as Executive Officer in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office
until his retirement. He is enjoying his retirement by working in the
fitness world, playing golf, traveling, reading and entertaining friends
with his wife, Annie.
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