Bicycling for Fitness

biking

Bicycling Technique for Fitness

Seasoned cyclists talk about something called spinning. Spinning is a term for the most efficient way to pedal. You pedal in a full circle, meaning pulling up with your legs as well as pushing. Most people who ride bikes know of pedaling only as pushing down on the pedals. Really, this is only 50% efficient. But using the legs to pull while also pushing, you gain that much more power per stroke on the pedals. It also provides a much more even workout for the legs, and provides a smoother overall motion while riding. Getting the hang of alternating between the left and right leg and from just pushing to pushing and pulling will take some practice, but the rewards are worth it. You will pedal more effectively and more powerfully, while using less energy and working more of your legs. It is an all around winning situation.

Here is how you learn it:

- You should be spinning at around 90 or more RPM, or revolutions per minute. What this means is that you are in the low gear, and your feet happen to be turning really fast. You can practice the spin really early during the season with 120 RPM, and this is going to teach your feet to be quicker. There are little bike computers that you can buy from local bike stores that are going to tell you just how fast you are actually spinning. At between $20 and $30, they are really worthwhile and happen to be a truly useful tool for training.

- A good way that you can measure the improvements that you make is to continue riding the same loop or to ride a number of different loops that you can easily repeat. After you pass the first week of practice and training, you should go about timing your ride. The computer should also be capable of being used as a timer, and it is going to let you know what your average speed happens to be. You do not necessarily have to ride in order to improve your time during these first couple of weeks. Instead, you should be riding purely for the experience and the enjoyment.

- The first few weeks of riding should be between half an hour long and three quarters of an hour long. You can have some small hills in your ride, and you may even need to learn how to go about riding while standing up. If you are riding at the 90 RPM pace as I recommended and you end up coming to a hill, then your cadence is going to decrease naturally. By standing on the pedals, however, you will be able to give yourself more power, maintaining the same gear while you climb the hill.

More next time!

VINTAGE Carnevale ROAD BIKE FRAME 1981

VINTAGE Carnevale ROAD BIKE FRAME 1981

US $99.99
Sale
NEW Cannondale Synapse Womens 51cm Made in USA

NEW Cannondale Synapse Womens 51cm Made in USA

US $690.00
Sale
CANNONDALE SHIMANO ROAD BIKE BICYCLE 2010 CAAD8 SILVER BLUE FRAME SIZE 51

CANNONDALE SHIMANO ROAD BIKE BICYCLE 2010 CAAD8 SILVER BLUE FRAME SIZE 51

US $800.00
Sale
Schwinn Suburban 17 w Shimano FF 10 speed system sky blue 27 tires w fenders

Schwinn Suburban 17 w Shimano FF 10 speed system sky blue 27 tires w fenders

US $49.99
Sale
Specialized Tarmac carbon fibre Carbon Monocoque 4

Specialized Tarmac carbon fibre Carbon Monocoque 4

US $1,600.00
Sale
CUSTOM CARBON FIBER STEEL BICYCLE FRAME ONE OFF

CUSTOM CARBON FIBER STEEL BICYCLE FRAME ONE OFF

US $100.00
Sale
Vintage Sekai Sprint 1000 Road Bike

Vintage Sekai Sprint 1000 Road Bike

US $49.00
Sale
Used 2007 Felt DA 54cm with Mavic Ksyrium ESs

Used 2007 Felt DA 54cm with Mavic Ksyrium ESs

US $1,995.00
Sale
Titanflex Bike Frame Fork Headset Seat Post

Titanflex Bike Frame Fork Headset Seat Post

US $975.00
Sale
Used 2007 Scott Addict R2 54cm

Used 2007 Scott Addict R2 54cm

US $1,550.00
Sale
Bike Fitting Kit for Road Mtn

Bike Fitting Kit for Road Mtn

US $29.95
Sale
NEW 2011 EASTON EA 90 Aero Road bike Wheelset

NEW 2011 EASTON EA 90 Aero Road bike Wheelset

US $625.00
Sale
Motobecane bike Reynolds 725 tubes 56 x 56 fully lugged

Motobecane bike Reynolds 725 tubes 56 x 56 fully lugged

US $650.00
Sale
Eddy Merckx Team Sc Frame Size 54cm Carbon Fork Campagnolo Headset Scandium

Eddy Merckx Team Sc Frame Size 54cm Carbon Fork Campagnolo Headset Scandium

US $950.00
Sale
Raleigh bike frame 21 speed M 20 chromoly main tube 90 conplet no chain

Raleigh bike frame 21 speed M 20 chromoly main tube 90 conplet no chain

US $35.00
Sale

Photo Credits: It'sGreg

Originally posted 2009-11-09 03:40:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • sleepImprove Sleep for Better Nutrition Poor sleep is capable of hampering your health on an overall basis, and this includes how well you are going to perform in any weight loss or health improvement endeavor. There are a number of side effects that are associated with sleepless nights including premature signs of aging and even......
  • One Hundred Pushup Challenge -- Knee Push ups, 1 Handed Knee Pushups, and Full Push ups Well if you haven't heard by now then you aren't paying attention to the Health and Fitness blogosphere... Everyone is doing the 100 push up challenge at 100 push ups.   It is a 6 week training program geared toward a final test where 100 consecutive pushups are completed.  (My first......
  • lockerThe Top Five Ways To Hurt Yourself at the Gym While most of us don’t go into a workout with the hopes of ending up injured, it can happen. Workout related injuries are very common, especially if you are doing it on your own, without the benefit of an instructor or trainer. However, you can minimize your chances for injury......
  • early bird5 Reasons to do Early Bird Exercising If you can barely pull yourself out of bed in the morning, let alone exercise, it can be difficult to put together a workout plan. There are many benefits to getting in your day’s exercise in the wee hours, even if it is a little difficult at first. Let’s look......
  • headacheIs Your Exercise Routine Giving You A Headache? If you are finding that you develop consistent headaches or migraines, the answer may be in your workout, or more importantly, how you are working out. It is actually quite common to get a headache a few hours after exercising. This is due to the fact that sudden stress on......
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites
  • Fore!Put Your Knees and Hips Into Your Swing While we all know that our knees and hips can have a disastrous effect on our swing when used improperly, they can actually help you hit a better drive when you use them the right way. Let's focus on each one and work on some exercises that will help you......
  • runnerRunning in a Triathlon Triathletes have a bigger challenge than just the cyclist, the swimmer or the runner since they have to compete in all three sports consecutively.  Very often, an athlete will excel at one or two parts of the competition but have room for improvement in the third, and this will very......
  • clarinet1Clarinet Guide Part 2 The keyword on a clarinet is either played using silver or nickel. On a rare occasion, gold may be used for the key work on the clarinet. Nickel plating is durable, and it does not tarnish near as easily as silver. Nickel plating is also preferred in many occasions because......
  • Yerba Buena Center15 More Things to Do in the San Francisco Bay Area 1 - Take your entire family or a bunch of friends out to enjoy one of the famous cable car rides in the San Francisco Bay area. 2 - Enjoy the international food and the wonderful music that plays all throughout the weekend during the Tapestry and Talent festival which......
  • rafaelnadalFrench Open Finishes with Nadal On Top This year’s battle at Roland Garros was truly one for the history books. There was a lot of speculation going into the final days as to exactly who would be able to even be in the finals, let alone who would win the championship trophy. The three big names that......
Online Stores If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.



Categories:

activities, alternative ideas, exercise, Weight Loss Journal, workouts



Tags:

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,


1 comment so far ↓
#1 Studio Element Personal Training on 11.10.09 at 2:06 pm

I always encourage the addition of spinning with my personal training clients who are looking for a cycling-specific training program. It’s different than regular riding, but can focus on your weaknesses better.

Leave a Comment

Email Updates

aerobics calories carbs diet diet books dieters diet plan diets exercise exercise plan exercises fad diets fast food fats few minutes fitness health food choices fruits and vegetables graph health health network healthy lifestyle how many calories ins journey lazy man lifestyle changes losing weight metabolism motivation muscles nutrients nutrition fitness portion control protein proteins recipes snack soda ups vegetables weight gain weight loss workout workouts