5 Reasons to Attend Indoor Cycling Classes Year-Round

It's almost summer (well, it already has been for a few months in most parts of the country), and the days are getting longer and longer. So why would anyone in his or her right mind want to take an indoor cycling class when there are miles of beautiful roads to be ridden outdoors?

Well, actually, there are quite a few. Believe me, I'm right there with you. I would much rather be riding in beautiful scenery on my bicycle outside when the weather is sunny and warm. But if your training time is limited, and you've got a goal or an event coming up, then hitting an indoor cycling class might actually be better training than trying to get on your bicycle most days. If you have a typical work schedule, you may have to reserve your weekends for long outdoors rides with your buddies, and use the weekdays to target specific intensity goals indoors.

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Here are just a few reasons that might drive you indoors:

?You work long hours or have long commutes. Admit it, many of you reading this are workaholics. I know I am! If you spend many hours at the office, or perhaps have long commutes to and from work, squeezing in your ride time can be very challenging.

?Family obligations. Your time with your spouse, children and pets is precious. While your cycling time is important to you, you don't want to let it impinge on your family obligations either. You may have to pick children up from school or assist them with homework, make dinner, or a whole host of other daily obligations. Combine family with long work hours or commutes and you have even less time available for a training ride.

?Stop signs or lights. Having to stop at intersections continually will impair your ability to do a steady state threshold or tempo workout.

?Traffic. Do you live in an area where you have to deal with 15-30 minutes of traffic before you even find an open road where you can ride unencumbered? Or perhaps you can never ride unencumbered where you live? It's hard to get a specific training session in when you are battling with cars. If you only have a short time frame to ride because of some of the obligations just mentioned, then spending most of it dealing with traffic or lights reduces your potential workout even more.

? Heat. If you live in areas where the heat index reaches dangerous levels in the summer, an indoor class in a well-ventilated room starts to look very appealing. I know cyclists in Arizona who are used to riding at 4 a.m. in the summers before it gets too hot, but that's not an option for everyone!

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A 45-60 minute Spinning? class can help meet your cycling goals and fit in your schedule better when you have any of the constraints mentioned above. In most instances, you can do it faster than you can on your bicycle at home. There's little to no prep time for a Spinning? class. You don't have to oil chains or pump up tires—you just change into your cycling clothes and walk into the class and get ready for a great workout in much less time.

You can target high intensity training better than when you have to deal with traffic or lights for much of your ride. Riding with a good instructor can motivate you to levels that you may not necessarily push yourself to when riding alone. On the other hand, if your lively weekly group ride turns into a hammer fest every time, you can use the indoor class as a moderate tempo pace effort or even a recovery ride when your training volume warrants it.

I work for myself, have no commute, don't have children, and live in a cycling paradise, but I still find it hard to squeeze in my rides at times! My early-morning twice-a-week classes keep my cycling fitness where it needs to be and I plan my weekends around long rides in the Colorado mountains.

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So ride outside as much as you can, but don't ignore the potential benefits of an indoor cycling class. However, in order for it to benefit you and your cycling goals, look for a class that is cycling specific and refrains from the ineffective and potentially injurious aerobics-on-a-bike techniques that have become popular.

Make sure you ride at cadences that come close to your outdoor cadence range (to follow the "specificity of exercise" principle), with resistances that feel like your own bicycle gearing or like a real hill. In other words, on an indoor bike, especially one with a heavy flywheel, it doesn't help your outdoor cycling to be pedaling at 120 rpm with very low resistance, or at very slow cadence at very high resistance.

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It also doesn't help your outdoor riding if you are jumping in and out of the saddle constantly. Sit as much as possible, and then stand up for breaks, short hill climbs or powerful surges, just like you would outside. Keep it specific and keep it real!

To know what techniques to avoid in an indoor cycling class, make sure to read up on how to approach indoor classes. For more information on how to optimize your experience in an indoor cycling class, including numerous high intensity class profiles, check out keepitrealebook.com.

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