I’ve been doing indoor cycling (also known sometimes as Spinning) for almost three years. About a year and a half ago, I fell in love with road cycling and bought my first road bike – a Jamis Ventura, a heavy but solid bike for newbies. When I upgraded to my current ride, a Cannondale Slice with Rolf Vigors (hubba, hubba), Kevin at Tribe Multisport said, “Do you do a lot of spinning?”
I didn’t know if this was a good question, as in “Man, I can tell you do a lot of Spinning!” or bad as in, “Man … I can tell you do a lot of Spinning…”
In this case it was the latter. I tended to ride up on my toes and work the hell out of my hip flexors, plus I was shortening my calf muscles and tendons. Kevin told me to drop my heels. Later, I took a Spinning instructor class (from Mad Dogg Athletics), and the instructor described the pedal motion as “like scraping mud off the bottom of your shoes.” I use this analogy with the riders who take my indoor cycling classes.
Those of you who are not new to competitive and endurance cycling know the importance of employing all muscle groups in the lower extremities.
When you come to Inverse Cycling, our coaches will watch your form and offer tips for getting the most from your pedal power. Follow this link to Active.com for leg-strengthening exercises you can do in the gym.