How To Warm Up And Cool Down With Your Indoor Cycling Classs
Cycling instructors must know that throughout any workout there must be a warm up and cool down phase of every indoor cycling class. Novice cyclists who are new to the indoor cycling program are notorious for not warming up before rides or cooling down and stretching afterwards. It’s easy to jump on a bike in class and start off class with intense riding however when you limit or rush your warm up it can cause injuries, sore leg muscles, and make you feel short of breath throughout the ride. Warming up and cooling down will improve your performance on the bike and reduce the risk of injury.
There are many other benefits to warming up, cooling down, and stretching:
* Makes muscles loose and relaxed while reducing the risk of joint and bone injuries.
*Relieves the tension and stress of muscles, ligaments and joints, throughout the body while reducing post-ride stiffness and soreness.
*Increases circulation bringing extra oxygen and nourishment to muscles while you’re exercising and therefore able to burn more calories.
*Increases cardiac output, efficiency, and blood flow to the skeletal muscles while reducing the likelihood of feeling short of breath.
Warming Up
While rowing at UC Berkeley our crew team would take a generous 30 minutes in order to warm up whether it was on the rowing machine or out on the water. Depending upon the time of year (if it’s warm or cold outside), your age and your physical type, warming up can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. In my daily routine throughout our classes at Roworx we usually warm up for about 20 minutes with stretching. Combining a warm-up with stretching will increase blood flow to the muscles and cause a more efficient workout to the muscles while being able to burn more calories. While riding in class, start in a light gear and spin at a relatively high cadence. This will warm up your muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments without putting any pressure on them. Gradually turn up the resistance as the class is underway and make sure to drink lots of water in order to hydrate the muscles and the rest of your body during the workout. Muscles in your body are made up of about 70% water so if you are dehydrated you may be causing harm to your muscles and losing flexibility at the same time.
Cooling Down
During the end of the cycling class it is the most important time to stretch and relive the muscles of any tension to limit and avoid cramping and soreness. Cycling hard causes the blood vessels in your legs to expand which sends more blood to your legs and feet. If you stop suddenly, the blood can pool in your legs and feet, making you feel dizzy. While competing in the both Ironman Brazil and Ironman France I learned just how intense it felt when I got off my bike after riding for over 5 hours going 112 miles. Through the transition from the bike ride to the run your legs feel like they are throbbing and swollen with blood. The term in Ironman training when switching from the bike to the run is called a ‘brick run’ because your legs literally feel like bricks after sitting on the bike for more than 5 hours! After your ride make sure to take 10 to 15 minutes to cool down and finish off by doing some simple leg and quad stretching. Above all use the R.I.C.E. Principal when incorporating a new fitness regime into your daily routine. Rest a few days in between workouts. Ice your legs and back to promote blood flow and circulation throughout the body and legs to allow for a faster recovery from one workout to another. Compression of the ice and or heat after a workout to the muscles that are sore. Elevate your legs in order to promote less swollen and inflammation.
The following video gives you more exciting workouts to use on the amazing EVO Indoor Cycling Bike! Please Contact Jack Nunn Here If You Have Any Further Questions About Hoew To Be Effiecient And Optimize Your Nutrition And Increase Your Level Of Fitness Training.
Tags: Evo Indoor Cycling Classes, Indoor cycling classes in Long Beach, Ironman Cross Training, Jack Nunn, Roworx, Traithlete Cross Training
