Stepping into the cycle studio for your first class can be intimidating. There are all of these people wearing cleats and clip-ins and already riding well before the class starts, and then you have to work out how to set you bike up.
As a way of helping you over that hurdle here are a couple of tips and tricks:
- Don’t be stressed by the other riders, we all start somewhere and we all remember where that place was. The riders are all super excited to see new faces upstairs and the coaches and instructors get a special buzz out of seeing people take that challenge so we are here to help you every step of the way.
- The seat is probably the most important thing about riding. It needs to be at a comfortable height that allows you to isolate and power through the legs, while minimising upper body side to side rocking. The key here is to make sure that you have a slight bend in the knee at the very bottom of your stride. To assist in remembering where that is for you, all of the bikes have height markers under the seat. To lock the seat position in place, simply turn the handle at the back of the bike clockwise.
- Handlebars are the next area people are concerned about. This is really a matter of personal preference. Wherever is comfortable for you is what is going to work best long term. These can be adjusted in two ways up and down and forward and back. The goal is to be able to maintain roughly a 45degree tip at the hip throughout the majority of the work out. This will allow you to keep your head up, chest open for big oxygen intake, powering your legs. Again tighten as appropriate with the handles at the front of the bike.
- Foot position in the stirrups. Most people want to push their feet right to the front of the stirrup cage when getting on the bike. This is a great position for casual riding etc. however, it places the bridge of the foot over the peddle meaning that the pressure being exerted is going through the weakest part of the foot when riding in a class for health and fitness improvement. As such, you may find it more effective to place the ball of your foot under the strap for greater exertion and effectiveness in a cycle class.
- Always remember it’s a cycle class, whether it is; RPM, Freestyle Spin or Sprint, there are only 2 basic moves – up and down. If you keep moving you will pick up the minor adjustments to body position that will help you focus and target the different muscles of the legs – your bodies powerhouse.
See you in the cycle studio soon!