Designing Your Own Spinning / Cycling Workout

Just because its not always possible to make it to spinning/cycling class doesn't mean you can't design your own spinning/cycling workout. Spinning/cycling can be fun and challenging when you vary your regime enough. Its also a wonderful workout-- just a half an hour of spinning/cycling on the stationary bike can really boost your metabolism, your mood, and burn a whole lot of calories.

But the tough part about spinning/cycling on your own without an instructor is boredom-- good spin instructors know how to vary their classes so that students don't get bored on the bike. Once boredom sets in, motivation and intensity usually fall shortly afterward. So if you want to make the most out of your spinning/cycling workout, which no doubt you do given the time investment involved, plan our your regime so that its full of different on the bike activities.

Making your spinning/cycling workouts as varied as possible within the workout itself and across workouts are both equally important. You never want to do the same exact workout more than twice in a row-- this easily gets repetitive and mentally exhausting. So what are some different types of patterns you can incorporate into your own spinning/cycling workout?

Hills
Hills are an incredibly important aspect to spinning/cycling-- they challenge both our strength and endurance. Try by starting on a flat road and every 30 seconds or so (the timing really depends on your own preference), turn the bike dial up a notch so that eventually you're almost tapped out. When this happens, stand out of the bike saddle and keep climbing a bit more.

Sprints
Sprints are another essential aspect of spinning/cycling, although not usually anyone's favorite. Sprints really get your heart pumping-- which is great. Be sure to start your bike sprints on a small incline-- if you don't, your bike peddles will fly so fast that it can be dangerous to your knees (not to mention it won't really challenge your body). Sprints are best done intermittently-- do not try to hold the sprint for more than a minute-- instead let yourself relax in or out of the bike saddle between sets.

Isolators
Isolators are meant to be tough, and they really are. In order to practice isolators, you must begin out of the bike saddle. Then pretending like you have a book on top of your head, take all of the bounce out of your knees so that your head stays as steady as possible (don't let the book fall). This will really challenge your quads and they will burn!! Again, don't try isolators for more than a minute at a time, but let your body relax out of the bike saddle between sets.

More exercises, spinning/cycling sample lessons, and tips are to come.