Getting back on the bike after my maternity hiatus has been an amazing learning experience for me. I have not worked my way into a permanent class slot, so all of my practicing and tweaking has been just for me. But the new insights I’ve gained into my own body and how I’m feeling and functioning right now are only going to improve the quality of the classes I will be teaching in the future, no doubt.

In that light, I’d like to present another Endurance Profile for you to digest this week. I call it the “Know Thyself” ride, because it is meant to allow your riders to explore what is happening within themselves while Spinning. This ride will keep the heart rate under 80% for the entire duration. Naturally, if you have riders who need to top this heart rate, the ride can be easily modified for their needs without sacrificing the experience for your other students.
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I love endurance profiles.  Maybe it’s because I am one of those people who has to do things in an organized, step-by-step fashion;  I really appreciate the value and necessity of building blocks.  Endurance rides are just that and so I teach them often.

Today’s profile is just as the title implies:  The simplest endurance profile ever created.  Here are the steps:
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This is a Spinning Profile for a ride that totals 80 minutes on the bike plus 10 minutes of stretching for a 90 minute profile.  I got my students up extra early one morning for this ride that went over really well.  Because the ride was a first for them and for me as an instructor, I kept it very simple and mostly motivational.  Also, I didn’t want them to fall asleep, so half-way through, the profile changes from a EEZ to a SEZ. Therefore, “Endurance” in the title really only means “able to endure the bike for a long time.”

Here are the playlist and profile, updated to include song links on iTunes and Napster. I hope this new format helps you with your planning and song-obtaining! After the profile, I have included a series of motivational cues to get you through the ride. 
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A really hot Spinning class.  The profile was not mine.  The music was not mine.  But the class was on fire!  This is the link to the post on Pedal-On:  http://pedal-on.com/showpost.php?p=58054&postcount=1

 If you haven’t signed up for Pedal-on yet, it is a great resource for Indoor Cyclists.  I don’t think you’ll be able to view this link without registering, but now you have a reason to join.

 The music came from Cadence Revolution.  I used Mix #16.  The combination was an endurance ride that actually surpassed everyone’s expectations and helped my students see that you can accomplish good things in 65%-75% range. 

 Have a great day!

There’s been a lot of interest in my Spinning Profile which focuses on pedaling technique, Endurance Profile – Smooth Riding.   It seems that many of you are interested in improving your technique on the bike and I applaud you!  It can be tedious and academic to actually LEARN how to do something and to fully understand the mechanics of it.  Rest assured that time spent understanding these fundamentals will pay off in the end.  Since these are more focused activities that work the heart between 65-75% typically, they work well with your endurance rides.

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Looking for a new Spinning Profile?  Here is what we did in my 6:00 am Spinning class this morning.  The gentlemen in my audience have been begging for less pop/dance and more classic rock, motown, “oldies”…  So I came up with this playlist for them (You’re welcome, Walter!).  Here is the Playlist at Napster.

The profile is a simple idea:  You choose a destination, ride out to it, turn around and come back.  In this profile, I have also added an element of visualization.  You want your students to experience a purpose in riding out, climbing a heavy hill to get to a place, then have to come back and do it again to get “home”.  You can be very creative with your cues and your motivational assistance, but be careful!  Give your students the opportunity to come up with their own images — don’t make any suggestions, or give them your own ideas.  It is best left up to each individual to interpret your cue and decide what type of goal they will set.   Have fun and stay safe!!

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