Jennifer Sage Advice Blog – Indoor Cycling Association

Whoa, take a look at these two videos…

Enough to make you shake your head in disbelief, right?

There is a very specific, biomechanically correct way to row. If you venture outside of that proper technique, you are putting yourself at a pretty big risk. Same with boxing and kickboxing, and pretty much any movement, including lifting weights, but it is heightened when the movement is repetitive…like rowing or riding a bike.

Wouldn’t you like to know what that correct technique is so when you get on the rower you aren’t wasting your time doing ineffective, silly moves that might actually injure you?  Rowing correctly offers optimal power output and maximal fitness gains, not to mention a greater caloric consumption, while reducing the chances of injury.

Of course you would want to know how to do it safely and effectively!

Crazy, potentially dangerous moves on a piece of equipment like this have no place in

Oh I fell in love with this sweet lady! She’s 98 and teaching fitness to her peers! Keep this isn mind if your instructor tells you to lift 1 lb weights in your cycling class—this is the only time that might be beneficial (or maybe rehabbing an injury).

She is precious, and when I am 100, I hope to be doing the same thing! Who else feels that way?

To watch the video and read the entire article in the Montreal Gazette, click here. Below is an excerpt:

The fitness instructor is about to start pushups, but first she has to move her walker out of the way. The exercisers at this apartment complex are all over 75 and their leader, Hildegard Gigl, will turn 99 in June.

“I’m getting

Fitness professionals must learn the science behind what they are doing and teaching. That is why I like to share articles I find that will help your understanding of physiology. Please read this article by Dr. Len Kravitz posted in Ideadfit. It’s called the Science of Fat Burning. While it is quite short, and to read more about the physiology of burning fat, it gives you a good understanding of  how fat is stored and mobilized and what happens when it reaches the muscle where it will be used as fuel for muscular contraction.

Below is an excerpt. Click on the above link to read the full article. TIP: Read the highlighted words (Fat, calorie, athletic performance) for even more great information.

Fat may seem like the enemy of civilized people—especially sedentary ones. Yet we cannot live without it.

A video not to be missed…What are YOU riding for? Leave your answer in the comments!

Riding my bike is one of the best medicines I can possibly take. I’m sure you would agree, and there are scientific studies that prove it, too. More on that in a moment…

This is medicine I could have used the past month…but I’m sad to say I only got on my bike for the first time this season yesterday. Even though I live in the high country, and the nearby ski station of Vail (30 miles away) only closed for the season yesterday, we’ve still had some warm days and clear roads and trails (at least in Eagle, where I live) for the past 3–4 weeks. I’ve been watching cyclists ride up my street from my office window for the past month.

What kept me off my bike?

This is a humorous account of a cycling class, called “Welcome to Spin Class: You Won’t Last” that appeared in the NY Times last week. I tell you what, I wouldn’t last in this class either! It points out the ridiculousness of many classes these days. Read it for a good laugh!

By Joyce Wadler

Congratulations on signing up for spin class. For building muscles and cardio, it’s the best exercise there is. Good on you. Give yourself a hand. You may find the workouts challenging in the beginning, so for you newcomers, a tip:

When class is over, do not leave the gym for 15 minutes. That way when you collapse, our specially trained instructors will be there to call 911. (It also ensures that unattractive strangers will not be

The blog I Love Bicycling has a short article on how to attack rolling hills on a bike outside, but there is some good advice for your indoor climbs as well. The author, Lee Agur, gives these tips:

The key to rollers is maintaining your cadence and gearing!

Stay in the gear that you started the hill climb for as long as possible. Shift only when your cadence starts to slow below 75. A cadence between 70 to 90 [rpm] is ideal. If you shift too early you will lose valuable momentum; however, if you shift too late then you might stall out.

Attack the bottom of the roller and gradually increase effort as you climb the hill until you must shift. Short rollers are like mini intervals. Just remember

A few weeks ago I posted an excerpt from the article “I Can’t Come To Class I Might Die”, from the blog Itsmecassie. Cassie Piasecki has written another great post for her indoor cycling students that I’ve posted in part below. Click here to read the entire post.

This was written for my clients at the indoor cycling studio where I teach but it is also relevant for any type of fitness class. Feel free to change the wording around and share with your students!

8 Things We Wish You Would Tell Us Before Class Starts

1. Tell us if you are new.
   Maybe it is your first class, maybe it is your 5th class. Maybe you have taken an indoor cycling class at another studio but it is your first time

(Reprinted with permission from Cassie P, the author and owner of itsmecassie blog. Click here for the original article.)

“I can’t come to your class…I MIGHT DIE!”

I get this a lot. Friends who have not tried an indoor cycling class have no idea what to expect. But why do they think they are going to die? I’ve probed a little deeper and they do! They think they will DIE. I haven’t heard of any indoor cycling related deaths. After I reassure them that I haven’t lost anyone yet and show them proof of my CPR certification, I usually send them an email that explains how and what they will feel. I gathered my thoughts and made it a little more succinct and posted it on Facebook. I got a lot of great feedback

The website Thesportinmind.com, an online journal specializing in sports psychology, has some excellent articles on motivation in sport, many of which are excellent resources for you as an indoor cycling instructor seeking to engage and inspire your riders.

Here is an article called Motivation: Get Into the Flow in Sport With Music and Exercise, by Hannah Farmer. I’ve posted part of the article below:

For elite athletes, fitness fanatics and gym goers, having the right frame of mind is the best way to achieve the perfect performance. The highest level of intrinsic motivation is know as flow. Flow is described as the complete immersion in an activity to the point in which nothing else matters. Hungarian psychologist Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, lead psychologist in the concept of flow, claims that flow occurs when there is a perfect match between the