Health_Fitness_UK_July_2017

spin masterclass
WORDS: Sarah Ivory PHOTOGRAPHY: iStock
2BACK UP A BIT
Spinning 101 – sit back on the
bike. You’ve probably heard the
instructor shout ‘bums back’ many times,
and this is to prevent people from putting
too much pressure through the upper
body, taking tension away from their legs.
‘Lightly grip the handlebars,’ advises Marie
Napier, Psycle London master instructor
(psyclelondon.com). ‘If your weight is
forward on the bike, you’re working your
quads and not using your hamstrings or
glutes as much. Keeping your weight back
also helps to ease stress on the shoulders,
neck and upper body.’ Remind yourself of
this one when you start to tire, as this is
when people typically begin to lean forward
on the bike. You’ve been warned.
3 PERFECT THE PREP
You’ve topped up your water
bottle, got dressed at speed and found a
bike just in time for the warm-up. We get
it – there’s no time for fiddling around with
MAX-EFFORT KIT
Smart kit will make the most of every
cycling session. Here’s our pick of the
latest tech..
MAVIC W SEQUENCE ELITE
(£120; CYCLESURGERY.COM)
Clipping into the bike pedals will
enable you to pull the pedals
efficiently, as well as push. Choose
a pair of SPDs such as these.
FITBIT ALTA HR
(£149.99; FITBIT.COM)
Want to work hard?
Invest in a heart rate
monitor. This one has
PurePulse technology.
Some instructors use
heart rate cues so you
work at the right level.
DHB PADDED SHORTS
(£22; WIGGLE.CO.UK)
Protect your posterior
from getting sore with
a pair of padded shorts.
They may not be too
stylish, but they’ll
enable you to focus on cycling rather
than your tender behind.
bike dials. Thing is, failing to set up your
bike correctly is a big faux pas. ‘Setting the
saddle height too low is a really common
mistake,’ explains Sinclair, ‘and this only
creates a quad-dominant workout. Your
legs should extend at the bottom of the
pedal stroke (but not hyperextend). Usually,
it means, when standing next to the bike,
the seat will be at hip height.’ Get the
height of the handlebars right as well – too
high and you’ll have less leg power; too
low and you’ll risk lower back pain – aim
to have them in line with the saddle. Ask
your instructor if you’re unsure.
4EYES ON
THE EXPERT
Want a top tip? Choose a bike
that’s at the front of the class. This puts
you in the perfect position to keep an eye
on the instructor. ‘I recommend watching
the legs of the instructor and keeping up,’
says Sinclair. ‘At Boom Cycle, we ride to
the beat and, if you can’t hold the beat, it’s
a big clue that you are either cycling with
too heavy or too light resistance.’ Another
tell tale sign is that you’ve chosen the
wrong gear if you’re bouncing around, as
this means the resistance is too light (more
on that next). Alternatively, if your knees
feel sore, your gear is too heavy.
5
BAN
THE
BOUNCING
It may feel fun to bob up and down
on the bike but, in reality, it’s not the best
thing to do. Why? Because you’re using
momentum to move the pedals rather than
pushing them with your muscles. Sinead
Blake, indoor cycling instructor, has a great
cue. ‘I always say “ride the bike, don’t let
the bike ride you”, because you should be
using your legs to propel the pedals. If
you’ve chosen the right gear, you won’t
be bouncing a lot and the work will be in
your leg muscles, as opposed to using
the weight of your entire body to get the
bike moving.’ The truth is that bouncing
takes the tension out of your legs and
makes the session a bit easier. Don’t
be that person.
6
FEEL
THE BURN
Take note: don’t slack off on the
resistance if you want results. ‘If
you want a peachy behind, you need to
grab the gear and start adding resistance,’
says Sinclair. ‘The resistance dial gets a
bad rep for causing big thighs when it
actually supports the legs, and even makes
some upper-body movements easier.
Turning up the resistance, even if it’s
only a touch, will stop you from getting
complacent and force your body to switch
on the muscles that you’re working.’ As
the adage goes, ‘go hard or go home’.
7
DON’T
FORGET
TO FLEX
Ever sneaked out of a class and
skipped the cool-down? Oh dear. Hang
your head in shame, missy, because
stretching is really important. ‘Tight
muscles are weak muscles and that’s not
what you want in a Spin class,’ warns
Blake. ‘When your muscles are tight, you
don’t have a good range of movement
and that really restricts what you can do.’
Indoor cycling really works the hamstrings,
quads, glutes and hips, so you need to
be sure to stretch these muscles after
every session. ‘You should really be doing
progressive stretching, during which
you hold the stretch for a few seconds
before stretching out a bit more,’ adds
Blake. A good rule of thumb is, if you can’t
lunge properly, you can’t switch on your
glutes effectively – and that’s not good
news for Spinners. n
Health & Fitness 19