Cycle indoors to a become a stronger runner

Variety is what makes your workout more fruitful and engaging. Runners, this is for you. Relieve yourself of monotony and start cycling indoors. Indoor cycling offers incredible benefits and is a certainly a way to enhance your running performance. If you want to run farther, faster and more safely, mix up your routine. Take a giant step out of your comfort zone and into the indoor cycling room.

Uphill, downhill, fast, slow, indoors or out, running works a particular set of muscles. The longer you run and the more miles you cover, progress will follow this much is inevitable. However, you increase your risk for both injury and burnout by sticking with the same movement day in and day out.
When you choose an indoor cycling class over running on occasion, you reduce your risk of injury in two ways. First, you are substituting a high-impact with a no-impact workout, giving your joints a break from the wear and tear. Second, the muscles worked on the bike vary from those used while running. Strengthening different (weaker) muscles in your body will provide greater muscular balance, resulting in reduced chance of running-related injury. 

If your instructor is up on cross training, he or she will know how to gear the ride particularly to benefit the runners in the class.
So, how exactly does indoor cycling help runners outshine their competition? In each class, you will see a mixture of riding positions and cadence. The greatest benefit to a runner is riding at 90 RPM in a standing position. This is an incredible way to increase leg turnover. For many runners, increasing turnover is the single best way to improve race times.

The good news: there is no "dance step" to learn. If you don't see an outdoor cyclists doing it, you won't see it in an indoor cycling class. With flats and easier hills completed at an aerobic-level heart rate, your slow-twitch muscle fibers are developed, giving you endurance for long-distance running. The RealRyder® bike offers an extra dimension because the bike articulates, moving side to side you are also gaining the benefit of building your core muscle group and because of the flexible movement of the bike there is literally no stiffness associated with conventional stationary bikes.


As you push yourself on fast flats and steeper hills, you move to a more anaerobic heart rate and your fast-twitch muscle fibers are trained, providing a top rate sprinting advantage. Whether your goal is a 5K or a marathon, you will improve.

As athletes, we know races can be won or lost on mental strength alone. Indoor cycling supports the mind-body connection essential for success. Because you're in a predictable environment without the perils of the road, you learn to relax into a meditative and focused state despite physical challenge. Training your mind to be strong in the face of challenges will allow you to go full-force more easily, no matter what you're doing.

Credit: Laura Forman added specific methods and suggested apparatus

I liked it so much I started a studio... and this is why

Velocity Cycling Indoors on a Real Ryder Bike.  
The class is lead by an instructor who guides you through a ride simulating the outdoors.  Classes are held in a darkened room with inspiring music and video. The videos are real life rides with flat roads, switchbacks, leans, and hill climbing on a 110" screen to give you the feel an “open road” experience.

What a great way to burn over 500 calories in 50 minutes or less. That is just one benefit to cycling indoors. There are so many more such as weight loss, increased energy and bone density, stronger heart and lungs, decreased stress and anxiety, better sleep and lowers your risk for heart disease. Wow!!! All packed in one class if consistently done 2-3 times a week. Oh…I forgot to mention its easy on the joints. Your knees will thank you.  Which is the main reason I started to cycle indoors.
I’ve been a consistent spin rider for about 15 years now. I’m also an outdoor biker.  I love to ride!  After having my son I noticed my anxiety levels increased with the everyday hustle of life.  My remedy was to get out and cycle or find a dance class.  I tried other cardio classes like zumba and step, but finding a good tap class was difficult and the other card classes I found to be boring .  I tried a spin class and I was hooked. My body and mind feel great after each class and no pounding on the joints.   A great alternative to dance (my passion) and other cardio classes.

When I workout I love to sweat and oh boy do you work up a sweat in a RealRyder indoor cycling class. As your heart rate increases sweat drips down from your body to the bike and down on the floor. I must say the first time I finished a class I was sore in places I couldn’t even imagine. My glutes, quads, arms and core all felt the pain.  A lot of people shy away from the class because of that feeling. I’m here to tell you don’t get discouraged . With proper form and equipment your ride will become enjoyable. During your first class you will be helped with the setup for your bike based on your height. During the class the instructor will advise you on proper form helping you master the "lean" and out of the saddle climb. I do highly recommend having a pair of padded cycling shorts. Clip in shoes are not required but with my experience you will have a more efficient ride. Most classes require a heart rate monitor, but if you don’t have one the instructor will have you follow the RPE chart(rate of perceived exertion). A water bottle or two is a must. You definitely want to hydrate before, during and after class.  I promise after you get comfortable on your bike you will have a fantastic ride (cardio wise). My advice to you is to “push through” the intensity of the class and feel awesome after. This is why I ride.  Happy Ryding!!!!!

My FitBit Flex(BAM) "Quantified Self"

Being able to easily see my progress toward a particular daily activity goal has been incredibly motivating. I don't feel lost in all the data my device collects. I don't have to open up an app on my phone or computer to check. It's right on my wrist, how active I've been -- or not.  The FitBit Flex is my first attempt in using a body activity monitor.  Setting up the Flex was very easy and quick.  Instructions are well detailed and easy to understand.  The Flex syncs with your iPhone and the information is then pushed to your own space on FitBit's website. From there it scaled, parsed, and shared if you so desire.  

So this isn't another review of the Flex but it is a question of whether the movement to the "Quantified Self" is truly worth the time and effort?  Does it really make you want to take better care of yourself through the use of real data? For me it does, I am being coaxed to take those extra steps, drink more ounces of water, and say no to that extra serving.

Indoor Cycling A Must For Runners

Why Runners Need Indoor Cycling

Indoor cycling offers outrageous benefits and is a sure-fire way to enhance your running performance. If you want to run farther, faster and more safely, mix up your routine. Bravely step out of your comfort zone and into the indoor cycling room. You'll wonder what took you so long. Uphill, downhill, fast, slow, indoors or out, running works a particular set of muscles.
The longer you run and the more miles you cover, progress will follow— this much is inevitable. However, you increase your risk for both injury and burnout by sticking with the same movement day in and day out.
When you choose an indoor cycling class over running on occasion, you reduce your risk of injury in two ways. First, you are substituting a high-impact with a no-impact workout, giving your joints a break from the wear and tear. Second, the muscles worked on the bike vary from those used while running. Strengthening different (weaker) muscles in your body will provide greater muscular balance, resulting in reduced chance of running-related injury. Third if you find a indoor cycling studio with Realryder bikes your workout is enhanced three fold. They are the only stationary bikes that move laterally, allowing riders to bank (lean) into a turn. The workouts are more dynamic, intense and comprehensive than a traditional indoor cycling bike. The result is a 5-in-1 workout for the whole body – not simply legs and cardio, but also upper body, core muscle groups, and balance.

How Indoor Cycling Increases Fitness


So, how exactly does indoor cycling help runners outshine their competition? In each class, you will see a mixture of movement and cadence.
The good news: there is no fancy choreography to learn. If you don't see outdoor cyclists doing it, you won't see it in an indoor cycling class. With flats and easier hills completed at an aerobic-level heart rate, your slow-twitch (slow to fatigue) muscle fibers are developed, giving you endurance for long-distance running. As you push yourself on fast flats and steeper hills, you move to a more anaerobic heart rate and your fast-twitch (quick to fatigue) muscle fibers are trained, providing a top rate sprinting advantage. Whether your goal is a 5K or a marathon, you will improve. As athletes, we know races can be won or lost on mental strength alone. Indoor Cycling supports the mind-body connection essential for success. Because you're in a predictable environment without the perils of the road, you learn to relax into a meditative and focused state despite physical challenge. Training your mind to be strong in the face of adversity allows you to go full-force more easily, no matter what you're doing.

credit to: By Laura Forman• For Active.com.. added realryder info