Buddha Breathing and Mental Visualization Combined with Positive Attitude

Think about the last time you faced a really tough hill on a long run or bike ride. How about that long endurance climb in our Velocity class or maybe getting ready for that next interval?

Did your brain scream out that you would never make it? Just about anyone who’s competed in sports or followed a rigorous fitness routine, or is just pushing themselves in their own workout has had this happen to them.

It’s important to recognize that your mind saying “no” might be the only thing preventing you from clocking a new personal best or finishing that climb or interval. “If your thoughts are consistently negative, they’ll work against you,” says Kirsten Peterson, PhD, a sports psychologist with the United States Olympic Committee.

Sure, most of us know about the mind-body connection. But did you know that just telling yourself you like to run hills can actually help you get up and over them? Or that picturing yourself breaking out of that saddle and sprinting across that finish line can help you achieve your best finishes ever?

All true. And that’s why many elite and professional athletes work as hard on their mental game as they do on their physical skills. But mental training is not just for top competitors. Experts say that all of us can improve our performance by using our minds to better our bodies.

Begin With the Breath:
Developing mental toughness begins with shutting out negative thoughts. Most sports psychologists agree that the best way to block unfavorable thoughts is to focus on breathing deeply.
The brain can think of little else when focused on that one act. “You no longer focus on the distractions,” says Kenneth Baum, author of "The Mental Edge".

Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly to test your breathing. Most people feel movement primarily in their chest because they aren’t breathing deeply enough. The belly should expand more than the chest, an indication that the lungs are being entirely filled. Often you will hear me say "Buddha Belly Breathing" in class. which is the process of inhaling through your nose pushing the diaphragm down and expanding the belly to resemble Buddha.

In competitive situations, people tend to take quick, shallow breaths, causing muscle constriction. But deep breathing oxygenates the blood and energizes the muscles, brain and nerves — which in turn helps us perform better.

To promote proper breathing techniques, Experts suggest meditation, which lowers blood pressure and slows down breathing, brain activity and heart rate. To get started, choose both a quiet place and a mantra to help block other thoughts from entering your mind. Some athletes choose words such as “zone” or “flow” as their mantra. Repeat the mantra over and over while breathing deeply. Beginners, should meditate for 20 minutes twice a day. Once you are comfortable with the practice, you can reduce it to 10 minutes daily.

Picture Something Positive:
Mental training isn’t just about purging negative chatter from your mind. Research has shown that practicing your sport mentally (using techniques called visualization or guided imagery) can help you perfect your form. Using imagery triggers physiological responses, ranging from muscular activity to changes in breathing, that are identical to those that occur during exercise. In other words, rehearsing in your head — even when you’re lying perfectly still — may prepare your muscles and nervous system to respond in the ways you want them to.

Visualization, when done well, fills the mind with positive images, which many experts believe boosts confidence and controls nerves. Success is in the details, says Robert Weinberg, PhD, a sports psychologist at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The people who have the best outcomes are the ones who imagine with all their senses. Swimmers should smell chlorine while picturing themselves diving into the pool. Cyclists should feel themselves gripping the bike handles. With practice, as the images become clearer, the results on the playing field improve.

Fight Doubt With Affirmations:
Even top athletes have moments of creeping doubt when they aren’t performing well. In those situations, using positive affirmations can stave off a physical meltdown by keeping negativity at bay.

The body believes the mind:
You’ll find a way to get up that hill or cross that finish line in perfect form when the mind sends a message that "you can do it".

How one uses affirmations varies from person to person and from sport to sport. “There is an individual nature to this process,” says Michael Sachs, PhD, a sports psychologist at Temple University in Philadelphia. “You have to find words or a phrase that inspires you to continue.”

Enjoyment Is Key:
Honing your mental skills will help you clock quicker running times and assist in finishing that endurance ride almost immediately. But you shouldn’t expect miracles. Strong mental skills won’t turn an average cyclist into Lance Armstrong overnight. Physical training and ability still count for a lot.

As with physical training, though, the longer you practice mental visualization, the better your results will be. And, there’s another positive side effect to visualization that, while less scientifically studied, is just as important as running up steep hills without trepidation. You’ll notice that you’re enjoying your sport more. Which makes it all the more worthwhile.

Get on that Bike (RealRyder) to avoid Colds

Active People Suffer Fewer Colds

Studies have clearly shown that regular exercise will help prevent catching colds in the first place.

For example, one 2002 study found that those who exercised regularly suffered 20-30 percent fewer colds. Other studies demonstrate an even greater impact.

According to a 2006 trial, regular, moderate exercise reduced the risk of colds in postmenopausal women by half. The year-long study examined 115 sedentary, overweight, postmenopausal women, none of whom smoked or took hormone-replacement therapy. Half were assigned to an aerobic exercise group and the other half attended a weekly stretching class only.

The patients in the exercise group were asked to work out about 45 minutes a day, five days a week, but they were only able to reach the 30-minute mark per day, with brisk walking accounting for the bulk of their body work. By the end of the study, the women who performed aerobic exercises on a weekly basis had half the risk of colds of those who did stretching only.

The ability of moderate exercise to ward off colds also seemed to increase the longer it was used. In the final three months of the study, the stretching-only group had a three-fold higher risk of colds than the exercisers.

The fact that the enhanced immunity was strongest in the final quarter of the year-long trial suggests it is important to stick with exercise long term to get the full effects. I've often said it's crucial to treat exercise like a drug that must be properly prescribed, monitored and maintained for you to enjoy the most benefits. That also means that you can't bank exercise either; it's not like money. Even if you were a world-class athlete, in about two weeks of not exercising you will tend to start to experience deconditioning.

All in Good Measure...

Personally, I believe that if you have enough energy to tolerate it, increasing your body temperature by sweating from exercise will help to kill many viruses. However you need to be very careful and listen to your body, and not do your full, normal exercise routine, as that could clearly stress your immune system even more and prolong your illness if you are not careful and wind up overdoing it.

Also keep in mind that exercising too much can have the opposite effect on your immune system.
This is because intensive exercise boosts production of cortisol; a stress hormone. Stress hormones inhibit the activity of natural killer cells—a type of white blood cell that attacks and rids your body of viral agents. This is why running a marathon can actually increase your chances of getting sick shortly thereafter. In fact, elite endurance athletes can suffer anywhere from two to six times as many upper respiratory infections during a year, compared to average, active individuals.
According to an article in Sports Science Exchange, athletes are advised to avoid exercise if cold symptoms are "below the neck," or if they're running a fever. So-called "head colds" seem to be less serious in general. I think the same recommendation would be prudent for most people.

Above all, always pay heed to what your body is telling you, and if you feel too fatigued to work out, don't push it. More than likely, what you need then is rest. But if you're thinking of skipping your workout routine simply because you've been told you "shouldn't exercise when sick," then you may want to reconsider, as it could actually help you feel better, sooner. It will be especially helpful to mildly stimulate your immune system with some gentle exercise.

How Long to Warm Up?

How Long to Warmup Before Intense Exercise


All experienced athletes know the benefits of a good warm up before beginning intense exercise. But just what is the best way to warm up? And does the length or intensity of the warm up affect sports performance? The pros and cons of warming up before exercise have been debated among experts and athletes for years, but nearly all experts agree that a pre-exercise warm up1 does, in fact, improve sports performance and can even reduce the risk of injury during intense exercise. 
But the question still remains--what is the best way for an athlete to warm up? 

The length and intensity of the ideal warm up is still being debated and researched. Before competition, many athletes perform a lengthy warm up. For example, before a cycling time trail, you will often find the top cyclists warming up at a high intensity for 30-60 minutes or more. But could such a warm up routine do more harm than good? A new study from the University of Calgary offers a new twist on an old concept.

The Physiology of the Warm Up
Most athletes use the warm up to prepare the body for intense exercise and to prevent injury. The physiology behind the warm up is related to the post- activation potentiation (PAP), which is a biochemical change in muscle activation response that is caused by brief bouts of strenuous physical activity. The trick for athletes and coaches has always been to find the optimal length and intensity of the warm up phase, as well as what specific exercises should be performed during the warm up.

Shorter Warm Ups May Be Best
A study done by the University of Calgary Human Performance Laboratory found that certain types of warm up activities may be better than others when it comes to improving performance, and delaying fatigue. Their research showed that shorter, less intense warm ups may be better than long, more intense warm ups, particularly for cyclists.
The study looked at 10 elite track cyclists doing two types of warm ups: a long, high intensity warm up of 50 minutes that brought the athletes all the way to 95 percent of their maximal heart rates, and a shorter, 15-minute warm up that had the cyclists peak out at only 70 percent of their maximal heart rates. The researchers measured the muscle contractile response and peak power output of the cyclists before, during and after the warm ups.
The research found the shorter warm up resulted in less muscle fatigue and a greater muscle contractile response than the longer warm up. This, in turn, resulted in more peak power output among the cyclists doing the shorter warm up. The difference was fairly dramatic--peak power output was 6.2 percent higher and total work was 5 percent higher in cyclists who did the shorter warm up.

According to study co-author Elias K. Tomaras, the study shows that "an even shorter warm up might be better for athletes who want to tap into PAP.”
Any athlete who participates in sports that require short, high intensity efforts, such as sprint-distance events or power events, may want to give the shorter warm ups a second look. The ultimate goal of the warm up is to tap into the ideal amount and intensity of activity to promote PAP without creating muscle fatigue.


Until more research is done that establishing ideal norms, it seems that the best warm up is entirely dependent upon the athlete. Individual athletes should experiment with different lengths, styles and exercise intensity until they find what works best for them.

In the studio we are finding our riders like to take our thirty minute express ride.  This gives them the warmup they need before the longer classes.
Feel free to give a try (Mon, Tues, or Wed at 5:00 PM)

Aging Well Through Exercise

Is physical frailty inevitable as we grow older? 

That question preoccupies scientists and the middle-aged, particularly when they become the same people. Until recently, the evidence was disheartening. A large number of studies in the past few years showed that after age 40, people typically lose eight percent or more of their muscle mass each decade, a process that accelerates significantly after age 70. Less muscle mass generally means less strength, mobility and among the elderly, independence. It also has been linked with premature mortality.
But a growing body of newer science suggests that such decline may not be inexorable. Exercise, the thinking goes, and you might be able to rewrite the future for your muscles.
Consider the results of a stirring study published last month in the journal The Physician and Sports medicine. For it, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh recruited 40 competitive runners, cyclists and swimmers. They ranged in age from 40 to 81, with five men and five women representing each of four age groups: 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and 70-plus. All were enviably fit, training four or five times a week and competing frequently. Several had won their age groups in recent races.
They completed questionnaires detailing their health and weekly physical activities. Then the researchers measured their muscle mass, leg strength and body composition, determining how much of their body and, more specifically, their muscle tissue was composed of fat. Other studies have found that as people age, they not only lose muscle, but the tissue that remains can become infiltrated with fat, degrading its quality and reducing its strength.
There was little evidence of deterioration in the older athletes’ musculature, however. The athletes in their 70s and 80s had almost as much thigh muscle mass as the athletes in their 40s, with minor if any fat infiltration. The athletes also remained strong. There was, as scientists noted, a drop-off in leg muscle strength around age 60 in both men and women. They weren’t as strong as the 50-year-olds, but the differential was not huge, and little additional decline followed. The 70- and 80-year-old athletes were about as strong as those in their 60s.
“We think these are very encouraging results,” said Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon and founder of the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who oversaw the study. “They suggest strongly that people don’t have to lose muscle mass and function as they grow older. The changes that we’ve assumed were due to aging and therefore were unstoppable seem actually to be caused by inactivity. And that can be changed.”
Other recent studies have produced similar findings. Last year, researchers at the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging, for instance, examined muscle tissue from older competitive runners, checking for the density of their motor units, a measure of muscle health. A motor unit is, essentially, the control mechanism of a functioning muscle, composed of a neuron and the particular muscle fibers that that neuron activates. The more motor units in a muscle, the stronger it generally is.
In multiple earlier studies, people over 50 have been found to possess far fewer muscle motor units than young adults. But that wasn’t true for the sexagenarian runners, whose leg muscles teemed with almost as many motor units as a separate group of active 25-year-olds. Running and Cycling, the scientists wrote, seemed able to “mitigate the loss of motor units with aging well into the seventh decade of life.”
Of course, the volunteers in both Dr. Wright’s and the Canadian study were, for the most part, lifelong athletes. Starting at an early age is important but starting is the key word here. Whether similar benefits are attainable by people who take up exercise when they are middle-aged or older “isn’t yet clear,” Dr. Wright says, “although there’s no reason to think that you wouldn’t get similar results no matter when you start.”
Other questions about the impacts of exercise on aging muscle also remain unanswered. “We don’t know what kinds of exercise are best,” Dr. Wright says and, in particular, whether endurance exercise is necessary for muscle sparing or whether weight training might be as good or better. Scientists also haven’t determined just how much activity is required to maintain muscle mass, or how intense it needs to be.
“What we can say with certainty is that any activity is better than none,” Dr. Wright says, “and more is probably better than less. But the bigger message is that it looks as if how we age can be under our control. Through exercise, you can preserve muscle mass and strength and avoid the decline from vitality to frailty.”

Find workouts that you will grow to love.  Cross training is a beautiful way to increase strength.  The best cross train is cycling combined with running.  Both combined offer a perfect cardio and bone strengthening workout.

Choose where you want to be as you grow older:

Running and Cycling Indoors - Leg Turnover

Leg Turnover - How to better your running leg turnover indoors.

Pedaling a bike requires consistent motion and a steady, smooth cadence. Sound familiar? That’s because the exact same thing is true for running. The world’s best marathoners have a leg turnover rate of about 180 steps per minute. ChiRunning, a form of run coaching with a focus on efficiency and injury prevention, suggests a cadence of 174-180 footfalls per minute.
Your cadence on the bike can transfer to running. Start by trying to achieve a 90 rpm (or revolutions of both pedals per minute) on the bike in an easier gear. Once you can hit this rate, move to your harder gears while maintaining the 90 rpm cadence. The high cadence, 90 rpm or higher most of the time, is a great way to increase leg turnover for running. For many runners, increasing turnover is the single best way to improve race times. 


To run faster, you need to increase your leg turnover. While some runners try to boost speed by increasing the length of their stride, you are limited in the amount of success you can gain by doing this. Forcing yourself into an unnaturally long stride will make running awkward and uncomfortable. More frequent leg turnover, or the number of times your feet hit the ground during each minute you run, is the key to improving speed.  As mentioned above a higher cadence will aid in better leg turnover.

Conventional spin bikes offer a good workout but over use may cause pain in your hips and lower back, especially if you lose the correct form.  RealRyder cycles do alleviate this stress because of the side to side motion.  The bike is flexible and moves with your body.

So when you lose your outdoor running time this winter.  Get fitted into the proper indoor cycling bike, attend class three times per week focus on the higher cadence interval rides and when spring peeks through you will be ready to beat your previous years accomplishments.  It may be a good idea to begin taking one class now consequently you can maximize your winter training by being ready and acclimated to a bike.

Benefits of Interval Training (Weight Loss and Running)

Benefits of Interval Training To Aid with Weight Loss:

To maximize weight loss, you need to exercise for a long enough amount of time. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity performed five days a week. Instead of attempting to do this all at once, you have two options. Either do two or three interval sessions throughout the day to accumulate your time, or mix 10-minute interval bouts into your long training sessions. After you get into better cardiovascular shape, you will be able to do the full 60 to 90 minutes.

Effects:
Even though interval training burns a high amount of calories while you do it, you also reap the effects of the after burn. This is known in the fitness industry as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. Simply put, after you get done with your workout, your body burns excess calories for several hours trying to get back to pre-exercise oxygen levels.

The Tool:
When you pedal an indoor cycle, you work multiple major muscles in the lower body, such as the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and tibialis anterior.  The added benefit on the Realryder bike is the ability to incorporate your upper body into the ride.  First the lean and then the turn, moving side to side integrates your whole body into the ride burning as many as 900 calories per 50 minute ride.
Any time you build muscle, you raise your resting metabolic rate, which promotes faster weight loss. During the class your instructor will want you to work your leg muscles harder, increase the resistance on the bike and stand up while pedaling during your high-intensity bouts.

What are Benefits of Interval Training:
Promotes post-exercise fat oxidation
Increases metabolic rate
Maintains stable Insulin levels
Reduces blood pressure and Body Mass Index 

There appears to be very little controversy regarding the multitude of benefits associated with interval training. For individuals who have limited time for exercise, interval routines may be a safe and effective method to achieve benefits comparable to long duration, moderate, continuous exercise.


Benefit of Interval Training to Aid the Runner:

"For the athlete who's already doing intervals," says Martin Gibala, Ph.D., a McMaster University researcher, "upping the intensity with short bursts of speed may provide new benefits." Your cardiovascular system gets stronger and pushes more oxygen-rich blood through your body. Muscles get better at using that oxygenated blood. Your stride becomes more efficient as coordination between the muscles and nervous system improves. The perks may even extend to reducing your risk for chronic diseases by improving blood sugar control.

Running superfast does increase the risk of injury, however. You need to be strong and flexible and have a solid base of both mileage and speedwork to safely do this training, says Joe McConkey, M.S., an exercise physiologist and coach at the Boston Running Center. Another proven method to achieve the same result is to incorporate an indoor cycling routine into your workout this choice of training will decrease the risk of injury caused by high impact training.

When you're ready for HIIT workouts (High Intensity Interval Training), find a studio that know hows to envelope interval training within a regular class.  A good instructor will know how to incorporate intervals for multiple levels within the class while still keeping the class fun and invigorating.

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