Thanks to the fast-paced, limit-pushing nature of an indoor cycling class, it’s easy to let everything go—including proper technique—when you jump on the bike and the music grabs you. But when it comes down to it, your attention to (or disregard for) proper form and other best practices will determine whether you’re basking in sweaty endorphins afterward or nursing a strained muscle.
To make sure you’re riding right, Little breaks down the common mistakes that riders make in class and how to fix them. This way, you’ll get the most out of every sweat session—which we’re pretty sure you want.
Tensing Your Shoulders
We know the ride is intense, but that doesn’t mean your posture should be, too. Relaxing the shoulders is “a really common thing instructors remind riders of throughout class,” Aryan says. You want to sit up straight, back comfortable and not over-arched and avoid drifting over the front of your handlebars. But you should also keep your shoulders relaxed (not up by your ears) and look straight ahead (not down at your feet), so as to avoid unnecessary strain (and potential injury) in the neck and back.
Rocking Your Hips
Make sure you’re engaging your muscles, so your movement isn’t choppy, and so you’re not putting pressure on the hip flexors. “You want to isolate the hip movement,” he says. Make sure you’re engaging your core fully, and focus on stabilizing your trunk and keeping the movement in your legs to avoid bouncing around too much.
Holding Your Breath
When the going gets tough “a lot of people have the tendency to hold their breath,” Little explains, and find they can’t hold an interval for long because they’re not breathing. You need to continuously breathe to give your muscles energy—and so you don’t pass out and topple off your bike. Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. After consciously remembering to do it for a while, it’ll become more natural.
Don’t Stop Moving
A transition between songs seems like the right moment to take a break in the saddle, but it’s actually the time when keeping your body moving is the most important. “As you hear one song end and the next begin, resist the urge to sit down in the saddle or let your heart rate slow down.
Turn up the Heat
We’re going to sweat while we workout anyway, so why not turn the temperature up a bit and really get it going? “Riding in a heated room torches calories. “You can burn up to 1,000 calories in 55 minutes.”
Make Sure You Have Enough Resistance
“Increase your resistance by 10 percent for all hills, jogs, and sprints: you’ll burn 10 percent more calories that way. “Riding without resistance will take you nowhere.” You want to feel the burn—that’s the whole point, right ?
Push Yourself
“Test your limits—this isn’t the time to shy away from the hardest part of the workout. “You should feel like you almost can’t do [the hard parts]—that’s how you know they’re working. So crank up that resistance and commit to the slow grueling push instead of being tempted to use less resistance and pedal faster. It will pay off in the end.”
