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Exercise/Class Formats

IDEA Member Takes Gold at Senior Games

IDEA member John Platero, director of
education for the National Council for Certified Personal Trainers, won four medals (three gold, one silver) at the California Senior Games in June in Pasadena. In a bid to prove that age is no hindrance, Platero took first place in the men’s 50–54 group for the 5K, 10K and 20K cycling events, and silver for the 40K. He went on to compete in the 2009 Summer National Senior Games in Palo Alto, California, in August, taking first place in both the 20K and 40K cycling competitions.

Sample Class: Row and Ride

Rowing and riding classes are dynamic workouts with real-life applications to both sports, rowing and cycling. The
introduction of power meters to indoor cycles and various preset programs on rowers have taken these classes to a whole new level. An understanding of the fundamentals of each sport, mixed with a little creativity, is all that is needed for an effective, fun fusion class.

Row and Ride Details

format: circuit

Total Time: 60 minutes
Equipment needed: indoor cycles and rowers

Sample Class: Cycle Diversion

If your cycling participants spend more time gazing at the clock than they do “shifting gears,” you’ll love this class. The Cycle Diversion format doesn’t give them time to be bored. This class is broken down into three segments to stimulate participants’ imagination, challenge them physically and keep them on their toes.

Cycle Diversion Details

Format: cross-training (mix of timed intervals, competitive racing, climbing and tempo riding)
Total Time: approximately 60 minutes

A Workout for Everyone

FACTS Fitness, a fitness company based in suburban Philadelphia, offers a program called C.L.I.M.B. (Creative Ladder Intervals and Mega BootCamp). “This class is a high-energy, dynamic workout that combines creative agility ladder drills and boot-camp-style activities and exercises to work on speed, agility, muscle tone, fat burning and stamina,” says IDEA member Debbi MacArthur, who is the
director of marketing and public relations at FACTS Fitness. “We also do partner
exercises for added motivation, encouragement and team building.”

Are You Ready for Indoor Cycling

Imagine taking your trusty old three-speed–or your rugged new mountain bike–onto the open road for an exhilarating 40-minute ride. It’s a beautiful day . . . there’s a gentle breeze . . . and before you know it, you’re back home, tired but refreshed from a workout that seemed more like fun than work.

The simple pleasure of riding a bicycle is so appealing that this traditional pasti…

Use the Cool-Down to Bond With Cyclists

Some cycling participants may feel like the cool-down is a waste of time and a cue that class is over. Their hearts aren’t pounding, their legs aren’t burning–nothing is happening, right? Wrong! As you know, the time spent transitioning out of hard-work zones into easy breathing and pedaling zones is time well spent. The cool-down allows for recovery at the cellular level and brings t…

Defining Periodization

The term periodization refers to the systematic manipulation of the acute variables of training over a period that may range from days to years. The original concept was developed in the former Eastern Bloc countries in the late 1950s to optimize athletes’ adaptations to resistance training. More important, periodization revolves around the athlete’s competitive calendar so that …

Sample Class: Riding the Wind

Have you been looking for a way to challenge and prepare your indoor cycling class for a lively outdoor group-ride pace? “Riding the Wind” is perfect. This class is designed to increase the total capacity or gear you’re able to maintain without becoming overly anaerobic. It’s based on the fundamentals of the fartlek (a Swedish term meaning “speed play”) in…

Indoor Cycling Sample Class: Explore Your Zones

A properly designed indoor cycling program can enhance cardiovascular health, regardless of age or ability level. But you must integrate various intensity levels to get the most from participants. Ideally, cardiovascular training should provide a mix of the following intensity zones (as used in the Schwinn® Indoor Cycling Program):
Zone 1 (easy/comfortable)
50…