Here it is in details; Why and Why not!

I hope you have enjoyed the blogs lately....

However It seems really easy to ride a bike that goes nowhere -- and, granted, the chances of you falling/crashing are pretty much zero -- but it’s not quite so easy to spin correctly or to do it without injuring yourself. Here are a few common problems, why you should avoid them and how to fix them:

- Bouncing in the saddle: You’re not getting a good workout if you have so little resistance that you’re bouncing in the saddle. What’s happening is that rather than using your legs to turn the pedals, you’re letting the momentum of the fly wheel turn your legs – the bounce is the residual effect on your butt once the momentum leaves your legs. That doesn’t sound so nice, huh? (Doesn’t look so nice, either, and I can’t imagine it feels great.)

- à Add resistance.

- Bobbing up and down: Bobbing up and down happens when you pedal in a “square” – when you let the energy of your stroke “drop” when your pedal hits the 6 o’clock position.

- à Pedal in a circle by channeling the energy into the upswing. As you smooth out your revolutions you will stabilize your upper body.

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- Rocking from side to side: Rocking from side to side happens because you transfer your weight from one side of your body to the other as you pedal.

- à Lower your resistance slightly so you needn’t force the pedals. Always keep your body weight over the center of the bike. Pedal from your core. Use your quads (thighs) to push down and hamstrings (backs of the thighs) to pull back up to move the pedals rather than relying on the momentum generated from throwing your body from one side of the bike to the other.

- - Locking out of knees and arms: Locking your knees puts undue stress on your knees; locking your arms can affect your shoulders and lower back.

- à Always ride with at least a slight bend in your knees. Your elbows should be “naturally” bent – not too far in or out, but more or less under your shoulders. No Frankensteins, please!

- - Riding with your shoulders hunched: You don’t need me to tell you what’s wrong with this – you’ll feel it!

- à Drop your shoulders. Relax.

- - Riding with too much weight in your arms: It’s bad for your shoulders and upper back and, in extreme cases; people have actually tipped over their bikes. I can’t even begin to tell you how dangerous this is for you and for the people riding around you.

- à Keep your weight back. In positions 2 and 3, your butt should be brushing the horn of the saddle. You’ve heard me say this before: if I were to put my hand on your saddle, I should be able to feel your butt NOT THAT I EVER WOULD!. Don’t use your arms to take weight off your legs – your hands should rest on the handle bars for balance ONLY. If you can’t keep tempo and keep your revolutions circular without using your arms to support yourself, lower your resistance slightly.

- - Looking down: Okay, so you’re not going to hurt yourself by not looking up, but have you ever seen an outdoor cyclist looking down?

- à It’s a heck of a lot easier to breathe when you look up and open up your torso area. Don’t worry – your legs aren’t going anywhere.

- - Those of you wearing cycling shoes should take care not to supinate (roll your feet outwards) too much, lest you accidentally unclip – sometimes when the clips on the bikes are old, they can bend/break, and over-supinating may cause your foot to eject. If the crank arm – which is attached to a 40-pound fly wheel -- hits your leg or foot, I can guarantee you that you will *not* be a happy camper. (People have had to get stitches after unfortunate encounters with their pedals/crank arms.)

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- When in doubt, think about how people ride outdoors. If you can, look at yourself in the mirror to check your body position. Keep in mind that spinning is a lower-body activity. Your head -- and entire upper body -- should be moving as little as possible. Work on isolating your legs and derriere from your upper body. Keep your body weight back, near the saddle, rather in front, near the handle bars. Spinning should never feel “weird” – move as though the bike is an extension of yourself. Ask me if you have questions. I’m happy to work with you individually before or after class.

Next Blog : BIKE SHOES...coming up in a few days....