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How To Boost Your Cycling To The Next Gear

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CyclistCardio activities aren’t the most efficient way to burn calories (HIIT exercises is!) but that doesn’t mean you can’t get more burn from your cardio AND build stamina and strength in the process with a few simple tweaks. Here are a few adjustments to incorporate into your cycling sessions, indoors or outdoors.

 

INTERVALS

 

Intervals are pretty much what they sound like, and just as we have rounds in the GSP Rushfit Training Camp, you can use the same format for cycling.

 

One way to mix-up your intervals is to have a different technique; increased tension, standing, fast and slow rounds, even pedaling backwards. For those of you cycling outdoors, the options remain the same (except pedaling backwards, of course) and you can add even more variety depending on where you live. Check out the different suggestions below and incorporate them into your cardio sessions so that no two bike rides are ever the same.

 

STANDING/INCREASED TENSION

 

The simplest way to make cycling harder is to increase the tension on your stationary bike or switching gears on your road cycle. A great compliment when you jack up the difficulty is to stand on your pedals so you have more weight to help you pedal. You won’t just work harder with your legs, you will have to maintain better balance, even on a stationary bike, be engaging your core. You don’t have to do this for the entire duration of your session, but switching it up every few minutes is a good challenge, much like working 5 rounds with short breaks in between.

 

HILLS

 

It pretty obvious that cycling up hills will increase difficulty, and if you live in the right neighborhoods you can use short hills for repeat attacks with a short break in between. Hills have another purpose after setting your quads on fire, and that is building endurance on flat land. Though there is no perfectly defined formula, a half hour of hill repeats in several sessions over two weeks will do wonders for your flat land pace.

 

Many stationary cycles have digital programs that allow you to select hills, and if they don’t you can simply increase the tension as above a substitute.

 

MOUNTAIN/TRAIL RIDING

 

This option is pretty much exclusive to the outdoors, but it doesn’t necessarily mean just going straight uphill. Mountain biking requires the right kind of bike and tires, opening up a whole world of possibilities.

 

Trail riding is much more mentally engaging as you navigate various surfaces, rocks, mud, bumps, jumps and many more features you won’t find on a city street. By focusing on the path ahead you don’t have to struggle with monotony, and you’ll constantly be shifting gears to deal with the changing terrain.  Put in some music and power ride to the tempo of your favorite playlist, and you might enjoy burning calories outdoor far more than you suffer the burn.

 

Other terrains to attack for variety that increase difficulty and your burn include gravel or even sand, though you should make sure your tires are right for the type of terrain or you could simply get stuck.

 

 

Cardio is a great way to burn a few calories without burning yourself out or overworking your tired muscles, and when used correctly, cycling can provide a wide variety and challenges to your sweat session, indoors or outdoors, flat land or uphill. After you’re done your ride, regardless of where you are, stretch out for 12-15 minutes, relax, and cruise home at your own pace. You’ll be glad you did.

 

-Team RUSHFIT

 

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