C y c l i n g
I ’ m Addicted to Spin
“ Watts ” It All About ? Glad You Asked ...
The new Matrix Cycles with Coach by Color
“ Hello my name is Liz , and I am addicted to indoor cycling …” This is where you all say “ Hello Liz ”, and I tell you my story …
et me start at the beginning . It
Lwas my Mom who originally encouraged me to try a spin class . I had no idea what spin was . I literally imagined a bunch of people spinning around in circles in the yoga room . OK , I was wrong about that , and very quickly figured out that the spinning was done on a stationary bike . OK , I can do that ! From the first class , I was hooked . It was cardio love at first sight ! Yes , my butt hurt . Yes , I thought I would die at some point during that first class , but it was so much fun I quickly came to terms with my possible death-by-spin-class fate and stuck it out until the end . And , as I ' m sure you figured out , I survived . Not only did I survive , I became a spin addict .
Flash forward a few years , and I ' m now a certified indoor cycling instructor here at FI , a job I love but also one that I take pretty seriously . It ’ s my job to challenge and motivate some of the fittest people on Long Island ! Thankfully , I ’ ve got a great tool to get this job done right . The Matrix IC7 bike .
I am obsessed with these bikes . At some point through years of indoor cycling , my focus has transitioned away from bopping away to the music to really
By Liz Lennox
training my body in a way that will reap results . These amazing bikes are the tool to allow that to happen , if used properly . I want to take a minute to explain the concept behind Wattrate © training and the color ride .
The Science : Your Lactate Threshold is the point at which your body can no longer run on just oxygen alone , you start to dig into your glycogen reserves , and lactic acid begins accumulating in your blood stream faster than it can be flushed out . This is where you begin to go anaerobic . Exercising in the anaerobic zone certainly has its benefits , such as promoting greater performance in short duration , high-intensity activities . Aerobic exercise , on the other hand , refers to the body ’ s use of oxygen to adequately meet its energy demands during exercise . Aerobic exercise can generally be done for longer periods of time because it ’ s done at a lower intensity . Both can be very beneficial to your overall cardiovascular health .
But how do you know how hard you are working ? One way to measure this is by your heart rate . As you work harder , your heart rate increases . You can choose to work at a percentage of your " maximum heart rate " and adjust your work appropriately in order to work in an aerobic or anaerobic zone .
Another way is to measure this is with Watts . The Watts ( power ) that you generate while cycling is a direct result of the speed at which you pedal and the force or resistance loaded on your bike . Similar to heart rate training , Wattrate © training is done by measuring the percentage of your maximum functional watts . Your maximum functional watts are essentially the highest level of work ( or watts ) that you can achieve and maintain without going over your Lactate Threshold , otherwise known as your Functional Threshold Watts ( FTW ) number . Understanding your Lactate Threshold in Watts will help you to train properly , minimizing the risk of overtraining or even under training . One major benefit of working with Wattrate © training versus heart rate training on the bike is that you will see
an immediate response in Watts to any increase or decrease in intensity , whereas the heart rate does not respond fast enough to show an immediate response . This is particularly useful when doing shorter bursts of intensity such as HIIT training or Tabata drills .
What do the colors mean ? The colors on the Matrix bikes are benchmarked off your FTW . As an example , when you are riding at 80 % of your FTW this means that you are riding at 80 % of the total number of watts that you can ride at and still not cross over into the anaerobic zone . Example : your FTW is 150 . My FTW is 200 . Your 80 % is 120 Watts . My 80 % is 160 Watts . We are both working at the same intensity even though our Watts are drastically different . This is what makes these bikes so unique ! You are truly working at your own pace . The colors on the screen correlate to the percentage of your FTW maximum that you are working at , from your warm up through your aerobic and anaerobic training zones and your active recovery . Most class profiles are made up by utilizing a variety of training and recovery zones resulting in a challenging and fun workout . Who wants to climb some steep hills with me , then race down the mountain only to zig-zag your way back up again ? ( this is where you raise your hand enthusiastically ..)
What ’ s my FTW number ? This can be determined via a fit test performed on the Matrix bike , or it can be estimated by entering a series of information into your bike ’ s computer before you start riding . Every instructor is trained to understand how to help you get to your right number .
I would encourage anyone who ’ s been curious about the indoor cycling program and these unique bikes to try a class , it ’ s not scary , I promise ! It ’ s a great calorie burn , a fun way to increase your fitness level , and who knows – maybe you ’ ll end up addicted like I am !
Liz Lennox is a Certified Spin Instructor at Fitness Incentive
Summer 2016 FIT to Print
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