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Cycling
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| The High Spin Workout | |
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This workout is a low intensity workout suitable for use over the entire season. The goal is to provide an adaptation to high speed pedaling and develop coordination through neuromuscular response. Use easy gears to provide high leg speed without creating muscle resistance overload. During this workout, your legs should not feel like they are "heavy" or "loading." An efficient pedal stroke is the hallmark of an experienced cyclist. Your body can learn to perform an action very efficiently simply by being asked to repeat the motion many times over. As you perform the workout, your neuromuscular system is sorting out the most efficient pedaling pattern and storing it away in memory, without any help from your higher faculties. The key to the neuromuscular response, however, is to keep a high cadence. The entire workout should last about 45 minutes. Start with an easy 15 minute warm-up (in Zone 1), followed by a 20 minute interval of high spin (in Zone 2). Use the last 10 minutes for the cooldown. During the high spin, maintain a cadence of 115 to 130 rpm. To measure rpm, use the cadence sensor on your S510, or count how many times your left foot reaches the top of the pedal stroke in one minute. This cadence may be difficult to maintain at first, and your heart rate may soar well above Zone 2. The challenge is to get to the point where you can maintain that cadence for the full 20 minutes without getting out of the zone. This requires a low resistance, so ride on a flat road (or a trainer) and choose an easy gear. Pedaling with a higher cadence is inherently more efficient than pushing a heavy gear, so learning to be comfortable at a higher cadence will allow you to select an easier gear on other rides too, and soon you'll be spinning away to a whole new level of performance!
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The High Spin Workout
