With the introduction of technology to our
trusty bikes that went nowhere, the options
for class design, choreography and coaching
increased enormously
Metric
display), ‘low tech’ (some kind of metric-
based console reading anything from
resistance level, RPM’s or road speed),
or ‘no tech’ (your indoor cycle bike, as it
comes). Along with the choice of tech level
comes the decision about what style of class
to teach: metric or rhythm – or something in
between!
If you are not an indoor cyclist, let me
elaborate.
Metric, or power-based, cycle classes
typically reverse the class construction
order, with the instructor establishing a
goal based on data made available by the
technology, and creating sets or intervals
around this. For cycle athletes, training using
this methodology might involve periodised
programming that supports their training
goals, or simply using the data as an external
motivator. Music, if used, will typically be
layered in later in the process.
Depending on the level of technology in
any given studio, on-screen displays may
also be used to provide additional data and
visual stimulation, from heart rate or power
displays, to virtual terrains or metric-based
‘game play’ in which mode participants can
get competitive.
Something in between…
Then, of course, there’s everything in between,
from pre-choreographed cycle programs, to
freestyle boutiques unique offerings.
Rhythm
Rhythm cycle basically means you are riding
to the beat of the music. The BPM of the music
will help dictate the RPMs the instructor will
coach, and therefore also allow the use of
visualisation to create the experience that
the member is either climbing a slow heavy
hill or racing a flat road.
Often, instructors teaching rhythm
classes will use the typical set up of a
traditional pop song as the structure of their
choreography (verse, chorus, verse, chorus,
bridge, chorus, chorus), where the rest or
set up would be in the verses and the effort
would come in the chorus, or where the
music builds or beat drops.
Purists in this field often add
choreography such as presses on the handle
bars or to-the-beat movements in and out of
the saddle, all led by the ebb and flow of the
music. Big boutique chains, particularly in
the US, have a huge following offering this
style of freestyle cycle class.
NETWORK SPRING 2018 | 17