No Bobbers
I dipped my toe into some light intervals today, which is perfect timing for that last tip I promised regarding form on the bike, referenced in my last post. And again, it has to do with that TV commercial for the Peloton. This ad is the one with the guy singing out loud as he bangs away at the pedals.
All wrong.
NO BOBBERS people!
Next time you see him in that ad, take a look at how he is bobbing all over the place, back and forth and back and forth goes his upper body. You know what that is?
Wasted energy!
No bobbers people. Your upper body should be as statue-like and still as possible, thereby putting all your energy into the pedals, not jumping around like a dying bass on a pier.
This really comes into play even more when pedaling faster than usual, as is the case in this little interval workout.
Let me run through it for you so you can try it.
Same 30 minutes total.
Warm up in your easiest gear for five minutes, then shift into the gear you will use for the bulk of the ride. For me, that's just one click up into the next higher gear. Ride to the 10:00 mark and then begin sets of intervals from the 10:00 to the 20:00 mark of the ride.
Pedal fast for 30 seconds. Recover with an easy pedal for a minute. Repeat. Your final fast interval will end at 19:30. Take a minute easy, then shift down to your starting gear to cool down for the final ten minutes.
During the fast pedal segments, keep two things in mind;
1. Your butt should remain firmly planted in the saddle. If you start bobbing around, back off the pace a bit and make sure it doesn't happen again.
2. No bobbers. Keep your torso/shoulders steady, as much as you can be a statue and not move the better off you are.
I like to ride the recovery portions relaxed, with my hands on top of the bar, dropping into the hoods during the fast-pedal portion of the intervals.
The whole idea here is to spike your heart rate, then let your body recover and do it again. It's funny because after the first interval the minute recovery seems like more than enough. But by the final interval you can hardly believe the clock is almost at hard-pedal start time already!
When that happens to you, you know it's working!
RIDE
Trainer; Intervals 30
6.8 miles/13.6 average mph
2020 SEASON MILES
Indoor: 30.9
Outdoor: 11