Classic Climbs Killer Ascents to Classic Rock
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Audio Master Class Classic Climbs Killer Ascents to Classic Rock Created by Tom Scotto, ICA Master Instructor Training Type: Climbing Endurance, Strength, and Power Working HR Zones: Zones 3–5c Total Class Length: 60 minutes Profile Objective and Intensity: At first people assume that this class ventures up the legendary climbs of the Tour de France such as Alpe d’Huez, Ventoux, Tourmalet, or Galibier. Nope—we will be climbing to classic rock! This profile used to shock some of my riders since I didn’t use vocal music or particularly popular songs very often. It is just a fun profile and excuse for some long climbs. I also make the class guess the name of the band as each song starts. I used this profile a few weeks ago and had couples battling it out for who would be doing the dishes that night. They would try to yell out the name of the band first and get points for each right answer. We even deducted points for wrong answers to discourage the shotgun approach. As you will notice in my music selection, I purposely blurred the lines of “classic rock” a bit so that even some of the younger riders in class had a chance. Due to the length of the climbs, muscular endurance is the overriding theme. The first climb incorporates some muscular strength with its slower 55 rpm cadence. The second climb is almost pure muscular endurance. The final climb hits riders hard as it starts with a fast 86 bpm tempo, which certainly taxes the cardio system, and finishes with multiple explosive attacks at the summit. Modifications and options I will provide two options to all three climbs. The first is for those who are not able to stand at all or for long periods of time. They are given permission to climb seated as much as needed. They should simulate the climb with the appropriate resistance, but how much they stand is totally up to them. I also ensure riders know that they can choose to recover whenever necessary. For beginners who are not accustomed to having resistance on their legs for long periods of time, they are instructed to break the climb into sections. Since most of the songs are 4 to 5 minutes in length, resting for the first 30 seconds of each may provide enough to continue to the top. Copyright © 2013 Indoor Cycling Association Page 1 Indoor Cycling Association Audio Master Class Classic Climbs Graphic Profile (Provided by Class Builder™) Copyright © 2013 Indoor Cycling Association Page 2 Indoor Cycling Association Audio Master Class Classic Climbs Classic Climbs Coaching The Warm-up/Accelerations The Foundation, Thievery Corporation, 5:41, 103 bpm Fat, Mean, and Nasty, Jeff Kollman, 4:50, 93 bpm Usual pre-flight information: intro, zones, form, hand positions, safety, etc. Today we are going to Rock some climbs! No, these are not the famous climbs of the Tour de France, but instead we are climbing to classic rock music. There are three climbs in total. All of them have a base focus on muscular endurance because they require the muscles to work consistently over long durations. The first climb (7 minutes) is very steady with some in and out of the saddle climbing. The second is the longest at 15 minutes and the purest when it comes to muscular endurance. The final climb is 12 minutes and includes both climbing at tempo and explosive attacks. Although the first two climbs are not easy, be sure to save some “go juice” for that final climb. It will tear every last bit of energy from you. Oh yeah, did I mention we are going to have a friendly competition? I need you to yell out the name of the band as soon as you hear the song start. The person with the most points will get a special prize. If you don’t guess the songs, I will feel very old and will most likely walk out of the room in the middle of class. [As the second song, “Fat, Mean, and Nasty,” starts…] To continue warming up and raising our heart rate in preparation for our ride, we are going to perform a few standing efforts. The tempo of the music is 93 rpm. We are going to keep our leg speed locked into the tempo, but add resistance until we are forced out of the saddle. We will stand at the same tempo with the added resistance for 20 seconds. Then we will return to the saddle and remove the resistance we added. So find the cadence of the music. You can lock into the beat, match the speed of your legs to mine, or perform a manual cadence check. Perform three to four standing efforts, but make sure you leave 1 to 2 minutes for them to recover before the first climb begins. Copyright © 2013 Indoor Cycling Association Page 3 Indoor Cycling Association Audio Master Class Classic Climbs Climb #1 Renegade, Styx, 4:15, 55 bpm Brain Stew, Green Day, 3:13, 76 bpm The first climb is 7 minutes. We spend the first song mostly out of the saddle to further wake up the muscles since it is a slower cadence (55 bpm). The second part of the climb we remain seated and stand during each chorus and final guitar section. The faster 76 bpm tempo opens up the cardiovascular system, particularly when they come out of the saddle. [Renegade, Styx] All right, who knows the name of this band? (Sometimes I lower the music after the first few notes to see if they can guess the band after only 10 seconds.) The first part of the climb is going to require some muscular strength. If you have injuries or issues where adding too much resistance may put your joints at risk, please back off the resistance and focus more on form. This climb is not intended to drive you into Zone 5, but should challenge you to the bottom of Zone 4. Don’t slow down your legs to match the beat, but instead start adding resistance until your legs slow down to the rhythm of the music (55 bpm). Now keep adding more resistance until you are forced out of the saddle. Be careful to maintain good form and work within your limits. This is a steep section of the climb and will challenge your legs’ muscular strength. Remember to work at your own pace and ability. If you are not able to stand for long periods of time, stay in the saddle as much as needed. [Brain Stew, Green Day] Who knows the band…? For the second part of the climb, the road is not as steep. So let’s back off some resistance, return to the saddle, and increase our cadence (76 bpm). During the each chorus we are going to come out of the saddle and maintain the same cadence. Although the legs are tired from the first half of the climb, we should feel this section more in the lungs when we stand since the tempo is higher. Let’s keep the heroics to a minimum since we still have two more climbs and the last one is a killer. Copyright © 2013 Indoor Cycling Association Page 4 Indoor Cycling Association Audio Master Class Classic Climbs Recovery/Downhill The Winner, The Crystal Method, 3:00 (5:12), 64 bpm Time for riders to recover. Remember, the song is 5:12 but I only provide 3 minutes of recovery. Excellent job on that climb. Let’s take some time to recover. Ideally we are looking to return to Zone 1, but since we only have 3 minutes to recover from that hard 7-minute climb, Zone 2 may be as low as we get. You have two options: (1) Just let your legs relax and spin slowly as your heart rate recovers, or (2) Use this time to spin and flush out the legs. Please do not exceed 120 rpm. If you start bouncing in the saddle, either add more resistance or slow your legs down until the bouncing stops and you regain control. Regardless of which option you choose, we should NEVER remove ALL the resistance. It is critical for the safety of our muscles and joints that we ALWAYS remain in control of that heavy flywheel on our bikes! OK, we have 1 minute of recovery left. Hopefully your heart rate and breathing rhythm have returned to a sane level. Let’s start preparing the mind for the next climb. [Describe the next climb.] Climb #2 Black Magic Woman, Santana, 5:20, 60–73 bpm Alive (2004 Remix), Pearl Jam, 5:42, 74 bpm Where the Streets Have No Name, U2, 4:46, 63 bpm This second climb is long and purely muscular endurance due to both the length and steady effort to the top. [Black Magic Woman, Santana] All right, who knows the band…? Let’s say goodbye to the flat road and start adding resistance to put us on a moderate climb. The goal is to really challenge the endurance of the leg muscles to see if they are able to sustain this force for 15 minutes. Our goal is to stay at the top end of Zone 3 for the majority of the climb, with standing efforts pushing us just over the line into Zone 4. Be careful, as long climbs can have a cumulative effect, which will slowly drive us into the red (Zone 5) if we are not steady. Copyright © 2013 Indoor Cycling Association Page 5 Indoor Cycling Association Audio Master Class Classic Climbs [At 3:40] WARNING…I bet you didn’t know that Carlos Santana (guitarist) was a cyclist and now he decided that it was time to put a little Latino flavor to our climb! (Obviously, I’m making this up…I don’t know if Carlos ever rode a bike!) Get ready for a tempo change.