Indoor cycling is a choreographed group bike workout incorporating basic cycling techniques, heart rate training, breathing awareness and motivational coaching. These classes, started by endurance biker Johnny Goldberg in his garage, are offered at most gyms and are taught by more than 40,000 instructors worldwide, as of the date of publication.
The Founder
Goldberg was robbed shortly after arriving in the United States from South Africa in 1979. Broke and jobless, Goldberg persuaded a California gym to hire him as a personal trainer. During the next few years, Goldberg became an endurance cyclist, competing in many cross-country and ultra-marathon races. In 1986, while training for the 3,100-mile Race Across America, he developed an indoor stationary bike for training during inclement weather. He soon began conducting cycling workouts in his garage. In 1988, Goldberg proved the effectiveness of his fitness regimen when he set a record by biking 544 miles non-stop across Arizona in 29 hours, 46 minutes. Goldberg and famed bicycle manufacturer Schwinn developed a stationary bike, and Goldberg opened his first indoor group cycling center in 1989 in Santa Monica, California.
The Bike
Goldberg wanted indoor cycling to be a fitness program that could be done by everyone regardless of age, size or fitness level. He designed the basic stationary bike with adjustable resistance levels so exercisers could set their own intensity level and work out at their own pace. Classes generally use bicycles with a weighted flywheel that is adjusted to simulate hilly terrain and outdoor road conditions. A knob, typically attached to the brake, allows exercisers to adjust the resistance levels to simulate the inertia and momentum of biking uphill or downhill. Some bikes have their own headsets, allowing exercisers to control music volume. Others allow the rider to steer, lean and balance as though they were on a real bike.
The Class
Indoor cycling classes have evolved since the early days in Goldberg's garage. A typical class lasts about 50 minutes and burns 500 calories, according to cycling instructor and "Washington Post" reporter Rachel Zavala. Varying instructional styles exist, many using music to set the tempo of the workout. Some use dim lighting, some use video to enhance the reality of the workout and some incorporate upper body movements to work the core muscles in addition to the legs and glutes.
The Research
The June 2010 issue of "The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness" published the findings of a study on indoor cycling conducted by University of Palermo's Department of Sports Medicine. The study, involving sedentary, overweight women, found the participants experienced significant weight loss and improvements in their cardiorespiratory fitness after attending three training sessions per week for 12 weeks. A 1998 study conducted by the University of New Mexico's Center for Exercise and Applied Physiology found that exercisers in classes offering video-assisted cycling worked at significantly higher intensity levels than those in cycling classes without video supplementation. A July 2008 issue of "The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research published the results of a study conducted by the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It deemed indoor cycling a high-intensity form of exercise after researchers found that although 38 to 40 percent of the workout is moderately intense, there are periods of the workout during which female exercisers reported heart rates at the maximum threshold. A 2009 issue of "Perceptual and Motor Skills" reported findings of researchers from Emek Yezreel College, who found that participants of indoor cycling classes held in dim lighting conditions with soft music playing reported less fatigue and higher perceived pleasure.
References
- Johnny G Foundation: The Team
- “The New York Times”; Indoor Cycling Finds Its Way Back With Proper Training; Abby Ellin; May 2007
- “The Los Angeles Times”; The Man Who Put A New Spin On Stationary Bikes; Gary Metzker; April 2000
- “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research”; Physiologic Responses During Indoor Cycling; RA Battista, et al.; July 2008
- "The Washington Post"; Deserving A Better Spin; Rachel Zavala; April 2007
- "Perceptual and Motor Skills"; Music and Light During Indoor Cycling; N. Shaulov; April 2009
- "Perceptual and Motor Skills"; Video-Assisted Cycling Alters Perception ...; RA Robergs; June 1998
- "The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness"; The Effects Of Indoor Cycling Training In Sedentary Overweight Women; A. Bianco; June 2010
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