![\"Hart](\"http:\/\/farm2.staticflickr.com\/1259\/5099703321_91412f7fed.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n\r\nSo there I was starting the class thinking it would be a breeze cuz I\u2019ve been going to the gym all winter. Well, I can assure you that the class wasn\u2019t easy, but it was well worth it. How it sort of works is that the instructor describes a kind of imaginary \u201croute\u201d that you will be biking for the session. In our case, we did some sprint intervals on \u201cflat land\u201d and in between those sets we climbed some \u201chills.\u201d Basically, you adjust the resistance to create different conditions \u2013 so on a \u201chill\u201d we\u2019d crank up the resistance until our revolutions per minute (RPM) slowed as if we were actually going up a hill.\r\n\r\nSo with music blasting in the background, the instructor guided us on our \u201cjourney\u201d and told us when to sprint, pedal out of the saddle, and crank up that resistance. She also motivated us the whole way through, encouraging us to push through the burn and give it our all. Motivation is such <\/em>a huge factor for me \u2013 when someone\u2019s there telling me that I\u2019m strong, that I can push it through to the finish, I\u2019m much more likely to keep going than not. That, as well as the variability in the routine, is what I found makes cycle fit different from just using a stationary bike on your own. It\u2019s much more engaging than just sitting there and pedaling at the same speed and resistance for half an hour.\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/physical.utoronto.ca\/images\/common-images-library\/CycleFit.jpg?sfvrsn=0\")
<\/a>\r\n\r\nAlthough I left the class with my quads on fire<\/a>, I\u2019m glad I finally tried it out. I\u2019m thinking that I\u2019ll keep cycle fit in mind for next winter to help keep my legs in tip-top cycling shape. Both Hart House<\/a> and the Athletic Centre<\/a> offer registered classes <\/strong>throughout the year, so you can even pick whichever place works best for ya!\r\n\r\n-Lesia","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
\nBasically, since the first snow hit in the winter, I have been on a hiatus from biking of any sort. Actually, I pedaled for a bit on one of the stationary bikes in the upper gym at Hart House \u00a0once…\n<\/div>