Prepare for Spinning® Published: Thursday, March 09, 2017 By: David Howatson-Begg Indoor group cycling has been booming for well over a decade and continues to grow in fitness facilities all over the world. Whether it's in a huge health club surrounded by 30 sweaty people or in a more intimate boutique setting, we gym users are likely to have experienced at least a class or two involving a static bike. As a former teacher in the discipline I know how great a group cycling workout can be, but I also know that it can be tough on the body. Nobody has an easy time in their first session! Repetition, Repetition, Repetition The repetitive nature of the cycling movement can lead to a lack of mobility in the hips and everything attached around the hamstrings, quads and glutes. Preparing for an hour of disco lights, music and hard-core cycling often involves warming up on the bike but it's important to have a strategy for movement before we lock into those pedals. Pre Cycling Essentials Ground Work – Tightness and a lack of mobility in the hips and glutes will ultimately hinder our ability to deliver power into the pedals when cycling on any form of bike. With vibration from Power Plate we can increase the blood flow and awaken the nervous system in order to enhance the freedom of the hip/glutes during the workout. In order to avoid a loss of performance it's essential to focus on getting the hip/glutes to move through three planes of motion: forward and back (flex and extend), side to side, and in rotation. The flex and extend movement through the hip is the essence of the pedalling motion so it makes sense to start there. We recommend starting with kneeling and seated positions on Power Plate to begin your preparation in order to get a more direct flow of vibration into the tissues. Upright Work – Moving on Power Plate in standing positions will allow the vibration to flow through the entire length of the body. The effect of these upright movements on cycling can be profound as whole chains of the body, particularly your posterior and anterior, are prepared fully for the demands of the bike. Follow this link to see these essential movements in action with our friends at Wattbike®. In our next blog we'll be dropping the information on recovery from our time at Spinning® Showcase 2017 where cycling specific Power Plate workshops, lectures and seminars will be live across the entire weekend of March 17th in Blackpool, UK. Head over to https://spinningshowcase2017.sched.com/ for more details. By David Howatson, Performance Health Systems UK Master Trainer Facebook: david_howatson Twitter: @howeyDPT Instagram: david_howatson