Psycling to the core

Professional cyclists or triathletes practise and train in some of the most demanding routes across the world. However, there are certain times when the weather is not condusive for outdoor riding. In such situations one can resort to an indoor cycling trainer that simulates the same training effect. PsyCling uses the same equipment and programmes used by pro cyclists for indoor training with a twist! Add some disco, LED flashes and strobe lights to add to the psychedelic tunneling experience that will keep you gunning for more!

Step 1: Mount on the cycle and sit comfortably maintaining the same posture as you would on a road cycle. Your arms should be relaxed with subtle pressure on the handlebar. Step 2: Strap your feet to the belts provided on the pedals. This will ensure that you are providing maximum thrust on the pedal with every stroke. Step 3: In the warm-up step, the cycle (or Psycle!) is set with default resistance to simulate a flat road. You can perform your warm-up for 10 minutes with this setup. The warm-up would entail PsyCling for 10 minutes at a moderate pace. The warmups can be different, based on the workout routine. Step 4: Now, for the workout. Ten minutes of warm-up would have elevated your heart rate upto 160-170 bpm. A three-minute break after the warm-up will bring it down to the optimum range of 110-125 bpm. You are now ready to blitz the PsyCling routine! Pay attention to the coach (The PsyCho!) as he will pilot you through the routine. The intensity of the PsyCling routines are individualised compared to regular spinning classes as the resistance of the trainer cannot really be moderated by the individual while training. This means that your intensity will be dependent on how much and how fast you are pedaling. This is as close as you can get to outdoor cycling training. PsyCling will dramatically improve your strength and endurance by having varied routines that include but are not limited to interval training, uphill training, long distance efforts, tempo training and sprint intervals. These workouts are interspersed with other equipment used in the CrossFit programme. A 60-minute PsyCling routine will rock your core!

PsyCling vs Spinning PsyCling uses actual Road Cycles. It simulates the same posture used in outdoor cycling, giving it a realistic feel.

Spinning machines dictates a fixed posture and doesn’t simulate outdoor cycles.

The Pedal Resistance in PsyCling is governed by the flywheel, the more you pedal, the more the resistance (similar to the feedback received by the tyres from the road). The resistance on the spinning machines are manual, meaning the individual can turn it up or down.

The emphasis of PsyCling is in providing a complete outdoor cycling experience.

Spinning places emphasis only on pedaling.

The writer is the co-founder of The Hood.