During your session, your coach will often tell you to crank it up. But is it necessary and how can you judge when you have enough resistance?
First, let’s make something clear: you always need to pedal with a bit of resistance. What do we mean by « a bit » ? You have to control the wheel. On our RealRyder bikes, the wheel is at the back and weighs 30kg, so that is 30kg pushing you forward. Without resistance, the power of the wheel might overtake you. Because you will try to slow the wheel down with the strength of your legs, it could lead to a knee injury. Needless to say it’s not recommended!
BUT: we all come to the studio for a different reason. Whether it is to have fun, to fill yourself up with positive energy for the day, to relax from the stress accumulated during the day or even to prepare yourself for a sport objective… every reason is different… The best thing you can do is to speak to your coach so that he can give you advise on what resistance level you should put to reach your goals depending on how many times you come per week to the studio.
ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING : a lot of girls think putting resistance will make their thighs bigger. Take a look at Sandrine’s thighs and you will know it’s not the case. She’s been pedaling every day for years now. To get big thighs, you need to practice with a completely different technique than ours and put a hell of lot of resistance!
So what are the the « pros » and the « cons » of both ways of riding:
Pedaling without resistance (still a bit as mentioned before)
Pros:
- You have fun
- You improve your cardio
- You get an energy boost!
Cons:
- It is harder to stay on the rhythm
- You burn less calories
- You can’t really differentiate a downhill from a sprint
- The wheel is not going to get hot!
Pedaling with resistance:
Pros:
- You’re going to tone your muscles and you’ll see the results faster
- You burn more calories
- You’re going to let go
- Your cardio and lungs capacity increase
Cons :
- You’ll get tired a bit sooner during the sessions (but you will learn to recuperate faster)
- You’ll sweat more (but that’s why we come right?)
Once again, this is YOUR RIDE and it is YOUR CHOICE. The coach is here to guide you and help you push beyond your limits. You are the only one who can decide with what level of resistance you want to ride, depending on your mood, your day’s energy or depending on the playlist!
Don’t hesitate to come and talk to us about it if you have question on the topic!
LET’S RIDE !!
