More BANG for your Buck!

"Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you

Is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'."

- Bob Dylan, 'The Times they are A-Changin''

It was back in the not-to-distant past that I swore I'd never do a cycle class.  I'd been to one and that didn't really excite me much.  It wasn't until I found the right instructor that I actually enjoyed it.  Well...enjoyed it, as much as I wanted to throw up. :P

Now things have definitely changed, and I really love cycle/RPM classes!  Not in the sense that I'm jumping for joy while I'm on the back.  Quite the contrary - I still manage to find myself rather shagged by the end of the class and my lungs and legs screaming for relief!

For reasons I've just discovered,  I find these classes physically gruelling.  The reason being of course is that I'm always trying to improve on my efforts.  Regardless of how I feel before I go into a class, I can't but not push myself to the limit.  You'll know who I am.  I sit at the front and within 5 mins, sweat is dripping from my body and I'm grunting and gasping for air in the bid to coax my legs to keep going.

If my instructor says increase my load - I increase my load!  I know if I'm cheating myself and I just can't do that.  If I'm not physically spent by the end then I haven't done my best. 

I probably have improved my performance.  Actually...I know I have.  I've always been terrible at pace work, but I'm improved in leaps and bounds.  It's still my weakest area, but it's getting better.  I've also learnt to work my gears much better too.  I've learnt when doing pace work not to load my gears too heavy to maintain speed, but heavy enough to have resistance.

You see, I love the hills! I love getting out of the saddle and pushing hard.  So I tend to do much better on those.  But I've learnt to enjoy pace work now because I'm getting better.

When my HRM was working (battery is flat), I found that cycling/RPM burned more calories (apart from x-trainer) that any other exercise in the gym within the same period of time. I love cycling because I get more bang for my buck!

But there's just one problem.  I get so frickin' sore (down below) that I need at least a few days in-between to recover, which is really annoying (and off-limits for poor hubby, but you know - you've got to get your priorities right, and exercise comes first).  I bought a gel seat and I've adjusted the seat height to try and compensate, it doesn't work.  I have to get out of the saddle during recovery just to alleviate the discomfort.   Pace work is the most excrutiating by the end of the session as I have to move forward in the saddle, both my backside and also forward on my handle bars. 

Is there is anyone who can suggest a way to alleviate this????

Oh...BTW...that initial instructor hasnt' been around for about 3 months, and even though I loved his classes and they still don't have regular cycle/RPM instructors which I find annoying, I've realised that's it's been a good thing. 

Why?  Having instructors constantly changing has meant that no two classes are the same.  It means my body is constantly having to adapt to different styles.  I didn't think cycle/RPM classes could differ so much.  But they do.  And it's good, because it keeps me challenged and keeps me from getting comfortable with the same routine.