Cycle Class Tips – Not Just for Beginners

Our favorite cycle class tips are not just for beginners. Improve your ride at any indoor cycling class with a few small adjustments to help you make strides. Here are Fly Founder Jenni’s favorite ways to get the most out of your cycle class.

1. Engage your inner thighs & pull your knees in.

Engage through the inner thighs & pull inward toward your knees to encourage your core to begin to engage. While core engagement doesn’t seem like a primary part of cycling is actually the most important thing. This helps prevent injury as well as being able to stand and ride in front control on the bike.

2. Lift out of your arms.

Anytime you lift your arms while riding the bike and standing, you need to have your abs engaged and be tucking your hips slightly under. Often, riders tend to lean forward while lifting the arms because you start to lose control of your core. But, by actively engaging through your rib cage and abdomen, lifting out of your arms will not only work your core but also lift your heart rate.

3. Ride with elbows slightly bent

Great form means riding while seated with your elbows with a slight bend. Engage through your center and take the pressure out of your shoulders and upper body by assuming this position. Arms should be at a slight bend, to make sure that you are not locking out the elbows. It also prevents you from pushing yourself back and away from the handlebars as well.

4. Pull hips back over the saddle

We ask riders to pull their hips back over the saddle for a number of reasons. First, pull your hips back to ensure that your knees aren’t bent at an angle that would potentially cause injury or be over 90° when pedaling. Second, ride with your hips back over the saddle to make sure that your spine is elongated and that your knees will be able to pull in and be behind the resistance knob. Mostly, this helps with torque of the knee and ensuring that it isn’t overly bent, but also allows the rider to have an engaged core, which as we’ve established, is one of the most important pieces of riding out of the saddle.

These cycle class tips are not just for beginners, they help all riders get the most out of cycling class, increase their strength & improve endurance.