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© 2014 Life Fitness
INSTRUC
TING
SKILLS
PEDALLING
The push phase
If you imagine a clock face, the push phase is
approximately at the 2’o clock position and will finish
at the 5 o’clock position. This phase produces the
most amount of power by recruiting the gluteals,
quadriceps and calf muscles.
The pull/recovery phase
This occurs at approximately the 7 o’clock position and
ends at the 11 o’clock position with the recruitment
moving towards the hamstrings and hip flexors.
It is important to pay attention to BOTH phases to
ensure a fluid and even power output.
TEACHING POINTS ON BASIC
PEDALLING TECHNIQUE:
•
Slide the hips to the back of the saddle
•
Push forward through the pedal by dropping the
heel down
•
Scrape the ball of the foot (as if removing dirt from
their shoe)
•
Lift the heel on the upwards/pull phase in order to
recruit the hamstrings
INSTRUCTING
SKILLS
CORRECT CYCLING TECHNIQUE
Once the bike is set up correctly the user is in a position to adopt a safe,
efficient and enjoyable workout.
The following teaching points should be introduced during
every warm-up to ensure the user is in the correct position on the bike:
•
Sit with their backside at the rear of the saddle
so that their sitting bones are supported
•
Lift the chest and look straight ahead
•
Lean forward, hinging from the hips and NOT
arching the spine
•
Place the hands on the handlebars in Position
2 and slightly relax shoulders and arms. (see
pages 22-23 for body and hand position
overview).
•
The abdominals should be engaged to
provide a strong core
ANKLE/FOOT POSITIONING
DURING HIGH-CADENCE AND
LOW-CADENCE WORKOUTS
High cadence (sprints)
During high-cadence workouts, the ankle stays
in the same position through the whole rotation:
approximately 90° with the toes slightly lower than
the heels. It reduces the degrees through which
the ankle must rotate, therefore speeding up each
revolution.
Key cues to use during high-cadence workouts:
•
Abs engaged
•
Toes slightly down
•
Add resistance if you are bouncing in the saddle
•
Relax upper body
•
Eyes forward
•
Decrease resistance a little if legs start to
slow down
Low cadence (muscular strength)
Goal is maximal force through the legs/power output.
Using the ankle to change the angle of foot on the
pedal through the rotation will allow more force/power
to be produced.
The basics are
•
Push forward and down, drop heel down to go
through the push point
•
‘Flick’ the heel up as you move down to be able to
scrape with toes at the bottom (toes at their
lowest level)
•
‘Flick’ the heel down again pulling backwards and
lifting the knee on the way up
KEY CUES TO COACH AT
SLOW SPEED WITH HEAVY
RESISTANCE:
•
Slide backward
•
Push and pull
•
Drop the heel
•
Push the knee to the handlebars when rolling over
at the top of the pedal stroke
•
Scrape the pedal at the bottom
HIGH CADENCE
LOW CADENCE
