Sometimes a little freestyle can go a long way if you coach the instructions thoroughly.
Today I gave my riders two slow songs back to back. The first song was "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, and the second song was "Not Afraid" by Eminem.
I asked them to use these songs back to back for a total of 8 minutes to climb a hill seated or standing (rider's choice) and to focus on creating power through their hills. At any point they could switch from seated to standing by adjusting the tension.
Its not always easy to let them ride, but from time to time, your riders can surprise you. And that's exactly what my team did, the knocked it out of the park because they focused on a goal.
I used kinesthetic cues to help them know what they wanted to be feeling such as "burning thighs" and "uncomfortable breathing."
Through those 8 minutes they worked hard, but the hill climb wasn't over yet, contrary to what they thought.
At the end of the 8 minutes I gave them a minute break and put on the song "Sail" by Awolnation and said we have 4 minutes to the top of the hill.
While there was a few "seriously" comments, they took on the challenge and nailed it! We hit most of this one with a standing climb position.
They earned my respect and showed me that you can give them some rider's choice and they will bring out their A game.
Proud Coach!
Rachel Seay
www.indoorcyclingteachingideas.com