To spin or not to spin?
When I first started cycling I was a casual, social rider who slowly ground very big gears when I could and peddled furiously in the 'granny ring' when confronted with any degree of incline. Physically I was not capable of much more and I was not aware of any other technique.
A few more years down the track, a good deal of road miles under my tyres and some knowledgeable advice from some very capable riders, and my riding style has changed dramatically. I am still practising on trying to create a smoother pedalling style but at least I now understand how I can use my energy to generate a more efficient forward momentum over longer distances. It's called spinning or cadence.
Cadence or spinning works like this. You pedal a lighter gear, applying less force to the pedals at higher Revolutions Per Minute (RPM). Spinning allows your legs to remain fresh for longer periods of time, thereby giving you the ability to travel long distances with less fatigue. And using a high cadence increases fitness, especially aerobic fitness.
The seven-time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong would have to be the world's number one example of the success of high cadence training and racing. In the women's field, triathlete and five times Ironman world champion Natasha Badmann is an exponent of high cadence riding. By pedalling faster Natasha saved her leg muscles from undue fatigue early in her races so that she would have more energy (and less muscle trauma and fatigue) late in the race when she had to get off her bike and start her marathon run. Pedalling faster makes sense when efficiency and energy conservation is the goal.
It is also easier to control your speed and keep it smooth and steady when you spin. Pushing too big a gear does not provide a good feel for your speed and your speed will fluctuate, fatiguing your legs very quickly.
You can train you body to withstand the extra aerobic load of high cadence training but it does take practice and consistency. And to become efficient at the technique it is not just a matter of gearing down and spinning faster. You need strength, power and practice. That's not to say that pedalling with a high cadence isn't tiring or strenuous. It is, but more of the stress is on your aerobic system. This is why you'll see your heart rate and breathing rate increase more dramatically with high cadence cycling.
The speed of pedalling cadence is individual for every rider. Listen to what your body is telling you. If you legs are screaming at you to stop and your lungs are fit to burst as you try to maintain 100rpm, then perhaps you should be riding at 70-75rpm and developing some more leg strength and aerobic fitness by completing sets of hill repeats before you try and increase the revs.
The basic rules are, if your legs hurt more than your lungs, increase cadence. If your lungs hurt more than your legs, use a lower cadence.
If you investigate spinning from a physiological point of view it looks something like this. "When you contract a muscle, the muscle cells shorten and get fatter. When they get fatter, they put pressure on surrounding blood vessels forcing the blood out of them and towards the heart in a forward direction. This accelerates the flow of blood through the body while decreasing the workload on the heart if the contractions are short and fast. If the contractions are significantly longer this causes a backpressure against the heart forcing the heart to work harder and slowing the blood flow though the body. This backpressure is OK for short distances a racer may need to make a break, jump a gap or chase a group, but will work against you in the longer distances."
So next time you head out for a ride, try warming up in a higher cadence than you are used to, then settle into a rhythm that you find comfortable and try and maintain it for a number of intervals throughout the length of your ride. With time and practise it will make you trip less taxing and leave you with enough in your legs to walk the dog when you get home.
Also riding at an intensity you can sustain for 10-15 minutes, and then repeating that interval three times during one training session (with recovery between each one) is the best way to maximize your fitness gains and weight loss.
Happy cycling.
References: -
http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/carmichael-20070829.html
http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/bike/cycling-cadence-and-pedaling-economy-001048.php