Report from spring training camp

From instructor Sam Kaine

Every Tuesday and every Thursday, they lug in their trainers, bikes and various monitors. This is no ordinary spin class. You don't even think about showing up without your heartrate monitor, cadence sensor and, if you've got one, computrainer. You're likely to get punished with extra cycle squats and one-legged drills. And if you're really unprepared, I'll throw on some Mariah Carey just to make sure the lesson sinks in.

Why does it matter? Because every class has been designed to fulfill a specific goal. Each drill is built on reliable information, not just "Oh, that burning smell? That's my legs." but objective information. You need to know your cadence and heartrate zone to do the drills. Now that we're 20 classes in, we're starting to see some serious results. The pools of sweat under the bikes are getting bigger - but so is the effort. We're moving into power work and with race season just around the corner, things will really get intense.

The past few months we've sacrificed dinner with our loved ones, Thursday-night TV and put up with a lot of Matt's whining. But we've also had one of the most fun, most productive off-seasons ever. Race season will show the proof that the last couple of months were time well-spent.

Looking for a final tune-up to your training plan? It's not too late to join the rest of the classes: http://thesportfactory.com/site/coachingoptions/stationaryclasses.shtml