Workout of the week: Cycle-Yoga

Louisville Recreation and Senior Center, 900 West via Appia, Louisville, 303-666-7400, louisvillerecreation.com

Instructor: Cathy Finleon, 53, of Louisville. Finleon is a full-time first-grade teacher who is new to teaching fitness classes, although she has been a runner for 33 years. Finleon got her yoga certification and began teaching one year ago, and just started the Cycle-Yoga class in June. she also teaches several yoga classes.

“In my yoga classes, people say they can tell I’m a first-grade teacher because I explain everything very detailed and patiently,” she says.

I couldn’t tell she was a new fitness instructor, but I could tell she is a natural teacher.

what is the workout? a combo yoga and cycling class. as Finleon sees it, there are too many yogis who don’t do enough cardio, and even more cyclists or runners who don’t work on their flexibility.

“To me, this was a great way to draw yoga people in and introduce cardio, and draw cardio people in and introduce yoga,” she says. “It’s a great way to get the important aspects of both combined.”

what does it cost? a one-time drop-in for Louisville residents is $6 adults/$4 seniors.

Who does it? the average class size is 16 people, mostly women. My class was 11 people. because of the time of day, many of the participants are teachers or moms who work part-time.

when: 4-5:15 Monday and Wednesday. Class is 35 minutes of cycling, a five minute transition and 35 minutes of yoga.

Level: All levels. you determine your own baseline and can adjust the difficulty based on your ability and how you feel that day. Yoga is taught in a way that is welcoming to people who have never done yoga before. I found the class a six on a 10-point scale, with the cycling more difficult than the yoga. there were some intense intervals on the bikes.

Format: Cycling starts with a warm up, includes a speed portion, a mountain climbing song, intervals and ends with a cool down. the yoga is geared toward the cycling muscles, so it includes fewer sun salutations.

The length of each climb depends on the songs Finleon chooses, and her playlist is different every class.

“I try to use my body as a guide,” Finleon says. “If the ride made my legs tight, I work on opening the backs of the legs. or the back, or the shoulders.”

Equipment: Stationary bike, yoga mat and block, all provided. Bring a bottle of water and a hand towel, because you will sweat and want to dry off before doing yoga.

what to wear: Wear cycling shoes if you have them, but there are bike pedals for regular fitness shoes, too. if you have padded bike shorts, your bum might thank you for wearing them.

Muscles worked: Cycling is great for leg muscles, but something many people don’t realize is how core-intensive it is. Proper position will really engage the core. if you only did this class as your main fitness regime, I would recommend adding strength-training for the arms, although some of the yoga moves do work the upper body. it is a full body workout, but I felt it more in my lower half.

one new move: This class had a faster standing-sitting interval on the bike than I have done before (with only four counts in between). Although it was tough, I enjoyed it because I have a short attention span, and it kept me entertained.

My favorite move of this class was the easiest one. To start the yoga portion, Finleon had us lie face-up on a yoga block with it between our shoulder blades. she talked about being a kid in Boulder County and riding her bike all over town. she and her girlfriend would ride down to the creek and lie on the cement in the sun after the long ride. it was a great visual and way to connect the two parts of class. plus, I enjoyed this chest-opening exercise as a way to “get into my yoga body” more than I like just sitting cross-legged, the beginning of standard yoga classes.

What’s different: “This might not be a plus to a true cyclist, but people have said my class is like dancing on the bike, because I work on my music so much and choreograph it to the music,” Finleon says. “I’ve had people say I can’t wait to hear what song is next.”

I couldn’t either. the music enhanced this class and kept my mind occupied and my body working harder. it was as if Finleon hacked into my iPod and stole my playlist. she even played Lady Gaga for me. (Although I forgot to wear my massive bedazzled lobster headpiece to class, dang! But I did wear my sparkly gold sweatshirt.)

Even though a yoga shavasana is supposed to be a time to clear the mind chatter and meditate, Finleon says she sometimes plays songs with vocals. Although it’s not traditional, it’s authentic to who Finleon is (she jokes she spends her entire paycheck on iTunes), and it infuses intention and thoughtfulness into her class.

“I’m always trying to move people with the music,” she says.

what I loved: Cycling to the beat of the music was fun. I also really liked the bikes we used. They were comfortable to sit on and the digital screen made it easy to monitor speed, gear level and exertion. (Go city of Louisville!) With each song, Finleon suggested a speed number to aim for, and I liked having that goal. it kept me on track.

what I didn’t like: the 4 p.m. time slot makes this class not accessible to a lot of people, which is unfortunate. it took me more than a month of trying before I could get to Louisville at 4 p.m. on a Monday. Of course, one person’s inconvenience is another’s ideal. This class is the perfect time for teachers, which is why they make up the bulk of the class.

Inspiration for class: Finleon’s daughter teaches fitness at Gold’s Gym in Loveland. Finleon went to a cycle-yoga class there and enjoyed it so much she decided to bring it to Louisville. she got certified to teach cycling and began offering the class in June.

How I felt after the class: the combo of cardio and yoga is brilliant and left me feeling balanced.

How I felt later: I love the way my legs feel after being on a bike. it was as if I’d pedaled all of the negative energy out. My thighs were a bit tired that night, but I did not get sore.

– Reported by Aimee Heckel.

Know of any interesting workouts? Tell us about them so we can check them out: heckela@dailycamera.com or 303-473-1359.

<a href="http://www.dailycamera.com/health-fitness/ci_16439801tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.dailycamera.com/health-fitness/ci_16439801Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:21:46 GMT 00:00″>Workout of the week: Cycle-Yoga

cathy, cyclists, fitness classes, grade teacher, new fitness