Benefits of Riding Your Way to Work

By Duston Morris, Ph.D., ABD, M.S., ACE, USAT

 
Most of us serious cyclists see commuters and really don’t think about commuting as another way to build fitness. But it is! Not to mention the money you can save on gas. Although commuting really is more of a calorie-burning activity, with just a little bit of “cycling creativity” you can take your normal commute and turn it into low-level fitness ride. Here is how you might (or might not) want to change it up a bit.

1. Normal Start – Start out by spending about 5-10mins to shake off the early morning or work chair jitters.
2. Red Light/Green Light – Go hard after coming to stops. Stand and accelerate quickly. This is a great drill to use at any type of start/stop intersection.
3. Mid-Block Intervals – While cruising through city blocks, stand and bring pace up to a tempo pace as compared to a cruising pace. Hole this tempo pace until you reach the next block. Wait until you are about half-way through the next block…and do it all over again!
4. Go Granny – If your commuter bike is not a fixie, downshift on hills and work on leg speed. Amp your cadence up to 100-120rpms while focusing on form and a smooth cadence. Do this to the top of the hill and then up shift and move back into a normal riding rhythm.
5. Power Plugs – Up shift while climbing. Focus on a smooth steady cadence of about 40-50rpms. You can do this standing or sitting but realize that standing will address slightly different muscle groups as compared to sitting…so I like to mix it up a bit. Make sure to keep good pedal form throughout the drill set.
6. Peg-Legs – Take turns with your left and right legs doing all of the work! Ride single legged for 60secs and then switch to the other leg. With this drill you can modify cadence and gear configuration to provide variation. Also make sure to follow good pedaling form for this drill.

Honestly, just choosing to ride your bike to work on most days of the week will help you see considerable gains in health and fitness for the next season, even if you choose to just get where you’re going as compared to making your commute another structured workout. I try to do both. Some days, I just feel like a ride and I am not interested in turning my commute into something different. Other days, well I feel like I need the extra push, or I might realize that because of a busy schedule for that day my commute will be my workout…in that case I try to use the drills I have mentioned above. But at the very least challenge yourself to make biking a bigger part of the way in which you get from A to B!