Human Potential Catalyst

How does an RPM class improve womens health and fitness?

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“Let me tell you what I think about cycling.  I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.  It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.  I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel….the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”  
- Susan B. Anthony (from “The Quotable Cyclist”)

 How’s that for a start?

What is RPM™?

RPM™ is a 50-minute indoor cycling class based on outdoor riding. You ride to inspirational music over the equivalent of 15-20 miles of varied terrain, controlling the intensity of your workout with a resistance dial and pedal speed.

What happens in a typical Les Mills RPM™ class at Aurora Womens Fitness?

Your RPM™ instructor will lead your ride through nine music tracks, using various riding positions and speeds to suit the terrain.  We begin with a Warm up - designed to warm up the legs and increase core temperature. The pace is easy and resistance light.  Next up is Pace - speed and intensity increase as riders work toward top personal pace. The road is flat until we encounter a small hill designed to warm up the climbing muscles.   On to the Hills - the first set of hill climbs, designed to increase leg strength and endurance. Riders are coached through the positions, resistance and intensity.  Time to challenge yourself with Mixed Terrain - recover at first; then stay in the working zone through a series of short climbs, fast descents and sprints.  Get ready to send you heart rate through the roof with Intervals - this is like a cycling time trial where we look to cover the most amount of distance in the shortest time. The road is flat and you’ll be making short attacks out of the saddle and then finding race pace in the saddle.  Back to flat ground with Free Spin - imagine a flat open road where you ride at your top pace with light resistance.  The Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia are won in the Mountain Climb - the last working track. The road starts easy and then becomes steeper as we climb to achieve our individual athletic potential.  Success? Victory!!  Ride Home - finish the journey and ride home together. Recovery is the name of the game.  Stretch - a final stretch to complete the workout and assist recovery.

What are the benefits of participating in the RPM™ Program?

Five of the most important benefits are: An increase your cardiovascular fitness while you burn fat for energy; more toned and defined legs, hips, and butt; increased leg strength and muscular endurance without building bulk; incinerate calories - up to 600 calories in a normal 50-minute structure (RPM™ has been proven to burn up to 800 calories in one hour); release endorphins to give you that natural high and leave you feeling fantastic!

How often should I participate in RPM™?

RPM™ is a class that is primarily cardio vascular in nature and therefore you can participate in RPM™ every day if you like.  We recommend that you participate three times per week to see lasting benefits, although as the Cycling and RPM™ Team Leader students will typically hear the following:

“If you want to get really fit, take our Group Fitness Schedule and plan to participate in BODYPUMP^TM twice per week, BODYFLOW^TM twice per week, ZUMBA twice per week, CXWORX^TM twice per week, BODYCOMBAT^TM/BODYATTACK^TM twice per week…and RPM™ twice per day!”

How fit do I need to be to participate in RPM™?

Students control the intensity of their ride by using the simple resistance dial on the BodyBike^TM (we have 40 bikes in our dedicated cycling studio).  Our students range in age from 10 years old to 78 years old and encompass all fitness levels including beginner, recreational cyclist, pregnant women, teens, fitness enthusiasts.  Every one of our instructors began as a student just like you, as did all the members of our Aurora Cycling Team.  Please join us for a class, and please forward this to one of your friends so that they can join you for a class!