#WOTD Workout Of The Day: Cycling

Eileen Lui

Anyone does any cycling here in Yangon? There are several options actually for those into cycling for leisure. Then there are people who bike as part of their exercise or training regime and I belong to the latter group.

I brought my road bike to Yangon and here’s the clincher – I’ve only been on the road twice. I don’t think I am a fan of being road-killed. It was just too bloody stressful for me and as such the enjoyment of riding on the road was taken away. So, I stick to attaching my bike to the rack and doing some stationery bike training. And the great thing about Myanmar’s dynamic change is that spinning bikes and classes are also now available!

For those of you who aren’t into training for the triathlon and have not introduced cycling into your fitness routine, well, hopefully, this would change your mind!

Benefits of cycling :

• Low-impact therefore causes less strain and injuries as compared to running
• increased cardiovascular fitness and you can start at low intensity and work your way up to really hard and high intensity when your fitness level allows for it
• increased muscle strength and flexibility because it uses all major muscle groups as you pedal
• improved joint mobility
• decreased stress levels

My long-distant training days on the bike. Your #WOTD

• 30mins warm-ups – really nice & easy to get the heart rate going
• 8 sets of 20 secs on/10 secs off Tabata training x 8 rounds (should be done in 32 minutes)
• 60 mins interval training with lots of “rolling-hills” and speed on the “flat roads”

The 20 secs on/10secs off Tabata training is when you really go hard on the 20 secs, aiming to reach max heart rate before resting at the 10sec off beat. (IF you’re new to Tabata, please do take it easy and slowly build your fitness levels up to it. Tabata is not for beginners but everyone can start at low intensity. NO ONE said that was wrong!)

The 60mins interval training is when I get on the spinning bike and go on the high gears (13 – 16) and maintaining an RPM of 100 – 110 for the “hill climbs” and go for the low gears (8 – 10) and maintaining an RPM of 120 – 135 for the “flat road” speed work.

After which, me legs feel like wobbly jello.

You don’t have to make it boring at all. Throw stuff into the mix like this little routine for example (*AMRAP = As Many Raps As Possible)…

2 mins HARD cycle (high intensity, high heart-rate)

1 min Knee Push-Ups (AMRAP in 1 minute)

2 mins MEDIUM cycle (medium intensity, high heart rate)

1 min Squats (AMRAP in 1 minute)

2 mins LOW cycle (low intensity, low heart rate)

1 min Burpees (AMRAP in 1 minute)

x 3 rounds

I did not include the intensity and heart-rate level because everyone’s fitness level is different. Listen to your body but most importantly, be honest with yourself. Know when you can push and know when you need to stop.

Have fun trying out that routine y’all!

If you’re not motivated in cycling by yourself, there are lots of options for you!

• Bikeworld offers cycling tours for those preferring a more leisurely ride. Check them out here : http://www.cyclingmyanmar.com/about-us.html

• Both Balance Fitness and Real Fitness / F1 Fitness at Novotel offers Spinning Classes and the spinning instructors are pretty awesome!

Happy Cycling!