Cool Down on a Hill????

[Derf]

Went to spin class on Thursday night and the instructor announced that we were heaidn ghome, but then continued to have us add and add and add resistance even though the song was winding down and announced we'd cool down on a hill. I've never heard of this before and by this point I was done (I'd been spinning on my own for abotu 15 min before the class started), so took of most of the resistance and just cooled down like I usually do. Anyone ever heard of cooling down on a hill?

[alpinerabbit]

Well, when I take my bike to my parents it's what I have to do since they live on a cul de sac on a hill.

For spin class, I guess you can do whatever you want.

I am wondering how religiously this cooldown thing needs to be done anyway.
But you can always be cheeky and tell him.

Like when our substitute said before the class "we're going around the lake" in 90 min (equivalent to a killer average of 45km/h !!) and - surprise - that "around the lake" contained one hill after the other.... You are allowed to challenge your instructor, no?

[teigyr]

I'm not an instructor so I don't know that side of things but as a participant, I've done that. Were you sitting or standing? The times I've done it (yesterday included) we've increased resistance, slowed down, and stood up. I think the higher resistance/lower cadence lowers the heart rate because we tend to go back and forth between lighter resistance/sprint cadence to hill climbing.

Keep in mind when we do it, it's about 6 minutes before class is over. We go from there to no resistance then stretching.

(Hate those parts of it...I'm bad but my view on cooling down is it happens when I walk to the car.)

[han-grrl]

Cooling down should be the opposite of warming up. you bring down HR and intensity until you are roughly back where you started. this puts less stress on the heart and allows your blood now mostly in your legs to get pumped back up to the heart.

If you have to cool down on a hill, you would have to be doing it slowly.

ultimately, do what feels right, so you bring your HR down.

Smile
H

[Derf]

Thx everyone!