If you haven't taken an indoor cycling class, you probably think it's just about sitting on a bike, peddling your feet like crazy, and getting barked at.

You might picture a room full of sweaty fitness buffs, towels wrapped around their necks, eyes squinting and backs hunched over.

You might hear a demi-god of an instructor screaming, "Faster! Feel the burn!" into her headset while her legs spin at twice the speed of your own.

That's what I thought, at least until 6:15 last Wednesday night.

My cycling instructor, Mike MacDonnell, tells me to turn up the giant fan two clicks, starting a torrential wind. I feel the cool air blast against my back as I turn around, slip my feet into the toe straps and grab onto the handlebars. My slight frame feels less than comfy against the firm bike seat, but I try to ignore the discomfort and listen to MacDonnell.

I look down at my feet and realize my legs have been peddling away without letting me know. I'm not a cyclist by any means, and my thighs are already sensing the foreign clockwork movement. The music has started and MacDonnell is leading the participants, who are perched like unicyclists, through a series of arm movements. 

Within minutes we're up off our seats, assuming an "aggressive" stance, pushing our way along an imaginary path. The class continues in song-length segments of endurance training, resistance exercises, and muscle isolations, broken up with posture breaks - when I reach for my sacred water bottle.  

But within all the peddling and pushing and leaning and sweating, what I remember most is closing my eyes, listening to the music, and getting lost in my own little cycling world.

Finding your zone is what this variety of studio cycling is all about. The fitness trend that brought bikes into fitness facilities took off when Johnny Goldberg ("Johnny G") opened his first Spinning® facility in California, in 1989. He designed the Spinner, a stationary bike with a weighed front wheel, an adjustable seat and handlebar, and a mechanical device to regulate the difficulty. Johnny G's program incorporated exercise and philosophy, asking participants to use their imagination as they spun through class.

"It [is] meant to be yoga on wheels," says Nikki Peck (trainer of studio cycling instructors at Nubody's Fitness Centre) of her facility's version of indoor cycling. "It [is] an experience for people to be in their zone and have a positive exercise moment."

Indoor cycling's army drill reputation comes from fitness instructors turning the system into an aerobic program, says Peck, who is also the manager of personal training at Nubody's.
Not enough respect is given to the bike, she says, such as participants' out-of-control pedal speeds. Professional outdoor cyclists are always in control, and Peck says I is crucial cyclists in indoor classes do the same.

While many indoor cycling programs certainly do create a hardcore, 'boot camp' atmosphere, there are also classes available such as Peck's which emphasize visualization and control over the aerobic, boogie-on-a-bike programs - classes such as Peck's are an excellent alternative for the person who prefers a quieter workout so as to improve the connection between what's going on in your head and on your bike.

"For some people, I think their experience might have been a lot less than the yoga experience," she says. "It may have been more a yelling match."

Peck believes that when a class focuses on the mental aspects of the exercise, rather than just the physical, it stays safe. Her school believes that the "yoga on wheels" philosophy is also more effective than just spinning your legs off because achieving fitness takes both mental and physical training.

Along with mentally training participants, as they focus on imagery and muscle isolations, the program provides a full-body workout. Indoor cycling targets muscles in the lower body, working primarily the quadriceps and incorporating the calf, hamstrings and most definitely the glutes.

As you hold the muscles of the pelvic floor up off the seat, and pull your abs into your centre, studio cycling becomes an excellent core exercise. It also provides you with a good cardiovascular workout, improves lung capacity, and increases postural endurance.

A typical indoor cycling class moves from a warm-up on the bike into a series of exercises that create variety and provide benefits. Resistance, endurance, muscle isolation and postural exercises are mixed together into a 30 to 60 minute class, depending on the facility. Peck says she includes what she calls an "imagery song," when she'll spend the length of the tune not saying a word.

"I always include a song that's at least three minutes long that I just let people enjoy," she says. "You don't have to talk. There doesn't have to be a reason, you're just there."

Studio cycling, like any exercise regime, comes with its necessary precautions. For indoor cycling, Peck says listening to your instructor is the key to avoiding strain. The exercises focus on proper postural alignment on the bike - hinging at the hip, rather than the outdoor cyclist's rounded back - to ensure the participant's safety.

During my class, MacDonnell kept our backs aligned with constant cues to resume neutral spine. Memories of Pilates kicked in as I pulled my core tight and dropped my shoulders.

"Alright guys, we've got 14 minutes left," says MacDonnell. I look over my right shoulder and catch my friend's tired eyes. I send her a weak smile as I hear MacDonnell tell us we're going for a mountain climb. I lift my right arm high, palm facing her. She slaps it hard.

"Let's do it," I say, and we start peddling. And after a tough climb, a farmer's field, a steep drop to our right, and a smooth downhill, we make it to the bottom of the hill. After a much needed cool-down, I dismount my stallion and stand on shaky legs.

"Tomorrow," I tell my friend, "I'm not going to be able to move."