500 Jumps

The director at the good Y I work at put out a mass email explaining why no one should be teaching mega-jump classes using my explanation (which was actually Cheeze's-thank-you again). Hopefully, the instructors will listen.

[KarmaQueen]

I do all kinds of jumps. And varied speeds. Regardless of what we do, these cues always come out of my mouth first: 1) bottom line, a jump is all about making a smooth transition in&out of the saddle, aka form; 2) form over speed no matter what; 3) listen to your body--something is screaming 'don't do this', then do not do it; 4) have enough resistence on your fly wheel to support you in X position on the bike for the move.

I was a group ex dance aerobics lover for many years before, ironically the doc said, "don't jump"--meaning impactive exercise etc. So, I have the "let's switch it up" aerobics piece in my heart. Which is what a lot of general fitness peeps like in a group cardio class (time passes quickly).

Plus, I am a road cyclists, and mountain biker. I cue my outdoor peeps that if you can not make a smooth transition in and out of the saddle, it affects your ability to hold your line. Breaking that can lead to touching bikes w/another rider in a pack, going into traffic w/the road rage driver that gives you two inches when they pass, or potentially lose a race in a sprint breakaway (jump). The *speed* when I get flack of "well, I don't jump/transition that fast... I state its more of an extra cardio interval kick, and variety.

I have done a couple profiles that I titled "Jump For Joy". And the class was... you guessed it, jumps. All the different ways you can do them. NOT, just lets jump 500 or 1000 in a class. That I have never done.

The teaching lesson punchline I tell my students in that profile is: modification. "Now you see there are many ways to jump... if whatever is cued does not work for you, then do a type of jump that does".

The hands thing I just don't get. I personally never take BOTH hands off my bike in a jump. I move one hand at a time when I am doing speed jumps. One hand stays in two, the other transitions up to three while my body gets there, then my other hand joins the first hand... then back. One hand gripping the bar at all times. Safer than both hands flying at the same time.

KQ

[markelmarcel]

Honestly, jumps get really boring to me after about 5 of them. That mixed with the fact that most people don't know how to do it correctly- they prefer to yank themselves up off the saddle with their arms and slam their butts back down over and over (I usually over-exaggerate this movement to prove that it looks silly, then have them do much 'longer' transitions - about 30 seconds, to make sure they can fluently push up with their legs and gently, with control come back down without slamming themselves on the saddle)

The reason why people think that a class full of jumps is a great idea is back to the whole "It feels like I'm working out sooooo hard!" and in reality, as we have been discussing in both the "Different 'spin' on jumps" and "Why are there so many misconceptions on indoor cycling" posts they give LESS power. Power = work. Work = you are getting benefit.

I encourage anyone, who hasn't already, to take a look at the two posts I just mentioned because there is some GREAT info on both of them!!!

[catfish]

[QUOTE=Cheeze;56719]I would buy these colleagues a beer or glass of wine and then ask them where they got the idea to do 500 jumps. More than likely they'll tell you someone was at a WSSC or a ride led by Johnny G........

Yes I am sure of that I was doing a 12 hour ride with JG and during hour 1 of the ride he called for 500 jumps... He picked out certain people to count out 35 or so I wasn't sure I wanted to do 500 jumps so early in the ride. The fellow next to me said "don't do them!" . as a lot of the people in the ride were not going the full 12 hours... I did some of the jumps, then I got called on to count the next 35 so I just sat down, rode easy and counted to 35.... when asked about it later I replyed. "you said count 35 not do 35 I still get a chuckle out of that one
catfish

[Megale]

This is the way and the why Multiple Jumps came to be. When doing the Race Across America he got bored. I understand that reasoning. I don't understand why we bring this into a gym where you can't tell me you know the intimate health concerns of every individual. It's a trick it should be left to charlatans, magicians and clowns. By the way, I build femoral, tibia's, hip stems and other prosthetics for joint replacements at the day job, so saying this makes it counter productive when it comes to production.
Mike

[Cheeze]

45 Minute Class X 60 = 2700 sec/class.
2700 sec / 500 jumps = 5.4 sec allowed/jump

IMO Safe jumps are four counts up - four counts down = 8 sec/jump
8 sec x 500 jumps = 4000 seconds
4000 seconds / 60 = 66.7 minutes minimum for 500 safe jumps.

An hour straight of jumps on an indoor cycle does not appear anywhere on my personal "To Do List".

Megs I never thought about the RAM connection. Just thinking with my fingers - would the relief from boredom justify the energy expenditure of 500 jumps.

Cheeze

[CycleGuy]

Originally Posted by Cheeze

Megs I never thought about the RAM connection. Just thinking with my fingers - would the relief from boredom justify the energy expenditure of 500 jumps.

Cheeze

I doubt (admittedly, I don't know) that the 500 jumps to stave off boredom was done over an hour period (or 67 minutes). Would think it was over a longer period. 10 hours of riding is mentally challenging - especially if it is across the prairie (all flat). Imagine the RAAM! Coast mountains, Sierra's, Rockies, all fine...but between them? UGH!

[Megale]

Originally Posted by Cheeze

An hour straight of jumps on an indoor cycle does not appear anywhere on my personal "To Do List".

Megs I never thought about the RAM connection. Just thinking with my fingers - would the relief from boredom justify the energy expenditure of 500 jumps.

Cheeze

God Cheeze, I watched a video satire on the event and at the end those poor bastards and bastardettes looked like hell. Some had boards propping up their heads because their muscles could no longer hold it up. There were all kinds of remedies from conditions that they put themselves under. It talked at length to the mental stress that would come with the physical stress and sleep deprivation. If you think about recovery and the 5 spoke importance of it in the initial foundation of the program, I would think that this was a very good example of when you need recovery. So yeah I think JG did everything he could to keep long roads from talking to him.
M

[Todd S]

I'm guessing he may have done them during his preparation for RAAM. I doubt he did them 'during' RAAM.

Geez, some of those guys rig up contraptions just to help them hold their heads up. Doubt anybody will be jumpin' if they can't hold their heads up.

[Megale]

Originally Posted by Todd S

I'm guessing he may have done them during his preparation for RAAM. I doubt he did them 'during' RAAM.

Geez, some of those guys rig up contraptions just to help them hold their heads up. Doubt anybody will be jumpin' if they can't hold their heads up.

Todd,
He said to us he did-. The show (history channel??) documentary footage showed these poor bastages - but when I saw it they were not doing jumps. So therefor jumps do not exist and if jumps do not exist than that goes for this thread and what you are doing reading this non existent carp for right now?
Mike