Adaptive Cycling Classes at the JCC Indianapolis
Adaptive Cycling at JCC Indianapolis is a cycle class where inclusivity meets fitness! Energizing music, guided instruction and supportive camaraderie accompany both spin and recumbent bikes for multiple seat-style offerings in a session-based format. The class style is geared towards those with neuromotor, balance and mobility challenges.
Indoor Cycling Benefits
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It’s Easy on the Joints
Indoor cycling is a low-impact exercise that is easy on the joints and a great cardiovascular workout. You are less likely to suffer from hip, knee, and ankle injuries commonly associated with other cardio exercises because it is low impact.
Even better, indoor cycling can improve joint function; the continuous motion is especially beneficial for knees because the constant full-range movement of your legs produces fluids that keep your joints lubricated.
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Decreases stress
Indoor cycling signals an adrenaline rush and endorphin release, proven to lower stress levels. While most exercise forms help with stress management, 40- to 60-minute cycling sessions are a quick and effective way to relieve stress and improve physical fitness. Once you’re in the zone, it’s hard to focus on anything other than keeping up with the instructor. It takes your mind off that rough day at work and makes you feel super accomplished when you finish your workout.
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Burns Calories
As evidenced by the sweaty shirts of many indoor cyclers post-ride, cycling is a great way to burn calories. Since cycling is so intense, many classes incorporate high-intensity interval training, which is thought to increase calorie burn post-workout. This bonus benefit means that cycling class is both a fast and effective cardiovascular workout.
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Improves Strength
Contrary to popular belief, a cycling class builds muscle strength without adding bulk. Like all other forms of cardio, indoor cycling recruits your whole body, not just your quads.
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Provides a Sense of Community
Group exercise classes like Indoor Cycling can help provide a sense of community. Research shows that group exercise lowers stress and improves emotional well-being while increasing social connectedness and mutual support. And with group exercise, you are more likely to keep up your new habit and keep coming back.
What was once viewed solely as an indoor training tool for serious cyclists now boasts mass appeal with beat-based choreography, killer playlists, and celebrity-like trainers whose clientele follow them from studio to studio. It’s a form of fitness that has serious staying power, not just because of its ability to morph with each new generation of fitness enthusiasts, but because it offers health-boosting results that keep participants coming back for more!
An Adaptive Cycling Class Is Best Suited for …
- Those with neuromotor, balance or mobility issues, especially older adults, who want to keep active while avoiding pain.
- Those looking for low impact but high aerobic cardio.
- Men and women, aged 55 and older. Cycling increases the strength and function of the muscles, ligaments, and bones that surround the joints, improving daily function, and helping keep older adults fit and active as they age.
What to Expect
It is best to wear tight-fitting bottoms (so as not to get caught in the spokes) and moisture-wicking tops. Cycling shoes are recommended for maximizing your workout but are not mandatory.
Our Adaptive Cycling classes are $156 / $120 JCC Members per six-week session.
Check our Marcia and Bruce Sklare JFIT Studio or Schedules page for group exercise dates and times, or mobile app for iOS or Android devices
Our indoor cycling studio is a boutique exercise room separate from the Marcia and Bruce Sklare JFIT Studio and adjacent to the Mordoh Fitness Center. Totally immerse yourself in the cycling experience!
JCC Adaptive Cycling Instructors
Whether you are looking for an indoor cycling class for beginners, upping your game to serious fitness cycling, or racing bikes at any level, Laurel Hess looks forward to helping you as she has helped many riders before.
A successful racer herself, Laurel is a Level 3 certified USA Cycling Coach who holds several group exercise certifications. She earned a degree in Sports Management with a concentration in Health and Fitness so she could help others experience the joys of healthy, fitness-oriented, or competitive lifestyles. Having recovered from two serious accidents, Laurel is distinguished from other coaches by her experience being knocked down and rising again. She understands the frustration of needing to rebuild fitness or confidence after a setback.
Laurel started cycling as a young junior, beginning with her school fundraising Bike-a-Thon, three editions of RAGBRAI (ride across Iowa) and then joining her first cycling team at age 11. In her spare time, Laurel enjoys reading comic books. She and her husband, Eric, share a love for DC superheroes and even had a comic-book-themed wedding. She and her family love the outdoors, adventuring frequently during the year in their camper with their two dogs. Laurel enjoys early morning workouts while her family is still asleep, watching the sun hit the Indianapolis skyline as she drives to the gym, fresh coffee in hand.
Debbie Thompson
Debbie’s classes are a “you do you” environment where everyone progresses at their own speed and comfort level. You choose the level you do and burn calories, tone muscles, and have a great time – what a combination!! A bit about Debbie – she wasn’t always fit and fine. She’s lost 60+ pounds and understands how tough life can be. She offers encouragement and support to her students – age, weight, stress – this class is for you. Debbie looks forward to meeting each one of you!
Fitness Is a Core Jewish Value
At the JCC, fitness isn’t just something we do; it’s who we are. Although exercise is not mentioned in the Torah, taking care of one’s health is. In fact, while other belief systems advocate for the healing power of prayer, Judaism encourages people to look after their health and seek counsel from medical experts. In Judaism, good health is not a goal in itself; rather, it is a means to an end – to serve the Creator.