I tried dynamo cycling with my physio, for better or for worse

With each key typed on my keyboard, a new pain was triggered. At the bottom of the kidneys, in the right pectoral, in the cervical… I didn’t know I had so many muscle areas. However, I’ve always been pretty athletic. But, this last year between my studies and student life, my job and my internship, I had more motivation to run cafes or bars than in the gym.

In my defense, I travel a lot on foot and sometimes by bicycle. Every day I climb the thousand steps of the subway, those of the office, those of my house. Once a week, I have a very busy session: grocery shopping, including a 3-liter bag of trash for my king, and my five floors to climb. Add to all this a dose of indoor sports. In short, I still consider myself in good physical condition.

Yet, on Thursday evening, in a moment of madness, I dropped my books and my cocktail… Let’s go to dynamo-cycling! I boarded with me, my boyfriend, a physiotherapist, because I didn’t want to suffer alone. Then I said to myself, he could always revive me. 19:15 Rue de la Boétie in Paris. The lesson is about to begin. And definitely, I am far from imagining what we will experience …

“These 45 minutes are for you, dynamo”

It is clean, zen and luxurious. It looks like a beauty salon and not a gym. They provide shoes to attach to the bike. I’m happy: I’ve always dreamed of owning one and riding a professional road bike! My lover grins, I’m sure he’ll give up before I do.

The room, the bicycles, the walls, everything is black. About thirty cyclists, with a ladle, set up. Counting my dear and tender, they are two men. In the bra leggings, the women are all sharp. Good news, the session takes place in the dark, so no complexes. And I could always cheat …

“Hi dynamo! “,” These 45 minutes are for you, dynamo “,” Don’t let go of the dynamo, the victory is at the end “… It’s stupid but it works. All (the numerical superiority of women finally in the gym obliges!)we enter a collective trance, forgetting our identity in the locker room. “You’re relaxed dynamo, let’s ride together”. The play of light, the voice of coach Julien, the rhythm of supersonic pedaling to the rhythm of music … It’s crazy, I’m seduced and I play. Finally, what I pedal.

My thighs are getting hot, but I’m holding on to the music. We pedal like dancers, we chain the movements of the arm and the back and we pedal again and again. Up to stop the legs for a few minutes to perform exercises with the dumbbells for weapons… Between us, a torture! But I picture myself as Rockie and flap the air in front of me.

And we pedal again, faster, stronger. The active zip playlist Baby by Justin Bieber. Shit, there’s one that’s not gonna like it. Bingo, my boyfriend groans. Come on, I’m kidding him a little. He struggles to coordinate arms and legs. I mock him like a pro (despite the point in the chest). I don’t have much merit, I danced a lot when I was young. That’s life… And I feel elated.

An engaging experience and secreted hormones of happiness

Not surprising after all. The whole staging of dynamo cycling is based on a simple biological phenomenon. Pedaling increases the heart rate which quickly leads to the secretion of endorphins. And this famous hormone produced by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in our brain provides a feeling of well-being or even euphoria. A kind of cathartic bicycle, with a team and a benevolent guru. Shouts of encouragement and letting go, I think the bet is a winner. And you, my heart?

“It’s not for the weak”, he whispers to me as he gets off the bike. I let him come to his senses. In the changing rooms, individual showers, fluffy towels, beauty products and even a hair dryer that works … We are far from the ordeal of the municipal swimming pool. Louise Bodin-Joyeux, responsible for the brand experience of the hall and follower of the discipline (we rode together!), he confides in me that this is part of the packaging:

“In the price of our service, we want our customers to have the time to ride 45 minutes in an hour, so they can relax. Our studios are mainly located in the neighborhoods where there are offices, so people can come and let off steam in the morning, noon or even in the evening. We offer an experience, a fun sport. ”

The opinion of the physiotherapist, out of breath and still bothered by Bieber

I find my favorite guinea pig. Of course, I can’t do without it: pedaling Baby by Justin Bieber sticks in his throat. And apart from that, baby ? Makes a face, but recovers very quickly his physiotherapist coat:

“It is a beautiful experience of overcoming oneself for people initiated into sports, looking for further motivation, an excellent resource for increasing your tolerance for effort and pain, transferable to all sports and daily difficulties. “

It must be said that, as he immediately points out, dynamo-cycling requires “ a complete work of the cardio-respiratory and muscular system in 45 minutes of intense effort. “ Then my personal physio gets carried away, he talks to me about it “Strengthening of the whole body” thanks to this sporting activity, “both from below and from above”. If we omit his musical divergence with the coach, he has been conquered:

“Especially that dynamo cycling requires muscular work of the back in sheath and movement that is too often forgotten in sports sessions. Which is all the more interesting. “

Sunday sportsman, watch out!

Thanks, honey ! Now I understand why my back hurts so much… But hey, I’m playing my drama queen a bit, I would have thought I would have even more pain and would have been confined to bed… Okay! Three hours after the session ended, I was already feeling my body warming up, stiffening and becoming sore. “Drink lots of water!” “ then my home physiotherapist recommended me, stranded on the sofa and not in a better shape than me. Perhaps testing dynamo-cycling to return to sport was not the idea of ​​the century. He confirmed:

” This activity may not be the best for people who haven’t experienced exertion for months or yearswith sedentary metro-work-sleep behaviors, because the return to sport must be progressive and adequate to avoid injuries or discouragement in the first session. “

If you want to return to sports, he recommends that you start 5 to 10 minute daily sessions of cardio, strengthening, obviously with the heating! My physical therapist has one final recommendation:

“Obviously it is strongly recommended for people suffering from musculoskeletal / cardiorespiratory or metabolic pathologies of consult a health professional before embarking on this adventure! “

The most painful part? The pains and the price!

But from adventure to adventure, from our sofa to the dynamo, will we start again in the future? Doubt is allowed. This activity, imported directly from the most exclusive sports clubs in New York, has a cost: 15 euros per test session, then after the session alone the price rises to 29 €. There are several formulas with decreasing offers based on the number of sessions. It’s expensive, that’s a fact. For the same price, you can almost get a monthly membership to a regular gym. But at least, in dynamo cycling, you avoid swaggering and scrubbing! And I think it’s an experience to try at least once. I, she helped me let go.

So if I can manage my budget and give up a few drinks on the terrace and compulsive bag shopping, I’ll do it again. For my boyfriend, it’s still about Bieber. Good news: apparently every manager has their own playlistoften very contemporary and ultra incisive, Louise told me. I promise you honey, next time we will try the dynamo on the electronics!

Featured Image: © Munbaik Cycling – pexel