"It's intense," said freshman Emily Rudolph. "Some of these workouts are really, really hard. You get exhausted by the time the class is over."
Rudolph is talking about her Winter Term class, The Science of Cycling. Taught by Kent Menzel, professor of communication, the class meets everyday from 9 a.m. to12 p.m. The class focuses on teaching different means of working out to students as well as discussing proper nutrition.
Everyday in the GCPA, the students workout on stationary bikes they brought from home. By using heart rate monitors to track their zones. Menzel has taught the class how to target their perfect zone for a climb or a sprint and figure out an ideal resistance for each workout.
"Every other day is a tough workout," explained Rudolph. "The other three days a week (including Saturday) are usually easier but these days were even tough at the start of Winter Term. The class began with a conditioning test (a 3k sprint) and there will be another test at the end.
"I can already feel the results," Rudolph said.
Every day, the class begins with a lecture from Menzel about topics such as proper nutrition, the history of cycling or different types of workouts. The students also learn practical skills, such as changing a bike tire and training for bike races. DePauw history - such as the tradition of the Little 5 bicycle race - is also brought into the classroom.
"Professor Menzel is always talking about training for Little 5 or long bike races. He's always recruiting for the Depauw cycling team or for more participants in Little 5 in April, " said Doug McCrary, a freshman student in the class.
The class then warms up for their cycling "assignment" with some breathing exercises. Menzel then begins the workout session slowly before getting into more strenuous work.
Depending on the day, the class either watches a cycling workout video for a rigorous day or another movie on an easier day. The workouts are broken down into rigorous intervals and usually last from an hour to an hour and a half minutes. Long climbs, sprints, and sets of body weight squats are included in these workouts.
Menzel brings the same passion to cycling as he does for his public speaking classes. According to students in the class, the class would be very boring if it was not for the energy of Professor Menzel.
"He really sets the tone of the pace of the class," said McCrary. "You definitely get a really great workout if you try to keep up to the pace."
Workouts with names such as "Suffer-o-Rama" and "cycle-aerobics" are the norm for the class. And some students do these workouts after a night of partying-what Winter Term is notoriously known for.
"This class definitely has not slowed down many of the students from going out," Rudolph said, "I'll often hear of many of my classmates going out during the week and I'll sometimes see some of them out late."
With this in mind, the class is asked to keep a log of what they have eaten and drank during the duration of the class. Menzel instructs the students on proper nutrition, especially the before, during and after of a cycling workout.
"It's definitely important to eat healthy before and after cycling. You need a lot of energy to keep up for the entire 90 minutes," McCrary explained.
Menzel encourages his students to consume a healthy diet not only for performance in sports but also for a healthy lifestyle.
"The cycling workouts have definitely gotten easier as Winter Term has progressed," explained Mitch Reavis, another freshman.
Another bonus for the class is the conditioning that comes with daily cycling. McCrary later added in that the class was great for athletes to keep off unwanted winter weight. And multiple students from the men's and women's soccer, and tennis teams participate in the class.
"The class can be challenging at times it's definitely a good start for getting in shape for the spring soccer season," Reavis said.
Even though Winter Term may be coming to an end in less than a few days, Professor Menzel has taught that exercise and physical fitness are lifetime values. As the class bids a farewell to Winter Term 2013, the 20 students in the class hope to take the lessons learned from class to their everyday lives.