It's 9:15 a.m. and you are checking the height and position of the seat on your cycle. You make the necessary adjustments as your spirited instructor Bill Gruener enters the room. He welcomes the members of the class, notes who is new this week and the intro to cycling class at the Boothbay Region YMCA is about to begin.

Gruener hits the play button on the CD player, climbs on his cycle and the class starts out with a seated sprint. Everyone's shoulders are relaxed, elbows are bent and their hands are resting lightly on the handlebars.

For 45 minutes the seven cyclists participated in a low impact form of exercise easy on the joints, back, hips and knees. However, there were a few “acts of recovery,” a few minutes for drinking water and blotting perspiration.

“Bicycling outdoors here isn't easy. But, cycling keeps you moving, keeps your joints moving, and helps with balance and, because it's an aerobic activity, it helps your heart rate,” Gruener said. “This is the idea behind indoor cycling; to keep your muscles moving. It's not a Jack LaLanne workout.”

Gruener said there are three basic objectives: pedaling in seated or standing position, cadence – pedaling at slow and fast speed, and workload – from light to heavy resistance. The techniques, or types of ride, include: fast flat (terrain), seated up hill, standing, and steep standing hill.

The class members gave their instructor rave reviews (and not, they insisted, because he was in he room).

“He is good with explanations and is very supportive. He doesn't intimidate, he encourages us to get better,” Louise Cowan said.

Gruener recommends water and eating a banana (for potassium) before or after class. Bananas are high in potassium, which helps ward off cramps during exercise.

The volunteer instructor earned his certification in cycling last year: one day of group training and one day of cycling training. As is the case for all of the instructors at the YMCA, he received Red Cross CPR training and attended sessions on airborne blood pathogens, sexual harassment in the workplace and child abuse.

“We are all well-trained here. Even if an instructor has certification from somewhere else, they still have to go through the Y's instructor training,” Gruener said.

Gruener is also very accommodating and will make whatever his students need to have the most fulfilling experience happen. Boothbay Harbor resident and artist Bob McKay said it wasn't the same as outdoor cycling because he couldn't feel the wind through his hair.

Gruener stopped pedaling immediately saying we can take care of that, dismounted from his cycle and turned on a very large floor fan.

“How's that?” Gruener called out over a Steve Winwood tune.

“Now I feel like I'm moving,” McKay said, all smiles.

If you've been feeling like you need to get moving, intro to cycling may be a good place to start.  

Wear appropriate footwear, closed toe and no open backs; shorts or capri length exercise pants are best (won't get caught in gears); and bring your own water and towel.

To sign up for intro to cycling, call the Y at 207-633-2855.Intro to cycling is $3 per class.

Additional information about all of the Y's health and fitness classes, as well as information on Membership For All the income-based, sliding scale membership program, visit www.brymca.org/.

The Boothbay Region YMCA is at 261 Townsend Avenue/Route 27 in Boothbay Harbor across the street from the Boothbay Region High School.