Canyon Ranch traces its roots back more than four decades to the late 1970s, long before wellness became a huge industry or in fact before it was even a widely recognized term. Canyon Ranch’s founder Mel Zuckerman made the decision to change his sedentary lifestyle, quickly realizing that he had transformed his life forever – and so he set out to help others do the same.
The first Canyon Ranch opened in 1979 in Tucson, Arizona. It was the first of its kind, pioneering a new type of travel and a new kind of self-care. Zuckerman’s idea has inspired millions to follow in his footsteps towards a healthier life, and in the process Canyon Ranch has inspired countless imitators around the globe. They remain, however, the best in the business and when we felt like it was time to expand the inGamba experience to include a more focused, scientific approach to health, we knew that they were the perfect partners.
Our first foray in Arizona was a huge success and we’re excited to be going back, with an even better program of off-the-bike services designed specifically to help you take your cycling to the next level.
Metabolic Exercise Assessment
This has two important parts. To start, a performance scientist will guide you through metabolic testing on a stationary bike to find your V02 max, which is a measurement of your cardiorespiratory fitness, or put another way, it tells you how much oxygen your body uses when at its max sustained output. The higher the number, the better your body is at taking in oxygen and delivering it to your muscles.
Once your V02 max has been defined, that data will be interpreted by a performance scientist and customized to your specific training needs. You’ll leave knowing a lot more about your athletic potential, including V02 max, calories burned per minute at any given heartrate, ventilatory threshold, and optimal training heartrates. And armed with this knowledge, you can start training in a more methodical way to see real results out on the road!
Fueling For Performance
We all know how important fueling is to cycling performance. Even if you’ve trained hard for months, a haphazard approach to food and hydration can totally derail your performance when it comes to a big event or a multi-day adventure like this one.
At Canyon Ranch, you won’t have to worry about that. On top of the usual on-bike snacks you know and love from inGamba, each meal at Canyon Ranch is developed in partnership with nutrition experts to make sure you feel not only sated, but also energized and ready to rock for the next ride. Portion size and macro nutrients are balanced to meet the needs of a cyclist riding every day, and daily menus inspired by regional, seasonal ingredients will be packed with all the goodness you need to get the most out of your time with us. On top of that, Canyon Ranch’s nutritionists can develop a specific nutrition plan to fuel optimal performance for your individual needs, training schedule, and goals.
Sports Medicine Consult
A sports medicine specialist will provide an in-depth series of assessments to determine areas that might limit performance. You’ll leave with a personalized plan for improving current musculoskeletal issues and mitigating future performance roadblocks.
Sports Massage and recovery zone
After each ride, there will be a recovery zone set up at one of the Canyon Ranch pools. Different recovery modalities will be available to address your specific recovery needs, and during your block in the zone you can choose from aquatic recovery therapy, pneumatic compression recovery modalities, leg rejuvenation massage for cycling, or a guided muscle relief foam roller program.
And based on your sports medicine consultation, the specialist will work with the massage therapist to ensure the massage address the right areas to support optimal cycling performance.
Off-the-bike fun
If you’re traveling with a non-riding partner, Canyon Ranch is the perfect destination. While you’re out enjoying the full inGamba experience, they will have more than 35 options every day to get out and enjoy all that the resort has to offer, from group hikes and yoga to creative arts, wellness presentations and fitness classes. There is something for everyone waiting for you in Tucson, and we can’t wait to share it with you!
