My Monday morning (5:45 am) classes are always a JRA Endurance ride. My class looks forward to them as a foundational part of their weekly training. The combination of plenty of caffeine + a steady Aerobic effort gets the old brain cells working and the creative juices flowing. This past Monday was no exception and I found myself considering the state of Indoor Cycling and it's potential for the future. What started as an appreciation of the room and all my loyal students slowly morphed into a mental list of reasons Indoor Cycling is here to stay - and probably destined to continue to grow 🙂

I tried to come up with a top ten, but fell a few short. Perhaps you can suggest a few more?

• Winters (here in Minnesota and in many other parts of the world) are getting colder and longer, driving everyone inside and keeping them there.
• We've got the demographics on our side. My participants seem to be are getting older. Many tell me that Cycling is the only thing they can continue to do with the joint problems they deal with daily.
• These older participants are looking for two things from a class; help maintaining their body weight and hopefully stave off the aging effects of each new year. Vanity, in my opinion, is the number one motivator for many in your class. Are you speaking to it?
• You can't turn on the TV without seeing some Fitness Program like P90x being advertised. Our general population is obese, and getting more so. They don't like it (see #3) and many are looking for a fun way to get thinner, err... healthier 🙂
• Small Indoor Cycling Studios are popping up everywhere offering high quality, low financial commitment alternatives to traditional health clubs. I see these new studios following a parallel path that boutique Yoga/Pilates studios use. They appear to numerous and profitable.
• I see society contracting inward, with the Internet allowing for the creation of very specific communities of like minded people - like ours here at ICI/PRO 🙂 I'm watching Life Time Fitness attempt to adapt to this by offering "Clubs within a Club" like their Cycle Club, Run Club, Triathlon Club,etc...
• Indoor Cycling 2.0 is becoming a reality as more clubs invest in the new Indoor Cycles with Power from Keiser, Schwinn, Cycle Ops, FreeMotion and the new Spinner NXT with power.
• The introduction of Power measurement will dispel the "I burned 700 calories today" lie that so many in our industry continue to tell. I predict that many in your club will hate knowing the truth; that you can't sit in class and talk to your neighbor for an hour, while barely getting warm and burn a substantial amount of energy. But many will learn the truth and accept it. Sure at first they maybe angry, but that anger will subside ... and possibly change to a renewed source of focused intensity that will have them achieving their goals (see #3) ... maybe for the very first time. When that happens they will be back, and they will bring their friends.

Yep, the future looks bright.

John

Originally posted 2011-03-31 09:00:00.

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John

Host of the Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast - the #1 Internet radio show for and about Spinning / Indoor Cycling Instructors and Cycling Studio owners.
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.

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