Last week a SoulCycle Instructor filed a class action suit alleging he and other Instructors were not paid for the extra hours spent in class prep, meetings, marketing, promotion, etc…
Does that sound like anyone you know?
What's proper or legal when it comes work requests, beyond actually teaching your classes, when you're asked by management?
I figured it would be helpful to get an understanding from someone who really understands the law as it applies to wages and pay. So I asked labor and employment Attorney Nick May, who I've worked with in the past, to be a guest on the show to help educate us all.
During the interview Nick raised this point, that I hadn't even considered;
Could the SoulCycle Class Action Lawsuit affect how you are paid in the future as an Indoor Cycling Instructor?
Listen to my interview with Attorney Nick May to learn more.
SoulCycle doesn't offer Indoor Cycling “classes” so much as they offer Indoor Cycling “productions” where the participants (if they choose) are part of the show. Not just as “extras” playing bit parts, but critically important actors and actresses in each SoulCycle performance.
During these 45 minute scripted fitness events, the Instructor's role is split between; Performer, Cheerleader, Coach and lastly as the Director – directing the participants in their parts of the production.
If you missed any of my earlier articles about SoulCycle, you'll find them all here.
Any great musical or theatrical production begins with building anticipation in the audience. The SoulCycle location we visited has what can best be described as a waiting area. A room with multiple benches that's midway between the hall with the lockers and the primary entrance to the studio.
After I got dressed in a very nice locker room, I met Amy in the waiting area. The previous class was just ending and a stream of sweaty, smiling faces flowed out and past us, on their way to shower and change. (Yes they have showers) We chatted with a couple of women regulars (I never miss this class for anything) one told us, while waiting for an indication it was time to go into the studio. My typical experience has been when one class leaves, the next files in right behind. Not here. You could feel and hear the excitement of the 30 or so of us waiting, when a man wearing a SoulCycle shirt walked out of the studio with a handful of rags. He didn't say anything and didn't appear to need to. The group knew it was time for us to go in.
As I described in part #1, SoulCycle understands that details matter. Between classes they have a crew (it looked like three people) go in and clean everything before the next class. Every bike appeared spotless and functioned properly. Each had a clean towel across the handlebars and two clean hand weights in the little holders under the seat.
When we walked in it was obvious that the studio is a very special place. They had the lights were very low, primarily lit by the faux candles on the four corners of the Instructor platform. What was a noisy/chatty group became much quieter as everyone filed in and found their reserved bike, got set up, and climbed aboard. With 60 people in that small space and so much activity going on, I didn't see when Instructor Heather P (Peggs) walked in – but it was obvious once she cued up her music and turned on her mic.
Among friends
Amy and I were two of the three new folks in that class. Heather seemed to know most everyone else in the room, greeting what seemed like dozens by name as she bounced around the room before the start. She must have reviewed her attendance list because she walked over and welcomed us both by first name.
Heather explained that this was her third class of the day and that two of her favorites would be up front demonstrating, while she conducted the entire class off the bike. The cleaning/setup crew had already prepared for this. Before we walked in there were two bikes on the Instructor platform – in my second class there was only one.
Heather P
Intros
In both classes the Instructors introduced themselves and explained a little bit about the ride to come. I was surprised how both Heather and Lindsay B (who taught the second class I took) offered modifications; the need to keep enough resistance on the wheel and suggestions for taking it easy if today wasn't your day. Lindsay made the point several times; “turn it down until you can't feel anything… then add back a half turn. We never ride in here without resistance“.
Note about form. I can't remember when I saw so many people who looked so good on their bikes. And no it wasn't that they are all young females. Nice flat backs, relaxed upper bodies, very smooth pedalling techniques and I didn't see any of the wild, out-of-control crazy stuff I expected to see. Yes there is a lot of 110+ RPM in these classes – and it looked very controlled.
My idea, and it's only based on observing two classes, is that there's a lot of peer pressure between riders to look good on the bike. They know they're part of the “show” and do their best to look the part.
If you ride in a group outdoors, you've probably experienced the same peer pressure to look good – that's why many men shave their legs 🙂
I've taken this class before
Both classes I rode started exactly on time and followed the same basic profile. I wasn't keeping track of time so I don't have any specific segment lengths. Actually I didn't watch the time on purpose. I wanted to know; how long did the class feel? It felt like it zipped by very quickly. Amy felt it was short – she normally teaches 60 minute classes.
The class profile was something like this:
Standing warm up, with cues to add load over ~ 10 minutes
Transition to a climb with a lot of push ups and jumps
Lather, rinse, repeat
Weight segment
Inspiration/reflection time
Big finish
Stretch and transition
Key Detail: These Instructors know their music exactly and teach to it very effectively. Both exhibited Group Fitness backgrounds, giving us helpful 8 count – countdowns, that always ended right with the phrasing of the music.
I was very impressed by both Heather's and Lindsay's professionalism in the way they conducted their classes. NOTE: with the one exception that Lindsay used music (hip hop) that had a lot of profanity in it and swore herself on occasion. It's not for me, but the guy with the gauges and sleeves riding next to me said he never misses her class. Throughout class they both discussed and encouraged proper form. During the weight segments we were instructed to add a bunch of load and sit up straight and tall. It was also suggested that we stop pedalling. Most slowly rolled their legs during this part.
Is there purpose to all of these extraneous movements?
Critics of SoulCycle (and similar) classes point to how non-cycling specific movements; jumps, push ups/rhythm presses, “tap-backs”, figure eights, etc… have no proven training value and/or diminish the potential training value of riding an Indoor Cycle… like an Outdoor Cyclist would. For those reasons, along with perceptions the some of these movements may be potentially dangerous, we're told we should not include these movements in our classes as they're “Contraindicated”.
Based on what I saw at SoulCycle (and other similar classes I've taken) my feeling is that critics are completely missing the point. IMO these movements are a critical part to the appeal of these classes. It is a thing of beauty, watching a room full of people exactly on the beat and rising and falling in unison. I've heard this described as “tribal” behaviour, similar to fans doing the ‘wave' at a sporting event. It's a very powerful way to connect a group of people together. And at the same time, these jumps are very challenging to perform correctly – which I feel is another reason for the success of SoulCycle that I explained in this post.
Soultime
I found this element of each class interesting. After the weight segment, both Heather and Lindsay turned down the lights and described overcoming a challenge in their personal lives. Playing some trance like music, Heather explained how this week marked the five year anniversary of her sobriety and how appreciative she was of the support she'd received from SoulCycle and all of her regulars.
Lindsay did something a little different. She invited a man to ride her Instructor bike. Then described how she had lost her voice for 10 days and couldn't teach. She then put her arm around the man and explaining how he was the doctor who helped cure her vocal paralysis.
Both short speeches ended with loud applause.
This then segued into a time where we were all asked to reflect on some personal challenge of our own. We rode in near total darkness for a few minutes with just the music. From here the intensity built in a way to communicate how we could overcome whatever it was – leading into a final big effort to finish the class.
Closing time
Each class includes a three minute stretch/cooldown. How do I know it was three minutes? They both said so in their closing. With everything else tightly scripted, I'm guessing the class ended exactly on time. Here's where these Instructors diverged a little; after each did hamstring and lower back stretches while on the bike, Heather did most of her stretches off the bike. Lindsay did all of her's on the bike.
After we were told their upcoming class times and locations (there are 6 SoulCycles around the LA area and they both teach at multiple locations) we were thanked and encouraged to leave quickly. This may explain what didn't happen. I've been in classes like these where the “groupies” flock to the Instructors after class. I observed both pretty much alone after the immediate end of class. This gave me and Amy a chance to say hello to Heather and tell her that we were visiting instructors. She said she appreciated us being there and asked if we would be attending other classes while we were in town.
Overall impression of SoulCycle
In case I haven't effectively communicated it here, Amy and I were very impressed by our experiences at SoulCycle. I participated in two classes, led by true professional Indoor Cycling Instructors who understand what their participants want from a class and they both delivered it.
With the exception of the horrible music (I hate Hip Hop) Lindsay played in the beginning of her class (she did win me over during her weight segment as she went around cuing proper form to multiple individuals), I didn't see anything that wasn't near perfect in the delivery of this experience.
Final note: I appreciate the 20 or so emails and Facebook PM's I received about part #1 – my preference would be that you leave your remarks as comments to this post. But if you're concerned about publicly expressing your views, your email or PM is still appreciated.
No stunt is too dangerous for extreme motocross competitions.
What caused the SoulCycle phenomenon? Why are their riders so passionate, loyal and willing to spend $34 dollars a class, when clubs and studios had been offering Indoor Cycling classes for 10 or more years – long before SoulCycle's launch in 2007? The research done (and reported here) by future studio owner Callie Bowling finds Cycling Studios that are offering class formats similar SoulCycle's appear to be doing well, but studio startups following traditional / cycling specific formats are struggling. Sadly many have already closed. Why?
One plausible explanation is that for a long time now, Indoor Cycling has been too focused on the negatives, “don't do this [contraindicated] … and don't do that [contraindicated]” while at the same time asserting rules and restrictions on the sport, [if you don't do it outside…]. Now I get that the intent here has been to try and ensure our rider's safety, butcould all of these rules/limitations/contraindications be causing unintended consequences?
My theory
So let me throw out a possible theory for you to consider. NOTE: my intent here at ICI/PRO is never to tell you what to think… you're too smart for that. Rather, my hope is that you thoughtfully consider what's written and come to your own conclusions.
Is it possible that people are turning to SoulCycle classes, for reasons similar to the rise in popularity of Extreme Sports?
Growing up in the late 60's and 70's there were no “Extreme Sports” – although I should probably be dead based on how much danger I was exposed to daily. That is, I enjoyed a lot of freedom as a kid – if you're of a similar age, I'll bet this was the same for you. We spent summer days in the suburbs pretty much unsupervised. Neither my mom, summer sitter, or my neighborhood friend's moms, knew where we were most of the day. We did pretty much whatever we wanted and created our own play. We got everyone together for pickup games of all types daily. Yes we got in trouble on occasion. Yes we got hurt a few times, doing dumb things like falling out of trees we shouldn't have climbed, crashing our mini-bikes without wearing a helmet, etc. We survived. Sure we had youth sports (little league baseball and football) but there was very little parental involvement. I rode my bike to practices/games and, with the exception of my grandmother who seemed to attend every game, my parents were rarely involved in my play while I was growing up.
Everything was different for my two daughters and kids across America, growing up in the 1990's. Amy and I parented like every other parent our age. We knew where our kids were pretty much every minute of the day. “Play time” was often initiated, structured and supervised by us. Why? Because we wanted to ensure our kids safety, based on concerns that I now see were really overblown.
Organised youth sports (soccer and later softball) started at age 5. Games and practices were religiously attended by both parents. I coached both my girls until they were teenagers. As a youth sports coach, I had first hand knowledge (very intense phone calls and on-field conversations) of how incredibly involved and controlling some parents were in their daughters lives.
Thankfully, Amy and I recognised the negative impact our actions were/or could have on our girls and we backed way off. For many who didn't, all of that parental supervision and control didn't end well. Multiple friends of my daughters quit sports completely, having been burnt out by excessive amounts of structured practice. These kids just wanted to play and have fun. But their parents never gave them the chance.
What should have been enjoyable, playtime activities with friends, became joyless, purposeful, objective driven work. And a lot of kids grew to hated it.
The problem isn't limited to moms and dads. Schools, for a multitude of reasons*, have imposed restrictions and limitations on “play time” during recess to the point where it's hard to believe you actually could have fun. Don't believe me? Try teaching your five year old to follow all these playground rules I found for an elementary school in California. After reading through the very detailed list of playground rules, I'm thinking I would give up and just instruct my child to sit quietly on his hands 🙁 Here's how the list of rules begins:
Playground Rules
Play Structure
Play with SAFETY in mind at all times. Students are always to walk in the playground equipment area. Those running will be removed from the area. No tag games are allowed in the playground area.
Swings: * Students sit on swings facing the field area
* Students can swing to a count of 50
(1 swing consists of a forward and backward motion)
* Students wait behind the green pole to take turns on the swing
* Students should never be allowed to jump over the swing seats, twist swings, or
stand on swings
* Students must swing independently. No pushing from a friend!
Enter Extreme Sports
It no secrete that youth have a tendency to rebel against authority. Sociologists have figured out that many young adults are acting out their rebellion at the parental and societal intrusion on their play, by participating in Extreme Sports. Now, instead of climbing trees, doing an oly-under while pushing your friend on a swing and occasionally sneaking out at night as kids, we have people jumping off buildings and doing flips with motocross bikes 🙂
I did some research and I found a book that you can read at this link; The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction. The author makes a compelling argument > Extreme Sports are in fact a response to the excessive structure imposed on children's play.
Excerpt from The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction – page 53
Many sports have become so rule-oriented that people have sought alternatives to “traditional” sports.
So, are people flocking to SoulCycle because it's the alternative to rule intensive Indoor Cycling programs? I believe in part they are. After taking a few SoulCycle classes last fall, I wrote a series of reviews that you can find here, here and here > opens in new tabs. I came away thinking that part of the appeal of SoulCycle is that the class is very challenging physically – and I don't mean just cardiovascularly…
Is there purpose to all of these extraneous movements?
Critics of SoulCycle (and similar) classes point to how non-cycling specific movements; jumps, push ups/rhythm presses, “tap-backs”, figure eights, etc… have no proven training value and/or diminish the potential training value of riding an Indoor Cycle… like an Outdoor Cyclist would. For those reasons, along with perceptions the some of these movements may be potentially dangerous, we’re told we should not include these movements in our classes as they’re “Contraindicated”.
Based on what I saw at SoulCycle (and other similar classes I’ve taken) my feeling is that critics are completely missing the point. IMO these movements are a critical part to the appeal of these classes. It is a thing of beauty, watching a room full of people exactly on the beat and rising and falling in unison. I’ve heard this described as “tribal” behaviour, similar to fans doing the ‘wave’ at a sporting event. It’s a very powerful way to connect a group of people together. And at the same time, these jumps are very challenging to perform correctly — which I feel is another reason for the success of SoulCycle that I explained in this post.
In case you're wondering, what started my thought process here was a provocative post from CB Cycle Barn's Owner Karen Casler. She made a statement, by way of the below image, in this post at the Indoor Cycling Instructors Facebook group. You might be interested in reading the 100+ comments, including mine near the end where this theory first popped into my head.
Are you an independent thinker when it comes to conducting a fun, effective, entertaining and motivating Indoor Cycling class? If so please consider joining us here as an ICI/PRO memberwhereeveryone is welcome — no matter where, our how, you choose to teach!
*Yes, I agree that there are a lot of legal liability issues that drive institutional decisions. It's just that I've talked to too many school administrators, who's personal interest in “protecting the children” seemed more important than whether or not the kids will actually have any fun.
I woke up one morning thinking; the appeal of SoulCycle to women is eerily similar to golf's appeal to men.
Amy and I rode a class at SoulCycle in Santa Monica, CA. I was working on a few posts about our experiences that I hope to have finished by tomorrow. But this observation needed to be in a post all its own… and begins with this question?
Why is SoulCycle so appealing to women?
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The class I took yesterday had about 60 people in it – I forgot to count the exact number of bikes. I was one of two men (lucky us!) and the age spread of the women there was 18 – 50, heavily biased to 30 and under. Now I get how the demographics of all group fitness classes are primarily women, but there is obviously some extra special attraction between SoulCycle and the women who flock to these classes.
I'm not a “golfer” in the same sense that I am a “cyclist”, but I have played enough to understand the game and the appeal it has with men. I'm also not a women. So please let me know if any of what follows sounds plausible – or if I'm totally out in left field.
SoulCycle is challenging… just like golf.
I was asked a question on Facebook about “did you do all the moves John?” I certainly tried, but keeping my cadence in time with the tempo of the music, while doing 4 & 8 count jumps was really challenging. I left the class thinking; “I can do better than that”… and then considered coming back later in the week to try again.
Golf is exactly the same. If you're not so frustrated by the end of the game that you commit to quitting for life, you are very motivated to return to prove to yourself (and the people you play with) that you can do better.
Said differently: How popular would golf be, if every swing resulted in a hole-in-one? That would be pretty boring, right? Who would bother to play a game where you're always successful? I suppose you could make the game more challenging by racing your foursome between the holes, or only play on hilly courses, or walk taking slow really big (or quick super small) steps to add variety. Maybe you could turn the game into something more like polo, using bicycles instead of horses.
Does any of that sound familiar? Part of SoulCycle's appeal is that the class itself is challenging to perform well. It's my guess that mastering all the movements is very gratifying – just as learning to hit and place a golf ball exactly where you want it.
SoulCycle is social… just like golf.
This is obvious.
SoulCycle is exclusive… just like golf.
‘Where are you playing this weekend?” I hear that asked frequently in the locker room where I teach. It's an exclusive club and many of our members are quite well to do. I'm not thinking that any of them would want to respond with; “we're playing the town course”, but rather stand up straight and tall, smile and respond with the name of one of the private golf courses in our area.
SoulCycle is a form of exercise… just like golf.
Play an 18 hole round of golf and you'll walk 4-6 miles. Is walking that far a good form of exercise? Sure it is. Is it the best form of exercise? No/maybe/yes/who's to judge. How about swinging the clubs 100 or more times during a round… will that help you increase your strength? Yes – and the muscle stiffness you feel over the next few days is an indication of the training effect. But is that the best way to increase strength? Again no/maybe/yes/who's to judge?
Is a SoulCycle class exercise? Yes. Do those exercises you do with the little hand weights increase strength? Maybe. Certainly they're not the best way to gain strength, but are they really any different from swinging a 9 iron – for the man whose only form of exercise is his week golf game?
SoulCycle is expensive… just like golf – see where I'm going with this?
SoulCycle classes at $34.00 a pop, are a bargain compared to many exclusive golf courses who charge $200 – $1,000 a round. People like to treat themselves to nice things – especially those people who work hard and can afford either of these two forms of exercise.
Golf has all kinds of expensive gear and clothing – and a quick check of the clothing displayed showed me SoulCycle does too.[/wlm_private]
Amy and I met Shirley (a former homecoming queen) after class. She told us how she had lost 65 lbs in advance of her reunion by taking 5 -6 SoulCycle classes each week. I didn't ask, but got the sense that she was a professional of some type and wasn't financially challenged by the cost of classes there. Shirley said she will normally do a triple on Sundays and based on how hard I saw her work in class – the girl could be an animal on the road.
Over the last couple of days I've remembered a few points that didn't make it into either part 1 or part 2 of my SoulCycle articles that I wanted to share today.
3 pound hand weights can get really heavy
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I failed to complete part of the weight segment in the first class. I'm not kidding 🙁 Amy was right there next to me when I was unable to finish (I can't remember exactly what exercise) and had to drop my arms and rest, before I was able to continue. I didn't pick them myself, those little 3 pound weights were already there on the bike for me – given the chance I would probably grabbed something larger.
Our Instructor (Heather) had us with a lot of load on the flywheel and sitting up straight and tall. We went through multiple, high repetition series of shoulder, bicep and tricep exercises. I'd guess it was 5 or so minutes total and I worked to failure of my shoulder muscles before the end.
Something to consider…
But you can't gain strength with those little weights! That's what I've heard expressed by multiple “experts” that light weight/high repetition exercise has no value. I was discussing this with a former SoulCycle Instructor and his response to me was along the lines of; wait… so riding a bicycle has no value either? Isn't the act of pedalling a bicycle, with its high repetition and relatively low force, exactly the same as what we are doing with small weights in class? Why would one be “good” and the other “bad”?
The fact is that many women don't want to build muscular size – they only want to tone their upper body and rarely go near a weight room. SoulCycle obviously understands this = that's why they offer these exercises. Poke your head into any Group Fitness “Sculpt” class and you'll see a room full of women using similar sized weights – often while sitting on something unstable, like a Bosu or exercise ball.
They know their music… I mean REALLY KNOW THEIR MUSIC!
Yes, I mentioned this in the original article > When I compare how well both SoulCycle Instructors knew their music, as compared to my rather A.D.D. (feeling the need for something new every week) approach, I'm thinking I have a lot to learn here. In both classes it was uncanny how each Instructor was able to pre-cue every significant change in the music > or at least it seemed that way. The net effect was powerful and very impressive 🙂
Question: what, exactly, is wrong with using the same playlist for multiple classes? In the pre-digital music days, I watched Amy painstakingly create cassette tape playlists. She would use each for a month or more and then recycle her favorites months later. After a few classes she would know the ebb and flow of each song perfectly + what track was to follow. My (and maybe your) need to deliver new music every week (or class?) has me scanning my iPhone or crib sheet for what's coming next > is this a climb or a fast flat? What's going to follow? Does your class really need new music every week? Or is that just an insecurity of yours… one you'll need to get over? [/wlm_private]
This was surprising to me John!
I received a bunch of emails and read multiple Facebook comments, all expressing the same basic sentiments; your observations are the exact opposite from what I've heard others say about SoulCycle. Why haven't I heard this perspective before?
Good question!
Why do you think much of what you've read/heard about SoulCycle is negative? I have my ideas, but I prefer to hear yours below >
Are you an independent thinker when it comes to conducting an effective, entertaining and motivating Indoor Cycling class? If so please consider joining us here as an ICI/PRO memberwhereeveryone is welcome – no matter where, our how, you choose to teach!
