by Barbara | Feb 6, 2013 | Music
Sorry, wrong type of cycling track.
Cycling music is like none other — it has nutritional value and feeds your soul. But it takes time and effort to find extraordinary tracks, and instructors often become stagnant, relying on the same music they taught years ago.
Back by popular demand, ICI/PRO is collecting a list of your favorite tracks for 2013! While all the songs may not represent your style of teaching, I encourage you to learn the “language” of a different genre — be it the sheer intensity of an instrumental, the verbal play and urban rootedness of mainstream hip-hop, or the beautiful vocals of new Indie artists. In the words of Frank Zappa, “Your mind is like a parachute….it works best when open.”
Join the party and post your favorite track! Click here to subscribe at our free PRO-Visitor level and add your's below.
Feel free to incorporate tips on how you teach each song, including terrain, rpm’s or inspirational cues. As a subscriber to the ICI/PRO newsletter, you’ll receive this highly coveted list once the tracks are compiled and alphabetized. And for you Spotify fans, we'll create a playlist just for you.
Below are 3 of my favorites — Enjoy!
Jaytech/Steve Smith — Stranger (Kyau and Albert Remix)
Beautiful piano just before midpoint is perfect teaching moment…buildup…add gear until legs begin to bog down then powerful standing climb for remainder of song.
Sultan & Ned Shepard featuring Sia/Usher/Martin Solveig — Walls (3LAU Vocal Edit)
Uplifting finish line track with two 30-sec intervals/sprints
I'm not sure if this is the correct version, but it's pretty good – John
ATB – Believe in Me (A&T Remix)
These and more are compiled on our 404 Top Indoor Cycling Tracks list. Grab it by joining as a free PRO-Visitor ICI/PRO Member.
by Barbara | Feb 17, 2012 | Music
The BEST 404 SONGS of 2011
The year’s most magnificent music
Indoor Cycle Design and ICI/PRO have joined forces to present the most unforgettable teaching songs AND a link to download them in Spotify or Itunes! From veteran artists to talented newbies, this world-class list represents the most diverse tracks in the history of IndoorCycleInstructor.com!
Watch your email inbox for a link to the new list. Not receiving our FREE weekly newsletter? You can signup here and instantly receive a copy of this fabulous list that is sure to please your students.
ICI/PRO Members can get the Spotify list here.
While music is important to the success of your class, an innovative indoor cycling environment is critical to sustained growth. Indoor Cycle Design offers a wide range of scales from small boutique studios to corporate and franchised programs. An advocate for sustainable design, we bring a rich knowledge of indoor cycling to each program and work with the best names in the business to create beautifully functional studios where students can train to their full potential and empower their lives.
For more information about creating the perfect Studio visit www.indoorcycledesign.com
by Barbara | Dec 16, 2011 | Music
ICI/PRO’s annual GIFT OF MUSIC is being created RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW and we need your help!
Simply post the best songs you taught in 2011. List as many as you wish…there are no rules, no limits, no boundaries. Everyone on the email newsletter will receive an alphabetized compilation and a One Click Spotify playlist as our way of saying “Thank You” for your loyalty, dedication and inspiration.
Or add your favorites directly to the[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge'] Spotify list
To get things started, check out my first 10 songs on our Greatest Hits list.
Links go to Spotify so you can sample each track.
Underworld — Diamond Jigsaw
Syntax – Pride
ATB — Desperate Religion (Original Mix)
Metric — Gold, Guns, Girls
O Saya (iSweat Dance Mix)
Paul Oakenfold & Cee Lo — Falling
Depeche Mode – World in My Eyes (Cicada Mix)
Robert Miles — Children (Eiffel 65 Club Mix)
Gary Go — Wonderful
Hybrid – Salt[/wlm_private]
by Barbara | Oct 25, 2011 | Engage Your Students, Instructor Training
The power of presentation is important in every industry, from food to fashion, and learning to present your rides with fresh, creative cues is a skill all instructors should desire. Powerful verbal coaching exudes passion, encouragement and inspiration, and well developed cues help students find the inner voice that keeps them loyal and coming back for more.
The most valuable teaching tool I possess is not my collection of music, but rather a faded, well-traveled, leather bound book filled with hundreds of quotes that have shaped the lives of students worldwide. I’m pleased to share a few of my favorites as we launch a new feature at ICI/PRO dedicated entirely to the art of cuing.
However, we need your help! Join the post and add your own killer cues along with when/how to use them: Warm Up, Strength/Power, Hills, Flats, Encouragement, etc. Together we’ll create an unparalleled source for world’s best cue book.
WARM UP
Hold the bar as if it were something or someone you care about very deeply. Respect your machine — this is your vehicle to fitness
Feel the inertia of the flywheel; unencumbered
Your mind is a clean slate; you’re a blank page riding. Let your body heat up and notice you feel light — floating — effortless; comfortable.
Feel relaxed in your joints and muscles. Enjoy the simple act of pedaling…You know you’re maturing when you can appreciate rolling legs. This is you being comfortable with your body.
You are simmering before the boil.
Patience…be careful what you wish for…..
FLATS
Feel a good, strong flat road but don’t rest; I want you to breathe, taste, smell this ride…….and understand.
There is no deviation; no stalling; perfectly symmetrical and everything is unified.
Add a layer of resistance and put the road on steroids.
HILLS AND STRENGTH
There is treacherous terrain ahead and we are heading to the dark side. The walls will feel as if they’re closing in on you and you can’t find the floor. There is no escape. It’s hard to breathe. Are you afraid to take your body to a place that has no boundaries?
What’s about to happen isn’t pretty….you may shudder. You may tremble……you might even whimper like a little baby girl.
Feel the change in your body as things are heating up now. Get ready to lay down a layer of resistance that makes your body say, “what was THAT?”
If this isn’t a hill for you, then don’t let me hold you back. I CAN’T RIDE THIS FOR YOU…
Do you have the feeling of euphoria? That means you’re on a hill….and if you’re on a hill, why not make it a bigger hill…..so in plain English…just add another gear.
Visualize a treadmill….keep your pace steady, but imagine the incline is increasing. Five changes in the incline are ahead.
EMPOWERMENT
You chose today to do what others won’t so tomorrow you’ll what they can’t.
It’s time to kick in the turbo. This will be your defining moment.
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking….so if you’ve been holding back…ask yourself why? Why are you afraid to take your body to another level?
You can’t exceed your wildest expectation if you don’t even have a wild expectation…what is yours?
Today I want you to pass the limits you’ve put on yourself. You are stronger and faster than you ever imagined.
Where do you go inside of yourself when you need to get tough, when you need a little more to finish what you started? You need to make your way to that sacred place because we’re getting close to finishing what we started.
RECOVERY
Feel the recovery as it fuels your body. This is a gift, so I’d take it whether you need it or not.
Use the tools of oxygen and hydration to saturate yourself in this pool of recovery.
by Barbara | Jul 5, 2011 | Barbara Hoots, Promote and Build Your Class
The dog days of summer are here with a vengeance, and your classes may be showing the wear and tear of hot weather. But there is no reason why your studio can’t be a riot of activity in spite of the heat. Consider these six easy perk-ups to generate new energy and unstoppable momentum.
“Featured Artists” Spin® Off
ICI/PRO Member Nina Israel asked me to create a mixtape featuring music by Prince and Michael Jackson to help launch a new studio. Because her idea was so awesome, I offered the same ride at my own facility and even included classic YouTube video performances prior to the ride. Who can forget Michael Jackson’s Moon Walk? A few creative posters promoted the event, and many students arrived an hour before class to secure a bike. Not a fan of Michael or Prince? Select your own artist showdown: Zeppelin vs. Rolling Stones, 70’s vs. 90s’, Akon vs. Usher, Divas vs. Degenerates, etc.
Cycle 101
Promote weekly intro classes to recruit new students. Bonding with other newbies creates a fraternity, and students feel comfortable knowing they have a buddy system for encouragement and accountability. Offer a “graduation” incentive after attending six Cycle 101 classes: a logo water bottle, towel, bumper sticker or tee shirt.
Spruce Up Your Studio
Let’s be honest. Does your facility look the same as it did last summer? No wonder your class attendance has slumped! Momentum must be created and sustained continually in order to foster growth. You’ve talked for years about updating your studio — now is the time.
Guest Instructors
In a rut? When was the last time your club brought in a guest instructor to motivate and inspire both students and teachers? Generate a buzz and create excitement when you hype up a guest appearance. Reach beyond your comfort zone and invite a motivating instructor to teach a few rides at your studio. Works like a charm.
Monday Night Lights
Beg, borrow, rent or purchase some nightclub-quality LED lights. Just plug them in around the room to create a visually stimulating light show every Monday night during the summer. You can easily transform an average class into a spectacle of lights and sound. American DJ lights are affordable and simple to install.
We’re Going Out!
Teens and college kids home for summer are an enormous untapped market. My studio added a Friday evening “We’re Going Out” ride with music and instruction designed for the “Under-25 Crowd.” Instructors invited their friends to attend using Facebook and free passes. Those friends soon became members, and now they are an integral part of our cycling family.
What idea would you like to share?
