After 37 years of waiting we finally have another Triple Crown Winner. I love horse racing, the beauty, the grace and the power of these animals is intoxicating. Over the last 37 years there have been many horses that have won 2 of the 3 Triple Crown races, but they have no one has been able to pull off the trifecta. The fact that so few horses have been able to win this coveted award is what makes this year's Triple Crown winner, American Pharaoh, so special and I've decided to immortalize this year's event in a cycling video.
I'm lucky enough to teach at many different facilities and all but one of them have bikes with power. The beauty of power is that every interval can be turned into a race. You can compete against your FTP (Functional Threshold Power), your previous interval's average wattage or just about anything you, as the instructor, can dream up. The first two Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, take about 2 minutes for the horses to complete and the third race, the Belmont, is a bit longer and takes about 2 minutes and 30 seconds to finish. These 3 races fit perfectly into a 3 interval set. For the first interval I have my participants ride to the Kentucky Derby video which takes 2 minutes and 3 seconds to complete. At the end of this first race participants get a 30 second recovery, I also have them take note of their average wattage. For the second race, the Preakness, which will take 1 minute and 58 seconds to complete I ask my riders to beat their average Derby wattage by at least 1 watt. The Preakness is followed by another 30 second recovery. Now it's time for the Belmont and a chance to win The Triple Crown. This race is going to take 2 minutes and 26 seconds. I tell my class that if they can complete the Belmont with the same average wattage that was ridden for the Preakness they will be the Triple Crown Champion.
Now let the races begin!
Check out my Triple Crown Video with embedded soundtrack
Two Recordings of Me teaching this profile on the Stages SC3 IC Bike
June 14th, 2016 Class Recording.
June 17th,2016 Class Recording
65 minute “Play it and Forget it” harmonically mixed music set that was used for the June 14th,2016 recording. This mix was featured in a previous post. You can check it out by clicking here.
If you have not downloaded the VismoX app yet, what are you waiting for? This app takes these profiles to the next level of understanding power and your body's reaction to it.
Below, Premium Members can follow links to download all the above media, view and download a printable Class Profile that can be used in class, read a detailed description of the Power Based Training Zones and download a printable Power Postcard.
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Over the last 2 years I've been performing a FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test on the first Thursday and Friday of every month in every facility I teach in that has bikes with power. I have yet to have anyone complain or comment that I test too often or that the 20 minute FTP effort is too hard. What I have been told is how much people like knowing their threshold numbers and how much they enjoy the challenge of the test.
Last week I was involved in a conversation on Facebook where some indoor cycling instructors were discussing various ways to estimate FTP with their class. My response was “Why estimate it when you can perform a REAL test and get some REAL FTP numbers?”. Some of the responses I got back were that the test is “too hard”, “too long”, “too complicated”, “newbies might get scared away”, or “some people just want to ride and not focus on numbers”. I was, quite frankly, shocked by the lack of confidence these instructors had in their class participants. If we, as instructors, don't have the confidence that our riders are strong, tough and smart enough to handle and understand the benefits of a FTP test, this doubt will quickly turn into a self-fullfiliing prophecy and class participants will never reach their full potential.
I believe the best instructors don't only know the science of exercise physiology but are also masters of physicology and expert motivators. It is our job to show each and every rider the respect they deserve by having the faith that they are capable of completing any physical task we ask of them. I am in constant awe of what my riders are capable of, they impress me every day, but amaze me on FTP days.
Bikes with power are becoming the norm in most indoor cycling facilities. This new technology will keep riding a bike that goes nowhere in the forefront of group exercise for years to come. If your facility is going to invest in these state of the art bikes, instructors and facility mangers should program regular FTP tests so they can be used to their fullest capabilities and riders can be aware of their current fitness levels, set up proper training zones and track improvement over time. The use of power can be a bit confusing at first, but after performing a FTP test most riders quickly gain an understanding of their maximum sustainable intensity or threshold wattage.
Believe in your students and they will surprise you, doubt your students and they will affirm you.
Here are some links to articles I have written about FTP and Threshold over the years. My testing profile may have changed slightly but the science is still the same.
Full articles are only available to ICI/Pro members.
Hi, my name is Dennis Mellon and I'm an indoor cycling instructor. Yes, I need help! There are so many random thoughts that race through my brain while sitting on the instructor bike, I need a place to LET THEM OUT! I've learned, years ago, that the microphone is not always the best place to share these musings.
I have decided to start a new post series of the the various thoughts, ideas, dreams and rants that come to mind while on the instructor bike. Some of these posts will be incredibly positive, but some won't. Some will be funny, some will not. Some of these thoughts will turn into longer more informative posts, some will be short and sweet or maybe sour.
If you need a safe place to share or maybe vent feel free to add to the conversation in the comments field or, if you would like, send me your thought, idea or rant in an email at dennismellon.com and I'll create a post just for you.
Ok, let's see you this goes, it's already feeling like a therapy session for me.
I love group display systems. I mean I really really really love group display systems. Systems like Performance IQ and My Zone make classes so much more interactive and they magically make participants work so much harder AND smarter.
I teach at multiple locations in the Denver area and two of them use group display systems. One, just recently, launched Stages IQ which is Stages Indoor Cycling's version of Performance IQ and the other has been using My Zone for about 6 months. Stages IQ uses the power meter that is on every bike in the cycling studio. My Zone picks up the heart rate that is transmitted from the proprietary My Zone chest strap. When I teach a class with Stages IQ EVERYONE in the class can be part of the group display system. When I teach a My Zone class ONLY those who have purchased the MY Zone chest strap can enjoy the group display system.
The energy felt in the studio using Stages IQ is infectious as EVERYONE is working for a common goal and can see if they are successfully achieving that goal. The energy in the My Zone studio is not the same because, on a good day, only 25% of the participants may have the necessary MY Zone chest strap to see their heart rate on the group display system.
I have been working in the fitness industry for 25 years and heart rate based group exercise classes have NEVER been successful because the only way to ensure everyone's compliance is to “loan out” heart rate monitors and this becomes a very time consuming and expensive proposition, this also goes without saying that there are far better ways to determine intensity like power and pace.
If you are looking into a group display system and you want 100% compliance with the system you need to provide members with EVERYTHING to use the system. If they are required to purchase their own hardware or do more than simply sign up for the class they will not do it and your investment will have been wasted.
