by Jennifer Lintz | Oct 2, 2017 | Engage Your Students, Instructor Training
By Jennifer Lintz, Registered Dietitian and ICI/PRO Member Soigneur
One of my colleagues recently asked me if I ever feel like a broken record on the instructor bike. Of course! I have definitely fallen into ruts where I find myself using the same cues over and over. In a class where variety of all kinds is important, it can be challenging to be clear and motivating without relying on the same words and phrases class after class. I do think it is possible to keep our word choices fresh and new, but it requires effort. Here are a few of my thoughts on how to give your cues a makeover if you ever feel like you're in repeat mode.
1. Become self-aware. If you don't realize that you say the same cue 12 times in an hour-long class, you probably won't see the need to do anything about it. The next time you teach, pay attention to your word choices. Make a mental note of anything you catch yourself saying multiple times. You might even record yourself to get a more complete picture of your teaching lingo and speaking habits.
2. Ask: “Is there another way?” Once you identify your go-to phrases, start brainstorming other ways to communicate a similar message. If you catch yourself saying “Push it!” multiple times in a class, jot down other ways you could ask participants to give a little more effort. Here are a few examples that might get your wheels turning:
“Show me what you have left.”
“Can you add more resistance?”
“For the next 30 seconds, I am giving you permission to get uncomfortable.”
3. Ride on your own. Cycling for personal enjoyment — and not on the clock — gives us a chance to see and feel things from our students' perspectives. When we go breathless at the end of a time trial or struggle up a seemingly unending hill, we become better able to coach those same scenarios to our students. If you ride up a hill so steep that makes you want to get off your bike and walk – but you don't – use that same language when talking your students up a long climb.
4. Share personal stories. Real-life examples are a great way to break up the monotony of the same old cues. I remember riding with my husband this summer and thinking “Man, he is way ahead of me. But, then again, he is usually ahead of me.” And then I realized “This isn't very difficult. I could probably get closer to him if I work harder.” Sure enough, I was able to catch up to him; I just needed a little kick in the pants. A few days later, I shared that story with my class as a reminder that, while our comfort zone is usually pretty cozy, we may be impressed with our abilities if we are willing to step out of it.
Making friends with a thesaurus is also never a bad idea :-). What techniques do you use to spice up your coaching?
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by Jennifer Lintz | Jul 26, 2014 | Class Work-Sets, Engage Your Students
By Jennifer Lintz, Registered Dietitian and ICI/PRO Contributor
If you strive to bring variety to your classes, consider using your personal workouts for inspiration. Certainly, going to other instructors' classes and perusing the web can be a great way to pick up new ideas, but so can your own workouts. I run quite a bit when I'm not on the bike and have found it to be a gold mine for fresh routines, coaching cues, and new music.
Fresh Routines
Whether you swim, bike, run, row, do the elliptical or something else on your own for cardio, you can likely pull bits and pieces into your classes. Here are some examples.
Speed Workouts: These provide plenty of options for a ride. Whether I am doing 200s, 400s, or mile repeats, I can apply some of the same time frames and techniques to cycle. For instance, if I was doing timed miles, that might look like 3 long (6-10 minutes) efforts spaced throughout a cycle class. For shorter bursts of hard effort, I might take a sandwich approach and squeeze in 8-10 minutes of high intensity intervals at the beginning and end of the ride, or perhaps just the middle. There are many ways to create an interval-based ride.
Hills: After doing a hilly run or ride, I'm instantly armed with great content for my next class. Here are some ideas:
– Pyramid of Hills: Start and finish with short hills and build a longer hill in between.
– Progressive Hills: Make each hill either progressively longer at the same intensity or progressively harder for the same amount of time.
– Hill Sandwich: Do flat roads at the beginning and end of class with a long hill in the middle.
– Flat Sandwich: Do hills at the beginning and end of the ride and a flat road in between.
Other Ideas:
– Tempo Ride: Begin at a very comfortable intensity, progress to more challenging work in the middle and end of the ride, and finish with 5-10 minutes of moderate work before cool down.
– Out and Back: Do the same drills on the way out that you do on the way back.
– Loop: Terrain here should vary. If there is a big hill at the beginning of your ride or run, a couple of short ones in the middle, and a flat finish, create something similar for class.
Coaching Cues
Just as yoga instructors are encouraged to have a solid personal practice, I think we could argue that cycle instructors would also benefit fromba dedicated personal workout once or twice a week. If our goal is to challenge participants and help them sustain an uncomfortable effort for a set period of time, it is important that we know what that feels like. As instructors, we can view the challenging parts of our own exercise sessions as opportunities to become a better coach.
Let me give you an example.
My husband and I essentially live on a plateau in Rochester, MN. The only way out of our neighborhood is down. That means – whether we are on the bike or on our feet – the start of the workout is a cinch, but the end is always another story; that's where my coaching nuggets come from. One route has a gradual 2 mile hill at the finish, and the other is very steep but only 3/4 of a mile. Yesterday, I ran the 3/4 of a mile hill four times as part of a workout. Guess what we are doing in cycle this week? Hill repeats 🙂 They will thank me later!
In all seriousness, I walked away from my run with a handful of coaching strategies that I will sprinkle into the classes I teach in the coming days. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with the incline and the number of times I commited to running up it, I took a step-wise approach. First, I focused on making it to the sign; then, to the tree; next, to the stick lying on the ground; and finally, to the top. It helped me to break each of the hills up into segments, so it's likely I will apply that same strategy to my coaching in class.
New Music
Finally, consider using your workout time to snag some new songs. Regardless of your stance on multitasking, Pandora, Spotify, and iTunes Radio make it possible to find new, motivating tunes while you exercise. If you have a smart phone or access to any of these apps, pay attention to the music that comes on as you move. If something pumps you up, chances are it might have a similar impact on your riders.
As always, I would love to hear your comments.
by Jennifer Lintz | Sep 17, 2013 | Instructor Training
By Jennifer Lintz, Registered Dietitian and ICI/PRO Member Soigneur
As a kid, I remember watching MTV with my older brother quite often after school. For the most part, we were only interested in one show: Total Request Live. We liked it because we felt invested in it. All week long, we voted for our favorite music videos, and then every afternoon, we were glued to the TV to see if any of our picks made it to the live show. I'm sure our mom was very proud ;-).
All kidding aside, I have often toyed with taking a “total request” approach to an indoor cycling class, even if it was once every couple of months or once or twice per year. During the weeks – or even days – prior to the ride, I would leave a decked-out box at the front of the studio where members could drop their requests. If that didn't work, I would hand out little slips of paper to students the class or two before to get a little input. While the concept could certainly flop, there are a few reasons why I think it might work.
1. Builds excitement. This type of ride may not have the same impact as a “Race Day” ride, but chances are, there are some participants who will come because they knew it was “Total Request Tuesday.” I remember doing a “Rolling through the Decades” ride a few months back, and I made a point to tell my participants about it two days before. Sure enough, there were a couple women who said “I almost didn't get up this morning, but then I remembered we were doing ‘Rolling through the Decades'!” I almost couldn't believe it.
2. Provides variety. Barbara Hoots has said many times that the trick to keeping your classes full is variety. There are two ways that this type of class would mix things up. First, it is a specialty – or themed – ride, which will stand out in students' minds as being different. Additionally, it will likely give a little twist to your playlist. Some of your students may request songs that you don't regularly play, or better yet, they may have suggestions that are completely new to you and fit well in cycle.
3. Gives them buy-in. Coming up with a playlist that pleases a majority of the participants is a tall order. Why not let your students help? I know several women who could listen to the song “Titanium” week after week without getting tired of it, and others who have disliked it from the time it was released. Allowing participants to contribute to song lists can make them feel like they own a piece of the pie.
4. Creates opportunities for conversation. Without having to say “turn to your neighbor and introduce yourself,” sharing songs and their requester can be a way to foster connections in the room. For instance, imagine saying “Our next request is from Annie. She wanted to hear Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult, so we are going to climb to it.” Wouldn't it be neat if, after class, Becky went up to Annie and said “Loved your song suggestion today!” Maybe they know each other already, but what if they don't?
With the intention of making the ride a positive experience, it may not be a bad idea to lay out some ground rules. For instance: “Sorry folks, but if you request something with foul language, it probably won't make it into our ride.” or “We received a lot of suggestions, so I am breaking it into two classes. We'll do part 1 today, and part 2 next week.”
Have any of you done something similar in your classes before? We would love to hear about it along with tips and tricks you discovered in the process. And, if I do this anytime soon, I'll be sure to let you know the outcome :-).
by Jennifer Lintz | Sep 8, 2013 | Instructor Training
By Jennifer Lintz, Registered Dietitian and ICI/PRO Member Soigneur
There is a woman who comes to my classes at least once or twice a week and, for the life of me, I cannot remember her name. I know I wrote it down once to help jog my memory, but I can't seem to find that piece of paper. I would ask her to remind me, but I've already done that a couple of times in the past several months.
Sound familiar?
I am always impressed when people remember my name in everyday life and, consequently, feel frustrated when I can't remember someone else's. Historically, I have kept Post-Its in my gym bag to remind myself that Dan is the guy who wears the sleeveless shirt and uses class for cross training; Karen is the gal with the curly brown hair who is just getting back into cycling; and Holly is the woman who sits in the front row and brings her daughters to class from time-to-time.
One of my goals as an instructor is to connect with my participants on a personal level, and I feel more equipped to do that when I know their names. Dale Carnegie also reminds me to “Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
I know it probably isn't realistic to remember all of our participant's names, particularly if they don't consistently come to class. However, I do think it is doable for us to at least become familiar with the regulars.
Because the Post-Its I once used always seem to get lost, I have started keeping track of names in my iPhone. I make a point to record names as soon as I learn them, along with a couple details like “wears hat, has quadruplets, only comes to early morning classes.” So far, it is working pretty well, provided I don't lose my phone :-).
When I taught last Thursday, I remember that even though my class was small, I knew the names of almost every participant in the room. That made it fun, because I was able to address people individually during class. For instance, “Amanda, I'm not used to seeing you on that side of the room! You're mixing it up today.” Or “Looking good, Sabrina!”
If you would rather not address people by name in front of the group, I find it is just as powerful to approach people afterward and say, “How did it go today, Kelsey?” or “I'm glad you were able to make it this morning, Katrina!”
The name game seems to be a constant battle, but I think there are definitely some ways to make it a little easier. What are your tips and tricks for remembering names?
by Jennifer Lintz | Jul 23, 2013 | Instructor Training
By Jennifer Lintz, Registered Dietitian and ICI/PRO Member Soigneur
In every CPR/AED/Basic Life Saving training I have completed, I remember feeling like a sponge, trying to soak up as many details as possible. I wanted to be ready in the event I needed to put life-saving information to use, but at the same time, I remember thinking “I hope I don't need to apply these skills very often … if ever.”
Thankfully, in all the years that I've been teaching, I can recall very few instances in which someone needed medical attention. In fact, the most severe situation I can recall happened a few years ago, when a personal training client of mine sprained her ankle.
Recently, though, I received a real-life reminder that accidents and emergencies can and do happen in group fitness situations. Let me set the stage.
Prior to the start of a circuit-style class last week, a student approached me and identified herself as new. I welcomed her, explained the general format of the class, and informed her that I would offer modifications for exercises as often as possible. I asked her if she had any limitations, and she said “No.” She assured me she was comfortable with everything I had described. Happy to hear that she felt confident, I continued getting ready for class.
About 10 minutes into the workout, I noticed the new student sitting on her mat. Immediately, I pushed my microphone to the side, approached her, and asked if she was okay. She motioned me away with her hand and mouthed “I'm fine.” Thinking that perhaps she needed a moment to catch her breath, I continued teaching. Not long after, I noticed her putting away her equipment in the back of the room and assumed she decided to leave.
A minute or two later, while I was demonstrating a new exercise, one of the participants in class came up to me and informed me the new student was still in the back of the room, sitting on the floor behind a partition that prevented me from seeing her. The student volunteered to get one of our member services representatives (trained in CPR/AED) to attend to her. While she did that, I went to check on the new student, who again motioned me away and mouthed “I'm fine.” With some hesitation, I continued to teach. A member services representative came into the room soon after and eventually walked out of the room with the student.
After that incident, I immediately began to wonder:
“Is she OK?”
“Did I handle that properly?”
“What could I have done differently?”
“Should I have stopped teaching altogether and gotten help myself, even though she signaled to me that she was fine?”
After class, I talked to the staff member who came to assist. He said the woman in question told him she did not feel prepared for the intensity of the class, but added that, after resting for a bit, she left with a smile on her face. Though I found that somewhat comforting, I still had an uneasy feeling in my stomach.
Even though we practice tending to injuries and emergency situations in training, it felt different experiencing it in a live class. So different, that I felt a little stuck. I was torn between tending to the participant – even though she said she was OK – and continuing to teach my class.
Coincidentally, I ran into one if my colleagues on the way out and discussed what happened. I explained that I felt bad about the interruption of the class, but she assured me that it is 100% appropriate to tend to individuals in that type of situation and even said: “It is expected.” I needed to hear that.
Would I do anything differently in the future? Yes. I will not let myself feel rushed to get back to teaching and instead will take the time to assist individuals in need until I am certain they are safe.
How would you have responded in this situation? I welcome your insight, comments, and experiences that might allow us all to learn.
