by John | Jun 6, 2012 | Latest News
I can't take any credit for this, but as Instructors we all do our part!
Minneapolis-St.Paul Tops Fit List for Second Straight Year
ACSM American Fitness Indexâ„¢ 2012 report identifies healthiest, fittest metro areas in the U.S.; Latest report adds benchmarks to help direct community-level efforts.
Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) May 31, 2012
For the second consecutive year, Minneapolis-St. Paul is the healthiest, fittest metropolitan area in the United States, according to the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) annual American Fitness Index™ (AFI).
Made possible by a grant from the WellPoint Foundation, the 2012 AFI data report, “Health and Community Fitness Status of the 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas,” evaluated the most populous city areas to identify the healthiest and fittest places in the United States. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington achieved a high score of 76.4 (out of 100 possible points) to capture the top ranking.
Read the whole press release here.
The metropolitan rankings included in the 2012 AFI report are:
Rank Metropolitan Area 2012 Score 2011 Rank 2011 Score
1. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. 76.4 1 77.2
2. Washington, D.C. 75.8 2 76.8
3. Boston, Mass. 70.0 3 69.1
4. San Francisco, Calif. 69.0 6 66.8*
5. Hartford, Conn. 68.5 7 66.8*
6. Sacramento, Calif. 68.4 10 65.3
7. Portland, Ore. 67.9 4 67.7
8. Seattle, Wash. 67.8 8 66.5
9. Denver, Colo. 65.6 5 67.6
10. Austin, Texas 63.4 16 57.8
11. Virginia Beach, Va. 63.2 9 65.8
12. San Jose, Calif. 62.2 11 65.2
13. Salt Lake City, Utah 59.8 15 59.8
14. Raleigh, N.C. 58.8 24 50.0
15. Pittsburgh, Pa. 58.7 17 55.5
by John | Jun 5, 2012 | Instructor Tech Help, Instructor Training
At times I'm greeted by some very foul music. Foul to the point where I find myself ejecting the CD from my car's stereo. Next I lightly “sand” the offensive CD against the garage floor (ensuring it becomes unusable) before returning the CD to it's jacket. Then I'll leave a little note, expressing my displeasure and disappointment over my daughter's choice of music 🙁
But this morning, as I drove to my 5:45 class, was very different! “I really like this… I wonder who it is?” Ejecting the CD provided no clue as there wasn't anything written on it. A quick text to daughter Carly returned; “IDK – marley left it Shazam it.”
Answered my question in 10 seconds
Shazam is a free smart phone App (iPhone and Droids) that will listen to a song playing and tell you the name, artist and give you the option to purchase the song from iTunes. There's also a little play button that you can use to listen to the iTunes sample to confirm Shazam correctly identified the song – which by my estimation is always correct.
With your device connected to a wireless system go to the App store and download Shazam. It's free and the basic functionality is all most people will need; turn it on, hit the center button, Shazam listens and gives you the song info.
Spotify Premium subscribers, may want to upgrade to Encore for $3.99 a year. Encore give you the option to Tag tracks you've identified and play them or create Artist Stations, using Spotify or Pandora on your device. I tried to purchase the upgrade. After correctly entering my Apple ID a half dozen times and reconfirming my payment details, everything failed… I didn't try again 🙁
As with many other Apps, they will try and take over your life… if you let them. When you first install the App you'll be asked to approve “Push Notifications” which allow Shazam to alert you to something they feel is really important. My personal choice is to turn these OFF.
Minimize distractions by turning all these off!
Tell your friends on Facebook
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by John | Jun 3, 2012 | Big Box Instructor, Instructor Training, Master Instructor Blog
I don't know about you [wlm_firstname], but one of my biggest challenges when I teach is getting accurate feedback that I'm being understood.
Teaching with power has me off the bike a lot more than I had in the past – which was almost never. Now, multiple times during class, I'll explain a new Stage and get them started on the effort. Then I'll hop off and begin working my way through the room, asking students directly; “does this make sense?” or “are you following me?”
Dumb questions as it turns out… the answer was always “yes”… did I really think someone would say “no”?
Once I realized what I was asking dumb questions, which resulted in worthless responses, I was a bit ashamed of myself. As a 30 year sales guy I know better than to ask on question that can be easily answered “yes” or “no” when I'm trying to get an understanding of what a potential customer is thinking. These easily answered questions don't offer any context. Context that would come from a more detailed answer, that reflects a true understanding of the concept I'm trying to communicate… an echo of what I said.
In a previous post I talked about asking proper questions. I was trying to help future instructors understand the proper question isn't “where do I get certified?” but rather; “how do I get a scheduled class at a local studio?”
Once I recognize my error, I changed the questions slightly by adding what are called “opener words” in a conversation. Essentially these are words added to a sentence that don't allow for simple yes or no answers. They encourage more detailed and satisfying discussions.
My favorites are; Where, When, What and How.
- Where is your heart rate? I'm at one 153
- When will you be recovering? It looks like we have 1 min. and 30 seconds left.
- What zone are you in? I'm at the top of zone three.
- How much longer is this effort? I think I missed that… how much longer do we have?
Notice how each response reflects an understanding of my description of the effort or, If the student is unclear, it causes them to respond with a question. Either way we're communicating.
Asking the right questions also had an unintended result. Knowing I was expecting a more detailed answer than “yes John” appeared to have the effect that everyone pays more attention to my directions – which is similar to what I remember teachers doing in school 🙂
So [wlm_firstname]:
- Where else could you implement asking proper questions?
- When would you feel they would fit best in your class?
- What could you do to remind yourself?
- How many times would you try this in a normal length class?
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by John | May 29, 2012 | Master Instructor Blog
I'd like to welcome Chuck Cali as an official member of the ICI/PRO Team! – John
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Chuck Cali
When asked by ICG® to write a post for ICI/PRO, I thought, “OMG.” 🙂 Seriously, as Jim Karanas or John Macgowan can attest, I have a lot to say. So choosing the topic for my first post was daunting. I’m the new guy, after all — now sharing screen space with some of the country’s premier indoor cycle instructors.
What could I say that would be of value to the indoor cycle instructors out there in the trenches?
It felt right to start with the simple things that mean so much, the least common denominator, the place from which you can become a star, ‘the’ instructor everyone talks about.
John calls it community. I say connections. Making everyone feel part of something bigger. No matter how great your music, how structured your profiles, how clearly stated the class objectives, or how perfectly timed your cues, the success of your class comes down to how well you connect with your riders.
When I talk about connections, I can’t help but think of James Cameron’s great movie Avatar. Consider how the avatar learned to fly the winged beast. Plugging in solved only half the problem. Once plugged in, the two had to become as one. Showing up prepared and on time and engaging the crowd is plugging in. CARING is becoming one with your class.
This simple fact seems to get lost in the training: class focus, music, lighting, power, heart rate, base, strength, cadence, climbing, speed, endurance, ad infinitum. Showing up and executing the perfect profile to the best music, with spot-on cueing, the best indoor cycles, the best studio set-up will get you nada from your class if you don’t connect with them.
Dr. Shannon’s earlier posts on being “the instructor your students can’t wait to see again” discussed how to connect with our riders. Ultimately, as she points out, passion, honesty, encouragement and gratefulness create the connectivity. My word for all that is “caring.” It’s not about you.
The recipe for connecting is caring. How do you run a great class? By caring. How do you get your riders to connect with you? By caring. The fact that you’ve set the world record for climbing L’Alpe d’Huez is of little importance to them 10 minutes into class. This is indoor cycling.
My experience may be somewhat different from others posting here. I’ve spent many years studying this industry and the people who make it work. The best of the best were incredibly adept at connecting. It seemed that they spoke to and cared for everyone in class on a personal level.
Only when this connection is made, so that the riders understand at the most fundamental level that you care about them first, can you successfully demand the highest efforts or introduce complex profiles.
How do I do it?
1. I remember it’s not about me — except to establish that I’m running the class through unambiguous yet non-inflammatory requests.
2. I try hard to get to know my riders: Introduce myself. Ask their names. Find out if they’re new to indoor cycling. Give as much personal attention as possible.
3. I keep it simple and explain in simple, fun terms what I plan for the ride.
4. I empower the class with options that accommodate all fitness levels. I steadfastly encourage good form and never use contraindicated moves.
5. I give positive feedback during class to as many as possible, using their names (which I mostly get wrong).
6. I let them know they can do it. I believe in recovery and let them know when it’s coming, so they don’t have to hold back or fear they won’t last.
7. I lead by example. I’m happy to see them and, as a general rule, work as hard as I ask them to work.
8. I’m sensitive and don’t go on autopilot. I recognize early when I’m losing them and adjust.
9. I never take myself too seriously. I poke fun at my mistakes — when I blow a cue or get the timing wrong.
For new instructors, I suggest learning and integrating these skills before going for the complicated ride profiles. Once you do, your class will confidently follow you.
For veterans, look back and revisit what got you to the front of the room. We like being there, but shine does fade. Reconnect.
Trying to reach the pinnacle of our profession is important. The journey teaches me so much. What I’ve learned can be distilled down to one word: Caring.
Nothing surpasses the feeling of seeing the enjoyment my riders take from my efforts — not only during class, but what went into making it great. “Great class!” are words we never tire of hearing.
Care. Connect. Teach.
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by John | May 28, 2012 | Latest News
Click the post title to see it!
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