This can't feel right - and what is that white strap sticking out? Communicate it!
In my class this morning I noticed that the saddle on one of the Star Trac NXTs was way out of adjustment. Ouch! That can't feel good to ride on no matter male or female. When I got closer I noticed that there was a white strap sticking out from the slider adjustment mechanism. This is a common problem that Josh Taylor showed me is solved on the latest NXT/PRO/Blade model Spinning bikes.
To communicate a problem like this in the past, I would run around looking for a pen and something to write a note on. Then, if I wasn't distracted by anything, bring the note into our Dept Head's office, with the hope she could understand what I had written (I admit – I have some pretty crappy handwriting) and would have someone make the repair before the next scheduled class. Very inefficient and it maybe the reason why in the past my requests weren't acted on…
But not this morning 🙂
Today I just snapped a quick picture with my iPhone and texted it to her. This picture clearly shows both problems. My Dept Head can then forward the pic to the maintenance people. Total time; about 30 seconds!
While I was taking pictures I noticed how the chain adjuster on this cycle was near the end of it's rage of adjustment.
Clearly time for a new chain - before someone gets hurt.
This means the chain is very close to needing replacement, i.e… it's worn out and there's a real potential for failure. A broken (or derailed chain from being too loose) is the most likely event that will injure one of your students! The time to replace the chain is now, before someone gets hurt and you are left wondering if you should have your own liability insurance policy to protect you from the near certain lawsuit to follow.
So I clicked another pic and hit “send” for a second time.
It has taken me a while, but now I understand why many Instructors and Studio/Club owners are resistant to adding Indoor Cycles with power… they don't want a class full of riders, with heads down, totally focused on the what the computer is showing. We all want our participants focused on us…
Many of us take pride in teaching an authentic class that is a close as possible to riding out doors. On the road you had better keep your head up, eyes forward, or you will soon end up in the ditch or plastered over the back of a parked car. Not good.
Don't we want the same behavior from our indoor students? I do. Then doesn't it make sense to give everyone a way to see their performance data somewhere other than on a tiny screen that forces them to look continuously down?
In this previous post I discussed a new system from Performance IQ that takes the wattage, cadence and total energy created and displays it on a big screen or flat panel monitor in the front of the room. Effectively placing it where your student can easily see it (and you at the same time) while maintaining the proper “head up and eyes forward” form we are trying to instill in our classes.
Here is the interview that I promised with Mark Davids and Tae Yoo from Performance IQ where we discuss their new Top Power system. If you teach or own a club with Keiser M3s I would love to know if you feel this would be of value to you and your students.
UPDATE 8/2013: This system now works with any of the ANT+ enabled power consoles found on these Indoor Cycles; Freemotion S11 series, Schwinn AC and the new Spinner Blade ION.
I know that Debbie Miller and everyone at Project VisAbility have poured their hearts and soles into the preparations leading up to today's big event. I want to wish them all Good Luck… although after seeing the level of preparation Debbie and her team has done, I'm confident it will be a fantastic event.
The actual event will be broadcast live today, starting at 9:30 Eastern. You can tune in here.
You can read more about Sweat For A Vet and their efforts to link fitness job opportunities with capable physically challenged instructors is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
Flywheel's Torq Board – screen shot from youtube video
Updated: 11/23
Flywheel Sports is a chain of Indoor Cycling studios who started in New York city. They have had tremendous results and growth, now with 12 locations in three states; New York, Florida and Illinois. A big part of their success has come from a proprietary retro-fit system they have engineered to measure each rider's power and then display the real-time results on a screen. From their website:
… Additionally, for those who thrive on competition, Flywheel has developed the TorqBoard— an in-studio display that provides riders with the option to compare their performance against the rest of the class in real time.
The reason many students come to your class is for the community. Sure you maybe a great Instructor and include a lot of specific training into each profile you teach, but I'm convinced that the added element of friendly completion Flywheel's Torq Board brings is a big part of their success. Participants who are not achieving their personal fitness goals – read weight management goals – have a tendency to stop coming. We all understand that working harder (when appropriate) in class will increase fitness and burn additional calories. That's why so many of us are excited about power; for the first time our students can truly see what “working harder” feels like. Throw in the friendly completion part and you have the recipe for a fabulous sold out class
Beyond competition between riders, I see a remote display system like Flywheel's TorqBoard as solving multiple problems I'm hearing and seeing at clubs who have (or are considering) adding power based classes to their schedules:
Students have their heads down, completely focused on the display console – not on the instructor. With everyone riding with eyes forward they stay connected with you, the Instructor.
I can't see the display in a darkened class. A quick scan of your class will probably reveal an average participant age of 45-55 years old. Many of us (including me) have limited eyesight due to our age and when you dim the lights I'm nearly blind 🙁
Let's just add a constant back light to the console. Great idea until you realize that you will be replacing batteries at an even quicker rate than you do now.
Too many potential “computers” to fail. Henry Ford was famous for saying, “parts left off cause no service problems”. What if there was a system that eliminated the “computer” on each bike? Instead use a common system and eliminate some of the cost and maintenance concerns.
So let's say you think Flywheel's TorqBoard looks like something you would like to have in your studio… you can't have it. It's not for sale unless you are ready to become a franchised Flywheel Sports studio.
Enter Performance IQ and their new Top Power remote display system for studios using any of the Indoor Cycles with Power, including; FreeMotion S11.9, Keiser M3i, Schwinn AC or Spinner Blade Ion. Watch the shot video below to see this plug and play system at work at their second Beta site, Cycle Quest studio where I'm teaching. While it doesn't remove the existing “computer” on each cycle, it does solve the first three concerns I have listed above 🙂
To fully take advantage of Performance IQ's wonderful features, studios will want to offer a Bike Reservation system and data collection system that sends out those wonderful emails to each participant, showing them how many calories they burned in class.
If you're a new instructor you will soon learn what many of us old dogs figured out a long time ago; the change off of Day-Light-Savings is the trigger for many to move back indoors and hopefully back to your class 🙂
I teach a lot of early AM classes and look forward to this week, starting around October 1st when I'm looking at the 6 people at 5:54am.
You've probably heard the phrase timing is everything…
Well, if you want to take advantage of the one day of the year when people are most open to a change in their normal schedules, today the timing is perfect!
Think about this… How many people have to talked to who have said “I should really be getting to the club, before heading off to work each morning.” And yet something stops them – they don't have the discipline or desire to get out of bed early enough to make it to your class. But tomorrow is different. Many of us will wake up with plenty of time because our body clocks are on daylight savings time. If you catch people with an extra hour and then offer them something they already know they want, you could see a big improvement in your class numbers.
BUT YOU HAVE TO ACT TODAY – MONDAY AT THE LATEST
Communicate with your list of students (you do have a list, right?) telling them something simple that starts like – Hi Susan, if you're anything like me, tomorrow morning you wake up an hour earlier than you need to. Why not spend that hour riding with us?
Tomorrow morning is the day to teach your best class! You can take advantage of the time change yourself and get there early so you are relaxed and fully prepared.
And I mean YOUR BEST FUN CLASS. Forget about Heart Rate and Power for a few days and focus on delivering nothing but fun and enjoyment for your participants. And for gosh sake, please don't feel that with a bunch of new students you need to spend the whole class preaching about form and what not to do 🙁 this week should be nothing but positive affirmations if you want them to keep coming back.
Offer your students a reason to make your class a regular part of their schedule. We will be talking a lot about SYSTEMATIZATION (connecting multiple classes together) over the next month. After 25 years of sales experience, it's my opinion that your students will have the least resistance to committing to a series of classes this week. Tom Scotto has a great article about adding a Winter Training Program to your studio's schedule that addresses this in more detail.
It maybe as simple as asking each person you see to commit to coming to your class on a regular basis. In “sales speak” we call this asking an obligating question. A question like; “Sally, will I see you in class Friday?” can be very powerful because if they answer yes, they will feel obligated to show up Friday. Notice I didn't say “Sally, I would love to see you class Friday” which doesn't commit them to anything. Asking obligating questions is hard for many of us so don't be discouraged if you feel uncomfortable asking them. It maybe helpful to first think; “will coming to class Friday help Sally?” and if your answer is yes, then you should be able to communicate your desire to help Sally through a question that will help her get to your next class 🙂
You and your participant's desires are in perfect alignment this week; they want to use this change to start a new habit and you want them in your class… Now is the time to act 🙂
