by John | Aug 2, 2017 | Instructor Training, Your Fitness Business
And a cinema at night.
Why is it some crazy ideas don't sound so crazy, once somebody is actually doing it?
For example; who would have thought holding Indoor Cycling classes in a movie theater would be a good idea?
He considered turning it into a recreation center, or a ropes course. But instead, he decided to follow the trend set by Flywheel and SoulCycle, two indoor cycling businesses that regularly sell out classes on summer weekends in nearby East Hampton and add a spin studio to his auditorium. At a cost of around $35,000, Mr. Rutkowski, opened up a few rows of seats, bought a sound and lighting system and 25 spin bikes and did a little cosmetic construction, mostly on his own.
“Now it looks like an orchestra pit,” Mr. Rutkowski said. Bikes are covered during movie screenings.
To make the transition, Mr. Rutkowski hired a consultant named Bill Pryor, who opened Spynergy studios in his hometown of Wellesley, Mass., and outside Chicago, in January 2005. Mr. Pryor said he has helped independent entrepreneurs on over 200 business plans in the last 2½ years. On average, he charges $4,000 per client; up to $10,000 if he is helping them from the ground up.
“A lot of studios are adding video to their classes,” said Mr. Pryor, who previously worked in the tradeshow industry. “But I've never seen anything like David's done.”
Bill Pryor is a long time friend and contributor here at ICI/PRO. Back in 2010 I interviewed Bill about the potential of starting an Indoor Cycling Studio and we are aware of dozens of new studio startups who found their initial inspiration from this Podcast.
After the expense of outfitting a room full of Indoor Cycling bikes, the cost of leasing the actual space for the studio is the biggest expense. And that's if you can find a suitable place to rent. Loud music is a part of any class and many stripmall neighbors aren't super excited to listen to hear Armin Van Buuren blasting at 95dBs during your 9:30 am class.
Movie theatres play loud soundtracks/music everyday. They have a bunch of parking (another big concern) and most importantly, they have holes in their schedules when they aren't showing movies. Virtual cycling classes using videos are all the rage for Indoor Cycling classes and movie theatres already have a big screen 🙂
Sounds like this could be a match made in Hollywood!
The owner of the private movie house in your town probably knows nothing about Indoor Cycling. But I'll bet they know their cash flow and may be open to a conversation where you bring some additional $$$ into her/his business.
Originally posted 2013-07-14 17:13:02.
by John | Jul 30, 2017 | Instructor Training
ICI/PRO Member discounts
- SINGLE SESSION: 10%
- DAY PASS: 15%
- FULL CONFERENCE: 25%.
Visit the ICI/PRO Member Discounts page under the “Resources” tab above or use this link.
We apologize for adding these discounts late 🙁 If you registered before the discounts were available Cycling Fusion will credit/refund any difference. Please respond to the confirmation email you received when you registered to request your credit.
We are really excited to be able to offer these live broadcasts this year. One question we have been getting is: Does watching the session qualify for CEC's?
Unfortunately no. Offering “Digital Classes” that are approved by ACE (AFAA doesn't approve any outside digital education) requires a completely separate application + 60 days for it to be approved. We may decide to apply for CECs in the future, but for now viewing the session is only for your education and entertainment 🙂
Originally posted 2011-09-24 11:20:35.
by John | Jul 27, 2017 | Master Instructor Blog
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas
One of the best things about the Olympics is that it provides an ideal. We rejoice in being human. Even if we don’t exercise or have never done athletics, “stronger, faster, higher” makes sense. This became even truer with the inclusion of Oscar Pistorius (aka Blade Runner) in the Track and Field competition. The masses that watch and support the Olympics show no ego in that regard.
We believe there’s a reason for this. What it takes to become an Olympian is well advertised. Family, friends and businesses feel compelled to support the dedication these young people show for what they love to do. Because so many “ordinary” people play a role in getting the athlete to the Olympics, and because the athlete receives no financial benefit for the performance, we feel included.
Some great ads during the Olympics featured Morgan Freeman’s voice stating, “Before they got here, WE had to move them.”
ICG® wants to keep the fire going. Supporting our young trainers and instructors directly parallels the kind of support the Olympic athlete requires.
I’ve been a trainer/instructor for over 30 years. Everyone says they wish they had my job: I exercise, wear comfortable clothes, go to fun places and work with upbeat people. I also have less money for retirement and fewer assets than most people my age who have worked 30 years in a single, but different, industry.
I’ve spent a lot of time, money and effort becoming a good indoor-cycling instructor, and I’ll never regret it. I love to train. I love to show others how to train. I get to talk to people all day long about how great it is to ride a bike. I listen to music, watch forward-motion video, and travel to beautiful places to ride my bike, indoors and out.
I‘m happy to see more and more club companies providing employment opportunities with benefits for their instructors. Yet, overall, the industry is still lacking. I know many talented instructors who have left fitness because they couldn’t earn an adequate living to support their families.
Our industry needs dedicated instructors who are full-timers in attitude and caring, whether they work full- or part-time hours. To be effective in training someone in the second half of his/her life requires experience and maturity. Our future instructors must be dedicated professionals who take joy in their work, do it for life, and can earn the money necessary to support a family. Even send their kids to the Olympics, if that’s a possibility.
We at ICG® have looked at what we need to do to inspire the next generation of instructors. We take responsibility for supporting these young individuals who want to do what we do for the sheer love of training by giving away over one million dollars of accredited indoor-cycling certifications and continuing education for FREE. We believe that “Personal Bests are not just for athletes.”
To be a great indoor-cycling instructor, you must study as well as ride. You must dedicate yourself and commit to your craft. ICG® Master Trainer Chuck Cali is publishing an article later this week on “Improving Your Craft”. Become your best by taking time to read and learn, and then putting into practice, what ICG’s seasoned instructors and education specialists have created for the indoor-cycling industry.
ICG is offering the next 1000 new Team ICG® Members — and providing all its existing members with — our internationally accredited ICG® STAGES Online certification 100% free. This industry donation of over $1M is made knowing that, as we help you set new Personal Bests as teachers, you will help the generation of today — and the generation of tomorrow — set theirs, too. This is a worldwide offer.
We challenge our competitors to match our contribution and find ways that they, too, can inspire and deliver lasting benefits for future generations.
Club Owners, Providers, Instructors, Riders: Be Your Own Hero®.
“Join” Team ICG® at http://www.ic-pro.org/en/account/signin . “Follow” Team ICG® at facebook.com/teamicg
Originally posted 2012-08-20 09:03:45.
by John | Jul 26, 2017 | Instructor Tech Help, Instructor Training, Product Reviews
I realize that not everyone has access to (or interest in) Spotify. And I'm guessing that the majority of successful Instructors are using the combination of iTunes and an iPhone to deliver their class music. If the later category includes you, this new My Cycle Class iPhone App maybe of interest.
Paul Surette developed myCycleClass to simplify creating a class profile using his iPhone and then guiding him with movements & cues that corrispond to each song.
Not sure if it's just me, but there is often things not obvious (read frustrating) when I first use any App. In the case of myCycleClass it took me a long time to figure out how to actually start the class 🙁 You click the + in the top right corner. Once I figured that part out it seemed to work well, but I'll admit that I didn't try it in an actual class.
You start by adding your typical movements > use the + button to add new.
Then common cues
Using the setting tab you can import iTunes Playlists. Select a playlist and you can add movements and cues.
When you're ready to start class you hit the + sign and are given an option to adjust the class length countdown timer.
One handy feature is you can easily email your playlist / profile to others.
If you are into techie stuff like this and appreciate the structure myCycleClass would bring to your teaching give it a try and let me know your results.
An alternative iPhone App is ClassBuilder from Cycling Fusion. Yes there are considerable differences between the two. The primary difference is myCycleClass is designed for a Movement based class where ClassBuilder is geared toward Intensity based classes.
Originally posted 2012-07-03 09:02:41.
by John | Jul 21, 2017 | Instructor Training
We've had a lot of requests for videos of complete Indoor Cycling classes and I can understand why. It's simply not practical to travel to Boston to experience one of Tom Scotto's classes, so a video you can watch on your computer or iPad/smart phone becomes an option. I could see training by myself with this while I learn the class and Tom's cues. The lighting at the Harvard Square Wellbridge club left a lot to be desired and at the same time it conveyed a sort of MTV music video feel to it. Enjoy!
Here's the class profile to print.
Download the video here. (Right Click – Save as)
You will also find it in your ICI/PRO iTunes feed.
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