by Tom Scotto | May 22, 2021 | Master Instructor Blog
As I hit the streets after teaching at one of my downtown clubs, I bumped into a friend of mine who appear to have been run over by a car. She had a large gym bag clawing at her shoulder with cycling shoes peeking out of the end pocket. The bag apparently weighs over 50 pounds, because she appears to be struggling just to lug it to the corner.
“Hey, how are you?” I said in apparently too chipper a tone. She turns only her head and glares at me with one eye bigger than the other. Assuming that were her response, I prodded some more in order to jump start an under-powered conversation. “Did you just get out of a cycling class? How was it?” She released the gym bag as if tossing a heavy sack of potatoes off her shoulder. “You can say that. The instructor was a maniac”.
Being a coach for 10 years, one realizes that everyone has their own perception of what is hard, what is easy or when they are tired. Often times it is different that my interpretation, so it is usually best to get things defined. Plus, I was particularly interested in her definition of a “maniac” instructor. “Wow, sounds pretty extreme, what happened?”
Her stare became intense and her tone aggravated: “Our regular instructor was away this week, so we had a sub. I think he was either new, insecure or just terrible. Our usual instructor’s class is quite popular. People really respect her workouts because she has a reputation of giving a hard class, that provides just the right amount of work and recovery. So maybe this guy felt he had some big shoes to fill and decided to show us how hard he can make us work. We barely had a warm-up and we were led into a hard climb followed by 10-minutes of jumps. Then some long sprints where he only provided 15-seconds of recovery followed by another climb and more jumps. He ran us ragged with no rhythm or reason until 2 minutes before the end of class and then told us to cool down and stretch on our own.” With the exception of those 15-second recovery periods, I don’t think he gave us any other break. I don’t know why I tried to keep up. I think I was just aggravated and just kept hammering away. Oh well, I’m late for work so I’ve gotta run. I just hope he never subs our class again.”
She heaved her bag back on her shoulder like it was a limp body and headed in the opposite direction. This is not the first time I’ve heard this unfortunate tale, but my mind started connecting a few of the stories. Many of them involved a sub which people deemed “horrible”. Now I don’t think all subs are horrible, I’m sure we’ve subbed many classes ourselves (I hope). I know I have. However, I do think there can be a greater tendency to put on our “A” game when walking into a cycling studio with new or unfamiliar stares. Let’s face it, it can be intimidating to enter a room when you’re NOT the person everyone is expecting. I’ve even had a person walk out of a class I was subbing seconds after I walked through the door. I hadn’t even make it to the stereo yet or said a word. So I understand the pressure of feeling you have to overcompensate for not being THE instructor. It doesn’t even matter whether the instructor you are covering for is good or not. It is their class. Their riders. Their style.
So what’s my advice? you can’t be THEM, so be yourself. When you sub for another instructor, teach, instruct and coach with that same style that has won your riders over year after year. Sure, bring your “A” game, why not? But teach a sound workout. Take that extra energy (albeit, nervous energy) and excitement and direct it toward getting to know some of the riders in class. Connect. Be real. Don’t be a Maniac!
PS. No one who has every subbed one of my classes has been accused of this. Just incase “you” were wondering.
Originally posted 2011-03-03 13:56:51.
by Tom Scotto | May 4, 2021 | Master Instructor Blog
So I decided to lead my first virtual ride this past week. In my true style, I didn’t just try it in one of my classes but at all 5 clubs. I like to just throw myself into things so I can learn and experience while the iron is hot. For those not familiar with a “virtual ride”, this is when the class rides to a video. In most cases the video is designed to simulate the road the riders are on to provide a more realistic “visualization” and experience. I’ve seen this attempted in the past but never with much success. I contributed the lack of success to a number of things:
(1) The screen or TV was too small to allow riders to feel like they were “there”. Even large screen LCD TVs will not cut it.
(2) The video was not stimulating enough and/or the camera angles were not realistic.
(3) The instructor either said nothing and just let the riders roll along to the music OR gave not-so-exciting (and obvious) dialog to accompany the video like “OK, now we are climbing so let’s add some resistance…….now we are going downhill so let’s take some of the resistance off”.
The Equipment
I decided that if I was going to do a virtually ride, I wanted to give it a fair shake. Besides the video or DVD, I needed to have good equipment. But it needed to meet a couple of criteria if I was going to start incorporating these rides on a regular basis. First, everything needed to by uber-portable. I don’t want to be lugging in a mini production crew to pull this off. Second, I need to be able to setup in less than 30 minutes with minimal disruption to the room and finally, the picture quality needs to be captivating. Here is what I put together:
- HD Projector with Tripod mount
- Tripod
- 25’ Electrical Extension Cable
- 25’ iPod Audio Extension Cable
- HDMI Cable/Adapter from Laptop to Projector
- Laptop (with DVD Player)
- White Queen-size Cotton Bed Sheet
- 2” wide Black Duct/Gaffers Tape
I was able to successfully setup everything 20 minutes. This included having to shift a few bikes to make room for the projector and tripod and in 2 cases, move the bike and rolling stereo cabinet off the instructor platform. The cycling studios I teach at all have mirrors so I was not able to project on the wall. This is where the white sheet and tape came in. I simply taped the sheet to the mirror and it worked great. By my fifth class on Friday, I clocked the setup at 14 minutes. Taking everything down only took 10 minutes.
Hey Mikey, I Think They Liked it!
It was an absolute hit across all clubs (each with a very different demographic) and at different timeslots from morning to evening. With no big surprise, I performed my virgin virtual ride experience with one of Global Ride Productions’ France DVDs which included the ascent up the Col de la Columbiere. There was some added excitement with this particular choice since we had just come off the heels of 3 weeks of indoor Tour de France rides with riders left in a post-TDF depression.
Before I led the ride, I watched the DVD and wrote a script of how I was going to approach the class. I incorporated early warm-up drills, climbing intervals and some attacks with grueling muscular strength efforts. In addition to great (multiple) camera angles, the video included riders on the road which we (the class) intermingled with along the way. I led the same class all week. Yes, the researcher in me wanted to compare apples to apples with each class.
The virtual ride received rave reviews. Riders felt it was the best experience they had ever had and one of the hardest workouts. As an instructor, I found it very easy to lead. The Global Ride DVDs are divided into consecutive sections that make sense as a single ride and there is a timer at the bottom right of the screen so it is hard to get lost. I decided to use the music provided (Whoa….I know) just to see how it would fly right out of the package per se. Needless to say I had a ton of fun last week and got some great “energizing” feedback.
ZONE 5 ALERT: As many of you know, I tend to fake it through many of these classes. Basically, I don’t work as hard as my riders in order to coach them on and off the bike. I found these virtual rides hard to fake. My heart rate ran into zone 5 (capacity) with my riders as we hit the summit of the Col de la Columbiere.
If you’ve done virtual rides in your classes, add some comments below and share your experiences and what you’ve learned. I spoke to ICI/Pro member/instructor Shirin Beckett (CA) last week who has a lot of experience with virtual rides. I’m hoping she will add some gems to this topic as well. I’m also including a link to the cue sheet I created for DVD 3 “TDF Climbing in FRANCE” so you can how I organized and approached the ride – Download Cue Sheet
Give it a try! But be careful, you may just get addicted to indoor cycling all over again!
Originally posted 2011-08-23 05:00:26.
by Tom Scotto | Mar 26, 2021 | Master Instructor Blog
If you are one of those instructors who loves to bring the experience of riding outdoors to your indoor riders, now is the time to get them excited. Give them a taste of the Tour de France and introduce them to some of the fun we enjoy during this special time of year. Maybe we want to learn more about all of that tour lingo so we can share more with our classes. Here are some recommendations I have to wrap your mind and riders around one of the greatest sporting events of all time.
This year is the 98th edition of the Tour de France (twitter: #TDF). With it’s 21 Stages (days) of racing over the next 3 weeks. The riders will cover an astounding 3,430.5 kilometers (2132 miles) which is even more amazing considering the speed at which they are traveling (stages can average over 25 mph for 6+ hours of riding — Yikes!). Now there are all kinds of tidbits we can share, but I like to give my riders homework to help them better understand how to ride during class. Here are a few of my homework assignments:
(1) Watch just 1 complete Stage of the TDF (YouTube is OK for partial credit)
(2) Notice how riders stand (out of the saddle) and move their bikes back and forth when climbing — Let’s imitate that!
(3) Look at how balanced riders are between the handlebars and seat when they are standing. They are not leaning back over the seat or hanging forward over the bars.
(4) Try to catch a glimpse of a rider’s stomach from the side. Notice how it balloons out? One minute they look pregnant and the next not. This is how our stomachs should look during class — relaxed and moving in and out as we breathe.
(5) Notice how relaxed they appear on the bike (shoulders, arms and hands).
(6) Watch how smooth their pedal stroke is. A gentle waving (ankling) movement where the heel of the foot is not forced down. Let’s imitate that!
Just listening to the voices of the Tour de France, the announcers, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen will give you enough knowledge of the race to fill a set of encyclopedias, but if you are craving more, I recommend the following:
(1) Boy Racer : My Journey to Tour de France Record-Breaker (Book)
This is a great book that will not only get you to fall in love with Mark Cavendish, the Max-Missile from the “Isle of Man”, but will teach you a great deal about the TDF. Mark not only mentions 100s of aspects of the race, but takes the time to explain each one in laymen's terms.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Racer-Journey-France-Record-Breaker/dp/1934030643/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309973467&sr=8-1
(2) Chasing Legends (DVD)
This is 2 DVD set that follows the team HTC Highroads through the TDF. You will get a unique perspective of what happens amongst the riders, in the team cars and when the riders are off the bike.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Legends-DVD-Mark-Cavendish/dp/B004DR4VHE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309973282&sr=8-1
There is no greater time than the present to enjoy/learn about the Tour de France and share it with those in your classes. They will feed off your energy, so if you are excited — they will be excited!
Originally posted 2011-07-06 05:30:00.
by Tom Scotto | Mar 26, 2021 | Master Instructor Blog
Working off of the buzz of last week’s tirade on Tabata training in indoor cycling, I thought I’d touch on a related cousin that also carries some confusion and thus misuse — High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
The main contributor to misuse in indoor cycling with training methods like Tabata and HIIT has more to do with how it is interpreted and embraced and not that the methods are invalid. Many people are busy and also frustrated with lack of results (or the speed of results) in their fitness. The pendulum swingers arrive on the scene and claim that this NEW way of training is the end-all. So the pendulum swings to the other side implying that this new way is the only “right” way.
Tom Goes Off-Road
Let me take this opportunity to help you understand why it has been a hard sell to get outdoor cyclists and competitive riders into indoor cycling classes (or the gym for that matter). Going back to our pendulum swingers; the groups of people they affect most are the fitness crowd and those stuck in between fitness and athletics (for example those branching out to attempt their first century ride, event, etc.). In a few weeks I’m going to write an entire article on the topic of the Fitness Enthusiast vs. the Athlete, but let me share one of the biggest differences between these two types of individuals and how this has impacted who attends our indoor cycling classes.
It can be summed up in one word — Performance. The athlete actually has to perform on a high level, and further, is required to measure their performance. In general, fitness enthusiasts wants to condition their body to improve their overall health. This can include weight loss, gaining strength and body sculpting. I’m not trying to bash the fitness enthusiast in the least, but rather want to encourage everyone to continue taking care of their body and staying healthy. What I am saying, is the proof whether a training method like HIIT actually works is on the road.
So where am I going with this? When the fitness world gets swayed by yet another “new” way of training, we often don’t get to see if this is really effective, because we are not truly putting it to the test. We just see some super fit guy or girl touting how great it is (and “hey, look at me”). The athlete looks in on the latest thing the fitness world (and indoor cycling) is hanging their hat on and says (with some arrogance) “they don’t know what they are doing or how to really train”. All arrogance aside, in most cases they are correct. In many ways, this is how outdoor and competitive cyclists view indoor cycling.
There's an App for That
As we reel this baby back into HIIT and indoor cycling and we find another case of “here we go again”. The problem is not indoor cycling or HIIT, but rather the contagious blanket statements that lead indoor cycling instructors astray. Research studies claim better fat utilization, higher VO2max, increase in stroke volume, left-ventricle heart mass and cardiac contractibility to name a few. Are these all good things? Yes. Are these research studies wrong or lying? No. So what’s the problem? The problem is application.
First, they are often comparing HIIT to endurance training which they inaccurately define as 30 to 60 minutes of continuous running or cycling. 30 to 60 minutes is NOT the definition of endurance training for everyone. I’ve been on “recreational” outdoor group rides with cyclists all around the country. I’ve yet to get home in an hour. Just to clarify, I’m not only riding with racers, but those who motor along at 12-14mph and just like to ride. So if one ONLY trains using HIIT which consists of 5-second to 8-minute intense efforts followed by 3-4 minutes of active recovery, how effective will the training be if the person has to endure 2+ hours in the saddle at close to 75-80% of their perceived effort? This is where the studies are misleading.
That’s A Lot of Science Stuff
HIIT studies claim increases in oxidative enzymes such as citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase, and increases in mitochondrial density and more effective signaling through the AMPK pathway (Jennifer Klau…HELP!). I’m not debating this (…I have a hard time pronouncing these words). However, when a 4-hour bike race is concluded, scientists don’t go and start measuring oxidative enzymes — “The winner is…. Number 354 with the highest level of citrate synthase!” No the winner is the one who has endured the challenges of the terrain and distance and came across the finish line first.
So, when a Tour de France team trains solely with HIIT and wins….no forget that….completes the first week, OR a HIIT-only marathon runner OR a HIIT-only triathlete wins, then HIIT will have our attention and will have proven something.
As Usual — We Need Both…But….
It is usually no big surprise to find out that when the dust clears and the emotions subside, both types of training are necessary to produce well-rounded fitness for both the enthusiast and athlete. However, I’ll leave you with two things to consider when applying all of this to your indoor cycling classes:
(1) HIIT (like Tabata) is not a license to justify blood-snorting intervals in all of one’s classes. High intensity intervals (usually defined as 80-100% of max effort) should be greatly limited in the early part of the year in our classes and always sprinkled with caution depending on our demographic.
(2) Endurance training should also be limited during indoor cycling classes (WHAT!?). Yes, you heard me right. 45-60 minute classes are not the best format for performing extended low-intensity (60-70% max efforts). Classes that are 90 minutes or greater are more ideal for these long steady efforts. There is still plenty of highly effective and appropriate training to do during indoor cycling classes in the early season (base building) such as muscular endurance, steady-state tempo (Zone 3), muscular strength and leg speed work to name a few.
Remember: Real Training. Real Cycling. Real Results. All beautifully packaged in a fun-wrapper.
Originally posted 2012-02-09 09:52:54.
by Tom Scotto | Feb 4, 2021 | Master Instructor Blog
We talk a lot about becoming more than just instructors in our indoor cycling classes. We want to be coaches. We are coaches! I’ve spent the last 20 years coaching riders and teams on the road and half that indoors. Anyone who has taken one of my classes knows that “coaching” is my approach to indoor cycling. I introduce each of my classes as “coached training sessions” so riders know what to expect, plus it gives me the self-proclaimed freedom to get into character (like they really have a choice). Since many of you share this passion with me, over the next few months I going to post a series of articles on various suggestions and tips to bring that coaching character in you to the forefront.
My Black Book
Because of my coaching background, when I first started teaching indoor cycling I felt the deep desire to help people beyond the walls of the studio. Almost without exception, everyone in my class had some kind of goal or reason for being there. It could be as simple as increasing their fitness level, loosing weight, preparing for an upcoming charity ride, cycling vacation or competitive event. I thought “if I knew what their specific goals were, I could do a better job connecting with them and helping them”. Thus, I created the Black Book.
It was just a thin 3-ring binder (black of course) that contained forms — one for each rider. You can download a sample of this form from Cycling Fusion at www.cyclingfusion.com/downloads/CyclingFusion-BlackBook.pdf. I would make an announcement at the end of each class letting riders know that they could fill out a page in the Black Book if they wanted further help from me in obtaining their training and riding goals. I got a couple of takers at first and then it snowballed.
Individual Attention
Before each class I would review the goals of those in my class. I asked each person in the Black Book to show up 15-minutes early to class which is when I would give them specific guidance on how to approach the class that day. For example: “Mary, tomorrow you are planning on riding outdoors with your club so go a little easier on that last hill today. We want the legs fresh in the morning”. It was just some simple guidance to each rider about how to approach the day’s class.
The Benefits
Besides allowing me to satisfy my goal of helping riders outside of the studio, I started to connect with them more which increased the popularity and energy of my class. Other riders saw the attention my Black Book riders were getting and wanted in on the action. If you are trying to make a living as a cycling coach, I believe a Black Book is a must. Riders will always want more, and since you have already been so helpful, taking the next step into a formal coaching relationship ($$$) is easy. A side benefit for me was it helped me better remember riders names. I’ll take all the help I can get.
Originally posted 2011-08-12 14:57:47.
