Welcome to the The Weekly Ride by Cycling Fusion:
Originally posted 2018-03-13 15:36:45.
Welcome to the The Weekly Ride by Cycling Fusion
Originally posted 2018-12-23 09:34:42.
4/1/16 update – not an April Fools joke, rather I'm re-publishing this today to help a friend with this issue.
What follows is a sad example of what happens when an Instructor isn't the leader in the class and tolerates disruptive behavior by one or more members.
Member: Did you hear what happened yesterday? I'm really curious what will happen tomorrow.
Me: No… what happened, tell me.
Member: It was total anarchy. The guy behind me completely lost it. I guess he couldn't take her non-stop talking anymore and yelled, SHUT THE F*** UP at the women who was riding two places to his right, while she was talking loudly on her phone.
Me: Wait, she was on her phone… in the middle of class?
Member: Yeah, she had on hand covering her ear and was talking really loudly in a conversation that seemed to go on forever. A number of us gave the instructor pleading looks to ask her to do something. She just shrugged her shoulders with a “I can't do anything” look.
Me: That's crazy.
Member: That was only the beginning. What happened next was complete chaos. People started yelling at each other. It's was almost like the people who come to focus and really work hard were empowered by that guy expressing his frustrations with the talkers. They'd also had had enough and many joined in to support him. I couldn't believe all this was happening…
I can believe it. Our riders pay a lot of money to be members. They're also polite people who tend to sit quietly, even though internally they're seething inside, being forced to endure frequent (in some classes constant) disruptions, when all they want is to listen to the music and work hard. I've been told by members, on multiple occasions, that they appreciate how I try to keep disruptions to a minimum.
I can also understand how, for some Instructors, it is difficult to be the leader and impose order on his/her class. Indoor Cycling classes are supposed to be a fun experience – not a contentious time when we need to act more like a strict parent, than a personable, fitness Instructor.
Thinking back, I don't remember “Leadership Skills” being included in any of the certification programs I've taken. Which I feel is a mistake. It's my belief that learning to be the leader in your class is the most important role you have in your studio – especially for new Instructors and a critical skill for anyone teaching in a Big Box studio with a large & diverse membership.
Understanding that many Instructors aren't natural “leaders” I have written a bunch of articles that I hope will explain; WHY your class needs you to be the leader, signs that some in class don't accept and/or respect your leadership, and what you can do to assert your proper role – even if you haven't in the past.
Stop the Talkers — Step One… Identify The Real Issue
There’s a recurring issue that keeps popping up on Facebook and Pedal-On forum:
Does anyone have a suggestion about to do about the consistent talkers in my classes? They’re really disruptive, but I don’t what to offend anyone. What should I do?
Stop the Talkers — Step Two… It’s an issue of disrespect, but why?
So if in one instance people are disrespecting you and the other’s in your class by talking, but in a different situation they wouldn’t, the obvious question to ask is WHY? Why do people act disrespectfully?
The whole concept of why people do what they do is fascinating to me. Back in 2011 I introduced you to the concept of Start with WHY and that it’s important to understand WHY you are doing what you do… and WHY some of your participants do what they do.
Stop the Talkers — Step Three… Let’s Fix This Today!
You'll find additional suggestions on developing as the leader of your class (or outdoors as a ride leader) here.
Originally posted 2016-04-01 01:33:59.
I've really learned a lot from presentation coach and TV actress Alexa Fischer. While what she describes in the video below is directed toward people being filmed – I feel it's completely applicable to any of us who get up on stage. How's your “self talk” before starting your class?
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Originally posted 2014-03-27 16:48:47.
It seems I made a few enemies on Wednesday. I subbed a “Housewives” 9:30 am class that had a bunch of talkers in it. I'm not too tolerant of people disrupting my class. So I told asked them to please save their conversations until after class. As it turns out, a regular of mine overheard a conversation the following day, between the scheduled Instructor and a few of the participants. Though you might enjoy seeing his email to Amy describing the exchange…
John Macgowan is on the unofficial Eden Prairie Housewives “hit list”. You may want to let him know to keep a low profile and wear a disguise if going out and about in EP.
Thursday morning during his spin class he mentioned that he subbed for XXXX at 9:30 Wednesday. I had scheduled interviews with some candidates for a job and used the restaurant at LTF (Life Time Fitness where I teach) this morning.
Had a two hour break so was able to go to XXXX's 9:30 and those housewives were giving XXXX hell because “the sub instructor” (John) worked them too hard and (here is the best part) seemed annoyed because they wanted to carry on conversations during the class.
I personally have complained to XXXX multiple times about the nonstop talking in her class and went so far as to call XXXX (Dept Head) about it. I held my tongue for as long as I could this morning, then I let those housewives have it.
You (Amy), Adam and John run organized classes, XXXX's tends to be a yard sale, but she is a really strong instructor. This morning I proceeded to say something along the lines of if you want social hour go upstairs and have it there and don't criticize the instructor for properly managing a class.
I also referred to the loudest and most annoying lady in the class as a manatee who should be more focused on the workout and less on annoying the entire class. Needless to say, I probably need a disguise now as well.
Kind of made my day to hear John overwhelmed them. Hope you all are well. Happy Friday!! See you tomorrow.
Originally posted 2015-01-10 04:23:56.
Note: We've added a new category “Correcting Form” to help you identify and correct common form related problems you see or discomfort/pain your students are experiencing.
The problem diagnosing form, discomfort or pain issues while riding, is that they aren't always obvious when you're student is rested and fresh. Here's a good example:
Question from one of my regular students: “John, do you know I can keep my hands from getting numb – going to sleep?” “It happens here in class, but more so when I'm riding outside… any ideas?”
I've experienced this situation myself, as has the senior group fitness instructor Amy – but only while riding “The Bus” our tandem bicycle on long rides.
First I asked a simple question; “do you wear gloves when you're riding outside?”
“Sometimes I do, but never here in class. Because it happens both indoors and out, I don't think that's the problem.”
She went on to explain; “I've researched it online and I think I've eliminated all the potential causes that I found.” “It's frustrating for me because 30-40 min. into a ride, my hands start tingling and then fall asleep.”
“If it's happening both indoors and out and with or without gloves, it's probably not a nerve compression in your hand problem. My guess it's probably your actual hand position on the bars… hop on this bike and let me take a look.”
I had her jump on an Indoor Cycle in class and told her to get comfortable. Once she was in place, her hands were positioned like what's shown in this picture.
Proper hand position has straight wrists
“That would make sense. That wasn't discussed on any of the articles I found.” “But I never ride like that so that couldn't be the problem either.”
“Are you sure certain you never drop your elbows, which causes your wrists to collapse, when you have fatigued?”
I then went on to explain to her how subtle the change is and that when I had her drop her wrists, it didn't require changing her grip on the bars, only her dropping her elbows.
When we're fresh, we all sit up straight and tall. Everything about our form looks perfect. Yet as we fatigue, it's natural to experience small, often negative, changes in position. From my perch upon the instructor bike what I typically see is first shoulders tend to fall forward. This causes a little additional weight on your arms which result in your elbows collapsing in and downwards slightly. Because everything is connected, the lower position of your elbows, with no change in the position of your hands, naturally results in a greater angle of extension in your wrist.
Here are three suggestions you may use in class or on the road:
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Originally posted 2012-05-30 13:21:10.