Motivation to exercise has spurred fitness discussions for decades.
Having taught Group Fitness classes for over 30 years, and Indoor Cycling since 1995, I've noticed that, when a person successfully integrates exercise into his or her life, the motivation to keep exercising changes over time. I've observed Four Levels of Motivation.
Level 1 – Physical
When someone starts a fitness program, the motivation usually comes from a physical goal, typically to lose weight, look better or become healthier.
Physical changes are easy to effect in a person with sufficient desire. Particularly when working with a trained professional, people can see success in these top three areas. We’ve all seen that initial desire wane, however, even in people who achieved results. Their workouts may stop or become sporadic. The physical Level of Motivation starts things but often won’t sustain a lifelong process.
The industry addresses these clients through change. The workouts weren't diverse enough. Let’s focus on something else, move in a new direction. It works for a while, but finding another way to lose weight is not the long-term answer. If students’ motivation does not evolve, they’re likely to stop once again.
Level 2 – Emotional
Most people will benefit from the second Level of Motivation, emotion. In time, feeling better supersedes looking better. Even people frustrated with lack of physical results will tend to acknowledge that exercise has made them feel better emotionally. They’re more relaxed, less stressed, glad to be taking care of themselves. If they have family, staying healthy and setting an example for their kids may feel gratifying.
This deeper Level of Motivation can sustain regular exercisers for a lifetime, but is often overlooked as a factor in keeping someone going after the physical motivation wanes.
Level 3 – Mental
The third Level of Motivation involves the mind, and I’ve seen it impact people dramatically. They become fascinated by what’s happening in the body, research it, study it, take charge of their own fitness programs. Some get certified to teach Indoor Cycling. Many of you reading this may have started your Indoor Cycling careers this way.
This leads to rapid, exponential growth in fitness. Students overcome physical challenges they’ve faced. They’re transformed. They become athletes. They move into events and competition, set yearly goals, and train with a dedication greater than that of some gifted athletes. With each accomplishment, their confidence grows — and their enthusiasm. They find new friends, change their lifestyle to accommodate a more rigorous workout schedule, and define themselves though their training.
This stage is glorious. It can go on for years, maybe decades, but must come to an end. Whether through injury, poor health, or aging, a decline in ability is inevitable. Unprepared students may be left deflated, empty or depressed. They can't ride as fast, can't manage their weight, lose flexibility or whatever they used to have that made them feel special.
This is a critical time because students may have to go through this process to realize the final Level of Motivation: connection with spirit.
Level 4 – Spiritual
Most people don't get here. Training becomes something they used to do.
Let me emphasize that this doesn’t involve religious beliefs, though some see it that way. Bottom line, if your students have never felt their spirits soar while riding, they may be stuck on Level 1. If you teach Indoor Cycling, you have likely felt this soaring but may not have expressed it this way.
The contrast between our ever-present sense of aliveness and the impermanence of the body is what tells us we’re more than muscle and bone. Eckart Tolle says, “If the whole world were blue, you would not recognize blue.” If riding your bike makes you feel more alive, even in the face of injury or an aging body, you realize that a part of you never gets tired, never grows old. You ride a bike into your 90's and still feel as if you're flying.
When you feel this, your perspective on all of the training you’ve done in your life changes. The achievements matter less. They’re fun and exciting, but their value is short-lived. You feel less unique and more deeply at peace. Balance replaces ego, and riding a bike just makes you happy to be alive.
When a student feels this, my job as a trainer is done. More than likely, he or she will now become the teacher.
Few individuals achieve this balance or are able to sustain it. Most of us float among all four Levels of Motivation. It would be ludicrous to tell you that, after 40+ years of intense training, I never think about how I look or use Level 1 to get my ass to the gym and train. If that’s my motivation for the day, so be it. I’ve learned that the connection with spirit is not easy to achieve every day. That state of consciousness can be elusive.
When it’s there, though, it’s undeniably the best thing that training — especially riding a bike — gives me. Your students will feel the same way.
Have you have ever faced this dichotomy in your class?
Two riders, call them Bob and Susan (not their real names) are sitting front, center, smiling at you. You know them both and what you know about them causes you to almost freeze with indecision about how you will coach the class.
Here's some background on the two:
Bob is 40 years old and a somewhat competitive cyclist. Bob comes to your class to get stronger/fitter/faster (which is what he wants) so he needs to Train ~ 80% of his time in ZONE 1 to develop aerobically and the remaining 20% in ZONE 3 – above AT/LT. From a Training perspective, Bob should spend as little time in ZONE 2 as possible (junk miles). But the upper part of ZONE 2 is exactly where Bob performs during (long/fast club ride, RR or TT) so Bob's training in ZONEs 1 & 3 is to make him stronger in ZONE 2 when he is competing. Bob also understands that the hard work in ZONE 3 will leave him a bit trashed – which he accepts as the cost of getting stronger.
Susan is a 40 year old Mother of three kids who isn't training for anything, unless you count her continuous battle maintaining her body composition at an acceptable level. She's in your class to burn calories…specifically body fat if at all possible. She wants to leave your class with the energy she needs for the rest of her day while also not having her sugar stores depleted to the point where her low blood sugar level has her stopping at the doughnut shop. I would argue that Susan needs to spend the majority of the class in ZONE 2. There is where she can maintain the highest level of intensity for the longest period of time, without feeling exhausted, needing to recover and eating everything she sees after class.
With few exceptions, the majority of our classes are made of students are more like Susan than Bob… and arguably the #1 reason people come to class is for weight management.
Does it then make sense that we design classes much more for Susan?
Are we boring/alienating Susan when we sit there and proudly explain how our class is scientifically designed to help Bob?
In her post about not teaching to the squeaky wheel, Cameron Chinatti lays out some excellent points on how no one at your facility should be valued higher than anyone else. Easier said then done. I find myself wanting to teach to a class of Bob's, even while smiling back at Susan.
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 🙂
Pedal Studio owner Andrew Clayton has just announced that his studio has joined the Sweat For A Vet fundraiser event Saturday November 12th.
Who is coming to ride ? Its Global, Johnny Goldberg (inventor of Spinning) is presenting from the US, we are raising funds for Help for Heroes ~ Come and join us at Pedal Studio http://www.pedalstudio.co.uk/events/sweat-vet-event-12-nov-2011/ – with Brian Greene and Rick Goodchild at Pedal Studio Putney.
The power of presentation is important in every industry, from food to fashion, and learning to present your rides with fresh, creative cues is a skill all instructors should desire. Powerful verbal coaching exudes passion, encouragement and inspiration, and well developed cues help students find the inner voice that keeps them loyal and coming back for more.
The most valuable teaching tool I possess is not my collection of music, but rather a faded, well-traveled, leather bound book filled with hundreds of quotes that have shaped the lives of students worldwide. I’m pleased to share a few of my favorites as we launch a new feature at ICI/PRO dedicated entirely to the art of cuing.
However, we need your help! Join the post and add your own killer cues along with when/how to use them: Warm Up, Strength/Power, Hills, Flats, Encouragement, etc. Together we’ll create an unparalleled source for world’s best cue book.
WARM UP
Hold the bar as if it were something or someone you care about very deeply. Respect your machine — this is your vehicle to fitness
Feel the inertia of the flywheel; unencumbered
Your mind is a clean slate; you’re a blank page riding. Let your body heat up and notice you feel light — floating — effortless; comfortable.
Feel relaxed in your joints and muscles. Enjoy the simple act of pedaling…You know you’re maturing when you can appreciate rolling legs. This is you being comfortable with your body.
You are simmering before the boil.
Patience…be careful what you wish for…..
FLATS
Feel a good, strong flat road but don’t rest; I want you to breathe, taste, smell this ride…….and understand.
There is no deviation; no stalling; perfectly symmetrical and everything is unified.
Add a layer of resistance and put the road on steroids.
HILLS AND STRENGTH
There is treacherous terrain ahead and we are heading to the dark side. The walls will feel as if they’re closing in on you and you can’t find the floor. There is no escape. It’s hard to breathe. Are you afraid to take your body to a place that has no boundaries?
What’s about to happen isn’t pretty….you may shudder. You may tremble……you might even whimper like a little baby girl.
Feel the change in your body as things are heating up now. Get ready to lay down a layer of resistance that makes your body say, “what was THAT?”
If this isn’t a hill for you, then don’t let me hold you back. I CAN’T RIDE THIS FOR YOU…
Do you have the feeling of euphoria? That means you’re on a hill….and if you’re on a hill, why not make it a bigger hill…..so in plain English…just add another gear.
Visualize a treadmill….keep your pace steady, but imagine the incline is increasing. Five changes in the incline are ahead.
EMPOWERMENT
You chose today to do what others won’t so tomorrow you’ll what they can’t.
It’s time to kick in the turbo. This will be your defining moment.
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking….so if you’ve been holding back…ask yourself why? Why are you afraid to take your body to another level?
You can’t exceed your wildest expectation if you don’t even have a wild expectation…what is yours?
Today I want you to pass the limits you’ve put on yourself. You are stronger and faster than you ever imagined.
Where do you go inside of yourself when you need to get tough, when you need a little more to finish what you started? You need to make your way to that sacred place because we’re getting close to finishing what we started.
RECOVERY
Feel the recovery as it fuels your body. This is a gift, so I’d take it whether you need it or not.
Use the tools of oxygen and hydration to saturate yourself in this pool of recovery.
Former Spinning Master Instructor Debbie Miller is the Director of ProjectVisAbility.org, a program designed to assist wounded service people and physically challenged athletes become Group Fitness Instructors. How cool is that?
Working in partnership with Johnny G, Project VisAbility is hosting a Sweat For a Vet, a multi location fundraiser on Saturday November 12th.
The facts and figures speak for themselves… there are a large number of people with disabilities. Those with disabilities have a harder time finding work, earn less, live in poverty more often and experience depression, divorce and staggering suicide rates.
Yet there are those who have overcome their obstacles to lead or return to a fulfilled and active life. What if we could harness the inspiration and leadership of physically challenged athletes who wanted to use their talents and share their motivation with others? With Project VisAbility we can.
Inclusive Fitness encourages the fitness industry to go beyond the minimum levels of accessibility and make fitness environments not just accessible but truly inclusive. We want to take that one step further and enable those with physical challenges to also lead and inspire.
The ability to link job opportunities with capable physically challenged instructors will truly benefit everyone–disabled instructors, health and fitness clubs and members.
