We've got another election year here in the USA. Based on what I see on my Facebook feed, I get the sense that there's a few Instructors* out there that might be thinking, OH GOODY! I've got a captive group of people riding in front of me. My “peeps” see me as a leader. It's my job to “educate” them so they vote properly!
It's my belief that there's nothing better at destroying your class' sense of unity, than injecting politics.
So if you're tempted to sit there front/center and extol the virtues of some candidate (or criticise another) during a recovery, might I suggest that you consider these five reasons why you shouldn't?
#5 It's unprofessional behavior.
You're paid as an Instructor to conduct a cycling or fitness class – not to convert people politically as a political pundit. A true Fitness Professional would never discuss politics during the course of conducting their class. They understand exactly their role in the studio and understand politics isn't in their job description.
How would you feel if your doctor, accountant, mechanic, hair stylist, or other Professional (whom you're paying for a service) began to lecture you about the evils of a particular politician? One you happen to admire and plan to vote for this fall?
Fitness Professionals also understand that they represent the club or studio where they teach. As a representative, anything you say or do could reflect poorly on the business. So just don't go there.
As the owner or manager of an Indoor Cycling Studio, do you think that a friendly preemptive reminder to all of your employees might be helpful?
#4 It's disrespectful to your riders.
People are inundated by politics near constantly during election season. Unless you go completely off-grid, you really can't avoid the constant poll results, he said/she said breathlessly reported ad nauseam on TV, radio and the Internet.
At some level, most (if not all) of your riders participate in your class as an escape from the real world. Don't ruin their hour of aerobic bliss, by mouthing off about income inequality, social security, pipelines or other non-sense. Your class has no interest in hearing it and you'll only wreck their workout… and probably not see them again 🙁
#3 You'll instantly alienate half your class when you open your mouth.
The US is politically split approximately 50/50 between Republicans and Democrats. So it defies explanation why any rational* person would purposely choose to insult the political beliefs of 50% of their class, by publicly taking one political position over another. Seriously, why would you ever do that?
OK, I realise that there are some who couldn't care less who they alienate by mindlessly parroting what they've heard or read – please show your Professional independence by not being one of them 🙂
#2 They'll “unfriend” you.
I'm not specifically referring to unfriending someone on Facebook, although I guess I could be. I'm certainly not against dumping a FB “friend” who's frequently posting stupid stuff about politics. What I'm referring to is the damage you can do to a relationship by needlessly introducing conflict .
Think about the last you were lectured by a friend or acquaintance about something you disagreed with. How did it make you feel? Did you leave feeling like you'd be excited to talk with him or her again?
#1 I'm not stupid, nor am I uninformed or uneducated, so don't treat me like I am.
My number one reason why you should leave politics out of your class; it's insulting and demeaning to lecture other adults about pretty much anything, especially things political. There a very good reason that you, yourself, have felt insulted when this happens. You're being told (no matter how nicely) that if you disagree, you're simply wrong … and they're right.
But it isn't just that you are mistaken, like you turned left, when you should have veered right. No, you feel insulted because the act of lecturing is about power. The lecturer has asserted a position of dominance over you, attempting to make you feel small. How do you respond in a situation like this? Does it make you feel valued and/or respected?
But what if a participant brings up politics first?
Refer to #1, regardless of you're in agreement or not.
I have to compliment the personal trainer of the boot camp I was at this past Saturday. One participant made a number of political comments, that he initially ignored. Sensing the guy wasn't getting the hint, he said very politely; “this is a politics free zone” – smiled and disengaged from the conversation. That was all it took.
*This might not describe you… however you probably know a few Instructors who it does. Please feel free to share this article with them, before they irreparably damage their relationship with their participants.
I can't remember ever talking to a new studio owner, who didn't express the dream to open & own a second… and possibly a third studio once their first was established.
Which raises an interesting question…
When is the right time to open a 2nd studio? And should you?
Studio Owner Nancy Katinas owns The Revolution, a pair of Indoor Cycling studios in upstate New York. She joins me to share her thoughts and experiences about how she and her partners built their first profitable studio. And then opened a second a few years later.
What about Instructor exclusivity? Dennis Mellon share his thoughts from the Instructor's perspective last week. Be sure to catch Nancy's explanation of her studio's policy – one that I found pretty gutsy as it takes a bunch of confidence to pull off.
If you're interested in learning about franchising options for opening an indoor cycling studio – we have a podcast you should listen to here.
Great stuff here for any current (or future) studio owners!
As you hear in the interview, despite not having Indoor Cycles with power indication, Nancy is a fan of Performance IQ – she's using PIQ's heart rate display training system with great success. Here's a few of her participants sharing their thoughts.
Fresh off the split between Mad Dogg Athletics and Core Health & Fitness – Star Trac, I received this press release promoting their new (?) lineup of Indoor Cycles…
Core Health & Fitness To Introduce New Indoor Group Cycles
VANCOUVER, WA. September 29, 2015 — Core Health & Fitness, an industry leader in the manufacture
and distribution of commercial fitness products, announced today plans to introduce three new indoor
cycling bikes. The bikes will be marketed under Core Health & Fitness’s Star Trac brand and will debut
this Fall as the Studio 7â„¢, Studio 5â„¢ and Studio 3â„¢.
“Our new bikes are a winning combination of features and price points that customers will love”, said
Dustin Grosz, President of Core Health & Fitness. “We have been the number one seller of group cycle
bikes for over a decade and have over fifteen years of experience in engineering, design, manufacturing
and distribution of indoor cycling bikes. The design of our new line of bikes draws on that wealth of
experience and reputation for producing the highest quality indoor cycling bikes, while answering our
customers’ requests for a newly designed, more flexible and more affordable offering in the indoor
cycling space. The new bikes have a superior look and feel and are offered at a more attractive price
point than Star Trac’s prior product offerings in this space,” Grosz added.
Jeff Dilts, Vice President of Product Management and Innovation at Core Health & Fitness said,
“Although the bikes will vary in regards to frame and drivetrain, all three will utilize the popular perimeter weighted flywheel and a direct pressure brake system.
The top-of-the-line Star Trac Studio 7â„¢ will feature an aluminum frame, a field-tested Poly V belt and ship with pedals featuring both toe cages and SPD clips.
The Star Trac Studio 5â„¢ will have these same popular features, but will do so on the steel
frame structure. Both bikes incorporate the Star Trac patent pending, durable Morse Taper design that
delivers unmatched performance, safety and durability”.
The Star Trac Studio 3â„¢ launches with a steel frame, a traditional chain drive and direct pressure brake
system.
“The Star Trac Studio Series indoor cycling bikes provide a perfect complement to our Schwinn AC
series”, added Grosz. “No matter what frame, drivetrain, brake or console system a club wants, we’ve
got a bike that fits the need.”
I've requested pictures and will be posting them as soon as I receive them. Based on these very basic descriptions, (and no mention of Power) I'm going out on a limb and guessing that these will be rebranded versions of the Star Trac Indoor Cycles that you're already familiar with. Studios who are interested in magnetic resistance and power indication will probably be steered toward the Schwinn AC line by the Core Health & Fitness sales reps.
I've been in my share of Indoor Cycling studios where, by the end of class, the air is so thick with humidity that you can no longer see yourself in the mirrors. The room stinks and every breath feels like you're riding at 10,000 feet – your lungs starving for oxygen.
Are your experiences similar to mine?
I'm discovering that there's a very simple cause for poor/bad indoor air quality; insufficient ventilation that is the result of a HVAC (Heating,Ventilation & Air Conditioning) system that wasn't designed for the occupancy and activity levels of the rooms inhabitants.
Typically new small/boutique fitness studios are opening in retail spaces with HVAC designed for sedentary office workers – not 30 athletes riding below/@/above threshold for 60 minutes 🙁
The lead author of the study is PhD student Carla Alexandra Ramos from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. Carla agreed to join me to discuss her findings and offer suggestions to improving the quality indoor air in your club or studio on this addition of the Podcast.
Carla has published a number of research papers on indoor air polution that you can find them here at researchgate.net
Are you committed to the health & wellness of your participants?
Then shouldn't we all be doing something to improve the air we're breathing in class?
A good start would be completing this short survey on the quality of the air in your club or studio. Create your own user feedback survey
This might be a perfect space for a 25 bike cycling studio – except the HVAC system was designed to supply air for a three person travel agency.
I'm learning that many small/boutique fitness studios are located in spaces designed as offices or small retailers. Businesses with a handful of sedentary people, sitting at a desk. The building's HVAC system isn't typically optimised for all the CO2 and moisture created by a room full of heavy breathing participants = poor air quality, especially at the end of class 🙁
Does this describe your studio? Should we be looking for solutions to improve your studio's air quality, while keeping energy costs to a minimum?
The music industry is figuring out that a great Indoor Cycling class is built on a fabulous playlist. Now they're making noises that they feel they should be charging fitness studios a higher rate for their commercial performance licenses…
By Andrew Sparkler, Vice President, Business Affairs & Operations
At this year’s SXSW, SoulCycle teamed up with Spotify and some of their favorite DJs at what was dubbed as “an epic music and movement experience.” While the popular fitness club’s trip to Austin underscores the importance of music to its business, it is unclear if the music business is spinning to the same beat.
SoulCycle, launched in 2006, is now filing for an IPO. Its business is primarily based on offering a high intensity spin class led by an instructor who also serves as a DJ. Take a class, glance at their website or read their S-1 filing and it is clear that music is perhaps as essential to their business as the bikes themselves.
SoulCycle’s SEC filing characterizes its product as a “carefully curated ‘cardio party’ [that] is fueled by the personalities of our instructors, their uniquely crafted musical playlists and the energy of the room” and says that “[w]ith inspirational coaching and high-energy music, SoulCycle was created to strengthen both the mind and the body.” Their instructors go as far as to claim that music “is the most important part of what we do at SoulCycle.”
Performing rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI are on constant lookout for ways to generate royalties for their songwriters and rights holders, but one publishing exec (and former ASCAP vp) argues they need to look harder — maybe even break a sweat — when dealing with your favorite fitness center.
In an op-ed for Medium, Downtown Publishing vp of business affairs Andrew Sparkler said PROs are dropping the proverbial medicine ball by classifying certain gyms under “general” licenses — the same umbrella as restaurants, bars and concert/sports venues — when music has become such an ubiquitous and personalized part of the workout experience.
To make his point, Sparkler cites the popular SoulCycle chain of spin classes, who in a recent SEC filing for an IPO called their product a “carefully curated ‘cardio party' [that] is fueled by the personalities of our instructors, their uniquely crafted musical playlists and the energy of the room.”
In its SEC filing, SoulCycle projects 2015 revenue to be around $140 million and said it hopes to expand to 250 locations (up from 36 in 2014) in the near future.
Sparkler figures each SoulCycle is currently bringing in about $3.1 million apiece for the company, but is only paying a tiny fraction of that to PROs under the “general” licenses for the music it plays. BMI, for example, charges fitness clubs a maximum of $2,123 per year per location — which would amount to .01 percent of what Sparkler estimates each SoulCycle makes. ASCAP also has a flat fee per location, but it slides depending on inflation.
According to his calculations, fitness center revenue increased over 104 percent in the U.S. between 2000 and 2014, and SoulCycle jumped 108 percent from 2012 to 2013 alone.
While noting that SoulCycle is doing nothing wrong — they’re simply paying the bills sent by PROs — it’s those rights groups that should tap into “this cultural phenomenon and increase their rates accordingly.”
So where does this lead? My guess is that ASCAP and BMI will be looking for ways to monetize (make more money) off the excitement surrounding SoulCycle/Indoor Cycling and the ease of music delivery from Spotify/iTunes Music = they'll be contacting clubs and studios with “revised” (read more expensive) license agreements.
As someone who prefers to maintain a level of fair exchange, I can't begrudge them for asking a higher rate than a sports bar or restaurant would pay. My only hope is that club/studio owners/managers recognise the value great music brings to our classes and not follow the LA Fitness path that pretends to save money by enforcing canned Muzac use by their Instructors 🙁
