The ICI/PRO 28 Day Challenge started 8 minutes ago!
I'm really stoked to see the results from each challenge as they filter in.
Challenge #1 is the longest and for some, will be the most difficult.
There's still time to join the others who've committed to the ICI/PRO 28 Day Challenge.
Display tracking of each rider's performance during an Indoor Cycling class is proving to be very motivating for the riders and profitable for the studio owners because those participants keep coming back.
Customer retention is hugely important to keeping your classes full. I hear over and over; “once you've shown me my performance, up on a screen and then on that email I get after class, I'm hooked. Why would I ever go back to that Big Box club, who doesn't show me anything?”
Jennifer Ashbrook is the owner of Inner Drive Cycling | Fitness Studio in Newtown Square, PA. Jennifer's studio features FreeMotion S11.9 indoor cycles that provide the performance data that drives the Spivi Display Training system she purchased to differentiate her studio, from other competing fitness clubs in her area.
Jennifer created this short video to help her prospective customers understand Spivi and how it adds to the “WOW” factor of her classes.
You can learn more about Jennifer and her studio by listening to our interview.
I forgot to talk about … It's common for guests to contact me, post interview, with a point or two that they felt should have been included, but weren't. Jennifer emailed me to add:
Hi John,
I just wanted to thank you for the chance to talk with you about Spivi this morning — I really enjoyed it! A couple of things I think maybe I should clarify about Spivi that I forgot to mention — when I explained how Spivi “normalizes” or handicaps riders, I indicated that they are normalized based on power output — and that’s a major part of the equation for bikes with power — but the system also takes into account cadence; it factors all of that together and “ranks” riders based on “Spivi Points” — which (as I understand it) factors in riders age, weight, gender, FTP (if know and power data is available), and cadence — perhaps other factors… The system can also pick up heart rate from ANT+ heart rate straps.
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Click this image to explore all the resort options from our prize sponsor.
Instructor Lena Hershey and I both find it incredible that 96 Instructors have already committed to our 28 Day Challenge – they have no clue what we have in store for them and we're still a week away from the start on September 21st.
I invited Lena back on the Podcast so we could explain a little more about the contest and describe the awesome prize the two winners will receive 🙂
Listen to our interview below and be sure to join the 28 Day Challenge by requesting membership at our Facebook Group or you can learn more here.
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During my interview with Instructor Lena Hershey, she explained to us how she made her personal transformation…
I have started this journey on an ordinary day in February 2013. I was in the car with my husband and two step-kids, driving home from somewhere when I said: “I will go and work out at the YMCA every day for a month starting today”. Just like that — out of the blue. I can’t even remember why I said that or what prompted that decision. I just said that and once I did, I had to do it. So I did.
Lena's first step was saying it out loud – where others would hear her.
Making public commitments can be very powerful – especially when told to people who will hold you accountable. Which got me thinking; “wouldn't it be cool to use social media to give Instructors a place to post their commitments to change/growth/improvement and then other Instructors could hold them accountable?”
So I told Lena about my idea. Not only was she excited about developing the concept, she wanted to see it become real. Not wanting to disappoint her forced me into action – which I did by agreeing to collaborate with her until we had completed this task. Here's the result:
28 unique challenges, to be completed over 28 days. Are you willing to do the work required to become a better Indoor Cycling Instructor?
Nothing impossible (teach 10 classes back-to-back & non stop) or dangerous (base jumping). Each challenge is designed to help you grow as a person and as an Indoor Cycling Instructor. Some might be easy for you… others you’ll want to skip when you read them – but you won’t because you made the commitment and you're going to keep it.
Here’s how this challenge works:
There will be a post for each of the 28 challenges in the FB group where you'll note your completion and leave a comment about what happened/what you learned/what you experienced during that challenge.
We will tell you this much:
Prizes
First of all, the real reward will hopefully be a better you at the end of this ☺
But I love offering prizes so here they are!
Season pass to ICI/PRO – Complete all 28 challenges to the best of your ability and earn a six month subscription to ICI/PRO, a $60.00 value.
The winners of the ICI/PRO challenge – will be the two Instructors we feel best exemplify the spirit and intent of this personal growth exercise. We realize that this is hard to define, but we feel we’ll know who wins when we see it.
If we can't decide we'll be asking the group who they feel should win.
And what do they win? My friends at Fit Bodies Inc are providing the top 2 instructors with vouchers for a free (agent fee is normally $400-
$550) one week fitness vacation for two adults (+ two kids* under 12) at any of 60 Caribbean all-inclusive resorts.
Many of you have heard me talk about my wife Amy and I have taken dozens of these trips — everyone was fabulous. They are the absolute best deal for a fitness Instructor to spend a romantic week at a gorgeous resort in Jamaica, Mexico and other exotic locations.
These are 4/5 star resorts where couples pay $3-5,000 per week + Air. You are treated as a full guest… except that you’re also the 9:30 cycling Instructor.
Travel (air-fare) is not included and some resorts do require a Group Fitness or Mind-Body certification.
More information here http://www.workingfitnessvacation.com/about/
* There are multiple resorts that are kid friendly, but all of them require you to be a Group Fitness instructor.
Another Apple product I'll have to have…
Apple revealed their new Smartwatch today – there's not much information available yet, but I'm betting it will turn the fitness industry on its head. Disclaimer, I own Apple stock and my prediction is that the Smartwatch will become the de facto fitness device in the very near future.
And I'd be sh***ing my pants if I was Polar or Garmin.
Why? Because the iPhone is a really lousy fitness accessory. There I've said it. Despite being able to run all those wonderful fitness and cycling Apps, the iPhone sucks to use when you're exercising.
But we love our iPhones, so we've put up with how cumbersome they are to have along with us.
Put it on your wrist and everything changes. It will be as convenient to use as a … wristwatch… a wristwatch that runs cool fitness Apps!
Our participants will want to wear their new Smartwatch in class. And what will they do with it? THEY'LL MONITOR THEIR HEART RATE – and maybe THEIR POWER/WATTS. They might also want to record their data + upload and track their progress.
The Apple Smartwatch will make Indoor Cycling 2.0 cool 🙂
The Smartwatch is supposed to be out in early 2015. Unless Apple has figured out how to detect your heart rate from your wrist, the folks from Scosche and Wahoo better crank up their production of BLE HR monitor straps
I can't wait to see what happens 🙂
Next Day Update: I'm seeing my prediction about BLE monitor straps being unfounded. The video below explains that the Smartwatch includes optical sensors like the Scosche = the heart rate monitor is built in, so no additional strap is needed.
This promotional video is fascinating.
http://youtu.be/ktujsc4ZUTo?list=PLHFlHpPjgk73J6C3PHUrDntzy6TQxBh44
It’s squash season! Winter squash — almost all of them — are among my favorite foods. They’re an excellent source of starchy carbs, which are necessary for training, and don’t add the undesirable elements of sugar or gluten.
People ask how I cook squash, and my answer is shocking but true. I microwave. (As mentioned in previous posts, I’m a lazy cook but determined to eat healthful foods.) One safety note: larger squash, such as butternut, can be difficult to cut when raw. Most roasting/baking instructions require cutting the squash in half before placing it in the oven, so be careful. If you decide to be lazy like me, you can microwave without cutting first.
Acorn squash seems to be everywhere these days. It can be eaten as part of a quick pre-training meal. The meal could include any protein source you choose, from dinner leftovers to vegetable protein powder. Reheat the acorn squash, if desired, and top it with some raw, organic coconut oil. It’s a fast, healthy meal and can get you through a tough workout.
Stuffed acorn squash makes a nice dinner side dish. You can, of course, use virtually anything you like to stuff it. One combination I’ve played with is brown rice, wild rice, chopped vegetables, and pine nuts. If you go easy on seasonings, this could also serve as part of the pre-training meal above.
Another terrific squash is delicata. It can be substituted for acorn squash in either dish above and offers a little variety.
And how about spaghetti squash? It can be eaten just like any other squash, seasoned whichever way you prefer. But it also has that added fun-factor because it can be used exactly like spaghetti and topped with your favorite sauce to make a gluten-free “pasta.”
My favorite squash dish combines two winter standards. Butternut has a fantastic flavor but is often watery. Kabocha (aka Japanese pumpkin) has a drier, firmer texture but tastes bitter. Combining the two is easy. Cook both, let them cool, and discard the seeds. Scoop out the squash from each one, place it in a bowl, and use a potato masher to blend them. It’s really quick. Pour out the water from the butternut squash as necessary.
The taste of this combo is good enough to be eaten plain with no seasoning. But, obviously, you can season it if you want, with any seasonings you choose.
Whether you already like squash or try it for the first time it this season, you might miss it (as I sometimes do) the rest of the year. Here’s one way around that. A few years ago, I discovered canned, organic pumpkin. Look for a brand that contains pumpkin and absolutely nothing else. You can treat it exactly the way you would oatmeal or quinoa in my no sugar, no-bonk breakfast suggestion from a previous post. Season it according to your preference. I tend to use cinnamon at breakfast, but sea salt, freshly ground pepper, allspice, nutmeg, curry, and many other seasonings can work quite well anytime. If you stock up on several cans, you’ll have it year-round.
My plan this year is to try some of the squash varieties I’ve never tried before. If you have a favorite recipe, please feel free to pass it along to us. And please let me know how squash works as part of your pre-workout meal.