I just got back from teaching (subbing) my very first Cycle – Sculpt class. Yep, I taught a class that included weights… which we used… while on the bike. And guess what?
No one got hurt and it appeared that many in the class enjoyed our hour together.
Oh, and from the looks of them, they all worked really hard.
UPDATE: This class generated 50 comments at Facebook.
So why did I do this? A lot of reasons actually. Here are a few…
I try to support our team of Instructors, whenever possible.
When I see a sub request, and I'm available, I try as often as possible to say Yes! So when I saw this request, I automatically replied that I would cover the class. I honestly didn't even realize what I was agreeing to teach.
This brings me to last Sunday. I had incorrectly entered the date into my calendar. When I pulled into the parking lot last week I saw another Instructor park right next to me. “Are we both here to teach the same class?” she asked. It quickly became obvious that we were. When I offered for her to go back home, she replied; “You know this is a Cycle-Sculpt class, John?” So I agreed that it would probably be better if she taught the class. And since I was already there, I decided to take it 🙂
Which turned out to be a good thing, once I figured out (yesterday) that I was scheduled to teach it this morning. More on the format to follow.
I try to place the desires of the club's members ahead of my own, whenever possible.
Understanding when and what I was expected to teach. I had a decision to make. Would I teach the class that the participants were expecting / what they choose to get up for this morning? Or would I waltz in with a big chip on my shoulder and declare something to the affect of;
“These classes are nonsense.”
“You're all wasting your time with those weights.”
“We'll be doing a real cycling class today.”
“If you don't like it, tough, you can leave.”
I could have taught my normal cycling specific class very easily. But out of respect for the 30 people in the room, that were expecting a Cycle-Sculpt class, I gave them one.
Side Note: Lots of strange faces in that class.
And I don't mean a few new faces. I counted, and ~20 of the 30 in class were unknown to me. Our's isn't a big club. Amy and I have been members for 20 years and I've taught for the last ten. I've subbed every class multiple times. These people (they were all women) don't appear to frequent any of the conventional cycling classes.
My guess is that the original Instructor for that class had recruited many to join her in (what was then) a brand new class format. Incorporating the familiar strength elements of a sculpt group fitness class, with the cardio of cycling they felt comfortable joining her. And there they've stayed.
IMO – there's been way too much speculation, and not enough observation, about these classes.
I watched a semi-pro cyclist pound out a 5 minute interval @ 350 watts*, a few months ago at Full Psycle Studio. He then scooped up his two 12lb weights for a set of over-head presses, soft pedaling while focusing on his exercise. I talked to him afterward and asked him his thoughts about using weights on the bike. His response was; “I like this. I couldn't do that on my road bike.” As a cyclist, he's not interested in gaining muscle mass – which requires heavy weights/low number of reps – but he did appear to enjoy the opportunity to do more than just sit there and pedal.
That's not supposed to happen – but I saw it with my own eyes. And it's not just me who sees this. Jim Karanas (I just can't bring myself to preface that with “the late”) wrote an interesting article this past summer about the appeal of these types of classes.
What about non-authentic indoor cycling? How about SoulCycle? It hurts; it really does. But if you believe that SoulCycle is going to fade away because it’s not authentic, then I believe you’re misguided. The SoulCycle brand is strong, their marketing is incredibly strong, AND they now have strong financial support after having been purchased by Equinox.
Something else: they’re building one hell of a culture. Friends of mine who have never taken my class come up and say with wide-eyed enthusiasm, “Do you know that SoulCycle is coming to San Francisco?” I ask, “Why would you take a class there when you haven’t yet come to mine?” No response.
I believe that non-authentic indoor cycling will become a significant trend in the Fitness Industry. ICG® is an authentic indoor cycling company. We believe in proper training principles and we all ride bikes, yet we’re not blind.
If non-authentic IC is going to make a mark, why not embrace it for what it is — a way to train on the bike that makes (some) people fit and happy? Assuming it’s validated as safe and effective (ICG has already contacted the American Council on Exercise and proposed a study), then shouldn’t every indoor cycling education body offer a program on how to teach non-authentic indoor cycling? Why shouldn’t any and every indoor cycling program be taught by those who are truly qualified to teach indoor cycling? That would be the likes of us. We know indoor cycling best. We could create a program — inauthentic fluff, if you will — that’s still authentic in its safety, structure and cardiovascular benefit. Why not?
Master Trainer Dunte Hector commented on Jim's article
This post gives me the same impression — someone out there is taking their first step toward better health and better fitness because of “non-authentic” classes; why should my personal philosophy stand in the way of that? Sure, I would love to see every single indoor cycling participant coming to class to be physically prepared to ride better outdoors, but that’s just not the case. Even if they were, no matter the size of my facility or number of people on staff, I couldn't possibly help everyone all at once.
I've observed these classes, I've taken these classes… all I had left was to teach one of these classes.
To save you the suspense, no I didn't do any of the goofy stuff. No push-ups on the bike (although I'm not aware of a more benign movement) or figure 8s or tap-backs. We did do a lot of cadence based jumps – which isn't different than what I'll throw in a typical class.
After the class last Sunday, the Instructor helped me prepare for my class. It's actually very simple; 5 minutes riding, followed by 5 minutes of strength. Here's my Spotify playlist. Cycle Sculpt Class
Warm-up 9:30min
Heart Upon My Sleeve Pitbull — Feel This Moment – 30 second accelerations with Christina from tempo (68 rpm) to 90 rpm
Floor work 5:00 mins
Crypton — 2 x Floor pushups (hands using weights = straight wrists) and planks until the Instructor was fatigued 🙁
Ride set 5 mins
Kill Me Every Time — 63 rpm, build load until it brings you out of the saddle 3 minutes, seated until end.
Back set 5 mins
Thievery Corporation — pedals horizontal and locked with load. Standing back rows, alternating sides, then reverse flys with a two count at full extension, alternating sides.
Ride set 5 mins
Living Colour— Cult Of Personality – Speed work. 92 rpm near AT, then surges over 100 rpm.
Bies / Tries & Shoulders set 5 mins
Euphoria 5 Mins – compound movement: curl > rotate to shoulder press > squeeze triceps a full extension, alternate arms
Ride set 5 minutes
Tegan And Sara — Back In Your Head – Tiesto Remix Edit – cadence jumps at 68 rpm with lots of load.
Band set 5 mins
Denmark – short band around your back. Duel and alternating arm triceps presses.
Final Ride set 10 minutes
Sunday On Weed — You Can't Hide (Cet Merlin Mix) – Cet Merlin Mix 5 min climb seated Muse — Supremacy – continue climb > chase back on accelerations @ 2:00 & 3:48 – recovery in between. Listen to it and you'll hear exactly what to do.
Now is this something I would introduce into my class?
No. My class expects my very cycling specific class.
My interest here was seeing if it would be possible for me to teach this class safely and with the participants accepting my version as a reasonable substitute for their normal Instructor.
Music streaming service Deezer will launch in the US in 2014. French company Deezer currently has 5 million paying subscribers in 80 countries worldwide, a figure that puts it close behind the similar service Spotify – based in Sweden – which boasts more than 6 million paying users. Deezer will join a crowded market of subscription-based streaming music services that also includes Rdio, Google Play Music, and MOG.
Except this rumor is a bit distressing…
US networks such as Verizon and AT&T are obvious targets for a partnership as Deezer expands, but TechCrunch reports the company would also consider joining with a firm outside the telecoms industry. According to Digital Music News, that partnership could even become a takeover. Its sources say Microsoft is considering acquiring the service outright to gain traction in an industry where it has failed to make an impact in the past.
Let's hope for Deezer's sake that Microsoft (if they are involved) doesn't turn Deezer into a Windows 8 like disaster.
No idea what you're eating? Does it contain chemicals and allergens that you want to avoid? Are you a bit distrustful of the labeling (or lack of labeling) on the food you purchase for your family? Well now there's an App for that, or at least there will be very soon.
I'm on an email list that sends regular notifications of new IndieGoGo projects. This morning I was alerted to this new product: TellSpec: What's in your food?
TellSpec is a fascinating device that literally scans your food and then displays the resluts on your portable deveice. Watch this short video to see how it works.
http://youtu.be/kcNj1DknDpg
What is TellSpec?
TellSpec is a three-part system which includes: (1) a spectrometer scanner (2) an algorithm that exists in the cloud; and (3) an easy-to-understand interface on your smart phone. Just aim the scanner at the food and press the button until it beeps. You can scan directly or through plastic or glass. TellSpec analyzes the findings using the algorithm and sends a report to your phone telling you the allergens, chemicals, nutrients, calories, and ingredients in the food. TellSpec is a fast, simple, and easy-to-use way to learn what's in your food. We need your help to make it smaller and manufacture it as a handheld device.
Here's the part that really impressed me – it can help you identify food allergies 🙂
TellSpec will track what you eat, and based on your reports of how you feel, it will help identify your food sensitivities.
While Reebok doesn't make cycling shoes or apparel, they do make some fabulous workout wear. So when I saw this new fitness instructor 25% discount program, I knew I needed to share it with you.
ReebokONE gives credentialed fitness instructors 25% off everything in their catalog – there are no restrictions like their old program that limited you to a clothing for your gender and shoes only in your size.
I was having a conversation last week at the ECA conference, with a women who was looking through a rack of fitness clothing. I had asked her why the clothing vendors appeared to be so popular. She gave me the “Duh” look and explained that she was constantly on the lookout for the newest styles. Fitness conferences are often the place to see the latest offerings. As a somewhat typical guy, I'm not overly concerned about what I wear, but I am quite aware that some people's sense of style is much greater than mine = a strong desire to be wearing what's new and cool.
I signed up to experience the process. It's pretty straight forward, although you do need to attach a scanned image of your certification. They offer you the option to create an Instructor profile and they offer a referral commission program that you can promote to your friends and participants.
Annual ICI/PRO member Instructors: don't forget you get access to our special arrangement with Pearl iZumi where you receive a 40% discount off everything shop.pearlizumi.com/icipro/
RateYourBurn.com is a review site for fitness instructors who teach in select US cities. RateYourBurn founder Gillian Casten joins me to discuss her vision for this popular Instructor review site + shares a few of her observations and potential strategies you can use to improve as an Instructor.
In a previous interview, Studio owner Jessica Bashelor @ the Handle Bar explains how she recruited her Instructor team based on the the reviews she found on rateyourburn.com
I'd suggest maximizing your rateyourburn.com Instructor profile and start asking your participants to post reviews.Clearly a recommended Best Practice for you as a fitness professional.
Listen to my interview with Gillian below – and please to either leave us a review or subscribe to our free Podcast.
We're seeing a crazy number of new small/independent/boutique studios opening all over the world – which is awesome. I love being part of a growth industry, not to mention how all these new studios need Instructors!
But what's driving all this growth? I know that a whole bunch of studios have opened, who's owners will tell you that their initial motivation came from hearing my first interview with Bill Pryor/Spynergy Consulting; Start Your Own Indoor Cycling Studio from 2010.
But there has been another force at work in our industry; SoulCycle.
Google Trends is an interesting service where you can observe the popularity for a particular subject over time. The data is based on mentions in prominent media and Google searches. You plug in a few search terms and Google displays a trending line to show the popularity of the topic and easily compare with other searches.
So here's a comparison between the search terms; Soul Cycle and Spin Class – with apologies for omitting the ® which isn't normally used in an article or search.
Through the wonders of technology, Google makes it possible for you to see and interact with the results.
Admittedly, I needed to try a few different search terms before I found this one that I feel most accurately reflects the impact SoulCycle has had on the popularity of Indoor Cycling. “Spinning” alone doesn't work as there are too many uses of the word that don't apply. I did try to add Flywheel into the mix, but there are very few mentions of searches.
Google's data only goes back to 2004 – it would make this more interesting if we could see back before then. The graph does show “Spin Class” as relatively flat until the first mention of SoulCycle in the fall of 2005. I'm not sure we can draw a direct correlation (but I'll try anyway) to the noticeable uptick around the time we launched ICI/PRO in the fall of 2009 and then again around the time of Bill's interview in 2010 🙂
Love them or hate them, SoulCycle has had (at least by this method) a hugely positive effect on the visibility of Indoor Cycling and small studios.
I just got back from teaching (subbing) my very first Cycle – Sculpt class. Yep, I taught a class that included weights… which we used… while on the bike. And guess what?
