If you have been following us for any length of time, you've heard me talk about the very inexpensive vacations available to fitness Instructors who are willing to teach a few classes in exchange for a week long stay a beautiful resort.
Amy and I have attributed much of the success our 23+ years of marital bliss success to our annual trips to Jamaica or Mexico – frequently without our kids 🙂
If you are a certified Group Fitness or Mind Body Instructor and are currently teaching, you qualify for a working fitness vacation through our friends at FitBodiesInc / FitProTravel. They are the booking agents we have used for over 15 years that coordinate your teaching vacation with the resorts all over the Caribbean and Mexico.
But what if you aren't a “Group Fitness” Instructor like me… but are a Spinning / Indoor Cycling Instructor?
A while back I posed this question to FitBodiesInc's President Suzelle Snowden. She saw the value of developing resorts where a “Non-GF” Instructor could teach. They now have three resorts where I can be the Instructor for the week. Our favorite is All Inclusive Couples Tower Isle Resort in Jamaica. This will be our fourth time there and I can't wait.
To give you an understanding of how great this deal is: compare the agents fee of ($450 + 150 gift fund) paid to FitProTravel vs. over $3,000.00 you would pay for a week.
Your teaching schedule is very light – one year I only had one class the whole week… it's Jamaica, people just want to drink rum and lay on the beach 🙂
In the past, if you wanted to earn a Heart Zones Certification you needed to attend a live conference or workshop. Not any longer… now you can attend online 🙂
Cycling Fusion is hosting a live Heart Zones Level 2 Certification on September 22nd. The presenters of this training are Tom Scotto and Sally Edwards. CECs for most national certifications and you can petition Spinning for their acceptance You can learn more and reserve spot here.
Note: this event is long past, but you can earn your certification using the recorded educational content. Click here to learn more.
The beauty of participating in this certification online (and may make an online certification superior to a live event) is that everything will be recorded and available for you to review for up to 6 months. Also, if you can't devote the entire day you can watch the recordings at a later date.
NOTE: If you are reading this after September 22nd 2012 you can earn this certification by reviewing all the recorded materials.
Tom and I discuss the specifics in this episode of the Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast.
Are you going to be in Miami for WSSC? I'll be there all weekend and would love to meet you while I'm there.
There are a bunch of sessions that I'm excited to see:
On Friday our very own Barbara Hoots is giving a presentation: Studio Design: Empowering Emporiums to Increase Profits
Presented by Barbara Hoots Whether opening a new studio or renovating an existing one, this lecture will offer new trends in studio design. Evaluate common design flaws that lead to lawsuits and slow growth, and explore the latest in sound systems, lighting, wall treatments and marketing.
I'm really excited to take these Ugi classes – from what I can see, Ugi could be a great strength compliment to any boutique Indoor Cycling Studio
Ugi® Fit Presented by Sara Shears Undo your laces and strip off your socks! Join Ugi creator Sara Shears for the ultimate 30- minute barefoot workout. A series of 30 one-minute intervals combining strength, core and cardio are efficient enough to change your body completely. From warm-up to cool down Ugi is fun, challenging and makes U feel good about your body, energy and health.
U-SPIN Me Right Round Presented by Nadine Stewart “Combine the benefits of a high-cadence endurance ride with non-linear sculpting exercises using the Ugi® ball. This well-rounded workout will cover your cardio and cross-training needs and give you new ideas to change up your Spinning® and resistance training classes.
My main focus will be the Spin Power sessions and there's a lot of them on the schedule! Especially those that are including a specially designed Performance IQ display system, customized for the Spin Power Program.
Team Time Trial with Performance IQ Presented by Angie Sturtevant In team time trials, riders take turns either at the front or ‘sitting in’ behind, conserving enough team energy for an all-out pull toward the finish. In this workout you will compete as part of a team, as accumulated power output is displayed on the big screen using Performance IQ. This gives all teams the energy to chase and spectators something to cheer about!
Spinpowerâ„¢: Personal Spinning® Threshold Presented by Martin Timmerman The Personal Spinning Threshold (PST) is the key to Spinpower success–once PST is determined, you have a baseline threshold marker that can be used to create a unique training program and track student progress. This workshop will teach you the protocol of the Personal Spinning Threshold test and how to administer this test to your students. You will establish your own Spinpower Zones and then experience a ride which will criss-cross these zones. WS NEW
Spinpowerâ„¢ Race Day Winners Presented by Dino Pedras All athletes know that we must be efficient and well-organized to get the most out of our training, and a Race Day ride is how we see the results of that hard word. In this workshop, you will learn how to create a successful Race Day using Spinpower to help you determine what variables you should integrate into your training program and how to best periodize your time to reach your maximum potential and find the way to victory!
And that's just Friday's sessions – I'll be reporting more from WSSC as time permits. If you'll be there any of the three days, please text me so we can connect 612-868-0064!
This Podcast is was originally published on December 30, 2008, I have updated it with our new Podcast host information and I am representing it now. I hope you enjoy it, Joey
Welcome Spinning News Readers!
Would a mentor have helped you when you first started teaching Indoor Cycling? Or are you interested in developing a mentoring program for your club? Jennifer Sage and I discuss the benefits of mentoring with Bob Rebach, or SpinBob as he is known on the forums. Bob has written two articles for the Spinning Newsletter about mentoring; Overcoming Uncertainty: Finding a Mentor and an upcoming article Starting a Mentoring Program in your club. Link to article.
I woke up this morning to two emails, prompting this post.
The first was a notification of a question asked on Pedal-On.com
Does anyone know of regular continuing education events that make their way to Montana? Pickings are pretty slim here.
I responded to the post asking if they had any experience as a Group Fitness Instructor. If so, an online certification would be a potential solution. If you've ever driven through Montana you realize they are about as remote as you can get in the lower 48 states.
Second was a followup to an exchange I'd been having with an experienced PT & Group Fitness instructor located in Pleasant Prairie WI – which is between Milwaukee and Chicago.
Hi John,
I was hoping to have a Stages training at our facility but we only have 4 people. We have the Free Motion cycles. I contacted Anne again, last week, to see if she had any people from the Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison area, but have not heard back from her yet. It looks like I may do one of the online certifications. Which one do you recommend?
This Instructor missed the initial training Stages Indoor Cycling provided a year earlier. She contacted me last month looking for options so she could get her certification and start teaching. I suggested she try and find a group of interested future Instructors and then host a live certification at the RecPlex Fitness Center where she's currently training clients. Each education company has a threshold number of participants = enough to cover the costs for bringing in a Master Trainer to conduct the training. That number varies, so contact each to find out the details.
She's obviously a good candidate for an online certification, if she isn't successful finding additional people.
I am a personal trainer, yoga instructor, and teach strength based fitness classes – TRX, Free Motion, etc
There are a few online certifications out there – no the one promising; Risk-Free. Pay Only If You Pass! isn't real and doesn't count. I'd start by checking out this Online Indoor Cycling Instructor Certification program offered by Cycling Fusion.
Great music, incredible feats of strength and concentration plus some very funny physical comedy. What more could you want to entertain your class during a long endurance ride? Cirque du Soleil are by far my favorite for a long ride indoors.
What I like best about the music is most of it falls in the E – C Training Rate Ranges. (86 – 94 RPM) Perfect for the cyclists in your class learning to maintain an effective cadence, while developing their aerobic engine.
Are you going to be in Miami for WSSC? I'll be there all weekend and would love to meet you while I'm there.
