Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast | ICI/PRO Premium Education

ICI/PRO is the Indoor Cycling Instructor Community's resource for free music, Instructor teaching tips, motivational cues, education, entertainment, class profiles, routines and music playlists.

Performance Cycle – FTP Assessment or 2 + 1 = a straight line

by

670px-Draw-a-Straight-Line-Freehand-4

Better late than never they say. It certainly applies to this season's Performance Cycle classes – now we're in full swing after some initial confusion that came from a sudden change on GFDH's.

We kicked off this past Sunday with an assessment to find the wattage numbers we will be using going forward. I like to use very simple terminology that minimises any mathematical computations.

The week before I described how we experimented with pinning down two numbers;

… Instead I base my Life Time Performance Cycle classes on two numbers; PTP (Personal Threshold Power) and JRAP (Just Riding Along Power — AKA > Base Watts > VT1 / First Ventilatory Threshold Power). From these two rider identified threshold wattages, we can construct three meaningful power Zones;

  1. Recover zone — watts below JRAP 
  2. Perform zone — watts between JRAP and PTP
  3. Improve zone — watts above PTP

Today we added one more wattage number – their 20 minute FTP watts. As you can guess, riders should have a lower 20 min average than a 3-4 minute PTP / Best Effort and be above JRAP / Base Watts.

Wait John, you just said you only use the two thresholds in class.

What's the point of adding a third number?

Adding the third point of reference helps you draw a straighter line. At least that's what my high school drafting teacher taught me. It's much easier to draw between two distant points, if you add one in the middle = it helps you understand if you're on the right path between the two known points!

badgeThe complete article is available to ICI/PRO Members  Join ICI/PRO to unlock this today.

Originally posted 2018-01-13 09:00:43.

Options for Online Indoor Cycling CEC’s

by

online indoor cycling ACE CECs continuing education credits

Where does the time go?

It seems like just last month I was busy completing the last few of the 20 credit hours (2.0 CECs) I needed for my ACE group fitness Instructor renewal. Actually it was two years ago and at the time, I took advantage of the free CEC's offered by Team ICG.

While I was scrambling again this year to complete all my credits, I figured I should share my bookmarked sources for relevant online courses with our ICI/PRO members. All of these educational offerings carry ACE CECs and credits with other certification providers.

ICG Indoor Cycle Instructor CEC online

$29.00 for these 0.4 CECs is a great deal!

Team ICG

While ICG's CECs are no longer free, they are still a real bargain at $7.25 to $10.00 per credit hour. That's about half what I'm used to paying. There's a bunch of interesting study topics available like; periodization, music & motion, heart rate training and overtraining. Click over to www.teamicg.com/en/team-icg/education to learn more and you'll need to scroll down to find the CEC courses.

cycling fusion online certification

Cycling Fusion

I've been a fan of Cycling Fusion for years (that's me in the white do-rag) and they offer multiple, comprehensive online certifications. Existing instructors who want to learn to teach with Power will benefit from their excellent Power Training certification.  

Parkinson's Cycling Coach

Coach Kathy Helmuth's online certification prepares instructors to successfully lead a Parkinson's Cycling class.

The research is clear — physical activity has been shown to reduce the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s Disease, (PD for short).

Multiple studies point to the benefits of exercise in improving muscular strength, flexibility and balance with subsequent functional improvement in individuals with PD. However, the information in the literature suggests that physical activities require some specific characteristics for this population. Exercises focusing on strength training, balance, aerobic conditioning as well as the use of external cues during gait can result in overall improvement in motor performance and quality of life related to PD patients’ health.

This certification includes 0.5 CECs parkinsonscyclingcoach.com 

Free ACE group fitness cec

ACE Fitness

ACE offers a number of free and low cost online CEC and certification courses. You can view them here.

Originally posted 2016-08-15 14:29:00.

Stomps: High-Resistance, High-Intensity Intervals for Indoor Cycling (Very Cool)

by

foot stomp
If you’ve done stomps in your cycling workouts, you may think I’m crazy when I say this, but I’ve always liked them. They’re extremely tough but appeal to that twisted part of me that enjoys hard training. (I know: you’ve got that part, too.)

If you haven’t done stomps, they’re designed to increase power in the saddle. I believe Chris Carmichael is generally given credit for the training, but his guidelines differ from the ones I know. The Carmichael method involves 15- to 20-second stomp intervals. Here's Chris' description at www.active.com

In Performance Max, the program created by Jim Karanas, we used 60-second intervals with a 60-second rest, and followed the format below.

A solid warm-up is essential, since stomps are difficult and can stress the knees and the lower back. Roll the legs for several minutes. Begin an alternating pattern of 2:00 of seated high cadence (110-120 rpm); 1:00 of 80-rpm standing runs; 1:00 seated with resistance at 80 rpm; 1:00 of recovery at 90 rpm. Go through the pattern several times, as your group requires. Change the order, if desired.

A stomp interval is 60 seconds; the recovery interval is 60 seconds. Allow 22 minutes for 10 stomps: a set of 5, a short break, another set. The break I used was 3 minutes total: one minute of the usual recovery after stomp #5, then 2 more minutes (sit out one stomp cycle). It’s enough, but you could go longer. Resistance during stomps is high to very high and drops during recovery. Recovery cadence is individual, but I suggest 90 to 100 rpm.

– Stomp at 80 rpm. Fatigue will tend to slow the legs, so it helps A LOT to have an 80-rpm song to beat-match. We almost always came back to Hallogallo by Neu! because it’s a pretty precise 80 rpm. The fact that it’s 10 minutes long helps sustain the energy of the training. Play it twice or change music for the second set.

– Keep the body centerline on the bike. During the stomp, don’t move side to side, as you would in climbing. Keep hands in position 1.

– Rules for a beautiful, circular pedal stroke don’t apply during stomps. Exaggerate the down-stroke and smash against the resistance, without moving the body side to side. I cue it as “punching the pedals.”

– Heart rate isn’t the point. However, there are no HR limits on this exercise, and HR can spike quite high if the rider is seriously stomping without modifying the resistance. (Intervals under 60 seconds may yield lower heart rates.)

Avoid longer stomps. One instructor used 90-second stomps, but that means easier stomping, so what’s the point? A full-out, 60-second stomp will start to bring on failure at the 50-second mark, so 90 seconds requires reduced intensity. That makes it … something, just not a stomp.

Avoid “mushy” cueing. The instructor of the 90-second stomps would cue the stomp with, “Okay, you guys, do another stomp now.” There’s NO WAY that will elicit a stomp from your riders. It will get you something, but absolutely not a stomp.

One time, the above instructor’s cue was so mushy, I actually missed the start of the interval. That simply never happened when Jim Karanas cued stomps.

So I recommend Jim’s cueing. It starts about 5-6 seconds before the stomp interval. In a firm voice, say, “And load the bike … AND … STOMP!” The slight pauses and the delivery are intended to let the word “stomp” hit the first second of the interval. Cue time during the interval — say, at 30 seconds and again with 10 to go.

If there’s a way to use some feature on the resistance knob to mark the resistance used on the last stomp, it makes things much easier than trying to re-determine resistance for each interval. Cue that reminder for your riders.

Resistance can be ferocious during stomps. Every time I do them — about 8 trainings per year in the PMax calendar — I notice that, despite growing leg fatigue as the intervals proceed, I can still raise the resistance for each stomp. Don’t ask me to explain that, but it’s too consistent to be a fluke. It even happens when I do stomp training on my own. As a result, I started cueing the riders to keep increasing the resistance so they’d get the added strength benefit.

If you use high-intensity intervals in your classes, this training could fit right in with your approach. Because the emphasis is on strength and resistance, stomps may offer variety, say, a change from speed intervals. If you try stomps, please let me know how they work for your classes.

Originally posted 2014-09-23 08:17:39.

How Low is Low?

by

What's your strategy here?

It's a beautiful sunny Minnesota summer day here and I was enjoying it out on my old mountain bike. One of the reasons Minneapolis is as such a bicycle friendly city are the trails running everywhere. I really enjoy these smooth gravel paths because I can spend a couple hours JRA – Just Riding Along – link to a full description without any real conscious effort of watching for cars or the other things that tend to consume you when you're out in traffic.

I used JRA to describe that first ventilatory threshold, VT1. It's the place; above chatty yet below focused effort, communicating the VT1 to the students in my class. It's a wonderful place to spend a few hours and when I'm here, working aerobically, my creative juices really start flowing.

So I'm JRA, when I came upon the sign alerting me that the trail was underwater. “Oh great, now I'm going to get all wet,” I thought. If you spend any time on the road or on a mountain bike, you know that a wet stripe up your back or soaked feet doesn't really add to an enjoyable time outside 🙁

I've ridden this trail for years. I realized that “trail underwater” typically means there's two or 3 inches of water from the surrounding swamp (I refuse to call it a “wet-lands”… it's a swamp), covering the trail. And I was right.

There are two strategies you can use to cross these little mini rivers, while staying as dry as possible; If the water's only a few inches deep the trick is to peddle as slowly as possible, minimizing any spray up your back. A little deeper and you'll be pedaling your feet through water, so you'll sacrifice I wet back to keep your feet dry. This requires a bit more finesse and can challenge your bike handling skills. You accelerate to the speed that you think you're going to need in order to coast all the way to the other edge, keeping your feet level, up and out of the water. Doesn't always work perfectly. You sometimes stall before the end and wind up doing a sort of rocking motion with your feet, engaging the freewheel through a small segment of the circle, hoping to propel your self forward, while keeping your feet out of the water and not falling over – which would defeat the whole exercise. 

The challenge is going just slow enough.

After successfully navigating the water hazard and resuming JRA, I was thinking about how we're always talking about the maximum in class; the highest, what's your threshold heart rate, find your FTP, how long can you sustain this, etc. But we rarely try to define the other side of it… how slow or low should you go?

If you've taught for any length of time you've experience the “spinner”. That person who seems to think they're accomplishing something while furiously pedaling with no resistance. Having indoor cycles with power changes that. As part of my initial orientation I give a new student, I'll have them peddle with no resistance and watch the display. On the FreeMotion bikes no resistance equals no power. And it's a wonderful illustration to help people understand the futility of peddling and not really accomplishing anything of value.

I'm not sure that I have the whole answer here so feel free to share your ideas. 

I'm a big believer that every minute of class should be of value. Just as there are times outdoors when you have to go slowly, you are being productive… still moving yourself forward.

I try to communicate this need for productivity in every class I teach. I'll frequently lament the fact that I only have them for an hour. 60 min. isn't really that long, so let's not waste our time doing nothing.

How I cue this is easier with power, but the feeling is the same. I'll have everyone start the class with zero resistance. I'll ask everyone to find a comfortable cadence and begin adding resistance. I'll explain that productivity for each of us is different, and yet if were honest with ourselves we understand when we're there. My morning classes are typically a bunch of “A” types and I'll make the comment that busy work is not the same as productive work. “Just going through the motions may give the appearance of work to others, but deep down you understand whether you're truly being productive or not.”

My feelings are that riding “productively” should bring everyone to a HR near to or right at VT1 / base of Zone three in a five Zone system.

I reinforce the need for productivity at the end of the long interval. Recovery should be productive. I'll suggest to everyone that once they have recovered to the point where they feel some calm in their breathing, they need to return to that place of productivity – catching their Heart Rate at VT1 / JRA.

There'll be plenty of time, to fully recover, once we've crossed to the other side.[plulz_social_like width=”350″ send=”false” font=”arial” action=”like” layout=”standard” faces=”false” ]

 

 

 

Originally posted 2012-05-22 08:58:38.

Our Man Chuck Cali at IDEA

by

I'm sure this was tough for you Chuck…


I missed IDEA this year but our Man on the Street Chuck Cali was there. In this video Chuck interviews a number of Instructors who took part in the demonstration classes of MyRide+ from Team ICG.
This goes to my earlier post about the potential of constructing a studio in a way that will really engage your students, with minimal distractions.

 

Originally posted 2012-07-24 08:50:39.

Got my two week notice

by

you are fired

That sucks!

You thought you are doing everything right. You feel you've been a model employee for over 8 years. You're always punctual and prepared to teach a great class. The members seem to enjoy you and you've had consistently good attendance numbers. Other Instructors appreciate your willingness to sub for them and you (maybe mistakenly) thought your GF Dept Head liked having you on her team and would have your back in a situation like this.

But then you get an email saying simply; Dear , we're sorry to inform you that based on the fact you only have one scheduled class, your employment with us will end 14 days from the date of this email…

This didn't happen to me – but it did happen to a committed Instructor who posted at pedal-on.com about being fired from LA Fitness for only having one scheduled class a week – their minimum number of classes is two per week* to maintain employment.

You're just a number

You maybe on a first name basis with many of the managers and other employees at your Big Box club, but you're still just a number to some faceless person at corporate HR. If you teach for a Big Box you probably clock in using your employee number. Mine is 538**.  I'll posit that there was an annual review of all the Instructors at LA Fitness and those not meeting the minimum hours of classes were flagged for termination. HR then contacted each GFDH of the flagged Instructors, requesting that they either find another class for the Instructor – or thank them for their service as they're shown the door 🙁

Who's at fault here?

Or maybe the question is; “why did this happen?” I'm inclined to hold the GFDH responsible here. She should have known the rules about the minimum classes and appears to have ignored them – which obviously worked for a number of years. I was in a similar situation at LTF. During the summer months I was down to only one class, having cancelled my Sunday endurance classes from May to November. Our GFDH had my back until she too was informed of an audit from HR – except she was able to show that I was also subbing one or more classes a week – so I wasn't fired. I did need to pick up a second class and thankfully another Instructor retired, opening a spot for me.

What's a good strategy to prevent this?

badgeThe complete article is available to ICI/PRO Members  Join ICI/PRO to unlock this today.

Originally posted 2014-05-01 10:12:15.

Cardio vs. HIIT: Why Not Combine Them?

by

mixing bowl

The debate over cardio vs. high-intensity interval training (HIIT) usually assumes that the issue is an either/or choice. In that debate, HIIT is usually compared to absurdly low levels of cardio exercise — not to the kinds of classes ICI-PRO instructors probably teach.

This post explores the evolutionary value of combining cardio and HIIT.

In his book Born To Run, Christopher McDougall reveals the blend of morphology, paleontology, anthropology, physics, and math that led to understanding how humans became the greatest distance runners in the animal kingdom.

There’s no way this short article could do justice to McDougall’s fascinating and detailed description of the emergence of homo sapiens over Neanderthals (they were parallel species), and the evolution of humans as supreme hunters — hundreds of thousands of years before the creation of the tools we associate with hunting (spearheads, bows and arrows).

A few of the evolutionary changes include:
– upright posture to allow deeper breathing and limit retention of sun heat
– the ability to release body heat through sweat, rather than panting like other mammals until they must rest or die of hyperthermia
– the ability to accelerate when the pursued animal has been run to exhaustion.

So human “persistence hunting” combined endurance running primarily, with some sprints. Humans evolved to run in conditions that no other animals can match, and it’s easier for us.

Good At Endurance, and For a Long Time

Endurance athletes can typically continue into what would be considered old age in other sports. In many cases, such as distance running, they can still out-perform teenagers or 20-year-olds until their mid-60s.

At his first double-marathon, the most notable thing my then-35-year-old coach, Jim Karanas, saw was the age of most of the runners, who were 45 to 55. He said it told him immediately that the ultra-run was more of a mental than a physical challenge.

When workouts are always high-intensity, over-training is likely. So are failure to recover fully and a high incidence of injury.

It’s also likely that someone will burn out after constant high-intensity work, making it feel like drudgery, instead of something to look forward to each day. Why not work out in a way that you’d enjoy making part of your schedule long-term? Why not create classes like that to bring your participants back over and over again?

Matt Fitzgerald, noted marathon runner and author, suggests endurance training primarily with 2 to 3 high-intensity trainings per week.

McDougall quotes researcher Dr. Dennis Bramble, who said, “If you don’t think you were born to run, you’re not only denying history. You’re denying who you are.”

But let’s not limit this to running. Endurance athletes of other types display similar results. Countless stories describe master’s cyclists in their 50s and up outperforming younger cyclists.

In his 50s, my coach raced against the cyclists in the 30-year-old category — because he found he could perform better against them than against the experienced racers his own age! Those guys kicked his butt when he was first starting to race.

He was also one of the few (and the oldest that weekend) to ride the notorious Furnace Creek 508 fast enough to qualify for RAAM.

So the choice isn’t really between short, intense intervals and long, slow cardio with a magazine. The right kind of training is not either/or, but both.

(The cardio, of course, should be hard enough to cause a training effect, not help you catch up on your reading.)

This perfect combination is effective, enjoyable, sustainable over the long haul, and entirely in sync with our evolutionary nature.

Originally posted 2018-03-09 09:00:44.

Rowing: Great Cross-Training For Cyclists

by

slide

What do you do when you want to train but need a break from cycling? Indoor rowing is an excellent alternative. If you’re into power training, this is for you.

Most of my teaching of indoor cycling was done in Performance Max, a program that included both cycling and indoor rowing. I took the program as a participant for 14 years and taught it in a different location for 12. This post covers the basics of starting to row.

Truly, the only indoor rowing machine worth using is the Concept 2 Rowing Ergometer (“erg” for short). Yes, other rowing machines exist, but no one who rows takes them seriously. The Concept 2 is the gold standard. The current models are the D and the E (slightly higher off the floor). The longest-standing model is the C, which was the one-and-only for many, many years. (I have one, love it, and wouldn’t trade it for a D for anything!)

If you have access to a Concept 2 erg and are new to rowing, learn correct technique from the start. It’s easier to learn it the right way than to unlearn the mistakes that people commonly make when trying to row on their own. If you teach at a gym with an instructor who really knows rowing, that’s ideal because you’ll get good instruction and correction. Years of teaching rowing have shown me that correction is essential.

If you don’t have either an erg or personal instruction, visit the superb Concept 2 website (concept2.com). This 5-minute video teaches rowing technique step by step and repeats the steps clearly and slowly.

There’s also an “erg finder”. Enter your location, the type of facility you want (e.g., health & fitness club), and the distance you’re willing to travel. You’ll get a list of clubs with addresses and the number of available ergs there. You might want to call to verify the info. (When I looked for ergs in San Francisco, the club I taught at for years was listed as having only 1 erg; that was wrong. Farther down the list, though, the same club was listed again, accurately, with 17.)

Once you’ve learned to row, you can take advantage of Concept 2’s Workout of the Day. You can choose short (30 minutes), medium (40-45 minutes), or long (60+ minutes). It’s available on the website daily — or can even be delivered to your inbox.

A few points to keep in mind:
– Rowing is not an upper-body activity. It’s a full-body activity that centers on leg power. Sliding seats were added to rowing shells in the 1870s to optimize the superior power of the lower body. The best training I’ve heard on this came from a Performance Max instructor who rowed on the U.S. National team: “The arms are an afterthought.”

– Rowing has a definite learning curve. In the beginning, it may feel frustrating not to have sufficient power in your stroke to reach a high heart rate. That will change with practice. Believe me, rowing heart rates can go very high, typically higher than in cycling.

– Because of the learning curve, novices often use a higher damper setting than necessary. The damper opens the drum to let in more air, increasing the resistance. Skilled rowers, however, use a moderate setting and create effort by accelerating quickly at the start of the stroke (the catch).

– The most common mistake is bending the knees too soon after you finish the stroke. (This will make sense once you’ve watched the video or gotten some instruction.) It’s almost instinctive and can be difficult to correct. One effective correction is to stop rowing and hold for 2 seconds after you’ve extended the arms before letting your knees bend. Repeat with each stroke for a few minutes.

– Rowing should NOT be done with a straight back. Curving the shoulders slightly forward will engage your core and protect your back. A straight back is more likely to be injured.

Holding an even and consistent pace can be difficult to learn. Jim Karanas, who created the PMax program, always said rowing builds character: With every stroke, the computer tells you you’re a failure [i.e., your pace is off], but you have to keep going.

Working on pace feels like moving meditation. Skilled rowers doing sustained efforts even look relaxed and meditative.

So here’s to a character-building, meditative yet exciting alternative to cycling. I think you’ll like it. You might even find yourself adding it to your training on a regular basis.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Originally posted 2014-07-07 08:42:14.

It’s a good thing I don’t teach in New Jersey

by

you talking to me

It seems I made a few enemies on Wednesday. I subbed a “Housewives” 9:30 am class that had a bunch of talkers in it. I'm not too tolerant of people disrupting my class. So I told asked them to please save their conversations until after class. As it turns out, a regular of mine overheard a conversation the following day, between the scheduled Instructor and a few of the participants. Though you might enjoy seeing his email to Amy describing the exchange…

John Macgowan is on the unofficial Eden Prairie Housewives “hit list”.  You may want to let him know to keep a low profile and wear a disguise if going out and about in EP.

Thursday morning during his spin class he mentioned that he subbed for XXXX at 9:30 Wednesday.  I had scheduled interviews with some candidates for a job and used the restaurant at LTF (Life Time Fitness where I teach) this morning.

Had a two hour break so was able to go to XXXX's 9:30 and those housewives were giving XXXX hell because “the sub instructor” (John) worked them too hard and (here is the best part) seemed annoyed because they wanted to carry on conversations during the class.

I personally have complained to XXXX multiple times about the nonstop talking in her class and went so far as to call XXXX (Dept Head) about it.  I held my tongue for as long as I could this morning, then I let those housewives have it.

You (Amy), Adam and John run organized classes, XXXX's tends to be a yard sale, but she is a really strong instructor.  This morning I proceeded to say something along the lines of if you want social hour go upstairs and have it there and don't criticize the instructor for properly managing a class.

I also referred to the loudest and most annoying lady in the class as a manatee who should be more focused on the workout and less on annoying the entire class.  Needless to say, I probably need a disguise now as well.

Kind of made my day to hear John overwhelmed them. Hope you all are well. Happy Friday!! See you tomorrow.

Originally posted 2015-01-10 04:23:56.

ICI Podcast 261 The solution to managing sub requests and Instructor communications

by

 

Shannon Headshot

If you're one of the 10,000 Instructors who teach at one of the 300 clubs or studios currently using GroupExPRO to manage class subs and Instructor communications, you can skip listening to this Podcast.

If you're not, please read on…

For Instructors who are tired of; sub requests for class formats you don't teach, the endless string of needless Reply to All mass emails that fill your inbox, the difficulty you have simply finding a sub or worst of all (at least for me) not being notified when there's a class you can teach.

Or maybe you manage your club's Instructor team and are completely overwhelmed by Instructors who can't (or won't) find subs for their own classes and expect you to pull a rabbit out of your hat at the last minute to cover their class – or end up teaching the class yourself.

 

Either way you'll want to take a few moments to listen to this interview with Schwinn Master Trainer Shannon Fable. Shannon is a long time group fitness department manager who, together with her husband, created GroupExPRO to solve the problem of managing the continuous need for fitness class subs.

If you can relate to the frustration I express during this interview Shannon has a simple way for you to forward information about GroupExPRO to the proper person in your organization. Click > indoorcycleinstructor.com/subhelp to be taken to her referral page. Add your info and your manager's – then please add a short note about how you see this improving your club or studio.

As her way to thank you for your efforts, Shannon will be sending you a $50.00 gift card if your recommendation leads to GroupExPRO being implemented in your facility.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Originally posted 2013-04-17 05:58:33.

Life Time Fitness Instructor Audition Help

by

Question from an ICI/PRO member:

Hey John & Amy, I have an audition coming up with LIFETIME for cycling instructor. OK, I'm given 3 minutes to present my best ride. Crunch time. Any suggestions or advice on this?

How exciting for you! Amy and I enjoy teaching at Life Time with their dedicated cycling studios, great sound systems, video projectors and fabulous bikes.

Only three minutes, eh?

OK, here's a few suggestions, including some that I had posted over at Pedal-On and here in January about acing your Life Time Fitness Instructor Audition.   

No Life Time Fitness near you? You can find Indoor Cycling studios who are hiring here. 

NOTE: What follows will apply to any Instructor audition, at any club or studio.
1) Memorize the LTF mission statement

Our Mission is to provide an Educational, Entertaining, Friendly and Inviting, Functional and Innovative experience of uncompromising quality that meets the health and fitness needs of the entire family.

This isn't about drinking the Life Time Kool-Aid. It's showing your determination to work for Life Time. I'm not kidding when I say memorize it as you may be expected to deliver it as part of your Instructor audition.

2) Understand that first and foremost your role as an instructor is to deliver a fun and entertaining experience for the members. You may teach the most real/authentic cycling class on the planet, but if it's boring because you feel constrained by focusing too much on what not to do, it will show in your class presentation and your chances of getting hired are slim.

3) Be prepared to teach a class that's appropriate to the audience. LTF wants to see that you are flexible as an Instructor and can teach appropriately to varying member groups. You may teach a very “cycling specific” class, but if your audition is to a room full of housewives during a 9:30am class see #2. That said you should be familiar with the LTF Heart Rate chart – 5 Zones with the top of Zone 3 being AT (it isn't LT at LTF) and give a few HR based cues.

Beyond that I would…

4) Choose an energetic song, without lyrics, that you love to teach to. But don't over think it 🙁

5) BE ENERGETIC! LTF doesn't hire dead fish. If it takes an extra cup of coffee then drink it. Your excitement and your energy should radiate from you like a spotlight.

6) Stack the Deck! If at all possible get some of your friends in that class. If you can't, I would be sure to get there early and connect with a few participants who are setting up in the front row. Nothing says “Friendly and Inviting” like connecting (eye contact) with members during the class and it may help reduce your nervousness to have someone to focus on. I had Amy come to my audition and having her there in the class, to draw energy from, was invaluable.

7) Teach an intense, simple profile.  Think K.I.S.S. Maybe a three step ladder profile where you have them up, out of the saddle, for the last 30 seconds when you…

8 ) Get off the bike and quickly work a few riders in the front row. Clap and congratulate your students at the end and then thank them sincerely for taking your 3 minute class!  

Hope that helps and feel free to ask other questions.

I'd say good luck with your interview, but you don't need it… you're going to be awesome 🙂
// < ![CDATA[
//
// < ![CDATA[
//

Originally posted 2012-04-19 16:31:46.

Latest Posts

Powered by WishList Member - Membership Software