Indoor Triathlons are very popular here in the frozen north, offering club triathletes the chance to swim bike and run long before its warm enough to be outside. In the past, the Life Time club where I teach used Spinner NXTs with a Spinning computer for the bike leg. Participants would run up from the pool, jump on a bike and pedal as fast as they can until the reached
Indoor Cycle Brand-Specific Class Profiles
We all like our specific brand… Ever notice how, if you teach on multiple brands of Indoor Cycle, your class presentation changes a little from one to the other? From the distance all the IC’s from FreeMotion, Keiser, Schwinn and Star Trac, look pretty much the same. But you know better if you’re teaching at more than one location. Each brand’s bikes have their own unique characteristics: The resistance systems react
Cardio vs. HIIT: Why Not Combine Them?
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,
The Loud Ones – Class Work Set Profile using the Stages Sprint Shift
Ride Name: The Loud Ones Work Set Length: 13:44 + 7:17 recovery [21 minutes] The Sprint Shift on the new Stages SC3 bike is your interval training solution. Left position for easy, Center position for medium, Right position for hard. Make micro-adjustments with the resistance knob during the interval. Could it be any easier? Now, I am a big believer in training with power, benchmarking your effort, and documenting your
Performance Cycle – FTP Assessment or 2 + 1 = a straight line
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
Rethinking Heart-Rate Training?
The computer industry has an acronym: G.I.G.O which stands for: GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT It refers to the idea that if your input data/information is inaccurate (GARBAGE IN), then any computations, using that inaccurate data/information can’t be anything other than GARBAGE OUT. Over the years I’ve come to believe that you should carefully consider G.I.G.O as it could apply to the Heart Rate & Power training you offer in
Where can I get certified as a “Spin®” “Schwinn®” or any other type of Indoor Cycling Instructor?
I get the “Where can I get certified as a “Spin®”,”Schwinn®” or simply an Indoor Cycling Instructor?” question a lot. While trying to be helpful, more often than not my response is “I’m sorry, but you are asking the wrong person.” “The person you want to ask is the manager at the club where you would like to teach.” Many people skip that step – here’s why you shouldn’t… Sometimes I feel like
Stomps: High-Resistance, High-Intensity Intervals for Indoor Cycling (Very Cool)
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
Our Man Chuck Cali at IDEA
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.
How many watts should I be making at threshold?
If you’re teaching with power, there’s a good chance you’ll have a participant ask you this simple question; how many watts should I be making when I’m working at my threshold? Same goes for any new studio or one that is upgrading to indoor Cycles with power/watts. You will be asked for a number from many of your riders. The reason is pretty simple, many people naturally want to know how they
ICI/PRO Podcast 339 Understanding the floors and ceilings of training with power
I prefer to limit the mathematical computations many Instructors typically ask of their classes. For example you’d never hear me say; “now I want everyone at 85% of their FTP” or… “this next interval is 30 seconds in Zone 5B which is 103 to 106% of your LT/AT heart rate followed by 2 minutes in Zone 3 = 90%-93%”… everybody got that? Then let’s GO!!! I’ll admit that part of
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