by Chuck Cali | May 27, 2013 | Big Box Instructor, Master Instructor Blog
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Chuck Cali
Lately, lively discussion has surrounded a series of posts by Krista Leopold. She uses hypothetical letters to the instructor to highlight instructor professionalism. In her most recent “letter”, Krista discusses a subset of professionalism — bad-mouthing other instructors or the facility.
Krista has opened the door on professional behavior (ethics) in our workplace. Let’s walk in.
Webster defines professionalism as “the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well.”
Ethics are “a system of moral principles; the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions.” In this case, the human action is workplace etiquette. We learn ethics as children. Our parents called it “doing the right thing.”
From that perspective, let’s examine another behavior in our workplace — self-promotion.
The forums I browse, including ICI/PRO, feature discussions on how to promote ourselves to our riders: social media, web sites, newsletters, email, business cards. It seems like a good idea, but is it ethical?
Unless you own the studio, the riders in your classes are customers of the facility that pays you, not your own. We have no ethical business contacting their customers. Yet it’s done all the time.
Instructors with regular classes build contact lists of subs, for obvious reasons.
Instructors with regular classes also build contact lists of their riders, for less obvious reasons.
Most instructors are also on sub lists. Sooner or later, an email arrives from a popular instructor, who needs a sub for a prime time class. The sub thinks, “Teaching to a full room is always fun; I’ll do it!” Seconds later, the sub gets a response from the appreciative peer, “Thank you so much. You’ll love this class. It’s always full, and they like a great workout.”
The sub spends considerable time, effort and money preparing. After all, this is prime time, and people arrive 45 minutes early to get a bike.
The sub arrives 20 minutes before the class and opens the door to…an empty room. A bit weird, but there’s still time. A couple of people walk in. The sub smiles and does the meet-n-greet. At class time, there’s a roomful of mostly empty bikes.
What happened? The instructor contacted the regulars to inform them that a sub was teaching. That’s all it took to empty the usually full room. Have you experienced this?
A serious breach of professional etiquette, this behavior has long been standard in big-box gyms and crosses the ethical line. It’s about self-promotion. Not to participate forces one onto an unleveled playing field. The playing field is Head Count, the gold standard of an instructor’s worth. Is this an instructor survival tactic? Must one be unethical to protect one’s turf?
I’m no stranger to contradictions, but isn’t discouraging attendance essentially the same as bad-mouthing another instructor? I see this as an ethics issue, rather than a survival tactic. What do you think?
When an instructor contacts riders and influences them not to attend class, many things happen. None of these is good for anyone but the instructor — who needed help in the first place.
At the big-box gyms, where most of us teach, there’s no real need for self-promotion beyond doing a good job. Why? Well, as stated, our riders are not our customers. And the gym promotes its own programs and, by extension, the instructors teaching them.
Our first priority as employees is to keep the members happy, better known as service after the sale. We do that by implementing many time-tested principles often discussed on ICI/PRO.
As always, there’s an exception. Soul Cycle. Their business model, largely based on self-promotion both on- and off-stage, pits instructor against instructor, in favor of those who sell out the studio every class. It’s all about sales. From that point of view, these unethical tactics can at least be understood.
Currently there’s buzz surrounding a lawsuit alleging that Soul Cycle exploits instructors by not compensating them for all their time. Exploitation? Maybe. I see it as creating an environment of competition in the interest of sales. Let the best at self-promotion win.
But what we do in the big boxes is about service after the sale. That changes everything when it comes to workplace etiquette.
My own subbing experience was invaluable. Unfortunately, I learned that instructors may act professional around their riders but less so with their peers. I also realized how hard this job is, especially building a loyal following of regulars.
I’m proud that, through continuing education, experience and professionalism, I play to a full room in most of the six classes I teach per week. I still don’t know the emails or phone numbers of any riders in my classes.
I have no illusion of effecting behavioral change with these words. Management at big boxes made the choice long ago to leave it to the instructors. Empty studios are of no consequence because, in such facilities, the cycle studio is not a profit center. Not so in boutique studios. Let’s hear from studio owners on this issue and how they deal with such tactics.
If we’re going to examine professional behavior in a forum for indoor cycle instructors, let’s look at all of it and ask ourselves if we’re doing the right thing.
by Guest Contributor | Nov 6, 2012 | Big Box Instructor, Instructor Training, Training With Power
Guest Contributor: Schwinn Master Trainer Shannon Fable
If we hope to expand our reach as indoor cycling instructors, measurement – whether in the form of power/wattage or heart rate monitoring – is best used to add motivation to an already effective workout. In our enthusiasm, we as instructors many times end up complicating the experience when we add technology. We over-load our students with too much information and thereby narrow our audience down to an elite “hard core” group. We forget that the gift of technology is to actually make things simpler or more exciting. That’s why your preschooler is hogging your iPad, right? It’s the simplicity of riding a bike that attracts a WIDE variety of people to experience and enjoy our classes and what speaks loudest to everyone who exercises is the hope of just a little extra motivation to go longer, harder and more often. Adding measurement can do just that.
The addition of power/wattage to bikes is an amazing advancement in the indoor cycling category. We can now actually tell if someone is getting fitter, losing fitness or maintaining fitness. It’s been a long time coming and students who use cardio machines in the gym will tell you they have had measurement on the console in front of them on the treadmill, stepper and elliptical for years! For them, it feels normal to be able to measure their workout! It’s our job to now make that measurement mean something.
Many instructors began their careers as front row riders. But once we go from being a front row participant to being the instructor we sometimes forget that successful instructing is not about how scientific we can make the experience, but how addictive! Maybe you’re shaking your head and thinking, “but we have to produce RESULTS”. Yes, though I believe we create long-term results in clients by making the experience extraordinary and this includes incorporating technology in an unintimidating way.
One way to do this is to coach riders to set their individual baseline wattage for work in a class and commit to staying above it and returning to it after recoveries. We can compare our work effort objectively from hill to hill and from class to class. And, of course, measuring work is a key component in achieving stellar results. I love that we have a new way to set bench marks for our participants so they can see progress in distance ridden, our time holding wattage, versus riding a bike going no where in a dark, smelly room by “feel” alone. It’s a new day in indoor cycling and the smartest instructors in the industry are the ones that can take the really intricate stuff and translate it to the novice rider in the oversized t-shirt, baggy sweats and running shoes as well as the hot shot triathlete in the front row.
Having personally launched power on bikes in more than one club, I find success, of course, starts with education. But not education that makes class any more complicated with charts and graphs and rider homework, but education that gives instructors the cycling science on measurement and the coaching tools to layer this easily over the great rides they are already teaching.
Can I take my knowledge of power and heart rate training and make it more specific and customized? Of course! In a small group setting or with a paid-for program with a specific focus, when I know everyone is in there with the same goals and the same level of commitment…Yes. But industry wide, that’s just not the mass appeal of indoor cycling and the most successful instructors I know, know how to reach the masses.
I have been more inspired and seen more results teaching with measurement in the last 5 years than in the previous 10 without it! And I encourage all instructors to invest in the education needed to deliver measurement in the most meaningful and motivating way. It’s here to stay, so make it work for you. The most important strategy is to make sure the entire cycling team at your facility is on the same page and to then to hone the coaching skills to deliver measurement as motivation – SIMPLY – to everyone.
John's note: Thanks Shannon 🙂 I appreciate your response.
I had asked for comments from a number of Indoor Cycling education providers in response to this post that identifies some of the issues we face implementing Power based classes. Schwinn's Master Educator Jay Blahnik is scheduled to be on the Podcast at the end of the month. Our plan is to explore his strategies to helping you successfully transition from conventional Indoor Cycling classes to classes that include Power.
by John | Oct 22, 2012 | Big Box Instructor, Master Instructor Blog, Member Spotlight
Larry “Link” Russell will be representing ICI/PRO and presenting at SCW's Boston MANIA on Saturday 11/10 and Sunday 11/11.
I need to thank Sara Kooperman with SCW Fitness for extending this opportunity for ICI/PRO to partner with her MANIA conventions. She recognises that we have some very talented people involved here at ICI/PRO and it was with great pleasure that I could recommend Link as a presenter 🙂
Saturday 4-5:30pm ICI/PRO Class PROfile: Ramp, Attack, Sustain
Saturday's ride is Ramp Attack Sustain where the focus is on anaerobic performance. This by no means a beginners ride profile. A solid aerobic fitness base is recommended before challenging this class profile. We will be using two approaches, one is the Ramp and Attack which is a progressive ramp of resistance followed by a all out attack and the other is an all out Attack followed by varying times of Sustained effort of one minute or more. During Attack and Sustained efforts, RPE will be 9-10, thus an all out effort! As with all class profiles of this type, it is recommended to have students train at their own pace and not to exceed the limits of their fitness.
Sunday 10:15am-11:45am ICI/PRO Class PROfile: Lactate Tolerance Workshop
Sunday's ride is Lactate Tolerance Workshop which is based on a 45-60 minute indoor cycling training session only represents one effective way to build up tolerance to lactic acid using HIIT and Tabata style intervals. This style of class is both fun and challenging for the indoor rider where the lactate threshold (LT) is reached and surpassed many times during the ride along with active recovery, to build balance in the energy system and recruit fast twitch muscle fiber. True LT testing cannot be performed without blood being drawn during performance activity, thus we project it in this class as 80-85% of the VO2 Max or your VT2. As with all class profiles of this type, it is recommended to have students train at their own pace and not to exceed the limits of their fitness.
Both of Link's classes are on Schwinn AC Indoor Cycles. Each will feature the Cycling Fusion ClassBuilder iPhone App and Heart Zones Cycling training principles
Find out more about Boston MANIA
Here's a link to download all the session info.
by Chuck Cali | Oct 22, 2012 | Big Box Instructor, Engage Your Students, Master Instructor Blog
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Chuck Cali
“Indoor cycling instructors!! As you ‘teach' your class this week ask yourself- am I using this time to effectively TRAIN these people or am I using every trick in the book to just be an ‘entertaining distraction'?? And yes, there is a BIG difference..:)”
I saw this statement on facebook on a recent morning. Lately, I’ve thought long and hard about this philosophy. Allow me to reason out with you another possibility.
At the end of your classes, did your riders notice the “BIG difference”, or indicate they cared? Why were they there in the first place? What did they come for? What do they expect? Do you have an obligation to deliver what they expect or subject them to what you think they need? As indoor cycle instructors, do we really know the answer to the question of why all these people are sitting on stationary bikes in front of us? These are not new questions. Jim Karanas posted on a similar topic last year (“Susan and Bob”, 11/28/11).
Here are my thoughts.
If you’re reading this, you care enough about your craft to, at minimum, stay informed. For years now, you’ve read on this site all the facts necessary for delivering a safe, training experience for your riders. ICI/PRO has also delivered hundreds of “how to” audio profiles and podcasts on teaching certain profiles or training objectives, or a specific class focus.
Yet that information is really for and about us, the instructors. It comes from people like us, doing what we love to do and always striving to get better at it. Let me add that all of it is safe, founded in the fundamentals of outdoor riding. No contraindicated movements. And it’s incredibly useful in enhancing our abilities.
But striving for never-ending improvement compels one to ask such hard questions as: What’s the fundamental reason people participate in group exercise? I’m reasonably sure that for every rider there’s a different answer. What do we really know about these people and why they’re here? Still, this isn’t about us, but about them. They pay for what we give them, which is important to remember.
Recently, I’ve been reminded that indoor cycling is also an industry. What makes the gears of any industry turn is a demand for a product or service, which ultimately turns into profits. We should all be ok with that. It’s why our paychecks don’t bounce.
With that said, it becomes easier to work within the framework of “happy customers” rather than appropriate training. It has also been stated in these cyber pages that indoor cycling and, by extension, indoor cycle instructors have been commoditized. I believe that’s true. But it can be a good thing if an instructor understands the commercial value of happy customers.
If “effective training” is producing happy customers, by all means create your class profiles to produce the desired training outcome.
But most of us in the trenches (indoor cycling studios around the world) face riders everyday who are doing mindless exercise. One club manger explained to me, “They check their brains at the door, let us do what we do, and go home feeling that they did the right thing.” They come back because they like us.
My experience is they come to our classes not because they’re training — most don’t know how to prepare a training plan, or care to — but because they’re exercising. Why? Because everyone from the President of the United States to Jane Fonda has said it’s good for them. We all agree.
While a few Master Instructors are making a living teaching us how to train our riders or selling new equipment that will aid in the same, most of us are holding onto our part-time jobs by keeping our customers happy.
And this is where I see the BIG difference between effective training and entertaining distractions. Our riders are not really looking for effective training, even if they pay lip service to it.
They’re looking to get through 60 minutes of hard work that they know is good for them, rather than training with an outcome in mind. (I know many will argue that if we do our job well, the riders get the known cardio benefits, too.)
Among other things, happy customers add the greatest return on investment to facilities adding new equipment to their studios. High ROI allows the riders, who seek exercise, to become involved in a new, dissociative activity while exercising.
At our initial certifications we learned about dissociative cueing, the act of diverting our riders’ attention onto something other than the pain of the exercise.
As a Team ICG® Master Trainer using MyRide®+, I’ve seen first-hand how forward motion video can take riders on a new journey while they get their exercise. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities for them and us.
The same is true for the new bikes out there. The new consoles on these bikes provide multiple metrics: cadence, heart rate, time, miles or kilometers per hour, lap times, gear setting, calories burned and power.
The options for using such metrics during class are many. One option is to use them for training. Some do.
If one is lucky enough to have forward motion video and new bikes, well, then our world has changed to provide many more opportunities to make our customers happy in ways never before possible.
Our industry needs to understand and embrace this concept if we’re to compete with Zumba and U JAM, among the new activities now found in group exercise. I could go on about whether those doing Zumba get any real cardio benefit, but, bottom line, this is about happy customers. The cycle studio needs to stay competitive with other group activities.
One could call all the new technology an entertaining distraction. Sure. I consider it a collection of extremely useful tools for providing exactly what our riders want. A good reason to come back! What they get from it is up to them.
It always has been.
by John | Oct 6, 2012 | Big Box Instructor, Instructor Training
Joe Ducosin runs CycleQuest Studio in Eden Prairie, MN with his awesome wife Patti. Joe's great at communicating with his Instructor's and has given me permission to share his “Pre Season reminders for Instructors” with you. You can download a pdf of this here.
I haven't sent an instructor email out in a while but with the weather quickly changing and the attendance at the studio about to pick up I wanted to make sure that all of us are on the same page as to procedures and how we are instructing classes at the studio. I would never tell anyone exactly how to instruct or what type of music to play as the freedom to be creative is so important to being great at your craft, but there are some guidelines that we need to stay within for consistency and a positive experience for participants in our classes. So please consider these tips as we present ourselves in front of the class, plan our playlists, profiles and drills.
Mic up! – I always suggest using the wireless mic because your voice has to compete with music from the speakers, and the music has to be louder to be motivating. With smaller classes you can probably get away without it but the experience when you can be heard throughout the studio is always better for participants, especially those toward the back of the class. Take a class from an instructor that isn't mic'd up and sit further away and you will know what I am talking about. When mic'd up properly you should be able to hear your regular voice through the speakers. If you don't use the mic be careful to pay attention how loud and piercing your voice can be to those close to you in the front row and be careful not to scream to instruct above the sound level of the music.
New wireless mic – The new mic sounds great but needs to be adjusted to fit properly. Take time before the start of class to adjust the ear piece to fit snug on your ear and adjust the length of the boom to be as close to the side of your mouth as possible. The new mic adjustments are a little quirky but proper mic placement is key to your voice being heard well through the speakers. Also throughout the class do a mic check with the person farthest from you in the class.
Music volume – I can't emphasize enough how this is one of the most motivating aspects of indoor cycling. Every song in your playlist will play at a different sound level depending on how it was recorded or copied. You should consistently be adjusting your music volume, turning it down when your instruction or side conversations with the class needs to be heard and back up so the driving beat can be felt.
Explicit lyrics – Please choose the clean versions of songs. If you've played music with explicit language, please remove it from your playlist.
Learn customer’s names – The studio was founded on creating a welcoming fun fitness atmosphere. Learning customer’s names and being personable is key to creating a following and you can't go wrong with the attendance list being online and at the front desk. Introduce yourself to all customers you don't know and identify those new to the studio and make sure they are setup properly on the bike. Explain all options on the computer, your instruction style and what they should expect.
Be enthusiastic and create high energy. Your enthusiasm is infectious and you have to be prepared to bring it every class. Keep your music fresh and vary your drills. Don't just be good, be great every class. What sets you apart from all of the other instructors? Don't teach a class just running through the same motions every week.
Don't leave the class guessing – give specific instruction. If going through the song break let the class know. Tell them how long the interval will be, when the effort will end, how long until recovery and how they should be feeling. Be engaged with the class and aware of how you are motivating with your enthusiasm at all times building up the intensity and controlling every moment with precise instruction to keep the energy created high. Silence in the studio when not recovering or in between a song break is not motivating. Take advantage of all the features on the bike computer to run your drills – watts, cadence, rpm, gear and heart rate.
Get your music going before the official start of class. A lot of customers get to the studio early and motivating music should be playing while they are warming up.
Remind friends that are new to the studio to create an account first to make their check-in at the front desk faster.
Remind participants after every class to gently lower seat and handlebar to the frame and wipe down their bike and the floor and don't forget to wipe down your own bike and floor around the instructor bike.
Inappropriate dvd movies – All movies should be motivating in some way. Be very careful of the language in closed caption, inappropriate sexual scenes and unnecessary violent content. Before playing any PG/PG-13 rated movie during class contact me for approval. Also make sure you have watched the portion of the movie you will be playing so as not to be surprised by something inappropriate.
If you have questions about any these topics or need clarification please let me know. Patti and I appreciate all of you contributing your special talents and being part of CycleQuest Studio and look forward to many well attended fun classes this fall and winter!
Regards,
Joe Ducosin
CycleQuest Studio
Eden Prairie, MN
by John | Sep 19, 2012 | Big Box Instructor, Instructor Training, Master Instructor Blog
Our guard dog Maxx keeping watch over Murph.
“Dad, how am I going to learn to drive this?” was the question asked by my older daughter Abby, while I was negotiating the purchase of a well-cared-for Mazda 626. She would soon become know as “Murph” as in “Murphys Law” after the brakes failed – with Abby skillfully guiding her into the ditch to avoid rear-ending the car ahead of her.
But that was weeks after our initial lessons on driving a manual transmission car. Day-one ended at a stop sign with Abby jumping out and slamming the car door. After expressing some expletives that translated to; “Dad, I'm not ever going to be able to figure this out.” Abby had flat refused to learn anymore.
But au contraire young daughter. You can (and will) learn to drive and shift… or Murph will sit in the driveway and you'll walk, or (worse for her) ride your long neglected bicycle to your job.
So Abby relented and soon she was shifting like a NASCAR PRO.
Her sister Carly followed a few years later, and with some gentle instruction, she too became proficient driving a car that required her to both steer and shift to get where she needed. Both my girls began to enjoy driving Murph, especially after learning how few of their friends could even get out of the driveway with a manual transmission car. Beyond enjoyment, it actually became a source of pride in them, reinforced through frequent episodes (and the hilarious stories that followed) of trying to teach their friends (boy and girl alike) how to drive a car with a manual transmission. It continues today. Just last Sunday night Carly was the designated driver back to school in Fargo, because the girl who was driving still isn't comfortable driving her own car (a manual) on the highway back to school.
What prompted this post was a comment I received to an earlier post;
In the last year, the 2 clubs I teach cycling at have switched over to the Keiser M3′s, and, as you said, that was where it ended. A few of us, because of how we approached our instruction, understood what could be done with those computers. Those same few of us have, at our own expense, sought out information and training. It feels like when my dad bought me a manual transmission car when I turned 16, and said “there you go, Punkin!” without a bit of instruction regarding the gears. Except my only victim was a hunk of metal, not 30 people trusting me not to steer them wrong.
When instructors don’t know how to use the equipment, it makes us all look bad, and it’s very confusing to the members. Unfortunately, it’s all about money when you work for a chain.
We've devoted a lot of posts and Audio PROfiles toward teaching with Power here at ICI/PRO, and for good reason. Like Abby and Carly, we believe that those of you teaching on any of the brands with power, are capable of teaching with Power!
I have to admit that it was with a considerable amount of pride that I would listen to one of my daughters tell me a story that began with; “he thought he was so cool driving his dad's Mercedes and yet he turned out to be such a dork.” “He was talking smack; driving a stick is no big deal…” and so I said; “here you go… give it a try.” After he stalled Murph five times I said; “get out of the way and let a girl show you how it's done!”
It's no secret that teaching with Power or Heart Rate takes skill, an understanding of the training concepts and some dogged determination. There's a very good chance that you will be alone, or among a very few, in your club willing to make the effort.
Our goal here at ICI/PRO is to provide you with the knowledge and confidence you need to effectively teach an Indoor Cycling 2.0 based class – incorporating Power and/or Heart Rate – that truly demonstrates your competency as an Instructor.
There's no guarantee that your classes will ever be the fullest or the most talked about, but as a Professional you aren't looking for guarantees. If you're anything like me you are only looking for ONE student to come to you and say “I really appreciate your class… it must be hard, feeling like you have to compete with all the other nonsense… Thank You.”
Parenting suggestion for all of you with soon to be teenage drivers. Both our girls reported to us that driving a manual transmission required more of their attention, which kept them much more focused on driving, than when they drove an automatic. Then there's the natural deterrent to texting while driving that comes from needing both hands to get anywhere 🙂
