Hi, my name is Dennis Mellon and I'm an indoor cycling instructor. Â Yes, I need help! Â There are so many random thoughts that race through my brain while sitting on the instructor bike, Â I need a place to LET THEM OUT! Â I've learned, years ago, that the microphone is not always the best place to share these musings.
I have decided to start a new post series of the the various thoughts, ideas, dreams and rants that come to mind while on the instructor bike. Â Some of these posts will be incredibly positive, but some won't. Â Some will be funny, some will not. Some of these thoughts will turn into longer more informative posts, some will be short and sweet or maybe sour.
If you need a safe place to share or maybe vent feel free to add to the conversation in the comments field or, if you would like, send me your thought, idea or rant in an email at dennismellon.com and I'll create a post just for you.
Ok, let's see you this goes, it's already feeling like a therapy session for me.
I love group display systems. Â I mean I really really really love group display systems. Â Systems like Performance IQ and My Zone make classes so much more interactive and they magically make participants work so much harder AND smarter.
I teach at multiple locations in the Denver area and two of them use group display systems. Â One, just recently, launched Stages IQ which is Stages Indoor Cycling's version of Performance IQ and the other has been using My Zone for about 6 months. Â Stages IQ uses the power meter that is on every bike in the cycling studio. Â My Zone picks up the heart rate that is transmitted from the proprietary My Zone chest strap. Â When I teach a class with Stages IQ EVERYONE in the class can be part of the group display system. Â When I teach a My Zone class ONLY those who have purchased the MY Zone chest strap can enjoy the group display system.
The energy felt in the studio using Stages IQ is infectious as EVERYONE is working for a common goal and can see if they are successfully achieving that goal. Â The energy in the My Zone studio is not the same because, on a good day, only 25% of the participants may have the necessary MY Zone chest strap to see their heart rate on the group display system.
I have been working in the fitness industry for 25 years and heart rate based group exercise classes have NEVER been successful because the only way to ensure everyone's compliance is to “loan out” heart rate monitors and this becomes a very time consuming and expensive proposition, this also goes without saying that there are far better ways to determine intensity like power and pace.
If you are looking into a group display system and you want 100% compliance with the system you need to provide members with EVERYTHING to use the system. Â If they are required to purchase their own hardware or do more than simply sign up for the class they will not do it and your investment will have been wasted.
You know the type; this is the rider who after EVERY class quietly, almost stealthfully, navigates their way to the instructor bike and starts every class critique by saying “That was a great class!”, then pauses for a few seconds and says “But” or “Have you ever considered” or “You should try…” or “why did you…?”.
The first few times this happens you're happy to engage, but as you realize this is going to be an EVERY class occurrence, you start to despise this person. I'm all for constructive criticism and suggestions, but it becomes exhausting having to defend or explain your training philosophy, music choices and cueing to the same person after EVERY class.
Some would say that I shouldn't be so sensitive, that I should embrace the fact that the critiquer wants to discuss my craft with me. I would most often agree, especially if the critiquer approached me after every 3rd or 4th class but when it happens EVERY class I start to feel like it's more passive-aggressive than constructive criticism. Quite frankly it becomes more like nagging than anything else.
Eventually, you realize the critiquer's critiques are only self-serving rants in an attempt to turn your class into a personal indoor cycling training session for them without any concern for the 40 or 50 other riders who may be loving what you are doing. As you wise up to the critiquer's narcissistic tactics, you should try to keep your “end-of-class evaluations” as short as possible. Sometimes they get the hint and back off, but in my experience, they realize they are losing control over you and turn into the tattle-tale. Now you need to be prepared for that dreaded conversation with your supervisor. 99.9% or your class participants probably think you're awesome, but this self-serving, narcissistic, tattle-tailing critiquer is about to make your life miserable.
I would suggest being honest with your supervisor. Most likely management has had to deal with this person in the past and will back you up in this uncomfortable situation. In the unfortunate situation that management is not supportive, you have a hard decision to make. If you are regularly filling your classes and receiving positive feedback from your class participants, I would not change anything about your class. Indoor Cycling is a group activity, and you need to do what is best for the group NOT THE INDIVIDUAL. If management feels the need to kowtow to the wants and needs of every self-serving facility user it may be time to look for another place to teach.
I apologize for the negative tone of this post. It's not always hugs and kisses when you're on the instructor bike. Once in a while, you need to deal with challenging situations and “crazy” people. It takes years of experience to be confident enough in your product to stand up to unwarranted critiques of riders and possibly management. After nearly 25 years on the instructor bike the criticism still stings, EVERYTIME! But now, I listen and “take in” the feedback. If any negative comments are warranted, I'll make the appropriate changes and move on as a better instructor. But when I identify someone as a self-serving, narcissistic, tattle-tailing, critiquer. And when this life sucking vampire approaches me with their 5th “suggestion” of the week, I just smile and say “thank you” as I make my way out the door to my next appointment.
Then, when I get to my car I cue up, crank up and scream along to Eminem's The Way I Am and get on with life.
Have I told you how much I love teaching with a group display system like Performance IQ's StagesIQ.  I simply can not get over how awesome it is to have access to a group display.  The new game I play with my riders in not allowing them to take ANY easy recovery.  Below is a copy of the poster I use to explain my  zones:
Riders are amazed at how much more difficult a ride is when I don't allow them to ride in the Blue, Active Recovery, Zone for their recovery. Â Instructors never knew how easy or hard their riders were recovering, with group display systems we can see these recovery efforts for the first time. Â For years we tried to manage the high end of a workout, now we can also manage the low end.
I was teaching a class early this morning in a studio that's about 35 by 20 feet, has eight ceiling fans as well as two oscillating floor fans.  This morning it was not particularly hot, and I didn't feel the need to turn on both of the oscillating floor fans, that was a mistake!  I did turn on the eight ceiling fans and one of the oscillating floor fans for a total of nine fans.  About 10 minutes into class I hear a shout from a rider who is about 30 feet away from the ONE fan that's not spinning asking to turn it on.  As usual, this outburst came in the middle of my detailed explanation of the upcoming set. Annoyed,  I took a deep breath, finished my set description and asked, “That fan all the way across the room?”  I admit, this wasn't the best way to handle this request.  But what I wanted to say was “THAT fan, that's 30 feet away from you and has to push air through 15 other riders for you to have any chance of feeling any additional air flow on top of the other nine fans that are already circulating air in this room.  What about the people who are riding next to that fan, what if they don't want it blowing on them and is that tiny itty bit of additional air flow worth interrupting me in the middle of my set description?”  I didn't say all that; I waited until I got everyone started in the next set and quietly made my way over to the one out of ten fans that wasn't running, asked everyone in the area if they were okay with me turning it on.  Most of these riders asked if I could adjust the fan so it wouldn't blow directly on them, so I ended up facing it in a direction where there was no way the person who requested it be turned on could feel it.
What is it with some people and fans?  It's a workout and when you workout you may get hot and sweat.  All the facilities where I work are equipped with full locker rooms and have showers.  Don't get me wrong; I believe cycling studios should be properly cooled with adequate circulation, but it's impossible to find the perfect temperature and perfect amount of circulation for everyone.  Sometimes people simply need to work through their discomfort.
What do these people do when they spend time outside and conditions aren't perfect, do they pray?
At one of my recent Stages trainings I had a participant struggle with my explanation of various intensities. Â When I would ask them to ride at a lower intensity she would ask “Flat Road?” and if I said moderate intensity she would ask “Seated Climb?” and when I would ask for a high intensity she ask “Standing Climb?”. Â My response was “easy is easy, moderate is moderate and hard is hard, it doesn't matter if the “terrain” is flat or up hill.”
As anyone who has ever ridden a bike outside knows a flat road can be VERY hard and if your bike has proper gearing an uphill ride can be VERY easy. Â I have always been confused but the instructors who use cues like “Flat and Fast” or “Seated Climb” or “Standing Climb” and assumed I should know the intensities associated with these cues. Â I have ridden in time trials that were very flat and very fast and VERY intense so why would I automatically assume “Flat and Fast” is easy.
Now that more and more facilities are introducing bikes with power to their members it is our job, as instructors, to change the way we cue intensities to our riders. Â First and foremost it's important to understand that, when riding inside, we are riding at ZERO miles per hour, going ZERO distance at ZERO incline. Â Most bikes with power will estimate MPH and distance by taking the wattage being produced and placing it into a formula that assumes an average size rider, riding at sea level, on a flat road with no wind. Â With a watt being a watt no matter if it's produced while riding at a fast or slow RPM or while seated or standing the estimated speed or distance will be the same. Â So 100 watts will translate to the same speed no matter what position or RPM a rider is riding.
In my classes I do a lot of distance challenges. Â For example I'll ask my riders to perform three 4 minute intervals with 90 seconds recovery between each while attempting to ride “farther” for each interval, using the odometer on the bike console. Â I'll change the riding position and RPM range for each of the 4 minute intervals and without fail when I have my riders stand for all or for a portion of an interval I'll have someone comment the they ride slower miles per hour when climbing a hill. Â My response is always; “I never said we were climbing a hill, I said we were standing”. Â A watt is a watt is a watt and when riding inside, on bikes that go nowhere, more watts translate to faster estimated speed therefore more estimated distance.
So let's stop using those corny and senseless cues “Flat and Fast”, “Seated Climb and “Standing Climb”. Â We are riding bikes that go nowhere and we certainly don't gain elevation throughout a class. Â It's very simple, higher wattage means more intensity! Â It doesn't matter if you produce those watts by riding with a lighter resistance and a faster cadence or with a heavier resistance and a slower cadence or if you are standing, MORE WATTS MEANS MORE INTENSITY!
