Your certification didn't teach you this so I will. If you like to use music to encourage specific pedal cadences, check out this new video on how to use a tap-to-the-beat counter. Here is the link to get it for Windows Users.
You can find the other 5 free videos over at http://www.mixmeisteracademy.com/using_itunes/
Originally posted 2009-10-10 10:53:33.
In Tom's previous post he talks about watching yourself on film to identify non-verbal movements / behaviors that if changed, could improve your class.
But what if the whole camera setup and production is too much of a hurdle for you right now… how about this baby step?
Get in front of a mirror and ride…
Most of our studios are full of mirrors, and yet many of us can go weeks or even months without seeing ourselves on the bike. Why not go in to your studio early and practice teaching your class where you can see yourself in a mirror? I suggest a head-on view and then at an angle like Christine suggested. Go through all your typical motions and movements and then ask yourself:
If you want to appeal to cyclists I suggest that you learn to look like you ride outdoors, even if you don't. Cyclists have an eye for other cyclists that I'm guessing comes from riding thousands of miles behind or alongside other competitive cyclists. Excessive side to side movement of your head, which corresponds with each down-stroke, screams I DON”T KNOW HOW TO PEDAL CORRECTLY. The same can be said for a lot of up and down movement of your body while standing. I see this as the most importantly thing you should work to correct because I see excessive movement as a sign of poor pedal technique that will brand you as a non-cyclist.
Here's an example of what you should look like as demonstrated by the Great Eddy Merckx!
I asked Amy and she had a completely different take on the usage of mirrors:
Many of us teach facing our classes. As we consider how we look this week, I want to talk about a teaching technique called “mirroring”. Simply described, mirroring is showing our class what we want them to do in opposite. For example, if we are coaching a right turn ahead, we would indicate with our left hand, as their right is our left.
Mirroring shows a maturity in teaching and eliminates confusion to our class. At first, it takes some thought, as it is not natural to indicate a cue in opposite. I find it most challenging when I’ve got my class in a race situation and we are passing, or even when we are in a pace line and I am coaching them to the front of the line to take their turn pulling. As I coach them to, “Pull out to the left of the rider in front of them, pull up alongside, give a little wave and take the lead”, this is all done with me physically cueing on the right side of our body. I get so into it, and feel myself on the road that I have to remember to cue for them, not like it should be on the road!
So, the next time you are in front of your class, try mirroring a few simple moves. It can even just be a lean right (your left), or left (your right) to start.
I've struggled with this for years – maybe it's a guy thing, but disconnecting my body from my brain is very difficult for me. If you have any coordination I would suggest taking a few Step Classes or some other choreographed class from a good instructor to watch and see how they do this. I've watched in amazement as Amy actually mirrors Step movements, while facing her class.
Another random thought on “How you look.”
Riding out of the saddle, with your forearms resting on the bars, (aero-position) has no place in your class. Beyond being completely contraindicated, it has you looking like a dork or worse, like one of the defeated obese people you see wandering around Wal-Mart 🙁
I use this mental image to remind students that our forearms aren't designed to support us.
I had to ignore the Instructor whose class I took this week. He insisted on having us all “Up and Aero” while we climbed. No real Cyclist or Triathlete climbs in an aero position out of the saddle; you're either down low in your aero position or standing with your hands spaced wide on the bars.
Your students are watching you… and I dare say judging you in large part by what they see.
Make sometime this week and consider how you look, because that's what your class is seeing 🙂
Originally posted 2011-09-09 14:33:26.
Question from a PRO member:
is there any way you can listen to a podcast and cruise the ICI website at the same time? Often I am tempted to hit a link while listening and then I am thrown off the podcast. Frustrating.
I hate it when PRO members are frustrated, I can help…
Short Answer: Yes*, by enabling and using Tabbed Browsing in Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari or Chrome.
Long Answer: There sure is, let me explain…
When you are on a web page (what you are reading right now) and click on a link, one of three options can happen:
I feel tabs are the best choice
So, what decides what happens?
Whenever you want to click a link, and retain the page you are currently viewing – Right Click the link and you will see your choice of options. Note: Might be slightly different depending on what version of Windows you are running. MAC users see something similar.
Right Clicking Gives You The Power!
Did this make sense to you? Let me know if you need more.
* The other option would of course be to listen in iTunes.
Originally posted 2011-03-15 08:10:48.
If you are interested in improving your class numbers or making your studio more profitable, I feel Chef Ramsay could help a lot… let me explain.
On the remote chance you have never seen his TV show (he must have over a dozen to date) Chef Gordon Ramsay is a very successful and very foul mouthed Celebrity Chef who makes his on-screen living criticizing other Cooks, Chefs and Restaurant owners. He's also very successful restaurant owner in real life. I'm certain that the producers of any show he appears need to hire an extra hand, who's sole job is to hit the “Bleep” button until their index finger is bloodied and bruised.
And yet his shows are very popular and have been for years. I have to say I find Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (either the BBC or US versions) very entertaining once you understand his objective for each episode of the show; saving a troubled or near bankrupted restaurant from failure through brutal honesty. NOTE: The BBC versions are a little lot more foul than those produce for the US markets. Language Warning on the video below
Each episode of Nightmares follows the similar ebb and flow of most any dramatic TV show or movie for that matter:
Intro: Chef Ramsay is called in save some floundering restaurant and his first action is to sit and be served as a normal customer. Inevitably he finds his meal un-editable which sets the stage for…
Initial Confrontation: Ramasy confronts the Owner, the Chef, wait staff and anyone else he can find over the poor quality of the food + (take your pick) the service, decor, prices, etc… His next step is…
Observation: “Let's see this F*&#&^% place in action” has Ramsey observing the operation of the kitchen and dining room service to get an understanding of where the problems lie. This tends to be one of my favorite parts of the show, especially when he finds rotting food in some dark, walk in freezer.
Candid summation of the problem: Like many reality shows, Ramsey appears outside the restaurant and speaks directly to the camera, offering what is clearly visible to all of us watching… “The place is all F$%#@& up” delivered with a very sullen expression and a less than an optimistic appraisal of his chances for turning the business around.
After watching a half dozen or so shows, it's obvious that the problems the restaurant is experiencing fall into one these general catagories:
Proposed Solution: Here Ramsey lays out his proposed solution. It maybe a new menu or cooking method that he feels will address the problems that he sees. In most episodes everyone seems to agree, which sets up the…
Second Confrontation: Whether by design, or simply human nature, someone refuses to go along with the suggested changes. This is by far my favorite part, but it typically includes a lot of Bleeping. Here Ramsay gets to the real reason for most, if not all, of the what's causing the trouble in this business. Time and time again, what Ramsey has to shout, swear and yell his way past is the defensiveness of the person who needs to give up the excuses, swallow their pride and accept responsibility for the current state of the restaurant.
Acceptance of the Solution: After Ramsey has successfully broken down the walls of; arrogance, insecurity, stubbornness, etc… that are ruining the business, everyone is finally on-board with his new changes.
With the new menu and other changes in place, Ramsey stages an event to “Re-Brand” the restaurant to the community. This is crucial to a profitable future, as the success of any local business is word of mouth! There's a very good reason no one is eating there and bold action is needed to inform past customers that there have been substantial changes. “Please try us again!”
Rebirth of optimism: It worked! The atmosphere in the restaurant is buoyed by a now full dining room of happy customers and a till full of money. Better days are ahead as Ramsey makes one final statement to the camera before walking off to save another restaurant.
Happy (sometimes) Ending: Much like a recovering alcoholic who's fallen off the wagon, the strong personality of an entrepreneur is difficult to change and then maintain, without slipping back into old habits. This sets up a whole other series of shows where Ramsey returns to steer the business back on course yet again.
It took me a while to understand why I (and obviously quite a few others) like Chef Ramsay. Despite his foul mouth, abrasive personality and endless arrogance he demonstrates a refreshing belief in the capability of the people he's trying to help. Every expletive laced criticism, accusation or heated confrontation he delivers is based on his honest belief that the recipient can do better.
By now, I'm guessing that you have figured out where I see a potential similarly between a struggling restaurant on Kitchen Nightmares and a class or studio with consistently low attendance.
Winter is coming for many of us and your chance to Re-Brand your class if necessary is right now! If you are frequently looking out over a room with empty cycles, can I suggest that you watch a few episodes? Chef Ramsay doesn't just show up by accident, someone sent out a request for his help. Pay attention to the disconnect between the reality of the situation and the early behavior of the business owner. And then decide if any of this could apply to your situation.
I'm going to follow this up with a few ideas on how you could find your own version of a “Chef Ramsay” next week.
Originally posted 2011-10-26 15:43:30.
It's dark at 5:30 am and I'm one not to have many lights on in the morning.
Yesterday I wished I had as I knocked my Dell laptop off the kitchen counter and it hit the hardwood floor with a loud CRASH. I stood there in the dark and began to hear a Click – Click – Click from my computer; a sound it never made before 🙁
I picked it up, opened the lid and was greeted with a notice “Hard Drive not detected.”
Thankfully my warranty from Dell covered the hard drive and I'm supposed to get a replacement.
Once I replace it I will log in to Carbonite and begin recovering every one of my files. Because it backed up then night before, and I hadn't changed anything, I will have lost nothing.
Did your files backup last night?
Originally posted 2010-10-29 12:38:18.
Back-to-School signals the end of summer for many of us. *Our participants will begin thinking about Fall and the transition to riding indoors. I'm thinking that you will want to be ready for them. 🙂
All of us here at ICI/PRO believe September is the perfect month to sharpen your Instructor skills for the upcoming Indoor Cycling season. This is exactly why we scheduled the ICI/PRO Conference for the end of this month.
Beginning this week, we will be delivering ICI/PRO members specific exercises (actionable steps) you can take to improve your craft as an Indoor Cycling Instructor. Most won't have any cost involved except for your time and effort.
Some of our suggestions will have you stepping a bit beyond your comfort zone. You will need to devote some additional time and effort this month if you truly want to improve… but then isn't that what's really necessary to grow and develop as an Instructor?
Each week will have a unique focus:
This week — How do you look?
Week 2 — How do you sound?
Week 3 — How do you feel?
Week 4 — Bring it all together!
*No slight intended to our Instructor members and friends Down-Under who are heading into their spring 🙂
Originally posted 2011-09-04 12:06:19.