Master Instructor Blog | Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast

Are you teaching to the squeaky wheels?

by Cameron Chinatti | Mar 10, 2026 | Best Practices, Boutique Instructor, Master Instructor Blog

Howdy Fit Folk!

John Macgowan has so graciously invited me to contribute to the vast wealth of knowledge that is the ICI/PRO community-- woohoo!! Lucky me. 🙂 To those of you that I had the great pleasure of meeting at the 2011 ICI/PRO conference, hello again! To those of you that I have yet to meet, I look forward to many opportunities to open a dialog, discuss new concepts and create amazing ideas.

Speaking of ideas, I love good ones! I know it's been a good day if I've had at least --what I consider-- one good idea. Generally speaking, my best ideas come from thought-provoking conversations with others. With all the wonderful discussions I'm reading on the posts and forums, I'm bound to have a lot of good days moving forward.

So pull up a chair (if you dare!) and enter the head-space of Cam... I wish you the best of luck!

Happy reading,

Cameron Chinatti

Director of Education for Stages Indoor Cycling

Cameron Chinatti Director of Education Stagesâ„¢ Indoor Cycling

Do you ever find yourself spending a disproportionate amount of your mental and perhaps physical energy trying to please or quell the “squeaky wheels”? Typically the squeaky wheels are your most loyal attendees. They sit in the front row, they have "their" special bike, they enjoy filling out lengthy complaint cards, and they dislike any of your substitute instructors. These are the squeaky wheels, always generating a low-level disturbance. More on these folks in a moment!

Recently, a friend of mine shared a link to a blog post titled "Don't Tell Me I'm Wasting My Time!"

Intrigued, I decided to check it out. The author of the post, Marjorie Clayman, is an expert in the field of enhancing the use of Social Media as it applies to the marketing world. Her frustration, as she puts it, "...is the selfishness that exists in the online world when it comes to covering topics that relate to beginners." As you'll see in her article there is a perfect parallel to the challenges that we all face as teachers of indoor cycling.

Now, back to those squeaky wheels!

We tend to teach specifically to please these individuals because we become acutely aware of their verbal tendencies. This makes it very challenging to recognize the needs of the 29 other individuals in the room. More importantly, we fail to see the hundreds if not thousands of potential participants that have never set foot in our classes.

As Marjorie puts it, "If you approach content on occasion from the perspective of someone who is brand spanking new to this space, you will get to meet people and help people whom you may not have met in any other way. What can be more valuable than that?"

So, are your squeaky wheels unconsciously (hopefully not consciously!) creating a "secret society" that makes the newcomer feel uninvited? How do we please them both? In the words of the great Bob Marley, "You can't please all the people all the time." Quite the conundrum, I know.

When you feel the pressures of oiling the squeaky wheels or as my friend and Schwinn Master Trainer Shannon Fable calls it, "teaching to the front-row frowners," take a personal inventory moment. Are you trying to please them to keep an angry person off your back or are you considering the needs of all?

In my time as a Co-Director of a group exercise schedule consisting of 120 classes per week, I fielded many squeaky wheel complaints.

Here are my Top 5 takeaways from my time spent with the dreaded comment cards box:

1. Never throw your team under the bus! It may be tempting to tell the class to fill out a comment card and cast a vote for you to have more classes on the schedule, but a) that's a bit self-serving and b) there are so many reasons why the schedule is created the way it is. Cost per head per instructor, school schedules, child care schedules, maintenance, special programming, weekly class balance, etc. Likewise, if you have a personal gripe about something at your facility, telling your participants to fill out a comment card in order to achieve your goal accomplishes one thing: The squeaky wheels learn that if they are loud enough, they'll get their way, even if it is not in the best interest of the program. This leads to my 2nd mantra...

2. Think big picture. Contrary to popular belief, the individuals that attend your classes are not actually your members. They belong to the facility and you belong to the program or programs that the facility offers. You represent a piece of a puzzle. The more you think of yourself and your fellow instructors in this manner, the more the participants will view you all as a cohesive unit. Amazingly, participant complaints become positive shout-outs when the instructors have a sense of solidarity amongst the team.

3. Stick to your guns. You and your fellow instructors are the resident experts at your facility and you are there to guide your entire class in a safe and effective workout. The squeaky wheels may think that it's cool when Jane Doe instructor takes their saddles away, but you as the professional have to step up sometimes and say what needs to be said. Of course, you must keep in mind that your position is really that of a customer service specialist. So, how can you easily stick to your guns and provide a top-notch customer-first experience? Enter the Bad News Sandwich.

4. Bad News Sandwich. Here's an example of a bad news sandwich.

"Hey Sally, I totally understand where you're coming from and I hear you. You're right. Riding an entire class without the seat is very challenging and it does make you "feel the burn." However, there are actually more effective ways to achieve the same end result and in an environment that is safe for everyone. Can you imagine how terrible it would be if someone were to fall on the seat post during our class?! I'm sure I would lose my job and I would feel awful. After all, my job is to help people achieve optimal health, not promote injury. I know you understand the predicament I'm in; I have to look after everyone's well being -- including yours. Let's discuss a plan that will work around your fitness goals. I'm sure we can come up with something that will challenge you even more."

Okay, so that was a bit on the cheesy role-play side of things, but I'm sure you've had similar conversations before. Just remember: Bad News Sandwich = Recognition of issue or compliment (Good News) + Addressing the issue (Bad News) + Recognition of issue (Good News). You can't go wrong with the Bad News Sandwich. Or ending emails with a smiley. 🙂

5. Equal attention for all. Some people may disagree with me on this one, but no one at your facility should be valued higher than anyone else. This goes for members and instructors! Even if a member has been paying dues for 20 years, the new person that just joined or just attended class for the first time should get the same kind of attention and treatment. Likewise, an instructor that packs the room and has been teaching for years is as much a part of the team as the newer instructor that supports a different set of participants (and thus increasing the number of unique users). The minute a hierarchy starts to form, problems arise. Suffice it to say, everyone plays an equally important role in developing a top-notch indoor cycling program.

Think about your classes this week whether indoor cycling, group strength, step, etc. Ask yourself: Am I teaching to the person that looks miserable or am I teaching to everyone? Am I dividing my attention equally amongst my attendees? Don't overdo it when it comes to greasing that squeaky wheel-- you never know when the chain might fall off.[/wlm_private]

Please share with the ICI/Pro community: How have you been addressing the "squeaky wheel" situations? Any good stories or ideas to share?

Originally posted 2011-11-10 13:22:22.

It is NOT Just Cardio!

by Tom Scotto | Mar 4, 2026 | Master Instructor Blog

Indoor cycling has had a reputation of being a good cardiovascular workout. And that is absolutely true. However, when an aspect of any activity is touted vigorously, the reputation that is created can become definition. Even a recent indoor cycling certification workshop I attended spoke of the aerobic benefits while going as far as to say other training approaches on the indoor bike are not recommended because they lack the aerobic focus. There is nothing farthest from the truth. Although cycling does not contain the weight-bearing qualities needed for holistic fitness, it requires the strength and conditioning of the entire body.

Building Strength

Building strength on an indoor bike requires a specific focus. Just this morning I trained a dozen cyclists on their road bikes and indoor trainers on muscular strength. This is one of the rare cases where our power meters can work against us. To develop strength, the muscles need to be stressed with great force. Due to the amount of resistance needed to apply this force, legs speeds are considerably lower (50 to 70 RPM). Anyone who has experimented with power quickly figures out that faster leg speeds are best for producing higher levels of power output (more watts). This knowledge and the presence of a power meter can be a hindrance to developing muscular strength. Why? Because riders will look at their power meters during a strength interval and see that they are generating less power, which often causes them to panic. To fix what they believe is a problem, they will reduce the resistance (force) and then increase their leg speed to increase their power output. This in effect will reduce the needed stress on the muscles and greatly decrease the effectiveness of the effort.

Power Per RPM

To set riders up for success, have them focus on how much force they can apply or power they can produce at a given leg speed or RPM. Let them know up front that this may be considerably less then they would produce during a steady-state threshold effort or high-tempo climb, but the “purpose” is to build muscular strength which will in turn allow them to produce more power when it counts.

Have your riders perform an interval (30 seconds to 2 minutes) and see how much force they can apply to their legs at 60 RPM, then 65 RPM and then 70 RPM. Use the cadence on your bike or the speed of the music to set the tempo. If your bikes have power meters, what is the maximum or average power sustained at the specific speed for the determined duration?

Strength intervals are usually done in sets with 1 to 1 recovery. So if you are performing 30-second intervals, riders should receive 30 seconds of recovery between each effort (and 3+ minutes of recovery between sets). The number of intervals you perform per set can also vary depending on who is in your class and if they are accustomed to strength training (WITHOUT weights) on the bike. As you and your riders become more conditioned, advanced combinations of repetitions, duration and recovery can be used.

Start incorporating some on-the-bike strength training and help your riders develop the muscular fitness they need. Indoor Cycling is not just for Cardio anymore.

Originally posted 2012-01-12 10:55:13.

Rethinking Heart-Rate Training?

by John | Mar 1, 2026 | Big Box Instructor, Engage Your Students, Instructor Training, KEEPING IT FUN, Master Instructor Blog, Training With Power, Zone based 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 your classes.

Spinning® Master Instructor Danielle Foster alerted me to this article: Three Reasons To Rethink Heart-Rate Training from running.competitor.com. While they don't identify G.I.G.O by name as the cause of their concerns, a quick read through their list shows, and I'm confident you'll agree, that's the case…

1. Fluctuations Do Not Correspond To Effort Levels

Perhaps the biggest limitation to heart-rate training is that many changes in your heart rate do not correlate to your fitness level. Sleep, stress, and dehydration can all raise or lower heart rate on any given day. As normal people with jobs, families, and otherwise busy lives, these outside influencers are common and can have a drastic affect on your heart rate readings.

“Sleep, stress, and dehydration can all raise or lower heart rate on any given day.” I don't know about you, but if I don't get enough sleep I can feel like >>> GARBAGE. So anything my HR Monitor or Power Meter shows me will be potentially inaccurate. Same goes for; stress, hydration levels, illness, training frequency / amount and also if you're in the doghouse… because you forgot your wedding anniversary.

2. Lack Of Concrete Data Needed To Establish Training Zones

Another inherent drawback to heart-rate training is how difficult it is to establish your max heart rate and the accurate training zones that result from that figure. While a quick Google search reveals a myriad of formulas to help you find your max heart rate, the problem with formulas is that they are based on an average. What if youâ€™re not average? Not only that, but is maximum heart rate really the best predictor of training zones?

Sally Edwards says using shoe size would be as accurate a predictor of maximum heart rate as any age predicted formulas. So what should you use to determine your training zones? If you're really serious, I'd take a graded exercise metabolic assessment. Yes they're expensive and you might have to travel a ways to find a provider.

What about a the 20 minute threshold field tests other's promote? They may work for the true endurance athletes in your classes. It's only after hours and hours of training that most have the fitness, and have learned to tolerate (and enjoy) the pain, that is working at threshold continuously for 20 minutes. Without either, your riders are probably not really finding their actual threshold HR or watts = G.I.G.O. Any zones they build from GARBAGE will be… GARBAGE.

Were always adding new members, so in case you missed (or haven't found) my series of posts from 2011. They describe why I don't feel long threshold field tests get the results we intend.

Is a 20 Minute Threshold Field Test realistic for your class? Part 1

Is a 20 Minute Threshold Field Test realistic for your class? Part 2

Is a 20 Minute Threshold Field Test realistic for your class? Part 3

Most of your riders don't really fall into that endurance athlete category?

Then I'd suggest you promote what ACE recommends. This video is best Zone Methodology for the Club Athletes that make up most of our classes.

Note: you can easily substitute a watts # for both VT1 and VT2, instead of a HR BPM. I do every week!

Save

Originally posted 2017-09-18 06:00:49.

The Weekly Ride – 10/22/18 Halloween Endurance

by Joey Stabile | Aug 29, 2021 | Audio PROfiles, Best Practices, Class Work-Sets, Creativity Indoor Classes, Instructor Training, KEEPING IT FUN, Master Instructor Blog, PRO/Playlists, Training With Power

Welcome to the The Weekly Ride by Cycling Fusion

Welcome to our new era of The Weekly Ride, you get:

Full Ride PDF
Apple Music Playlist
Spotify Playlist
File to Download the Ride directly into My Fitness DJ (Yes, no Programming)
The Ride will be available for purchase in the iClass Builder Store (No Programming)
A Podcast of the ride being delivered by a master instructor.

(more…)

Originally posted 2018-10-29 20:39:40.

Think Like A Researcher – Blog Post #9

by Gino | Aug 5, 2021 | Master Instructor Blog

Long climbs of modest grades are the ideal terrain for Muscular Endurance

Before we get to the fun of actually conducting our experiments (from a nearby but unknown location comes the sound… “Moo hoo hoo ha ha ha” said with a deep and ominous voice) — sorry about that — when we get close to actually conducting our experiments… well, you know — my lab assistants gets very excited. As I was saying, before we conduct our experiments, we must define the specific method of testing or measuring what we are studying.

To do this, we must think like a researcher. A good researcher wants a good definition of what we are studying, how we will study it, and specifically how we will know if there is a change as a result of our studyâ€™s inputs. Consequently, we need a way of “baselining” our subjects such that the way we measured their baseline can be easily repeated later to see if our hypothesis was valid or invalid.

Identify or Create the Drill That Reflects the Research Topic

To create a drill or performance test that can be conducted to reflect our research topic (in this case Muscular Endurance) I like to start with the science perspective — university, medical community, etc. I like to read the journals that the professional researchers read to get a solid foundation — to help me think the way they think. The first place I started was a position statement by the ACSM:

“Muscular strength and endurance are developed by the progressive overload principle, i.e., by increasing more than normal the resistance to movement or frequency and duration of activity. Muscular strength is best developed by using heavier weights (that require maximum or near maximum tension development) with few repetitions, and muscular endurance is best developed by using lighter weights with a greater number of repetitions (1).”

So first we have some confirmation of our approach in their statement that Muscular Endurance is best developed with lighter weights and higher repetitions (translating into a lower Heart Zones and a higher cadence). This answers the question of HOW we will execute the training, but we still need to know how they chose to measure Muscular Endurance.

Create the Performance Test To Measure Before & After

From the same study referenced above, we read this (paraphrased):

“At 0, 10, and 14 weeks, subjects performed maximal repetition tests; designed such that a similar number of repetitions were performed during each set, the second set to failure. “

While this is pretty easy to accomplish with weights and repetitions in a set, it takes a little bit of “translation” to apply this to cycling. As such, we will need to use heart rate and power as our gauges and metrics as we push our test subjects to “failure”. In our current study, failure will be defined by the point the rider goes above Zone 3 in Heart Rate and/or what power level they are not able to maintain for a full 10 minute stage.

For Example:

Subject A does a baseline test (the test at 0 weeks) where he holds cadence steady at 85 RPM, a heart rate in the middle of Zone 3, and power at 150 Watts for 10 min. We then increase his Power to 175 Watts, and he is told to keep his cadence and HR nearly the same. He does this by increasing his gear or resistance. He handles this without a problem, despite a slight increase in HR (but not over zone 4). We then increase his power in a similar fashion to 200Watts, and within the 4^th minute he exceeds Zone 3 and thus reaches failure within our definition of Muscular Endurance.

Upon retesting at say week 8 or 10, he does the exact same test but this time he is able to go to 225 Watts before he reaches failure. Without getting into the concept of “statistical significance”, letâ€™s just say that we could deduce that the training used had the effect of improving his Muscular Endurance.

Make It Fun:

The good thing about not being paid to do this research, and not being part of a university lab, is that we can actually have some fun doing this research. I always like to integrate Performance Tests into our training or even our Indoor Classes. In my next post, I will discuss just how you can do that and what other aspects need to be controlled as well.

[plulz_social_like width=”350″ send=”false” font=”arial” action=”like” layout=”standard” faces=”false” ]

Originally posted 2012-06-21 08:51:09.

Recovery Required!

by Tom Scotto | Jul 21, 2021 | Master Instructor Blog

In my last article entitle “Make Recovery Work” we looked at how we as instructors can efficiently use recovery time to our advantage. Two of the main points were to use recovery as a time to provide instruction to prepare our riders for what is ahead and as a way to administer the “Recovery Litmus Test”. The biggest question that was prompted by the article was “so how long should recovery be?”.

An Excellent Question!

Not only and excellent question, but the right question. The subject of recovery ranks high on my “ticked off” list as an area needing much education and improvement. This is not just an indoor cycling issue, it is a dilemma Iâ€™ve seen in training as a whole. We live in a world of the 1-hour training block. To take it a step further, we are constantly asking (or being asked) “HOW MUCH can we jam into 60 minutes”. Well, as usual……it depends.

You Canâ€™t Fake Reality

Many of us have experienced those indoor cycling classes where the instructor yells “GO!” within the first 2 minutes of the start of class and continues to pour on the intensity until the hour is up. Recovery….eh….stretching….eh…..wipe down the bike time is also reduced to barely 2 minutes. The goal is to “maximize” our class and our workout — squeeze the hour for what itâ€™s worth. What an absolute waste of a class AND a bad sales practice (what?).

Instructors and riders alike often think that if you push hard through the entire class you will gain more fitness and lose more weight (the sales pitch). Because many have bought into this misconception, insane indoor cycling classes are still the rage (pun intended). Enter REALITY! The (physiological) reality is that most riders are not going to be able to hold 80-90% for an entire hour. One to 3 minutes is more like it. And then what happens? Their intensity decreases and decreases as their muscles continue to fatigue while their mental toughness dwindles. After 10 minutes of this insanity (being ridiculously generous), riders are reduced to 70% of their ability. The real fake out here is that the rider “perceives” that they are still working at 90+%. This is where having a power meter on your bike can sprinkle a does of the real world.

Top Performance Requires Adequate Recovery

Top performance is not just for the pros. It simply means to work at the best level of intensity for the given drill or effort. For example, if an interval requires that we maintain 80% of our ability for 5 minutes, maintaining only 70% will not provide the needed stress and will not yield the desired benefit. The sad part is, without recovery, our riders will never know they are getting gypped out of fitness. To them it stills feels like (is perceived as) a hard 80% effort.

Due to the time constraints (and lack of attention span of some riders), providing the same amount of recovery indoors, as we would when riding outdoors, may be unrealistic. But that doesnâ€™t mean we throw out the baby with the bath water. For example, it may be ideal to provide 5 minutes of recovery after a hard 2 minute interval. In an indoor class, recovering for that long may cause riders to mentally tune out. Remember, we are trying to adhere to the best practices of exercise science, but not everyone in our classes are elite level athletes. So what do we provide? Considering the indoor environment and our demographic, 3 minutes to recovery can work. Let me provide some guidelines that may allow you to make better decisions. Keep in mind these are just “guidelines” and there are numerous variables.

Iâ€™ll break these down by using the common cycling zones 1 to 5:

ZONE 1 — ACTIVE RECOVERY (RPE 1-2 or Easy):
This IS recovery so one should not need to recover from recovery 🙂

ZONE 2 — ENDURANCE (RPE 3-4 or Fairly Light):
Endurance efforts can generally be held for longer times (1 hour +). In many cases, providing 1-2 minutes of recovery after an 8-20 minute steady-state endurance effort may provide more “mental” recovery than physical.

ZONE 3 — AEROBIC FITNESS (RPE 5-6 or Moderate):
Although aerobic fitness efforts can be sustained for 6 — 10 minutes by some, they can be considered very challenging for beginner and intermediate level riders. Depending on your class demographic, I would provide 1 — 2+ minutes of recovery depending on the length of the effort. If the duration of the effort is less than 3 minutes, 1 minute of recovery may be suitable.

ZONE 4 — SUB-THRESHOLD (RPE 7-8 or Hard):
Even though some fit outdoor riders can sustain this level of intensity for much longer, indoors these efforts are generally from 4 to 6 minutes in length and could require 2 — 4+ minutes of recovery respectively.

ZONE 5 — CAPACITY (RPE 9-10 or Extremely Hard):
These efforts can range from 30-second explosive sprints to 2+ minute anaerobic endurance efforts. If a rider is “truly” working at capacity, 3-5+ minutes of recovery should be well received.

Like most things that involve both the human body and science, there are many variables and options. One of them is Tabata training. In general, Tabata training provides a shortening (starving) of recovery between high intensity efforts to increase aerobic fitness and stamina. This type of training is best maximized by those with a higher level of fitness and should be “seasoned” into our training and not BE our training. And DON”T use Tabata training as an excuse to provide inadequate recovery in all of your classes. I WILL find you.

So as you can tell by my emotional state while writing this article, Iâ€™ve got issues surrounding this topic. Over the last 15+ years of coaching, Iâ€™ve seen numerous riders put at risk from over-reaching and over-training, as well as, a general loss of fitness. The biggest shame is that people donâ€™t get to the fitness level they could achieve because they are working to hard to much of the time.

Give your riders Quality Training! Give your class the Real Thing!

Originally posted 2011-10-27 11:35:42.

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