With 40°f and rain scheduled for this past Sunday, I agreed to sub the 9:00am Cycle Sculpt class at the Life Time Fitness where I have scheduled classes. This was my third chance to teach this LTF branded format that combines Indoor Cycling and Resistance training. You can read about my earlier experiences here and here – both links include my class profile and Spotify playlist.
I was chatting with my friend Richard in the locker room before class. He has taken my cycling classes for years and he's front & center for this class religiously. He also knows something about training physically and mentally – Richard's a triathlete and Tae Kwon Do Grand Master with 9th Degree Black Belt. I told him how I rarely feel anxious before any class, but these cycle sculpt classes always make nervous.
Do you have any suggestions? I asked.
Just relax and do what YOU normally do…
Just relax?That's it? That's your suggestion?
Richard went on to explain; I haven't seen the John I know up on that bike, the other times you've lead this class. You need to lighten up man and just be you. Show us that you're having fun, work us hard and we'll all be happy!
Truer words were never spoken
As soon as Richard finished speaking I knew exactly what was wrong. Two things actually:[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
I was trying too hard to make everything fit together. I had decided that the music, movements and transitions all had to flow together perfectly = the anxiety I felt before and during the class. I can remember panicking early in the last class I subbed when I heard the currently playing song crossfading to the next > Crap – they're not done with their exercise yet! This messed up my perfectly choreographed class and shortened the time available (and needed) for next activity… everything snowballed downward from there.
I wanted (needed?) everyone to like me and my class. I've been at this game for a long time and normally feel very confident subbing any class. Why, all of a sudden, am I now feeling insecure and looking for approval? Because these people don't normally come to my class. That's why. I realized that I was trying to be someone different in order to appeal to a group of people whom I assumed don't come to my other classes because they don't like me.
Separating their like/dislike of ME from a like/dislike of MY CLASS
After 9 years at LTF, I'm well known as the Instructor who teaches a very cycling specific class. Believe it or not, there are a lot of members who don't like that format. That's why they don't come. It isn't that they don't like ME, just my heavy emphasis on outdoor cycling. So after 30 seconds of self-talk while I walked to the studio, I had a new perspective – the proper perspective to lead the class confidently and it appeared that most participants enjoyed it 🙂
End note:After the class I was told by a member how she appreciated that I included the weight segments. She explained that a previous sub had refused to offer anything but cycling > which confirmed my new perspective (it's not ME they dislike) and I felt awesome knowing that I delivered a class very close to what these participants came for!
Evolution Cycle/Sculpt Profile #3
To keep this class more familiar to me, I switched my plan and followed our typical Evolution Cycling format through the first four tracks.
Equipment: Everyone needs hand weights = 12/15 Reps to failure and a floor mat.
This light between us 5:09 Warm up where we transition to a standing run after just a few minutes. Every minute after we sit, increase a few gears and then up again. NOTE: Cycle Sculpt includes a lot of standing work & jumps. Frequent variation is important = if you feel you've been doing something for too long, you probably have and need to change.
Revolution 5:09 Openers– I like to have everyone find a comfortable cadence and add load until they feel the need to stand. Each of 4 openers is a standing acceleration that's maintained for a progressively longer effort. Start with 15 seconds and add ten seconds each time. The goal is to get to threshold by the end of the last 45 sec effort.
Daybreak 5:04 Best Effort– This track has a long intro that lights off at exactly 1:00. I used that as a recovery after the openers. Sunday we recorded our Best Effort distance over three minutes. This is all out, absolute maximum sustainable power, from start to finish.
Remind everyone to remember both their miles traveled and Avg. Watts (if you have them) or average HR at the end. We'll be referencing these metrics later.
Runaway Baby 2:28 Reset – Resets are a short transition song, part recovery part just plain fun! Here I offer an option to either recover completely, or find a productive effort around VT1 – edge between Zone 2 & 3 in a five zone system.
Tribal Force 8:01 Floor set #1 – With only 12 participants, we had plenty of room in the front for everyone to have a mat. While standing we did: 10 x DB curls, 10 x DB OH press, 10 Pushups and 10 situps/crunch > repeat. These are all at self directed tempo and with 8 minutes there's plenty of time.
The few who choose to stay in saddle were instructed to find a comfortable climb and alternate seated and standing at their discretion.
Spectrum 5:01 Jumps on a climb – @62 RPM, this track has a very strong beat begins around the one minute mark. Use the intro to get everyone back on and settled, then build the hill – again to that point where they feel the need to stand. Follow the phrasing of the music first at 8 count, then 4 count jumps. It's super important that you can properly demonstrate these jumps exactly with the music. I'll start by calling out the count; up, two,three,four, down, two three four (or out to eight). Then get quiet and just watch them, watching you. If you see some struggling, go back to the basics of seated pedaling to the music. Rinse & repeat.
Until we go down 4:12 Floor set #2 Compound movements: 20 Squats/OH press and then alternating leg lunges with curls – 8 each leg.
Animals 5:04 Pick your head up – You're off the back! – this seated climb replicates the panic you feel when riding in a group, with your head down… only to raise it up and see you've slipped off the back. Have your riders find the 64 RPM pedal speed and then add the hill that has them thinking they should stand. There are a number of changes in the music (a great one at 1:50) that become your trigger to pick your head up, realise what's happened and then stand, accelerate and sustain the effort to fight to get back on. You'll find natural breaks that will have these efforts ~ 30 seconds. Perfect for a few brief trips to threshold.
Police and Thieves 6:10 Floor set #3 Floor work 2 sets of 20 pushups (using weights as support) and 20 crunch/sit-up.
Riders are following the 77 RPM cadence with a strong endurance (just below threshold) Time Trial pace.
Show Me 3:28 Reset Easy pace, taking time to drink, towel off and prepare mentally for the last hard effort of the class.
Ready to go 5:01 Big finish Time to replicate that earlier Best Effort – or better it if possible. This track as a nice, 30 sec building into where you'll be encouraging everyone to get back to their previously remembered watts or HR. Hit the stage button and see how far you can get over the next three minutes… or sustain that VT2 threshold HR over the timed section. [/wlm_private]
It's the end of the world 4:07 Warm down – my preference is to give athletes a chance to warm down = a gradual recovery vs. just soft pedalling. The cadence of ITEOTWAWKI is a tick over 100 RPM. Get there and then add enough resistance to keep yourself aerobic (around VT1) for the first three minutes and then slowly dial it back until everyone is conversational > that's your cue as the Instructor that everyone has recovered 🙂
This Podcast is was originally published on December 30, 2008, I have updated it with our new Podcast host information and I am representing it now. I hope you enjoy it, Joey
Interview with Keith Burnage, AKA Keifer as he is known on the Indoor Cycling Forums. Keith is as close to an expert with Mix Meister music software as I have been able to find. Cadence Revolution is a weekly Music Podcast that Keith discribes as:
A weekly sixty minute Podsafe mix of fitness music to exercise, workout, run, bike, Spin to that will move you physically and stimulate you mentally, and is 99 percent talk free! Each show starts with a warm up section, then moves into an aerobic workout, and ends with a cool down session. Give it a try for your next indoor ride, run, or elliptical trainer experience.
Listen to the Podcast below or subscribe using iTunes or Zune.
Below, Premium Members can view and download a printable Class Profile that can be used in class, read a detailed description of the Power Based Training Zones and download a printable Power Postcard.
Do you have noise problems / complaints from neighboring businesses? Have you changed class times or cancelled classes to keep the peace with another class in your club? This maybe a solution…
Message from Facebook this morning:
Hi there!
My name is Naomi and I have a summer internship at N2Shape My boss has recently given me a project to implement headset use in all spinning classes as there have been noise complaints in the studio we use. She wants to have it so in addition to the instructor having a headset, all people in the class have wireless earphones or headphones as well so that they can hear the music and the instructor. I have been looking online at a couple different websites such as Iqua Products, AV Now, Amazon, etc, to get ideas but it seems that most places only sell transmitters for the instructor headset. My boss told me you guys have a lot of information regarding spinning and I thought I'd contact you for help! Thank you so much in advance!
My response was easy:
Hi Naomi – thanks for your question. We actually did this back in the late 90's when we first added Spinning classes. What you need is a FM transmitter like this http://www.avnow.com/WES_FM_Broadcast_System_p/wes-t-fm.htm and then have everyone tuned in with a FM radio receiver (old walkmans were FM) – your folks will need to dig into the back of their junk drawers.
Is that enough to get you going?
John
Back in the day (mid 1990's) when our club first introduced Spinning® classes, they employed this exact system. They had installed 24 Schwinn Johnny G Spinners (the original version) in a secluded corner of the fitness floor. A loud sound system with speakers was out of the question, so the Instructor's mic and music played through a FM transmitter. Everyone wore headphones connected to a Walkman tuned to the correct FM radio station.
This transmits both your music and voice to FM radios near by, tuned to the correct station.
Surprisingly it worked well. As long as you hadn't forgotten to turn off your Walkman the day before and were now scurrying around the club, looking for a pair of AAA batteries.
Talking between members was never a problem and there were no volume complaints with everyone having control of their own levels. The effect of having the Instructor's voice delivered directly into our heads was quite intimate as I remember. I'll never forget the classes lead by a particularly instructor (she's still an active Instructor and ICI/PRO member) who was very “breathy” in her class presentation 🙂
Working under the “everything new was once old” school of thought, could this be something you could offer in your studio? I'll bet if you asked, you'd find many of your members have an old Walkman shoved in the back of their junk drawer at home. Or you could buy a bunch to have for rental.
I'm still getting asked (and see questions on Facebook) about integrating music MP3's from multiple sources (Soundcloud's the most popular) into a Spotify or Deezer playlist.
We'll use Spotify for this tutorial as Deezer is nearly identical and Spotify is more popular right now. I'm using a PC, but the solution is the same on a MAC if you're having this problem that goes something like this:
Hi John,
I downloaded a Free Music Friday track from Soundcloud (or one of Dennis Mellon's fabulous 3 song mixes) and want to include it in a Spotify playlist. I'm pretty sure I downloaded the track and it opened and played in iTunes – but I can't find it anywhere in Spotify.
Can you help me?
Frustrated Instructor 🙁
Hidden settings in iTunes and Spotify and your Internet Browser
We'll actually they're not hidden, just hard to find without knowing where to look. There are two places that will decide what local files (music that you have in iTunes) will be displayed in Spotify's Local File Library.
iTunes settings
When you download a MP3 from any website, it will typically end up in your Download Folder. I say typically because the default location on every browser (Chrome, FireFox, Safari – please don't use IE) is your computer's Download Folder. If your downloaded MP3s don't end up in your Download Folder you can change the location in the browser's settings. Leave a comment below if you need help.
To get your new remix into iTunes you just need to click the file and it should open in iTunes. If it doesn't open iTunes and go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced and tic the box shown below and then close the Edit window. Click another MP3 in your Download Folder and you'll get a message, something like; iTunes is not the default music player… would you like it to be? You do. Select yes and that part's done.
Now just because a MP3 opens and plays in iTunes, doesn't mean it's actually in iTunes.
Go back to the Advanced settings in iTunes. Tic the two boxes shown below so when you open a track iTunes will make a copy and add it to your My iTunes Music Folder. That will solve 99% of the problems I hear 🙂
Spotify settings
The defaults settings in Spotify should be set correctly. So once you've downloaded a track, clicked it and it opened in iTunes, it will show as a local file in Spotify. Here's where you check if it doesn't.
Yes I know Spotify is supposed to also include files from your Download Folder – I'm not sure it works for everyone. So Tic everything you see here.
Did this solve a big problem for you?Here's how you can reciprocate value with me and have access to dozens of similar tricks combined with over 1300 articles and 60+ class profiles.
Happy Christmas! Due to the holiday I'm a bit late with the post this week, but I hope you find something here you can file away and use next Christmas season.
First of all, I couldn't be more excited about the fact the The Beatles are now streaming on nine different services including Spotify and Apple Music! John wrote about it and shared one of his favorites yesterday. This YouTube video may just give you a few more ideas for songs to use in your classes or just for your own personal listening:
With it being Christmas, I'd love to share a few of my favorite “cycle-worthy” songs of the season. This is not a cycling playlist, but rather a collection of songs that I've used in the past. It includes hills, flat roads, warm ups and cool downs.
In addition, this is a great collaborative playlist which includes over 20 hours of Christmas music added by some amazing instructors and created by Evan Reese. Show him some love by clicking on his name on the playlist page and following him there because he has some great music for cycling. And if you have any Christmas tunes to share that aren't already included on the list, be sure to follow and add it to the playlist!
