I love sharing anything created by public speaking expert Alexa Fischer. She has just published part one of a free video series. I just finished watching this 13 min video and felt you may enjoy learning how to move past the negative thoughts that could be holding you back from effortlessly connecting with your riders.
When opportunities happen, it's up to you to be ready.
Whether it's chatting your boss up in the elevator, introducing yourself to a major influencer, sharing your new idea at the company retreat or effortlessly welcoming new neighbors, when you speak with confidence and calm – in any situation – it matters.
It matters to you, but it also matters to them.
Drum roll, please… I cordially invite you to watch VIDEO ONE of the 1000 Watt Presence: Free Training Series. No need to sign up, just click on the video and you'll be directed to the classroom. This week I'm sharing a few exercises to help you identify and release the habitual negative thoughts that have been holding you back. And the truth is, we all have them.
Positive thoughts are your fuel for happiness, success and clarity. Your inner scripts are the reason you have stopped yourself from speaking up, taking risks and seizing opportunities. But habits can be changed. Starting now.
“This weeks ride is from Amy! – This is a copy of one of the rides that Amy does during the Cycling Fusion Certifications to show the new instructors a sampling of various drills that they can use to build their rider’s skills.” Joey
Master Instructor Tom Scotto's latest Audio PROfile
OBJECTIVE AND INTENSITY
The objective of Getting Started With Intervals Audio PROfile is to allow riders to first understand that there are many ways to perform intervals. An “interval” is just a duration of time. Not only can the amount of time spent during each interval vary, but the approach as well. For example, intervals can focus on strength, aerobic fitness, threshold management or pedal stroke technique. In addition to the length of each effort, the target intensity and target cadence play a role in how the body interprets the stress and benefit.
Update from John: This post was originally published in June of last year, shortly before we lost Jim. I thought Jim's wisdom could add to our current conversation about SoulCycle, so I'm re-publishing this today.
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas
Why would anyone want to do it? It’s crazy. What about the bike? Connecting with it. Feeling the road. How can anyone NOT want to feel the road? Rhythm, timing, breathing. It’s in our DNA.
It won’t last. Silly trend. Dance parties on bikes with music videos can’t last. You can’t even call it training. It’s just physical movement, not sure it’s even considered exercise. It’s totally without direction.
There are some heavy hitters out there who will slam Non-Authentic Indoor Cycling and talk about it with contempt. Read the blogs and forums. It’s important to have beliefs — something you stand for that defines you as a professional.
Am I sure? Absolutely not. Is Non-Authentic Indoor Cycling bad for Indoor Cycling? That’s a good question and the topic of this post.
I teach Authentic Indoor Cycling. I ride bikes outdoors and always seek to bring to my students what the road and trail teach me. The bike has taught me many lessons that I’ll share with anyone who wants to attend my classes and has the patience to listen to my rhetoric.
Fitness reached a pinnacle with indoor cycling. Finally, we had a way to communicate fitness concepts that were not based on hype or adrenalin. Eclectic music. Quality training. Depth. Achievement. Millions of dollars in revenue!
It wasn’t only about the money, but do you really believe that indoor cycling would be here today if it didn’t make money? Fitness is a $12.5-billion industry, and indoor cycling helped it get there. Whatever makes money will drive fitness.
Zumba is a classic example and should be a lesson to everyone. It’s simple choreography, not unlike what I used to teach as an aerobics instructor back in the ‘80s, with the addition of a little Latin dance and hip-hop. The instructors don’t even cue. Yet Zumba is a half-billion-dollar-a-year company. Which shows you what dazzling branding, marketing, and a single-minded focus on building a culture can do for a fitness program.
Do you think Zumba is a fad? Not with those revenues.
What about non-authentic indoor cycling? How about SoulCycle? It hurts; it really does. But if you believe that SoulCycle is going to fade away because it’s not authentic, then I believe you’re misguided. The SoulCycle brand is strong, their marketing is incredibly strong, AND they now have strong financial support after having been purchased by Equinox.
Something else: they’re building one hell of a culture. Friends of mine who have never taken my class come up and say with wide-eyed enthusiasm, “Do you know that SoulCycle is coming to San Francisco?” I ask, “Why would you take a class there when you haven’t yet come to mine?” No response.
I believe that non-authentic indoor cycling will become a significant trend in the Fitness Industry. ICG® is an authentic indoor cycling company. We believe in proper training principles and we all ride bikes, yet we’re not blind.
If non-authentic IC is going to make a mark, why not embrace it for what it is — a way to train on the bike that makes (some) people fit and happy? Assuming it’s validated as safe and effective (ICG has already contacted the American Council on Exercise and proposed a study), then shouldn't every indoor cycling education body offer a program on how to teach non-authentic indoor cycling? Why shouldn’t any and every indoor cycling program be taught by those who are truly qualified to teach indoor cycling? That would be the likes of us. We know indoor cycling best. We could create a program — inauthentic fluff, if you will — that’s still authentic in its safety, structure and cardiovascular benefit. Why not?
It need not (and would not) diminish our authentic style of teaching, and it just might make all of us some money.
Ladies (sorry guys this isn't for you) meet Brooke Freiborg from the Moxie Cycling Co. Brooke and her partner Deb Amorde have created a new line of women's cycling tops that I love and feel you should consider wearing for your next class – especially now that ICI/PRO Platinum members can receive a 40% off your purchase through our Instructor Discount Program .
Brooke was interested in getting some feedback from Indoor Cycling Instructors and what better place to find them than here. Two ICI/PRO members ( Colleen Mathews and Renee Shapurji) joined Brooke and I on the show to discuss the Moxie jerseys they were provided and they offered some wonderful insights to the unique needs of an Instructor who teach multiple formats.
Here's a little bit more about Moxie Cycling;
Moxie Cycling Company was born out of a need we identified in the marketplace. Since 2009, we have participated in RAGBRAI, the oldest and largest cycling touring event spanning 450 miles over seven days. In our inaugural year, we learned (the hard way) that seemingly simple cycling apparel has been built for very specific reasons. The technical design is more complex than just a yoga tank top or even a comparable tri-top. Lesson learned; we set out to make an investment in performance-oriented, yet stylish cycling tank top jerseys. We found nothing — so we did what any determined woman would do — we took it upon ourselves to develop our own jersey.
Our prototype became the inspiration for what is Moxie Cycling today. It is our mission to evolve the world of women's cycling apparel by placing a woman's unique needs at the forefront of cycling apparel design. Moxie Cycling believes women should never have to sacrifice performance, comfort or style.
You can add Cycling Studio Owner Nairi Petrosian to the list of Smart & Talented people involved in Indoor Cycling – listen to this interview and you'll know why. Nairi and her business partner Kirsty Baldwin successfully raised $30,011.00 with an Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign that closed August 29th of this year. They're using the money to build out a new, larger Revolutions Cycling Studio and purchase an additional 10 Indoor Cycles to add to their original 13.
It looks really easy; you create a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign and wait a few days for the money to roll in.
Yeah, right… it doesn't work that way. It takes a lot of hard work and it sounds as if Nairi and Kristy earned every cent of it. Listen to my interview with Nairi to learn some of the challenges they faced and why they feel they were successful.
Here's their professional video – they felt it was instrumental in the success of their campaign.
Please respect Nairi's time and don't contact her with a bunch of questions unless you're willing to hire her and compensate her for her time.
