Amy and I went to a Halloween party last weekend dressed as PeeWee Herman and Miss Yvonne. Yes my costume included a “shoe mirror” 😉 During the party someone asked me “what's the secret word for today PeeWee?” and I thought why not add a similar feature to ICI.com.
Note: yes I am aware that Groucho Marx first popularized “what's the secret word” on his TV show.
Eustress – It's not a secret word and you may have never heard it before. I first heard Author Tim Ferriss use it in the 4 hour work week. Eustress is simply defined as Good Stress. More here. Tim describes eustress as stress that has a defined end where you can recover. Any form of physical effort is eustress except for when an athlete is over trained – and you know the result of over training, don't you?
If you are familiar with the “wear sunscreen” song, which is a musical version of a commencement address, you may remember the line: “do something everyday that scares you”. Placing yourself is scary situations, then experiencing relief, is a form of eustress. Some examples would be: public speaking (teaching your first class), skydiving, asking someone out on a date, asking for a raise or competing in a race.
When I use eustress in class, I explain that the eu prefix is the same as in the word euphoria.
As promised, ICI/PRO members will enjoy hearing part 2 of my interview with Lawrence Biscontini where he describes the importance of a scripted transition, as part of “Scripted Starts and Flawless Finales”.
I didn't address this during the interview (but it is obvious when you hear him speak) – Lawrence must be a Mensa Candidate. His website lists that he teaches and presents in; English, Spanish, Italian, and Greek – which amazes me as I struggle with just plain English.
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
Welcome Spinning News Readers!
Would a mentor have helped you when you first started teaching Indoor Cycling? Or are you interested in developing a mentoring program for your club? Jennifer Sage and I discuss the benefits of mentoring with Bob Rebach, or SpinBob as he is known on the forums. Bob has written two articles for the Spinning Newsletter about mentoring; Overcoming Uncertainty: Finding a Mentor and an upcoming article Starting a Mentoring Program in your club. Link to article.
I woke up this morning to two emails, prompting this post.
The first was a notification of a question asked on Pedal-On.com
Does anyone know of regular continuing education events that make their way to Montana? Pickings are pretty slim here.
I responded to the post asking if they had any experience as a Group Fitness Instructor. If so, an online certification would be a potential solution. If you've ever driven through Montana you realize they are about as remote as you can get in the lower 48 states.
Second was a followup to an exchange I'd been having with an experienced PT & Group Fitness instructor located in Pleasant Prairie WI – which is between Milwaukee and Chicago.
Hi John,
I was hoping to have a Stages training at our facility but we only have 4 people. We have the Free Motion cycles. I contacted Anne again, last week, to see if she had any people from the Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison area, but have not heard back from her yet. It looks like I may do one of the online certifications. Which one do you recommend?
This Instructor missed the initial training Stages Indoor Cycling provided a year earlier. She contacted me last month looking for options so she could get her certification and start teaching. I suggested she try and find a group of interested future Instructors and then host a live certification at the RecPlex Fitness Center where she's currently training clients. Each education company has a threshold number of participants = enough to cover the costs for bringing in a Master Trainer to conduct the training. That number varies, so contact each to find out the details.
She's obviously a good candidate for an online certification, if she isn't successful finding additional people.
I am a personal trainer, yoga instructor, and teach strength based fitness classes – TRX, Free Motion, etc
There are a few online certifications out there – no the one promising; Risk-Free. Pay Only If You Pass! isn't real and doesn't count. I'd start by checking out this Online Indoor Cycling Instructor Certification program offered by Cycling Fusion.
When I take off my instructor hat and walk into a class as a participant, I have two expectations beyond the obvious (getting a good workout):
1. The class will start on time.
2. The class will end on time.
I understand there are exceptions to every rule and occasionally instructors get started a little late or run a bit long, but in general, I think it is important that we make a concerted effort to stick to the official schedule.
Why? For me, it comes down to being respectful of people's time and making sure members' expectations match up with reality. If the schedule says class will run from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., folks probably anticipate a 45-minute class that starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 6:15 p.m., and they should! There may be participants like the one in Krista's recent post who take extreme measures to be at class early. There may also be people who feel bad about leaving “early” in the event that class ends late. Straying from what is expected increases the likelihood that participants will leave feeling disappointed, frustrated or annoyed.
Whether you are a hyper-prepared instructor or a professional improviser, there are several things you can do to ensure you start on time and end on time. Below are my thoughts regarding time management in the cycle studio.
Arrive 15 minutes early. I don't just mean walking into the building 15 minutes before class starts; I mean walking into the studio dressed and ready to teach 15 minutes before class starts. This will give you time to get your music ready, test the microphone, adjust your bike settings, greet members, answer questions, and assist new participants with bike setup.
Read announcements before class starts. I typically turn on my microphone to make announcements 1 to 2 minutes before class begins. That way, when 5:15 a.m. or 5:30 p.m. hits, I am ready to push play and teach immediately. Every minute counts.
Have a plan. I don't like to feel unprepared and I also don't like looking at the clock, so my profiles are planned out down to the minute to avoid both of those situations. Preparing a thorough class plan allows me to focus on my participants instead of the time.
Be consistent with cool down. If you teach every Thursday from 5:30-6:30 p.m., pick a time when you will start cool down and stick with it. That way, even if you improvise in your classes, you know that when 6:25 p.m. (or whatever time you choose) rolls around, you better start slowing things down.
Stay focused. Talking too much can throw a wrench in class plans; I know, because it has happened to me. I can recall multiple occasions when I had to shorten hills or alter drills because I was long-winded with a story or something that was on my mind. Being conversational has its positives, but it is also important not to get too carried away.
Amy and I went to a Halloween party last weekend dressed as PeeWee Herman and Miss Yvonne. Yes my costume included a “shoe mirror” 😉 During the party someone asked me “what's the secret word for today PeeWee?” and I thought why not add a similar feature to ICI.com.
When I take off my instructor hat and walk into a class as a participant, I have two expectations beyond the obvious (getting a good workout):