This week’s favorite track was originally released exclusively for iTunes when they launched Apple Music back on June 30th. Pharrell Williams’Freedom was also released just in time for the July 4th holiday, so it’s definitely a great one to keep in mind for next year’s Independence Day playlist or if you’re ever making a playlist of inspirational songs .I’m not sure exactly when it became available on other music services, but it is now available on Spotify and if you haven’t yet heard it, you’re going to love it!
Like Pharrell's wildly popular Happy,Freedomis catchy and infectious, but with a powerful message. Check out the video here and you’ll see and hear just what I’m talking about:
At about 95 BPM’s it makes a great flat road or warm up.
As I hit the streets after teaching at one of my downtown clubs, I bumped into a friend of mine who appear to have been run over by a car. She had a large gym bag clawing at her shoulder with cycling shoes peeking out of the end pocket. The bag apparently weighs over 50 pounds, because she appears to be struggling just to lug it to the corner.
“Hey, how are you?” I said in apparently too chipper a tone. She turns only her head and glares at me with one eye bigger than the other. Assuming that were her response, I prodded some more in order to jump start an under-powered conversation. “Did you just get out of a cycling class? How was it?” She released the gym bag as if tossing a heavy sack of potatoes off her shoulder. “You can say that. The instructor was a maniac”.
Being a coach for 10 years, one realizes that everyone has their own perception of what is hard, what is easy or when they are tired. Often times it is different that my interpretation, so it is usually best to get things defined. Plus, I was particularly interested in her definition of a “maniac” instructor. “Wow, sounds pretty extreme, what happened?”
Her stare became intense and her tone aggravated: “Our regular instructor was away this week, so we had a sub. I think he was either new, insecure or just terrible. Our usual instructor’s class is quite popular. People really respect her workouts because she has a reputation of giving a hard class, that provides just the right amount of work and recovery. So maybe this guy felt he had some big shoes to fill and decided to show us how hard he can make us work. We barely had a warm-up and we were led into a hard climb followed by 10-minutes of jumps. Then some long sprints where he only provided 15-seconds of recovery followed by another climb and more jumps. He ran us ragged with no rhythm or reason until 2 minutes before the end of class and then told us to cool down and stretch on our own.” With the exception of those 15-second recovery periods, I don’t think he gave us any other break. I don’t know why I tried to keep up. I think I was just aggravated and just kept hammering away. Oh well, I’m late for work so I’ve gotta run. I just hope he never subs our class again.”
She heaved her bag back on her shoulder like it was a limp body and headed in the opposite direction. This is not the first time I’ve heard this unfortunate tale, but my mind started connecting a few of the stories. Many of them involved a sub which people deemed “horrible”. Now I don’t think all subs are horrible, I’m sure we’ve subbed many classes ourselves (I hope). I know I have. However, I do think there can be a greater tendency to put on our “A” game when walking into a cycling studio with new or unfamiliar stares. Let’s face it, it can be intimidating to enter a room when you’re NOT the person everyone is expecting. I’ve even had a person walk out of a class I was subbing seconds after I walked through the door. I hadn’t even make it to the stereo yet or said a word. So I understand the pressure of feeling you have to overcompensate for not being THE instructor. It doesn’t even matter whether the instructor you are covering for is good or not. It is their class. Their riders. Their style.
So what’s my advice? you can’t be THEM, so be yourself. When you sub for another instructor, teach, instruct and coach with that same style that has won your riders over year after year. Sure, bring your “A” game, why not? But teach a sound workout. Take that extra energy (albeit, nervous energy) and excitement and direct it toward getting to know some of the riders in class. Connect. Be real. Don’t be a Maniac!
PS. No one who has every subbed one of my classes has been accused of this. Just incase “you” were wondering.
No more hunting for new music or counting out cues to develop your ride profile. Here is your ready to ride profile for a fully choreographed ride, that can be displayed from your phone, or printed out onto cue cards for your class. This ride is timed out, down to the second, to make your life as easy as possible!
After 37 years of waiting we finally have another Triple Crown Winner. I love horse racing, the beauty, the grace and the power of these animals is intoxicating. Over the last 37 years there have been many horses that have won 2 of the 3 Triple Crown races, but they have no one has been able to pull off the trifecta. The fact that so few horses have been able to win this coveted award is what makes this year's Triple Crown winner, American Pharaoh, so special and I've decided to immortalize this year's event in a cycling video.
I'm lucky enough to teach at many different facilities and all but one of them have bikes with power. The beauty of power is that every interval can be turned into a race. You can compete against your FTP (Functional Threshold Power), your previous interval's average wattage or just about anything you, as the instructor, can dream up. The first two Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, take about 2 minutes for the horses to complete and the third race, the Belmont, is a bit longer and takes about 2 minutes and 30 seconds to finish. These 3 races fit perfectly into a 3 interval set. For the first interval I have my participants ride to the Kentucky Derby video which takes 2 minutes and 3 seconds to complete. At the end of this first race participants get a 30 second recovery, I also have them take note of their average wattage. For the second race, the Preakness, which will take 1 minute and 58 seconds to complete I ask my riders to beat their average Derby wattage by at least 1 watt. The Preakness is followed by another 30 second recovery. Now it's time for the Belmont and a chance to win The Triple Crown. This race is going to take 2 minutes and 26 seconds. I tell my class that if they can complete the Belmont with the same average wattage that was ridden for the Preakness they will be the Triple Crown Champion.
Now let the races begin!
Check out my Triple Crown Video with embedded soundtrack
Myth: My students would prefer that I not suggest changes to their setup / bike fit.
Alternates of this Myth are:
My students would be offended or embarrassed if I even touch their setup.
Other Instructors may be offended if I make suggestions to their student's setup.
People are creatures of habit and routine. We all derive comfort from the familiar. Like robots, we try to do exactly the same thing every time we find ourselves in these familiar situations/places.
For the regulars in your class this means they get to the club at the same time, park in the same general location, attempt to get the same locker, find the same bike and set it up in exactly the same way, every time.
Unfortunately just because some behavior is routine, doesn't mean it's correct or for that matter rational 🙁
I'm going to assume that you do want everyone looking right and feeling comfortable on their bikes. So let's get past this myth if it's holding you back.
First, I feel it's important that you recognize the initial resistance to change your offer may receive. It may not be as traumatic as missing Judge Wapner was for Rain Man, but for some of your participants change isn't a comfortable thing. So your success will come down to how to presenting (dare I say selling) your “suggestion” properly.
A while back I wrote a post about the importance of asking the right question. In it I discussed how I'm frequently asked; “Where can I get certified as an Instructor?” My quick answer was typically to have them check with all of the Indoor Cycling certification companies to see when they were hosting a certification near by and sign up. But then I realized they weren't asking the right question. Sure, getting certified is important, but it wasn't what they were really looking for. The right question was; “what do I need to do to become an Instructor and teach a regularly scheduled class at my local studio?”
It's all about the Benefits
No one woke up with an irresistible urge to order a ThighMaster – but thousands of people did because they wanted Suzanne Summers' legs. What sold these worthless pieces of exercise equipment was that people are motivated by the benefits (real or perceived) that they feel they will receive by purchasing a product or making a change. Going back to my earlier example, telling someone at a party you're Spinning® certified isn't nearly as impressive as proudly explaining that you are the Saturday morning Instructor at the local Big Box club.
Am I making sense here?
So the right questions to ask a participant who could benefit from a little adjustment could be:
Can I show you a trick (people love tricks) to be more comfortable riding today?It doesn't hurt if the benefit comes immediately either.
I just learned a how a small change in your position can improve your hamstring engagement, can we see if it would help you become more efficient, powerful or help you develop more shapely legs?
And most of us need to hear about those supposed benefits, over and over and over, before considering they apply to us. So why not start sprinkling the benefits of proper setup / bike fit into your class intro starting tomorrow?
Ed Hayes is a listener and member of our community. Ed Hayes is 75 today March 8th 2009 and to celebrate he taught a 2- hour Indoor Cycling Class!
Looking at his picture I'm guessing 75 is the new 50.
Check out his certifications:
ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist.
Reebock Cycling Group Exercise YMCA and Silver Sneaker Instructor Phase I & II and Yoga. Tai Chi is my real forte. I'm currently a level 6 master instructor certified through World Tai Chi Assn.
