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.
JANUARY 10, 2017 I received the following text message from a customer… Your new employee Boomer Rose. He has a history of drug use. On supervised probation. Everyone deserves a second chance. We all make mistakes but just want you to be aware.
MEET BOOMER
Boomer works at TheBarn.
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I used to be 300 pounds. I used to be an alcoholic. I used to be addicted to heroin. I used to be homeless. I have spent time in jails and rehabs. I have spent half my life unable to look in the mirror hating the person I was. Those days have passed, however, they remain fresh in my mind. Now I am a grateful recovering addict. A proud member of a 12-Step Fellowship. A proud member of TheBarn.
I’ve spent a good portion of my morning reading articles debating what Indoor Cycling should and shouldn’t be. In one of the articles, Karen Casler of CB CycleBarn® discusses her childhood, constantly searching for a place to fit in and trying to find acceptance. As an adult, she yearned for a place where others like her could find a safe environment and where they could be themselves. A place that no matter what or who they were … they BELONGED. It is under that principle, that CB CycleBarn® … aka … TheBarn was born. I too have spent most of my life trying to find somewhere that I felt accepted. The moment that I walked into TheBarn I found that place. A place that is more than just an Indoor Cycling and Fitness studio. A place that I take pride in being a member of. I walk in everyday proud to be apart of the primary purpose: Bettering ourselves “one pedal stroke at a time”.
NOW … LET’S BACKTRACK
I had never met Karen Casler before February of 2016.
I had known that we have a sister for most of my life and that she had been given up for adoption at birth. I almost came to tears on the Jail phone in a pod full of 50 strangers when I heard the news that our sister had used DNA to piece together her past and to find us. 3 Days later, on February 5th, I was released from Jail. It was my first stint in Jail and it was Her birthday. When the offer was made for me to move from Virginia to California in November of 2017 I didn’t even have to think it over. I instantly agreed.
Looking back, the decision was somewhat crazy considering Karen and I had just recently met each other and collectively spent less than 24 hours around each other our ENTIRE LIVES. The opportunity to get to know my sister and her family was one that I simply could not pass up. I packed my whole life in a suitcase (36 pounds in total) and left my 4-year-old son and everything I have ever known behind. I awoke on January 8th and looked out on the Pacific Ocean for the first time in the daylight I felt as though I was dreaming. “I don’t deserve to be here” I thought to myself.
That morning Karen and I loaded into the car and headed off for my first trip to TheBarn. In the car on the way there we talked and she mentioned “I bet you would be a great cycling instructor.” I agreed with her. Coming from a theater and athletic background, it might be a possibility but I didn’t take it seriously. At TheBarn, I took my first cycling class. I clipped in and within the first 5 minutes I realized this was It. This was the CHEESE I had been looking for. A dark room, filled with loud music, full of people silently moving together. Working together. For the same common purpose. To better ourselves. That first class I was able to check out of my life and all my wrong doings for 45 minutes and everything that was weighing on me disappeared. It was just me and the bike. Nothing else mattered.
FAST FORWARD … 7 WEEKS
Today is February 26th.
I have been in California almost 2 months.
Four weeks ago, I celebrated my 1st year in recovery. Today, I am 399 days clean. I work at TheBarn. It is a place that is more than a job to me. I spend my time working, going to meetings, being active in my new church and getting to know Karen and my new family. The experience has been the greatest blessing I have ever received. Being apart of TheBarn Family brings me a feeling of pride I have never felt. After much thinking the past few weeks I have decided to embark on the journey of becoming a cycling instructor. The thought I brushed aside has now become a reality. I’m driven to help others who are like me, to find a healthy outlet for their addictive personalities in their recovery. My goal: to offer fun, safe and donation based rides to those suffering from the same disease as me. To give others a healthy way to release the same emotions and endorphins that we found with drugs and alcohol. The ability to safely work on our Mind, Bodies and Spirits. I have found in recovery it is important to focus on all three. The first thing you should do when you get clean, is change everything. I am excited for this adventure, humbled at the opportunity and grateful to be apart of TheBarn family. So here I am, outing myself to the masses as an addict. Hoping that those that are struggling know that they have someone safe to reach out too, and somewhere safe to work on themselves. It’s about progress not perfection.
I sit here watching the waves of the Pacific Ocean crash against the shores of Calafia and reminisce on the events in my life that have brought me here, to THIS place, paradise. My story isn’t over yet. This is just the beginning.
So what's the potential ROI on the Zoning program?
If you teach “Club Athletes”, what many of us see as the majority of the student in our classes, and want to educate your students / clients on Heart Rate training program, I highly recommend you look into Zoning Fitness. In the video below, Chuck Cali and Sally Edwards present the Zoning Can – a complete 6 week heart rate training program that actually comes in a can.
I'm aware of two ICI/PRO Member Instructors who are part of the initial Beta review of this new 6 week program. They will be taking their class through the complete 6 week Introduction to Heart Rate Training.
“What's the purpose behind a 6 week program?” and “Why not just introduce these concepts during a normal class?” were common questions I heard at the conference. The purpose of a separate program (actually 6 classes) is so you can focus on a small group of students who are truly interested in learning how to use Zone based Heart Rate training, over a six week period of time – so they really learn and understand the core concepts.
If you operate a studio or club and are looking to add Heart Rate training to a multi-week Boot Camp or Weight Loss program, I suggest looking into Zoning Fitness.
Created by: Cameron Chinatti / Stagesâ„¢ Indoor Cycling
Training Type: All levels — beginner friendly
Cycling Specificity: Introduction to metrics
Total Class Length: 45 minutes
Note from John: Cameron’s PROfile is specific to the FreeMotion S11 series of indoor cycles. With a little creativity on your part this profile could be used with any brand of Indoor Cycle that displays power.
