Hey John & Amy, I have an audition coming up with LIFETIME for cycling instructor. OK, I'm given 3 minutes to present my best ride. Crunch time. Any suggestions or advice on this?
How exciting for you! Amy and I enjoy teaching at Life Time with their dedicated cycling studios, great sound systems, video projectors and fabulous bikes.
NOTE: What follows will apply to any Instructor audition, at any club or studio. 1) Memorize the LTF mission statement
Our Mission is to provide an Educational, Entertaining, Friendly and Inviting, Functional and Innovative experience of uncompromising quality that meets the health and fitness needs of the entire family.
This isn't about drinking the Life Time Kool-Aid. It's showing your determination to work for Life Time. I'm not kidding when I say memorize it as you may be expected to deliver it as part of your Instructor audition.
2) Understand that first and foremost your role as an instructor is to deliver a fun and entertaining experience for the members. You may teach the most real/authentic cycling class on the planet, but if it's boring because you feel constrained by focusing too much on what not to do, it will show in your class presentation and your chances of getting hired are slim.
3) Be prepared to teach a class that's appropriate to the audience. LTF wants to see that you are flexible as an Instructor and can teach appropriately to varying member groups. You may teach a very “cycling specific” class, but if your audition is to a room full of housewives during a 9:30am class see #2. That said you should be familiar with the LTF Heart Rate chart – 5 Zones with the top of Zone 3 being AT (it isn't LT at LTF) and give a few HR based cues.
Beyond that I would…
4) Choose an energetic song, without lyrics, that you love to teach to. But don't over think it 🙁
5) BE ENERGETIC! LTF doesn't hire dead fish. If it takes an extra cup of coffee then drink it. Your excitement and your energy should radiate from you like a spotlight.
6) Stack the Deck! If at all possible get some of your friends in that class. If you can't, I would be sure to get there early and connect with a few participants who are setting up in the front row. Nothing says “Friendly and Inviting” like connecting (eye contact) with members during the class and it may help reduce your nervousness to have someone to focus on. I had Amy come to my audition and having her there in the class, to draw energy from, was invaluable.
7) Teach an intense, simple profile. Think K.I.S.S. Maybe a three step ladder profile where you have them up, out of the saddle, for the last 30 seconds when you…
8 ) Get off the bike and quickly work a few riders in the front row. Clap and congratulate your students at the end and then thank them sincerely for taking your 3 minute class!
Hope that helps and feel free to ask other questions.
I'd say good luck with your interview, but you don't need it… you're going to be awesome 🙂
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This is cool! Professional cyclist Alex Howes taught a class at the Peloton Cycle studio in Manhattan. This article explains how Alex taught what was only his second Indoor Cycling class. My guess is that he doesn't have a IC cert – not that it matters.[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']
He's a World Tour rider for Team Garmin Sharp, which means he races in the big international tours in Europe. This year, he placed third in the professional national road race championships in the US, and won a stage of the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado. In 2014 he finished the Tour de France, and last year, he completed the Vuelta a España.
Wednesday, he became a temporary spin[sic] instructor at the Peloton Cycle studio in Manhattan. It was his first time teaching a class and only his second time on a spin[sic] bike. You can usually find him doing six-hour training rides in Boulder, Colorado or his European base in Spain. He liked it though.
The author's description for the image above jumped out at me; We did a lot of standing work with high cadence, which is like running on a bike.
Is it just me, or were you also surprised that a Professional Cyclist would include high cadence out of the saddle work as part of a class he lead? I really wish I had known about this class because I was in NYC at the time. So even though I wasn't there, I am willing to formulate a hypothesis about why Alex chose to include this in his class: The stability of an indoor cycle creates a unique opportunity to train in a way that he felt would help everyone in his class – including himself. No one had told him that standing (a lot) with a high cadence (which by default can only be with light resistance) is wrong/contraindicated/inefficient/dangerous/etc… IMO Alex added these drills because they felt natural to him 🙂
Here's a short video showing his form.
This post got a strong reaction over on Facebook > It defies explanation how anyone could find fault with a Professional Cyclist guest teaching a cycling class… but they do. Incredible :([/wlm_private]
You know the type; this is the rider who after EVERY class quietly, almost stealthfully, navigates their way to the instructor bike and starts every class critique by saying “That was a great class!”, then pauses for a few seconds and says “But” or “Have you ever considered” or “You should try…” or “why did you…?”.
The first few times this happens you're happy to engage, but as you realize this is going to be an EVERY class occurrence, you start to despise this person. I'm all for constructive criticism and suggestions, but it becomes exhausting having to defend or explain your training philosophy, music choices and cueing to the same person after EVERY class.
Some would say that I shouldn't be so sensitive, that I should embrace the fact that the critiquer wants to discuss my craft with me. I would most often agree, especially if the critiquer approached me after every 3rd or 4th class but when it happens EVERY class I start to feel like it's more passive-aggressive than constructive criticism. Quite frankly it becomes more like nagging than anything else.
Eventually, you realize the critiquer's critiques are only self-serving rants in an attempt to turn your class into a personal indoor cycling training session for them without any concern for the 40 or 50 other riders who may be loving what you are doing. As you wise up to the critiquer's narcissistic tactics, you should try to keep your “end-of-class evaluations” as short as possible. Sometimes they get the hint and back off, but in my experience, they realize they are losing control over you and turn into the tattle-tale. Now you need to be prepared for that dreaded conversation with your supervisor. 99.9% or your class participants probably think you're awesome, but this self-serving, narcissistic, tattle-tailing critiquer is about to make your life miserable.
I would suggest being honest with your supervisor. Most likely management has had to deal with this person in the past and will back you up in this uncomfortable situation. In the unfortunate situation that management is not supportive, you have a hard decision to make. If you are regularly filling your classes and receiving positive feedback from your class participants, I would not change anything about your class. Indoor Cycling is a group activity, and you need to do what is best for the group NOT THE INDIVIDUAL. If management feels the need to kowtow to the wants and needs of every self-serving facility user it may be time to look for another place to teach.
I apologize for the negative tone of this post. It's not always hugs and kisses when you're on the instructor bike. Once in a while, you need to deal with challenging situations and “crazy” people. It takes years of experience to be confident enough in your product to stand up to unwarranted critiques of riders and possibly management. After nearly 25 years on the instructor bike the criticism still stings, EVERYTIME! But now, I listen and “take in” the feedback. If any negative comments are warranted, I'll make the appropriate changes and move on as a better instructor. But when I identify someone as a self-serving, narcissistic, tattle-tailing, critiquer. And when this life sucking vampire approaches me with their 5th “suggestion” of the week, I just smile and say “thank you” as I make my way out the door to my next appointment.
Then, when I get to my car I cue up, crank up and scream along to Eminem's The Way I Am and get on with life.
By Team ICG® Master Trainers Joan Kent and Jim Karanas
The training adaptations that derive from indoor cycling are well documented and ubiquitous. Still, when we speak with new instructors, they seem to appreciate hearing the information. Also, everyone describes the benefits slightly differently, and a change can help students understand.
So even though this is review for most of you, we thought a list of aerobic training adaptations, as we describe them at ICG®, would be worth covering. Some are cardiopulmonary, some vascular, some muscle-specific, or other.
Increased Tidal Volume Improved aerobic conditioning moves more oxygen to the working muscles. The first adaptation is breathing capacity, called tidal volume. The volume of air the lungs can move with each breath increases with aerobic training due to improved diaphragm strength and breathing technique. Higher tidal volume has also been associated with longevity.
Increased Blood Volume Blood is actually an organ that responds to training by increasing in volume. With increased cardiovascular training, the body produces more red blood cells and blood to increase its oxygen-carrying capacity and oxygenate body tissues. Increased blood volume also increases the capacity to remove metabolic waste, improve recovery and sustain a greater muscle mass.
Increased Stroke Volume Stroke volume, the amount of blood ejected by the heart per beat, increases. This adaptation tends to occur at “slower” heart rates, or at least at rates less than 160 bpm. Increased stroke volume indicates improved heart function. When people talk about “strengthening” the heart, this comes the closest to being the underlying mechanism. In pumping more blood per beat, the heart moves a greater workload. The strength-training equivalent would be using a heavier weight and slow repetitions, versus pumping a lighter weight quickly.
Enhanced Capillary Network* Capillaries are blood vessels with walls only one cell thick. They surround the muscle cells and deliver oxygen and nutrients. The capillary network becomes denser with aerobic conditioning. This results in a greater available surface area for the transfer of oxygen to the mitochondria within the muscle cell.
Increased Mitochondrial Size and Density* Aerobic training results in an increase in both the size and density of mitochondria. Mitochondria are subcellular structures that convert fuel to energy aerobically. They are the receptor sites in muscle cells for the molecular oxygen needed to power the Krebs, or citric acid, cycle and produce ATP. Mitochondria are the only sites in the body that burn fat — with the exception of the heart, which can and will use whatever it gets, including lactate.
Increase in Type 1 Muscle Fibers* Aerobic conditioning also increases the sensitivity of working muscle to the effects of insulin, in part by promoting the development of Type 1 muscle fibers. Type 1 fibers are high-endurance fibers that respond well to insulin. (Type 2b are better for explosive power but less sensitive to insulin.) Everyone knows that cardio training can reduce the incidence of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, cholesterol problems, and more. Improved insulin sensitivity is a significant mechanism in that, because insulin resistance underlies these conditions. (More about insulin resistance in a future post.)
Increase in Fat-Burning Enzymes This applies specifically to hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), which moves fat from storage to bloodstream for utilization. HSL is activated when the body needs to mobilize energy stores, and responds positively to catecholamines and ACTH. It’s inhibited by insulin and activated by the removal of insulin's inhibitory effects.
Items with an * are peripheral adaptations, specific to the working muscle. Thus, upper-body cardio training, such as arm cranking, will increase mitochondria, capillarization and development of type-1 fibers in the upper body in the same way that lower-body training affects the lower-body muscles involved.
Adaptations without an * are central adaptations that impact the entire body. Central adaptations permit a “transfer” effect, i.e., aerobic training with the upper body can improve aerobic performance using alternate muscles (in this case, the lower body). This was covered in Jim’s post on “The Best Cross-Training for the Indoor Cyclist.”
It’s important to address the impact of aerobic training adaptations on weight loss, because it’s a primary goal of many who attend our classes. A distinction should be made between aerobic training and cardiovascular training generally.
In cardiovascular exercise, the heart, lungs and vessels of the body work at an accelerated rate to sustain exercise. It includes aerobic training. Aerobic training adaptations improve the body’s ability to move oxygen to burn fuel for energy. Aerobic exercise has limited impact on weight loss because its built-in intensity ceiling becomes a limiting factor in several ways, the low calorie expenditure being only one. That’s why anaerobic training is also necessary.
A major benefit of aerobic conditioning with respect to weight loss is that it supports the body’s recovery from intense training. Trainers advocating only anaerobic work for weight loss often miss this point. Furthermore, as covered in many previous ICG® posts, training is about much more than weight loss.
Regardless, when it comes to the sheer pleasure of riding your bike, indoors or out, a well-developed aerobic system makes you feel fantastic.
You know the type; this is the rider who after EVERY class quietly, almost stealthfully, navigates their way to the instructor bike and starts every class critique by saying “That was a great class!”, then pauses for a few seconds and says “But” or “Have you ever considered” or “You should try…” or “why did you…?”.