by John | Feb 18, 2013 | Master Instructor Blog, Music
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas
Indoor-cycling instructors tend to plan their classes in one of two ways. Some start with music. They compile an audio profile of songs they enjoy and select the ride movement, cadence and intensity based on the song.
Others start with a fitness concept, let’s say endurance, and construct a ride profile of movements, cadence and intensity that supports the endurance workout. They then choose music to support their profile.
I also consider the length of a song and am a big fan of 10-minute songs. Song length is important with regard to conveying the fitness concept and giving students the necessary time to get the day’s message. My file of songs that last 10 minutes is huge, and I’m always on the lookout, sometimes purchasing entire collections just to get a good 10-minute song.
“Best” is subjective, of course, but here are my 10 favorite 10-minute songs and how I use them. I hope you find it useful.
Hallogallo by Neu! (10:07)
This is the optimal feel-the-rhythm-of-the-road song. It’s a dead-on beat-match of 80 rpm. After warm-up, throw the bike in a monster gear and haul ass down the road at 20 mph. Commit to the saddle, to one hand position, and to steady state just below threshold heart rate. I never get tired of this song.
Bigmouth by Underworld (10:08)
This is my favorite hill-acceleration song. Fall into a base-riding cadence of 65 rpm by riding to the beat. You can add accelerations in a variety of interval formats. I love the harmonica.
Mojave by Afro Celt Sound System (10:34)
This is the BEST descending-interval song ever. 4 minutes easy, 3 minutes moderate, 2 minutes hard, 1 minute very hard. Add the extra 34 seconds wherever you want. The first four minutes are mellow, and then the music moves into a kick-ass hill-climbing rhythm. Start seated and move to the standing position for the 2-minute interval, followed by a full acceleration, still standing, with 1 minute to go. Achieving a max heart rate was never easier.
Palladio (Symphony Mix) by Silent Nick (9:44)
The absolute best ascending resistance ladder (not a pyramid!) with fixed cadence on a hill climb. Maintain a rocking beat-match cadence of 75 rpm and add resistance every 2 minutes. Stand for the last 2 minutes, holding 75 rpm, and blow your legs to smithereens.
The Flow of Let Go by Anugama (10:31)
My favorite ambient 10 minutes dedicated to recovery. The music inspires you to follow your breath and turn the pedals in a smooth circle.
Adios Ayer (Paul Daley Remix) by Jose Padilla (9:37)
I love this song for the lightness it can help you bring to your pedaling technique at a high cadence. Ten minutes at 100 rpm in an easy gear, keeping your feet as light against the pedals as you can. Sit forward on the saddle and let your legs turn a soft, smooth rhythm. Surreal.
M’Bali Jo by Pili Pili (10:36)
This is a not-well-known jazz piece with a beat-match of 88 rpm. I love this song for intermittent jogs, maintaining the same cadence in both the standing and the seated position. The song has a wonderful natural build that encourages you to make the jogs longer and longer.
Things Can Change by Klangstrahler Projekt (10:06)
I’m happy that a KP song makes this list. With beat-match at 90 rpm, this song is good for many things. My favorite is a big-gear, ascending resistance ladder. Maintain 90 rpm in the saddle and add resistance every 2 minutes. You’ll find yourself trying to break the pedal axles by the end of the song.
Homage to Patagonia by Lemon Jelly (9:34)
Some of you may not like Lemon Jelly. They’re said to appeal to a listener demographic that I fit perfectly. I love their unusual themes and interesting rhythms. This song provides a wonderful beat-match of about 95 rpm. I use it mostly for fartlek training. Set your base cadence at 95 rpm. Mix in random, unstructured attacks with added resistance in the standing position. The song provides a rhythm that’s very catching when you drop back to the saddle.
Alone by Moby (10:47)
I saved the best for last — early Moby at his finest. This is my favorite dream piece and provides the perfect climbing rhythm. Stay supple with strong determination. Steady state. Timeless.
Here's a Spotify playlist 5 of the 10 Best 10-Minute Songs
by John | Feb 15, 2013 | Music
Have you ever shared a track or playlist from Spotify with a friend? PRO member sandyballardini shared this awesome playlist spin for glory with me and while I was listening to it play this morning, this track from the band Santigold really jumped out at me.
It's endurance season here in the frozen north and I love to string together multiple, interesting tracks in the mid 70's for long sub threshold climbs. Santigold — Disparate Youth taps out at 76 RPM with just the right amount of intensity to communicate where I needed everyone to be.
Maybe I should define what I mean by an interesting track = one that causes or requires the riders to stay mentally engaged; i.e. music that sounds just a little bit “off”, confusing or slightly hard to follow.
It's no secret that teaching endurance classes (while keeping the group focused) can be challenging. In the past I've used very long tracks, that are almost hypnotic, for the purpose of helping everyone disassociate from the effort. Jim Karanas' ZENDURANCE PRO/Playlist has a bunch of great examples and 15 minute Pili Pili — Pili Pili is my favorite.
But there are times when I want to bring students back mentally, so I'll throw in an interesting track like Santigold — Disparate Youth to snap them back to reality.
Do you have a favorite you'd like to see as the Friday Favorite? Yes? Then send it to me user johnmac11
Here's a fun cover you can download 🙂
by Chuck Cali | Feb 14, 2013 | Engage Your Students, Master Instructor Blog
On January 20 John Macgowan posted Would you teach for SoulCycle? If you have not read it, try to find the time. It generated a lively discussion of 17 comments between eight of us. The post highlights excerpts from an article in New York Magazine that ran on January 14, 2013. An interesting read as well pointing out that Soul Cycle instructors are earning $50K and more.
Coincidentally, Soul Cycle is coming to San Francisco, opening a studio inside an Equinox. On Friday February 8th they invited us local instructors to participate in a ‘Soul Cycle Master Class’ to get a sense of what Soul Cycle classes are like. Why? Because on Saturday February 9th Soul Cycle was holding auditions for instructors who would – should they make the grade – be the first to do Soul Cycle (SC) classes in Northern California. I wanted an audition.
I attended the Master Class looking forward to the experience. SC owners Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice were there for opening remarks. A very buff/cute and perky twenty something instructor originally from Santa Cruz led our 45 minute class.
I was on the bike warming up next to an acquaintance. We were chatting easily five minutes before class started and I was holding about 95bpm. (I always wear my heart rate monitor) Class starts, in less than two minutes I was above T2 and thats where it stayed for a lot longer than I thought possible. My friend and I never spoke again.
Those of you needing a quick refresher, T2 (Ventilatory Threshold 2) is roughly equivalent to Lactate Threshold which is roughly equivalent to anaerobic threshold. Even for the most fit athletes long periods above T2 are just not possible without slowing down. I was viewing my heart rate on my iPhone app. Finally I had to turn it over so I could not see the numbers. Take away lesson: if you are doing Soul cycling, leave your heart rate monitor at home.
Our instructor spent about half her time on the bike. The other half was spent bouncing around the room ‘pumping us up’. During the first thirty minutes we spent a good percentage of time out of the saddle and at high cadences. I observed a new position; come out of the saddle, rest all your upper body weight on the handle bars, and then spin at extremely high cadences. I didn’t even try. We also did movements that can only be described as pushups and jumps. These I did.
The music was played so loud that it was distorted. Of course this caused the instructor to turn up her mic volume to a place where I couldn’t understand a word she said. I just copied the women around me.
Thirty minutes in she sat us down and we did simulated upper body resistance training. Simulated because – ironically – there were no weights in this cycle studio. After that a couple more high intensity climbs and bam, we’re done. Whew!
I think it is safe to say that I was definitely bringing up the average age in the room. I was one of three men in the full studio. My friend and I being roughly the same age and one hard body guy in his early 20’s. (In San Francisco this guy will easily play successfully to both genders) Not sure why men were so outnumbered but this is a female dominated arena. And, oh my could they scream with the joy of being pushed into a sweating mass. I put the average age of the women in attendance at late 20’s.
I think we all get that there has been a decline in what used to be a pent up demand for cycling. Clearly in the markets where Soul Cycle studio's exist there is pent up demand for this product. Indeed – if one is to believe the New York Magazine article – some riders interviewed were spending in excess of $20K per year on their Soul Cycle habit.
Why is that? I struggled with this question but, if we take a hard look at the Soul Cycle model we find that their distinction is a huge commitment to finding just the right instructors. Let’s face it, at the end of the day quality instruction is still the key to successful programs. Soul Cycle management believes in their program (having perfected it), which is kind of like the American Idol of indoor cycling. They invest a lot of time and money to find a few good instructors. If one has the right stuff, the end game is worth it for SC and instructor.
How many studio owners are willing to go there? Historically, not many. And what is there?
Let’s look at Soul Cycle again. Soul Cycle supports, motivates and promotes the instructor all the way to a Soul Cycle stage, if they make the grade.
Making it through the audition process is only the first step. Then off you go to their training center to learn to do it their way. If one makes it through that, then one teaches six to eight classes per week and not necessarily prime time. Still there is more. One must attend three to five classes per week taught by the studio mentors. And, one cannot teach anywhere but SC.
Having done all this your large paycheck is still not in the bank. Soul Cycle uses a tiered incentive system essentially based on how many butts are in saddles during your class. The more butts, the bigger the pay check.
Lots of work that – from my experience in this industry – few instructors and even fewer studio owners are willing to to do.
Indoor cycling isn’t new any more. Simply rejuvenating existing programs isn’t a trivial task, will take time, money and commitment that is rarely seen in our industry. I doubt many studio owners have so clear a vision of their Unique Selling Proposition that they would pony up the dollars to operate like the very successful Soul Cycle.
If you are wondering if I got hired, I did not go back to audition. A part of me wanted to know for sure if I had the right stuff. I believe I would have passed the audition. I’m a big enough ham and love connecting with my riders so much that – to me – making the first step seemed inevitable.
Truth is, I live one hour from San Francisco. I have other contracts in my ‘portfolio career’. I could not have committed the time or to the commute.
Yet today, I find myself getting off the bike more, bouncing around declaring to my riders that I AM here to pump them up. I guess a little bit of soul cycle goes a long way.
by Jim Karanas | Feb 11, 2013 | Master Instructor Blog
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas
Video impacts Indoor Cycling more than any other form of Group Fitness. With the advent of Forward-Motion Video (FMV), the indoor cycling instructor can integrate the video into the ride profile for the day’s class. It’s an asset that the instructor can use to enhance the experience of the class participant directly. This can’t be done in any other type of class. You can use video of scenery to create a mood during a yoga class and create the impression of doing yoga outdoors, for example, but using video as an integral part of the class to direct class structure and choreography? In that, Indoor Cycling stands alone.
In a recent post (“Video is JUST Video”), we stated our belief that education and training will drive video use in indoor cycling. By providing tools and training methods that empower instructors, FMV will elevate indoor cycling to a new level.
In an earlier post (“Video and Indoor Cycling, Part 2 — Teaching With Video”), we introduced the concept of creating immersion through a cuing system we created, called SIT — Simulation, Interaction, and Telepresence. After a year of testing the teaching process, we can happily say that SIT works: Decide on your level of interaction with the video (None, Partial or Complete), then add Simulation (factual information about the video) and Telepresence cues (referring to aspects of the video) to involve the students in what they’re watching.
This results in immersion. The students’ self-awareness blends into the absorbing footage, and they feel as if they’re riding in the video.
We get many questions about how and when to prepare the video portion of a class. That’s the subject of this post. The answer is it depends on which FMV system you’re using.
Two FMV formats are currently on the market. With a “permanent” format, the video profile is permanently configured and can’t be altered. A DVD featuring FMV is permanent. The ride display is the same every time.
FMV can also be “changeable”. Destinations on Demand by Myride®+ is the only FMV on the market that allows you to rearrange your video for every class. The videos are cataloged in libraries of varying terrain (flat, mixed, climb, and descent) to enable you to select segments and create a ride that conforms to your audio profile.
Currently, most indoor-cycling instructors plan their classes in one of two ways. They may start with a fitness concept (say, endurance) and construct a ride using movements, cadence and intensity that support an endurance workout. They then choose the correct music to support their profile.
Alternately, instructors may start with music, compile an audio profile of songs they enjoy, and — based on the song — select the movement, cadence and intensity.
Both methods of class design are supported only by FMV that’s changeable. The selection of the video typically happens after the ride or audio profile has been created. It’s simple to match a video segment to movements selected for the ride or the song when the video segments conform to standard indoor cycling movements and can be lengthened or shortened to fit your exact needs.
If you use permanent FMV, the video will always come first in class preparation. Songs and ride movements will need to be choreographed to what’s happening in the video. If they aren’t, your choreography and/or song selection will be contrary to what the students see. If you cue a seated climb when the video displays a descent, the mismatched cues and video may seem absurd to the participants. Permanent FMV includes all DVDs, the Challenge and Expedition video libraries on Myride+, and all FMV on other media consoles, such as Fitness on Demand.
Changeable FMV (Destinations on Demand) can actually be the impetus behind the class design. Much the way a song can drive a ride movement or a movement can dictate the song, a spectacular video can drive the selection of either song or ride movement, or both.
Building a profile with changeable video segments differs from the use of permanent FMV. You can control the type of class you teach. You’re simply choosing to feature the visual aspect of the class before everything else.
FMV is changing indoor cycling classes around the world. Instructors must now consider how to work with all FMV and integrate it into their classes. Teaching with video is easy but, as with music, also a skill that develops over time. Eventually it will become a standard part of every instructor’s class preparation.
by John | Feb 8, 2013 | Instructor Training, Music
I love rediscovering an old favorite! Included in this playlist Give Me Good Lovin' 021413 from Schwinn Master Trainer Jeffrey Scott is a long forgotten gem from my Disco days.
It's not uncommon for me to give a special introduction to an old track like ABC's — The Look Of Love (Part 1) :
Now I realise that many of you were in diapers when this came out, and the rest of you weren't even born. But the late 70's early 80's were a very special time for me. You see whenever I hear music from my late teens and early 20's, I'm reminded of when I had great hair… and a lot of it 🙂
That almost always get's a few knowing smiles. The average age at our club must be in the mid 40's.
Here's a 7 minute remix that I used last night during the long (20 minute) grinding climb to the summit of Mt. Mitchell that finishes Epic Planet's Blue Ridge Indoor Cycling DVD. They worked together awesomely. The slow 60 RPM cadence gets everyone working with the proper resistance. We then transition to something a bit faster, moving more of the work to their cardiovascular system, for the remaining 13 minutes. A real killer but they appeared to enjoy survive it. Here's a link to my Epic Blue Ridge PRO/Playlist. You'll need this free track to complete the playlist 🙂
20 minutes of climbing bliss.
Epic Planet's Blue Ridge Indoor Cycling DVD
by John | Feb 7, 2013 | Music
Phillip Montgomery WSJ photo
Interesting articular and video interview at the Wall Street Journal about how Flywheel is using professional DJ's to craft and deliver class music.
The New DJs: Fitness Gurus
Group Fitness Classes Use Music to Compete for Clients; Zumba to ‘Ice Ice Baby'
Fitness companies are increasingly getting into the music business. The move comes with the waning impact of traditional radio on the music-buying public, and the rise of boutique exercise classes, particularly yoga, Zumba and indoor cycling.
You can download 5 Fleetwood Mac Mashups at DJ Scott Melker's Facebook page.
I'm going to guess that a quick Google search for DJ's in your area could lead you to someone who would be willing to make a guest appearance in exchange for the exposure he/she would receive. Maybe a quick call or email to your local paper/News Station explaining that your studio is doing what the WSJ recently reported on – could result in something cool happening.
