I was in Rochester MN yesterday and took an awesome class at the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center. It's a beautiful club, with a stadium style studio, full of FreeMotion S11.9 Indoor Cycles. If you're ever find yourself in Rochester It would be worth your time to pop in and take a class at the DAHLC – that's what they call it.
I've made it a habit to take other Instructor's classes as often as possible. My objective is to learn from as many different people as possible – it doesn't matter who they are or their experience level. I find I can always pick up something of value, not to mention it's just fun take someone else's class!
The Instructor's name was Julie and she had a great playlist that included two tracks that worked very well together as a 70 rpm steep climb that transitioned into a 94ish flat. I'm never in class without my iPhone these days and Shazam identified and saved them so I could add them to my Spotify library and also share them with you.
They have a SoundEar Sound Meter hanging on the back wall of the studio to help the Instructor understand how loud her music is playing. I see this as a valuable tool (although very pricey @ $700.00) that solves the “YOUR MUSIC IS TOO LOUD” problem. With the studios speakers mounted to either side of the Instructor and pointed at the class, Julie isn't hearing her music at the same level as her class. It was interesting to watch her make adjustments to her iPod when she saw the SoundEar's red light flashing – which indicates a volume above the preset level of 85 dBs. In case you are wondering 85 decibels is pretty loud, at least it sounded loud enough for me 🙂
Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_metre
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas –
The Watt. Ten Newton Meters. Ten times the force necessary to raise 1 kg 1 meter vertical in 1 second.
Clean. Absolute. The cyclist’s preferred training statistic. Whether it’s power-to-heart rate ratio, sustainable watts per unit time, or maximum watt output, there’s no better measurement of improved cardiovascular fitness than a watt.
The watt has inspired recent interest in the indoor cycling community and generated millions of investment dollars by product manufacturers to bring it to the average fitness consumer. How good an idea is it?
A driving occupation of the fitness industry is to produce Results for our customers. Customers use our services and products to achieve results that justify the time and money spent working out: weight loss or weight gain, improved fitness, and improved health. They’re all measurable.
Other, unquantifiable, results are often attributed to fitness training — an improved sense of wellbeing, better life balance, greater happiness.
Results are more marketable when they can be measured. “Lose 10 ten pounds in 7 days!” Sustainable or not, the consumer is drawn to the promise of a measurable result.
What about the watt? It’s measurable, but does it tell most consumers what they want to hear? “Improve sustainable watts for your next FTP test in just 3 months!” That might attract some cyclists, but will it attract the general fitness consumer? The poor watt just isn’t as widely accepted as calories.
Some studios put up leader boards that display everyone’s power during class. They provide testimony that comparing participants’ watts to those of other riders in the room makes them try harder. But the comparison doesn’t make sense. It’s your power-to-weight ratio that determines if you get dropped on the next climb, not average watts. Why don’t they factor in body weight? The answer is obvious: It’s more difficult to manage, and people won’t likely weigh themselves before class. So the watt display means nothing. Why not let the watt do its job correctly?
The correct use of watts, particularly in conjunction with heart rate, will increase cardiovascular fitness exponentially in a short time. There’s no doubt. If you want to show a customer quick results, watts help — particularly if the customer has never done structured training before. But that person goes through the rapid-improvement phase only once. After their exponential stage (which could go on for months to years), the average fitness consumer will see a plateau, then a decline in performance measurements using watts. The watt loses favor.
Watts are brutally honest, and most people don’t like looking at them after a while. Ask anyone who has trained with power for 10 years and is no longer “getting stronger” how he/she feels about doing a 20-minute FTP test.
So why is the industry buzzing about whose bike measures watts, how accurately they’re measured, how consistently they’re measured from bike to bike, and whose education provides the best training for instructors to deliver to the members?
Can watts help us with our indoor cycling classes? Maybe. Teaching people to put out more effort is a good use of watts. “As we begin to climb, I want you to drop your cadence below 80 rpm. Remember, climbing requires more effort and a greater power output. Make sure your watts increase as you drop your rpm.”
The above cue uses watts to develop the experience, a good use of the measurement. But when someone feels that improvement of the metric is the motivation to train, there’s potential for dissatisfaction over time. People love watts when they’re going up; not so much when they’re going down. The poor watt can’t catch a break.
Soon all indoor cycles will measure watts. Still, I’m not convinced that watts alone will help indoor cycling.
Maybe you think this is hypocritical. Whether or not it makes sense, watts are here because the market demands it. Who created the demand? We did. By saying we can prove that your training is working. You’re making measurable progress. You want results; we can show them to you.
Up to now, the poor watt has been seen only as a measurement of performance and progress, which is great for the short term. Its use in indoor cycling will eventually lose impact. Cyclists will like the idea until it gets old. Manufacturers will continue to provide options, but how many club owners will accept the added cost over time?
Using watts to create a better experience will work long-term and open the door of understanding to what indoor cycling really brings.
Consider this: Instead of asking how many watts, ask how effortless they are. The first draws attention to measurement and performance. The second inspires deeper contemplation of the experience. The former takes a short-term view and eventually loses appeal. The latter can remain intriguing in every ride for the rest of your life, and will be understood more thoroughly as time goes on (see my recent post on Flow).
If we look at watts differently, they can help people and become a staple of indoor cycling. I like the watt because of the mystery of effortless power. Have you ever seen someone generate formidable watts without looking as if they’re working hard? Where does the power come from?
The watt has more to offer than most people think. I hope we give it a fair chance and don’t relegate it just to measuring performance.
So you've got a room full of brand new indoor cycles with Power. Now what?
How do you effectively introduce the concept of adding measurement (Power/Speed/Distance) to a class that has been taught without metrics for 15+ years?
And do so in a way that doesn't overwhelm the participants?
Or you (the Instructor) for that matter?
I posed the question to Jay Blahnik, Master Trainer with Schwinn Indoor Cycling. Jay joins me to discuss a number of steps you can follow to successfully introduce measurement in your classes.
ICI/PRO members can access Part 2 here, where Jay breaks down how to communicate with the three groups of people (participants and Instructors) you will likely encounter and how to address their specific needs/concerns.
It was dumb luck. That's the only reason this playlist worked so well with the Epic Wine Country DVD I played last night in my class. I mean, Amy even liked it and for her to approve of my music is a pretty big deal. I hadn't even intended to use that video last night – I'd forgotten the one I planned to use.
But dumb luck may not have the only reason this class worked so well…
It wasn't that I was getting lazy, It's just that I've always preferred longer songs (>4:00) for my playlists. Maybe it came from my iTunes days where I figured that I was getting a better value if I bought a 6:37 song vs. a 2:54 song. Made sense to me. And I'll admit that building an hour long class of 8-10 tracks was a lot less effort than compiling 16 or more.
It was just random chance 🙂
More songs = More transitions = More chances for a song change to match up with a change in the video. I teach using video in nearly all my classes these days. I've wasted spent a lot of time trying to matchup songs to the structure of the video, with a varying level of success. I'd find myself stressing about exactly when I'm to start the music and video so they are “In Sync” – even though I've been suggesting to you the exact opposite in the companion Audio PROfiles I've published.
This playlist has 16 tracks and worked very well – it was almost scary how well it matched the two big climbs that make up the final 20 minutes of effort. I did end up pausing the music for about a minute before The Gap Band — You Dropped The Bomb On Me.
Here's a screenshot if you don't have access to Spotify.
All the confidence in the world and totally clueless.
I actually got myself in a little trouble exposing Myth #2
You (the Instructor) can set yourself up correctly.
It was at the end of an Instructor evaluation, where I was a pretend participant. The Dept Head asked us if we had any comments or suggestions for the Instructor being evaluated. Now I'm not normally comfortable critiquing others publicly, so I sat and pedaled quietly off to one side. A few of the other Instructor/participants offer a few simple suggestions and I felt pressured to say something… and being a guy, finally offered up something I thought would be safe:
“Have you ever had someone evaluate your bike setup?” “Your saddle appears to be too far back.”
Not a good choice.
I couldn't tell if her flushed look was communicating embarrassment or anger. Either way it was the wrong thing to say publicly in a room full of her peers.
“I'm right where I'm supposed to be”, she said rather indignantly as she sighted down across her knee at the left pedal.
But she clearly wasn't. Any experienced cyclist looking at her from the side could see how stretched out her position was and how she looked on the bike would benefit from a few minutes my (or anyone's) observation.
When was the last time (if ever) you've had someone look at your bike setup on the instructor bike at your club? During your initial certification doesn't count.
Instructors are proud people.
We expect others to look to us for stuff like bike fit, direction and guidance. Unfortunately this has us walled off as a sort of island, operating all by ourselves, without the benefit of any constructive criticism.
Our participants are nice = they won't typically say anything, even though they see something not quite right – or even grossly wrong.
I'll never forget a lunch meeting I had with a prospective customer a few years back. He had a spinach salad, I've forgotten what I ate that day. I remember his spinach because at some point during the meal my lunch guest suddenly had one green tooth. Completely green like it was something he paid for from one of those places at the mall where they sell jeweled “grills”. A piece of the spinach had attached itself and neatly covered one of his front teeth. I foolishly said nothing while we sat and talked. The whole time trying not to stare at his new organic dental appliance. We parted and I had forgotten all about it until checking my email later that day; I CAN”T BELIEVE YOU JUST SAT THERE LOOKING AT MY GREEN TOOTH AND NOT SAY ANYTHING! I'm pretty sure that was the last time I communicated with him.
But participants (read cyclists) will judge you based on everything they see
Believe me when I say cyclists will judge you. What do you think we are doing to keep our minds occupied during a 5 hour ride? We notice every detail. Now I'm sure that the Instructor being evaluated really did believe she was properly positioned. She found a bike setting and repeat it every time she taught. Her body got comfortable until it became “right”… even if it wasn't. Alone at home in your basement this isn't a problem. Sitting in front of 10s or 100s of cyclists every week is.
What to do?
I'm guessing you already know the answer to this; ask for help! And it doesn't need to come from another Instructor.
Would you like to make someone's day? In your next class pick out one of the experienced cyclists. Ask them to review your setup on your bike. I know I would have been flattered if someone in authority (you) asked for my help. You could even make a big deal about it during your warm-up. Simply explain how you recognized that you needed a second pair of eyes to really check your bike setup, so you asked Linda to help because you saw her as an experienced cyclist. Then you could continue with how Linda was able to suggest a few small changes and how much better you feel now.
This simple act of humility may have a profound effect on your class. Once other's realize that the Great and Powerful Instructor needs help, they to maybe inclined to ask for help as well.
Back in September Apple was talking about a complete redesign of iTunes for version 11, with a promised release in October 2012 – which is obviously passed. I had made a note to myself to look into this so I could understand any changes and help with any new challenges that those of you still using iTunes may experience.
Now I'm reading that the release of iTunes 11 is imminent, whatever that means.
Here's another disappointment.
One recent addition to iTunes that I haven't discussed (I'd been waiting for iTunes 11) is how iTunes now offers wireless home sharing between devices logged in with the same Apple ID.
In this post I talk about how you can share iTunes music between computers that are using the same wireless network. It works very well in a Two Instructor household 🙂
So when I saw that you can now share between devices I thought I should create a tutorial on how to use it. I figured that it would most likely work the same as Spotify; you can listen to a playlist from your computer – or – transfer all the tracks onto your iPhone (turn on the available Off-Line toggle) so you can use the playlist for your class… turns out you can't. Best as I can tell you can only listen to music from another networked computer. There's no option to transfer a track or playlist to your device.
“I must be missing something here?”, I thought. When would I want to use my iPhone to just listen to music from a computer in my house or office?
But wait! I must be able to drag tracks or playlists from my computer, to my device. That's what iTunes Wi-Fi Sync is for right? Well, no. Not exactly. To use Wi-Fi Sync your computer needs to:
Recognize your device = you must go through the complete setup process if it doesn't.
Be connected to a power source, er… like your computer. So what's the point of Wi-Fi if you have to plug in?
If Spotify is available where you live and you have a wireless enabled portable device, we have a bunch of tutorials (here and here) to help you make the transition away from iTunes.
