Doug Rusho, Master Instructor with Stages Indoor Cycle provides our latest Audio PROfile: Winch and Plummet
Objectives:
#1: Students will experience the contrast between resistance and cadence, as it relates to steady state power production.
#2: Students will begin to discover what resistance/cadence combination is most efficient for their physiological make up.
Key take away from Doug: In order to improve fitness we must continually challenge the body with new situations. Everyone has a “comfort zone” resistance/cadence combination when producing power. This profile encourages students to step a little outside their comfort zone for a diverse training effect. It may also be a source of self discovery, where a student realizes where their body works best and/or what their weaknesses are.
I'm experimenting with a few changes to these Audio PROfiles:
I've been asking our Master Instructors to condense their descriptions in the interest of shortening the amount of time required for you to listen to the complete MP3.
We've added some background music to interject some additional energy to the recording and get your presentation juices flowing.
Leave a comment and let me know your feeling about these changes.
Ok, we simply need to mention the word “test” and all kinds of things tighten up. Relax. For week 3 of instructor self improvement month, let’s look at how we are doing mentally and emotionally….”sit back on my couch and close your eyes”. Before you jump to a conclusion on either side of the spectrum, answer a few questions:
How motivated am I to teach my classes?
How excited am I about teaching this weeks profile or ride?
Do I still get pumped by my music?
Do I feel energetic during class or just getting through?
Do I find myself taking shortcuts when planning class?
Am I considering taking a break from teaching?
If you got through this interrogation and said “I’m motivated. I’m excited. I am pumped, energetic and plan every detail of my class and would NEVER consider quitting” then just tuck this article in your calendar and check back in a couple of months. However, if you hesitated or flat-out broke down in tears, then read on.
The truth is we usually don’t see it coming. Life is so fast and we are so busy that we get desensitized to how we are really feeling. Regardless, don’t panic. There could be a number of reasons you may not have answered the way you wanted on any of these questions. It could be that you need some fresh inspiration, some new music, a challenge or some rest. It really depends.
Don’t Rule Out Rest
Back in July, I wrote an article entitled “Taking Care of YOU” which focused on staying aware of your overall health and need for rest. We need to consider ourselves athletes and consider our classes as training sessions. Regardless of how hard you are working, and depending on how many classes you teach a week, your body will eventually get fatigued if you don’t take the time to rest.
Rest also rejuvenates the mind and soul. I have over 5000 pieces of music and over 60 individual ride profiles that I teach throughout the year. With rare exception, I do not use the same song in 2 different rides. The song goes with that ride and that is it. I also don’t repeat the same workout within a 6-8 week period, so basically I may not do the same rider or hear the same music for almost 2 months. However, at times, I get bored and tired of my music. Of course, I use that as an excuse to buy more, but honestly, that is often not the solution. What I’ve found 99.9% of the time is that I’m simply “tired”. Once I get some rest, EVERYTHING is again exciting and full of life. The music is pump’in and I can’t wait to get up at 4:30 AM to throw down.
Get Some Inspiration
How about that, the ICI/Pro Conference is next week! Yes, a shameless plug. But seriously, when was the last time you pursued some education and training for yourself? Sign-up for a workshop in your neighborhood, or better yet, take a trip (call it a professional retreat so you can write it off) and go somewhere exotic — for business of course. A cheaper option: get a sub for your class and take a class with another instructor. Take a class with another instructor at another club! Why not? Get out of your environment and see how the other half lives. Come on, we are flattered when someone asks to take our class. Instructors often have guest pass privileges so don’t be shy – “Hey, I’ve heard some great stuff about your class, are you able to get me a guest pass so I could experience it?” You’re as good as in.
Challenge # 1
Everyone knows I’m all about challenges so take that surprised look off your face. Try something different in class. Teach a totally different ride. Not into rock? Add some. How about teaching without music? Here’s one I had a ton of fun with (and my challenge): Ask your riders to build a ride for you. Yup. I asked them to create a ride with their own music and burn it on a CD. I gave them a date and said I would teach the first CD given to me when I walked into the room — no questions asked AND no prep. What a blast! Not only did it challenge the snot out of me, it was freeing AND gave me some insight as to what type of music and rides my class liked.
Challenge # 2
Ok, if you are more the athlete type (and want a cop-out for the first challenge), here is another way to determine and/or inspire you to get your edge back. Take a threshold test. I don’t care which one you do. It could even be a VO2 test or the Foster Talk Test. Go for broke. This can often have a 2-fold affect. First, you will see what kind of energy you have. If you are exhausted and can’t finish the test or put-out a sub par performance, you know your body is tired and you need some rest. Second, if it is just inspiration you need, blowing out the dust may just be what the doctor ordered. Besides treating ourselves to an endorphin high, pushing our limits can reinvigorate our conviction on the type of training our class wants and what it feels like to give it all. Then turn around and give one to your class while your in the mood.
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The bottom-line is that we bring a lot of ourselves into each class and each ride. It is not just the physical energy but emotional energy as well. In many ways, the emotional is more important. As you dig into all the aspects of what makes you a great instructor this month, take a deeper look into your motivation and inspiration and make sure you are still bringing and dishing out a healthy dose to your class.
The focus of our conversation is on her Principle #7 – Carefully Consider Your Cues. Kymberly encourages Instructors to “Speak Boomer Language”:
Cues that motivate your younger, pain-free, joint-happy client may be off-putting or irrelevant to your 50-, 60- or 70- year-olds, no matter how fit and athletic those exercisers are.
Jim Karanas is a Master Instructor and Program Director for Indoor Cycling Group of North America.
Jim describes BIG GEAR TRAINING as; Weight Training on the bicycle. PROFILE DESCRIPTION
This workout is to improve sustainable strength and increase muscle fiber recruitment while working aerobically. The workout consists of pedaling at very low cadence (about 50-55 rpm) in a big gear up a hill for five to 15 minutes at a time in the saddle, focusing on smooth pedaling. The workout should remain aerobic in terms of heart rate. There is controlled and limited recovery between efforts equal to the length of the work period…
Would you be intimidated if you had to fill in for Master Instructor Tom Scotto? I know I would. Meet Spinning Instructor and ICI/PRO member Kay Ruane. Kay fills in for Tom on a regular basis at the Wellbridge club where they both teach.
Those of us with a bunch of experience, who were given the chance to teach for Tom, may have some butterflies at the beginning… but our Instructor skills would probably kick in and we would deliver a great class.
But what if you didn't have years of experience to fall back on? Kay has been certified for less than a year and still has the confidence in herself she needs to deliver the class Tom's regulars expect.
Once you listen to Kay's story, you'll understand where that confidence comes from.
Now that more of your students wear heart-rate monitors (HRM) (see previous post “How To Get Your Students To Wear a HRM”), you must teach them how to use one.
An important first step is sometimes lost when introducing HRMs. Instructors immediately start estimating maximum heart rate and discussing zones. But the first measurement of intensity, how hard the students are exercising, must always be perception.
Relating perceived exertion to heart rate is a fascinating personal discovery for the indoor-cycling student. If it’s done correctly, the student will immediately ask at what heart rate he/she should be training. Then a discussion of training zone estimates makes perfect sense.
The following protocol, developed by Team ICG®, provides a template for a “first HRM experience” that the student won’t forget. Initially, you want the HRM to help the student link a given heart rate with a perception, which enhances awareness. The student feels his/her body go through changes in perceived exertion, along with a visible numerical progression.
Resting HR — 2 minutes
Once the students are wearing their HRMs, have them sit quietly on the bike. No pedaling, no talking, just sitting still. Tell them to breathe deeply, relax and see how low they can drop their HRs. This is not a true resting value, but shows them how relaxation and breathing affect their HR. It also gives them a numeric indication of how prepared the body is to receive training. It may well dictate an alteration of their plan for the day.
Warm-Up — 15 minutes
Roll the legs with no resistance on the bike. Feel the ease of motion, the momentum. Get into a rhythm with it: no effort, just smooth, continuous, even circles. Before taking the HR up, we want to accomplish two things. First, we must shunt blood to the leg muscles. Fifteen minutes of easy spinning will do that. Second, we want the students to sense what’s happening in the body as they get warm.
For the first 5 minutes, set the cadence at 90-100 rpm. Have the students increase the resistance just enough to feel as if their legs are working, without changing cadence. This isn’t much effort. Just bring the HR up slightly.
The first change in perceived exertion is an increase in body temperature. Assuming the room is appropriately cooled, the air temperature initially felt cool or cold. Ask them to notice the change — the air no longer feels cold — and note at what heart rate that occurred. Was it 5 beats up from resting? 10 beats?
For the second 5 minutes, have them make another small increase in the resistance. The second sensation in perceived exertion is awareness of breath. Their breathing pattern has not really changed. Their breathing is not hard or labored. They’ve just become aware that they’re breathing, something we’re unconscious of most of the time. At what HR did they become aware of their breathing?
For the third 5 minutes, bring on a little more resistance without changing cadence and raise the HR again slightly. Two things must happen here. They must notice that all momentum is gone from their pedaling. There’s a distinct point, especially on chain-driven bikes, where the sensation of momentum is replaced by effort. This is very visible to the instructor — the “looseness” is gone from the pedaling — however, it’s still not hard.
The other thing they need to notice is a sudden spike in body temperature. They now feel hot. We experience discomfort just before we begin to sweat because the cooling of evaporation hasn’t begun. What’s the heart rate when this happens?
Settle the cadence down to 90 rpm as they continue to work and begin to sweat. This is the next level of perceived exertion. At what HR did they begin to sweat? They’ll notice the hot feeling leave, then a cool sensation against their skin. They might feel perspiration on the brow, under the arms, or elsewhere.
Their warm-up is done.
As you can see, this isn’t an elaborate or complicated warm-up, just a gradual awareness process for the students. The next step is a heart rate ladder, again to connect the students with their perception of the effort.
Heart-Rate Ladder — 20 minutes
Now that the students are warmed-up, it’s time to take them through levels of greater exertion, while connecting their perception of the effort with the HR at which it occurs. Most of this work takes place seated, so give them periodic breaks from the saddle.
Level 1
Level 1 continues the intensity that they reached by the end of the warm-up. All feeling of momentum has been replaced by a feeling of effort. They’re aware of their breathing and have cracked a sweat.
Their HRs should be consistent. Tell them the first lesson of heart-rate training is stabilization. They should be at a HR that they could maintain for hours. Forget about mechanical difficulties, how the saddle feels, whether they need water, fuel, etc. Ask them to settle into a HR that — in terms of the effort level — they could hold for hours.
Maintain that intensity for 5 minutes.
It’s not uncommon for them to be unsure about whether they’re at the right level of effort. Tell them to check their HR, sense their effort level and ask themselves, “Could I maintain this for 1 hour? 2 hours? 3 hours?” If the effort is too high, they’ll have an internal reaction to the question and should adjust as necessary.
Keep the cadence at 90 rpm; this is important. Let them know that the HR they’re training at is called a target HR. Their job is to maintain that target at 90 rpm.
At this point, it’s helpful to explain what’s going on metabolically. Discuss aerobic vs. anaerobic metabolism and changes in the use of fat and carbohydrate as fuel.
As mentioned above, Level 1 is of the same intensity as the final part of the warm-up. From here, the progression builds to greater levels of effort, which will be covered in the next post.
