by John | May 17, 2012 | Instructor Training, Leading Group Rides, Learn Leadership Skills
I suppose you could add many governments
That would be your Indoor Cycling Class and Outdoor Group Rides.
The concept of a democracy; social groups where everyone works together, contributes equally and respects the needs of others sounds good… but rarely works out well in the real world. I can't think of better places to demonstrate this than in your class or on an outdoor group ride. Both these collections of people require a leader… or chaos ensues. I suppose we could actually include any type of class with students. Many of us have memories of grade school or high school substitute teachers that couldn't keep control and the resulting mayhem when one, six or all the students decided that they were in charge.
Democracies don't work in either of these situations. Well functioning groups, be it your class or out on the road, require a leader. If there's no one obviously in charge, one or more of the participants will typically try to fill the vacuum.
You may have experienced this at some point in your teaching career. Maybe it was some participant in the back row holding court with those sitting around him. The effect is disrupting to your class and it may have irritated, if not angered you. I view a large part of this as simple disrespect, but sometimes it's not. It may be helpful to look at it a different way; the disruptive student may be trying to assert themselves as leader of your class. The next time you experience this situation, consider whether or not you asserted your leadership at the very beginning. Master trainer from ICG, Jim Karanas frequently talks about centering your class as part of the warm up. Beyond getting their attention and explaining what's coming next, centering is also asserting your position as the leader of the class.
I have a confession to make, I'm a big dog 🙂
For those of you who don't know me personally, your only experiences of me are listening to the podcast or reading things I've written here, you may have the impression that I'm this easy going, can't we all get along? kind of fellow. Please don't get this wrong, I really am easy to get along with. But put me in a group setting and I'm looking for the leader. If I don't see (or sense one), my personality is to assume leadership. I feel people who do know me will tell you that; “yes, John naturally becomes the leader.” “But it isn't because he has to be the leader and control everything.” “Its because he recognizes that the enjoyment of everyone in his Indoor Cycling class, and the safety of those riding outdoors with him depend on it.”
Many of us are moving outdoors.
I can't think about better marker of success, for you as an indoor cycling instructor, than seeing your students begin riding outdoors. The natural transition for a new rider is to begin solo and then ride as part of a group. A big part of cycling can be the same social interaction found indoors. Then there's the appeal of participating in a large event fundraiser event like the MS150, a local century or some other fun ride. Groups riding outdoors, require leaders to be successful and safe.
Jim Karanas and I recorded a new Podcast episode that will be published this weekend. In it Jim describes the horror of what happens when things go wrong, while riding outdoors. And I share my experience where I needed to be the big dog, during day one of a brand-new cycling club connected to a local bike shop. The purpose isn't to create a bunch of drama, rather our interest is in helping you understand the responsibilities you may have leading your own group rides. I'm also working on a number of suggestions that I feel will help you be successful, as the leader (dare I say The Big Dog) of an outdoor ride.
by Gino | May 12, 2012 | Master Instructor Blog
So, my little ploy to try and get you to help me write this blog, and do some of this research has fallen flat — no response, no takers L Not to worry, we intrepid pioneers are used to surprises good and bad, obstacles and nay sayers. Heck, I no sooner had the first few blog posts up and the criticisms in the forums started.
Undaunted we press on. However, in the face of apathy or opposition, I find that you must have a very compelling and even personal stake in the subject at hand. Without that, your will and motivation to continue against a cowardly cloud of negativity will wane, and the lack of resolve will be your undoing; the study will end up incomplete or poorly executed.
Solve a Problem or Just Learn & Discover
Last post we talked about using some test subjects to help us form a statement of the problem we wish to solve or learning objective we hope to accomplish (yes, sometimes research is just meant to satisfy curiosity and the often insatiable desire to learn). In lieu of a group consensus, we will pursue something recent and applicable to some of the training we are working with at Cycling Fusionâ„¢. We (my partner Tom Scotto and I) have been trying to establish cadence and Heart Zone guidelines for Muscular Endurance and Tempo rides.
It is our contention, based on our collective experience in training for our own races, and training others for varying degrees of cycling, that these two components (heart rate and cadence) can be combined to insure a greater degree of training specificity, and that some of the specific training adaptations can be targeted by prescribing clear ranges for these parameters.
KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
While this acronym can apply to most of life, it is even more important in the field of science and scientific research. Its application here is fairly clear right from the start. To wit: since Muscular Endurance and Tempo rides target different adaptations, we will simplify our study by selecting Muscular Endurance alone as the subject of inquiry. This is the second step in setting up a research study after selecting a topic that is to simplify your subject of inquiry before going any further.
The next tangible step is to come up with a clear statement or working hypothesis (more on that in the next post). However, first we must do a relatively thorough review of the literature to see how much has already been done on the topic, and if that work is directly or indirectly pertinent. Armed with that information, we will be in a better position to form our guiding statement or hypothesis.
The Process So Far
- Select a topic of study
- Simplify the topic
- Conduct a review of the literature
You are welcome to join me by independently researching “Muscular Endurance for Cycling” and specifically its relationship to cadence and heart rate. We will report our findings in the next blog post.
by John | May 11, 2012 | Music
I was in another Instructor's very popular class this week. My main purpose was to experiment with the new Stages iPhone App that works with the FreeMotion console. Review coming this weekend. My secondary objective was to see what I could learn from him, that I could apply in my class.
This class is very popular for a bunch of reasons:
- He's been teaching this specific class for years.
- 8:30 am is a great time slot for the “stay-at-home” moms in the area.
- It's a large club with thousands of members to draw from.
- He's a very good looking guy, with excellent presentation skills.
None of these I have any control over. But what I do have control over is the music I play… and what he used really surprised me – club / dance music with a lot of energy that included multiple changes in intensity and emotion like this track.
If you don't normally use music like this you may consider experimenting with it to see what happens 🙂
by John | May 11, 2012 | Instructor Training, Music
Friday is our music day here at ICI/PRO so it's the right time to tell you that Keith Burnage has re-branded Cadence Revolution and it's is now IndoorCyclingMusic.com
I'll let you in on a little secret – on occasion I've used Keith's 60 minute mixed Podcasts in my class… they're a real lifesaver and my students seem to enjoy them.
For me it's a time and creativity thing;
With family and all my time commitments, I don't have nearly enough hours in my day to do all the things I wish (or need) to accomplish each day.
It's the same for you I'll bet.
The hours needed to creating, fine-tune and then mix a seamless class playlists aren't always available – or you don't want to shell out the $$ for MixMeister software.
Spotify playlists that match our Audio PROfiles are a great solution for those of us who have it, but, as good as they are, these Spotify playlists may not be exactly what you are looking for.
Sometimes I'm just not feeling it 🙁
Tell me if you've ever done this [wlm_firstname]. You feel compelled to create a new playlist, but then find yourself simply going through the motions. Ten minutes into the process and you discover that your only concern is that the playlist is long enough. It may be that you're a little burned out (common in the spring – so don't sweat it) or you just have a lot of “STUFF” going on in your life.
Where ever it's coming from, it should be your signal that your class will be less than thrilled with whatever you've thrown together.
So don't.
I've subscribed to the Cadence Revolution Podcast for years, so I always have their latest mix on my iPhone. I'll sample a few on my way to the club and hit play when I get there. Both the class and I have no idea what's coming next, but I don't recall ever being disappointed.
IndoorCyclingMusic.com
by Joan Kent | May 7, 2012 | Health and Wellness
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Joan Kent
Training and nutrition go hand in hand. The more we train, the more questions may arise about what to eat. The questions matter to indoor-cycling instructors because our students come to us for answers.
Food cravings are one of the more interesting things that may occur with increased training. A craving is an intense urge or desire to eat a specific type of food. A common craving is for sugary foods. Some students can indulge their sugar cravings without repercussions. For others, giving in to cravings repeatedly can undermine their training or even lead to health issues — weight gain, high cholesterol, mood swings, diabetes, and more.
Below are some causes of sugar cravings to help you answer questions from your students.
Low glucose. This is probably the one we hear most often. The theory is that sugar cravings are caused by low blood glucose, which might occur if someone hasn’t eaten in a long time, or has skipped breakfast to take an early class. Evidence supports this. In fact, sugar cravings occur in response to how fast glucose drops, rather than how low. This could also mean that the student is eating junky carbs, which trigger lots of insulin and are fast “glucose-droppers.”
Biological need. Some sources think cravings express a biological need and should be answered with a “dose” of the craved food. Salt cravings are usually the example and seem to corroborate this viewpoint. Many people crave salty foods after hard trainings, so I’m inclined to think that salt cravings could indicate a biological need.
Evidence doesn’t support this explanation with respect to sugar cravings, though. Sugar has been shown to be addictive. A drug addict will get cravings for that drug, but the cravings don’t indicate a basic biological need and might suggest withdrawal (see below).
Too little fat. Research documents a sugar/fat seesaw (as one decreases in the diet, the other increases). Sugar cravings can definitely result from a diet that’s too low in fats. A previous ICI/PRO post (Controlling the Sugar/Fat Seesaw) explained that specific hormones and brain chemicals are involved. Eating healthful fats is a helpful solution.
Withdrawal. Another factor is withdrawal if, say, a student has recently quit drinking alcohol. This involves the chemicals affected by the original substance. Alcohol stimulates three brain chemicals that are also stimulated by sugar. The similarity makes sugar a short-term substitute for alcohol when cravings occur and explains why people in recovery from alcohol (or drugs) crave sugar and may eat it frequently or in large quantities. That can backfire due to priming (see Triggers below).
Triggers. Triggers may be external (seeing or smelling an appealing food) or internal (eating a small amount of a trigger food). Internal triggering is known as “priming”, and a small amount makes us want more. It’s the result of a specific brain receptor for the chemical dopamine. Some people are more susceptible to priming than others.
Chronic stress. While short-term stress tends to decrease appetite, chronic stress can stimulate appetite, alter brain chemistry, and result in mood changes and a preference for sugar.
Dysphoria. Dysphoria refers to bad moods. Any bad mood can trigger a sugar craving. Sugar alters brain chemistry in a way that changes mood, at least temporarily. Unfortunately, it can make things worse in the long run.
Serotonin disturbances. Disturbances in the chemical serotonin may occur in depression, seasonal affective disorder, PMS, menopause, chronic alcohol use, or insulin resistance. Any of these may result in sugar cravings. Serotonin is made from tryptophan, an amino acid. Insulin resistance can reduce serotonin production by keeping tryptophan from getting to the brain. Insulin resistance in 
turn may be caused by lots of things: genetics, obesity, chronic stress, or a diet that’s too high in fats, junky carbs, or fructose, the sugar in fruit.
Other craving triggers include a low-protein diet (this is a big one), or B-vitamin deficiencies, which tend to occur in clusters, rather than individually.
As I recommended in an interview with John several months ago, the fastest and most effective way to eliminate any craving is to take a teaspoon of TwinLab Super-B Complex. The B vitamins are co-factors (catalysts) in the formation of several key brain chemicals. When the chemicals are at optimal levels, cravings stop and don’t recur for up to 24 hours.
If your students are serious about eliminating cravings more permanently, you might suggest that they eat protein with virtually every meal or snack. Protein provides the amino acids for the brain chemicals that stop cravings.
My colleague Jim Karanas claims that people may lack awareness of cravings. He says we may disregard feelings about a food when our desire for it is unnaturally strong and justify eating it unconsciously.
Maybe that’s true. A final point, though, is that eating sugar can and will prime cravings, so the less sugar a student eats, the better. True, that’s easier said than done for some, but protein, healthful fats, and liquid B-complex can help.
by John | May 6, 2012 | Big Box Instructor
I love it when a plan comes together!
I had listed my thoughts about how to successfully audition for an Instructor position at Life Time Fitness in an eariler post. It was in response to a question from an ICI/PRO member. Here's an update:
Hi John,
Just wanted to follow up to say thank you for the tips, advice, music suggestions and everything pertaining to Life Time Fitness audition preparation which you obviously spent a good deal of time putting together and posting for all of us in need.
Susan Pshevlotski , the GFDH here in Indianapolis, was incredibly helpful and supportive and a great ambassador of Life Time Fitness. Anyone out there moving to the Indy area, I encourage them to contact the Life Time Fitness Director at the Castle Creek Parkway location.
All went wonderfully well and I must say thank you to ICI and others for the learning and growing I've made as an indoor cycling instructor these past few years as I certainly put my membership and education to excellent use and it showed based on the complimentary letter I received on Mon. There was even a comment about my ICI Jersey that I proudly wore.
My audition was here in Indy and Susan sent my information immediately onto the GFDH in Florham Park, NJ where I am relocating next month with a high recommendation for an instructor position, as well as the possibility of Cycle Club Coordinator. Not sure I'm ready for that one. I will hopefully fall right back into the saddle.
Whew, a lot happening quicker than I imagined but all fun and good thanks to this wonderful and supportive group in this professional forum.
All the best.
Renee
Ride Safe, Ride Strong
Congratulations Renee and I'm going to pass along your comments to Jen Ryan – the National Group Fitness Operations Manager at Life Time Fitness.
