Instructor Training | Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast

Going to WSSC?

by John | Mar 15, 2026 | Master Instructor Blog, Spinning Class, Training With Power

Are you going to be in Miami for WSSC? I'll be there all weekend and would love to meet you while I'm there.

There are a bunch of sessions that I'm excited to see:

On Friday our very own Barbara Hoots is giving a presentation: Studio Design: Empowering Emporiums to Increase Profits

Presented by Barbara Hoots Whether opening a new studio or renovating an existing one, this lecture will offer new trends in studio design. Evaluate common design flaws that lead to lawsuits and slow growth, and explore the latest in sound systems, lighting, wall treatments and marketing.

I'm really excited to take these Ugi classes – from what I can see, Ugi could be a great strength compliment to any boutique Indoor Cycling Studio

Ugi® Fit Presented by Sara Shears Undo your laces and strip off your socks! Join Ugi creator Sara Shears for the ultimate 30- minute barefoot workout. A series of 30 one-minute intervals combining strength, core and cardio are efficient enough to change your body completely. From warm-up to cool down Ugi is fun, challenging and makes U feel good about your body, energy and health.

U-SPIN Me Right Round Presented by Nadine Stewart “Combine the benefits of a high-cadence endurance ride with non-linear sculpting exercises using the Ugi® ball. This well-rounded workout will cover your cardio and cross-training needs and give you new ideas to change up your Spinning® and resistance training classes.

My main focus will be the Spin Power sessions and there's a lot of them on the schedule! Especially those that are including a specially designed Performance IQ display system, customized for the Spin Power Program.

Team Time Trial with Performance IQ Presented by Angie Sturtevant In team time trials, riders take turns either at the front or ‘sitting inâ€™ behind, conserving enough team energy for an all-out pull toward the finish. In this workout you will compete as part of a team, as accumulated power output is displayed on the big screen using Performance IQ. This gives all teams the energy to chase and spectators something to cheer about!

Spinpowerâ„¢: Personal Spinning® Threshold Presented by Martin Timmerman The Personal Spinning Threshold (PST) is the key to Spinpower success–once PST is determined, you have a baseline threshold marker that can be used to create a unique training program and track student progress. This workshop will teach you the protocol of the Personal Spinning Threshold test and how to administer this test to your students. You will establish your own Spinpower Zones and then experience a ride which will criss-cross these zones. WS NEW

Spinpowerâ„¢ Race Day Winners Presented by Dino Pedras All athletes know that we must be efficient and well-organized to get the most out of our training, and a Race Day ride is how we see the results of that hard word. In this workshop, you will learn how to create a successful Race Day using Spinpower to help you determine what variables you should integrate into your training program and how to best periodize your time to reach your maximum potential and find the way to victory!

And that's just Friday's sessions – I'll be reporting more from WSSC as time permits. If you'll be there any of the three days, please text me so we can connect 612-868-0064!

Originally posted 2014-05-25 16:24:12.

ICI Podcast 28 Getta Grips handle bar covers

by John | Mar 12, 2026 | Free Podcasts

This Podcast is was originally published on January 8, 2009, I have updated it with our new Podcast host information and I am representing it now. Note, the company is no longer in business, however there are pleanty of grips out there in the marketplace, so still a good listen. I hope you enjoy it, Joey.

Tell the truth, as you have fought with your towel, you have thought there needs to be a better way!

Well inventor and mother of two, Marilyn Tighe, has the solution for anyone bothered by having to move your towel all over the handle bars while you ride. She explains the process of how she invented Getta Grips and has a special offer for listeners to this Podcast.

As Marilyn explains; Getta Grips are made with velvety soft terry velour and feel like pillows for your hands. You won't believe how comfortable your ride can be.

So, Getta Grip and take them out for a spin! I know you're going to love them!

Click here
Listen to the Podcast below or subscribe using iTunes or Zune.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Originally posted 2019-04-09 06:00:38.

Should I Move More or Not?

by John | Mar 12, 2026 | Best Practices, Engage Your Students, Instructor Training, KEEPING IT FUN

Talking after class with members, is an infinite source of feedback for me. Today was a great example.

My friend Georgia Green and her friend Mark were in class this morning. You met Georgia and learned about her and Mark's plans to ride 10,000 miles this summer in Podcast 342.

After class Georgia commented; “how do you (meaning me) ride with such a stable upper body?” I don't see many Instructors, or participants who can do that. My response was that after 20 years riding and racing bicycles, my legs tend to work pretty well together 🙂 Explaining more, I offered that excessive upper body movement is often the result of some muscular imbalance while pedaling = each leg's force is balanced by an equal, but opposite force from the other, throughout the pedal stroke.

While I appreciated her comment, on my way home it got me thinking:

Am I too solid/stable when I'm riding?
Should I move more? Perhaps even extenuate my movements, to communicate my effort using my body?

Switch now to this short video and you'll see where “if you don't do it outside, you don't do it inside” really doesn't apply.

Watch how Spinning® MI Mike Michaels moves side to side – a lot. I'll bet he doesn't do that on the road – it wastes too much energy. Here's another showing something similar, this time from Josh Taylor:

All that movement is show, right? Josh, as an experienced bicycle racer, wouldn't move like that in a race > the people he's riding with would think there's something wrong with him. I don't know about you, but watching Josh's movement has me wanting to move along with him. Which I guess is the point of this article; Just sitting there and pedaling smoothly may have you looking like a Pro out on the road, but you're riding inside.

How can you tell if you're moving?

Mike and Josh have an advantage over you and me > they have been filmed presenting multiple times. So they get to watch themselves and, seeing what they look like riding, they can visualise changes they can make to ride with additional… I think the word is flourish.

Have you ever filmed yourself? This could be another reason to rig up a simple stand for a cell phone and then watch how you move. Even if you don't go the video route, you might try adding or accentuating your upper body movement. Adding a little extra flourish just might give your class a reason to follow you.[/wlm_private]

I'm going to attempt to do this in my future classes. Are you willing to give it a try?

Originally posted 2018-05-31 13:07:13.

Are you teaching to the squeaky wheels?

by Cameron Chinatti | Mar 10, 2026 | Best Practices, Boutique Instructor, Master Instructor Blog

Howdy Fit Folk!

John Macgowan has so graciously invited me to contribute to the vast wealth of knowledge that is the ICI/PRO community-- woohoo!! Lucky me. 🙂 To those of you that I had the great pleasure of meeting at the 2011 ICI/PRO conference, hello again! To those of you that I have yet to meet, I look forward to many opportunities to open a dialog, discuss new concepts and create amazing ideas.

Speaking of ideas, I love good ones! I know it's been a good day if I've had at least --what I consider-- one good idea. Generally speaking, my best ideas come from thought-provoking conversations with others. With all the wonderful discussions I'm reading on the posts and forums, I'm bound to have a lot of good days moving forward.

So pull up a chair (if you dare!) and enter the head-space of Cam... I wish you the best of luck!

Happy reading,

Cameron Chinatti

Director of Education for Stages Indoor Cycling

Cameron Chinatti Director of Education Stagesâ„¢ Indoor Cycling

Do you ever find yourself spending a disproportionate amount of your mental and perhaps physical energy trying to please or quell the “squeaky wheels”? Typically the squeaky wheels are your most loyal attendees. They sit in the front row, they have "their" special bike, they enjoy filling out lengthy complaint cards, and they dislike any of your substitute instructors. These are the squeaky wheels, always generating a low-level disturbance. More on these folks in a moment!

Recently, a friend of mine shared a link to a blog post titled "Don't Tell Me I'm Wasting My Time!"

Intrigued, I decided to check it out. The author of the post, Marjorie Clayman, is an expert in the field of enhancing the use of Social Media as it applies to the marketing world. Her frustration, as she puts it, "...is the selfishness that exists in the online world when it comes to covering topics that relate to beginners." As you'll see in her article there is a perfect parallel to the challenges that we all face as teachers of indoor cycling.

Now, back to those squeaky wheels!

We tend to teach specifically to please these individuals because we become acutely aware of their verbal tendencies. This makes it very challenging to recognize the needs of the 29 other individuals in the room. More importantly, we fail to see the hundreds if not thousands of potential participants that have never set foot in our classes.

As Marjorie puts it, "If you approach content on occasion from the perspective of someone who is brand spanking new to this space, you will get to meet people and help people whom you may not have met in any other way. What can be more valuable than that?"

So, are your squeaky wheels unconsciously (hopefully not consciously!) creating a "secret society" that makes the newcomer feel uninvited? How do we please them both? In the words of the great Bob Marley, "You can't please all the people all the time." Quite the conundrum, I know.

When you feel the pressures of oiling the squeaky wheels or as my friend and Schwinn Master Trainer Shannon Fable calls it, "teaching to the front-row frowners," take a personal inventory moment. Are you trying to please them to keep an angry person off your back or are you considering the needs of all?

In my time as a Co-Director of a group exercise schedule consisting of 120 classes per week, I fielded many squeaky wheel complaints.

Here are my Top 5 takeaways from my time spent with the dreaded comment cards box:

1. Never throw your team under the bus! It may be tempting to tell the class to fill out a comment card and cast a vote for you to have more classes on the schedule, but a) that's a bit self-serving and b) there are so many reasons why the schedule is created the way it is. Cost per head per instructor, school schedules, child care schedules, maintenance, special programming, weekly class balance, etc. Likewise, if you have a personal gripe about something at your facility, telling your participants to fill out a comment card in order to achieve your goal accomplishes one thing: The squeaky wheels learn that if they are loud enough, they'll get their way, even if it is not in the best interest of the program. This leads to my 2nd mantra...

2. Think big picture. Contrary to popular belief, the individuals that attend your classes are not actually your members. They belong to the facility and you belong to the program or programs that the facility offers. You represent a piece of a puzzle. The more you think of yourself and your fellow instructors in this manner, the more the participants will view you all as a cohesive unit. Amazingly, participant complaints become positive shout-outs when the instructors have a sense of solidarity amongst the team.

3. Stick to your guns. You and your fellow instructors are the resident experts at your facility and you are there to guide your entire class in a safe and effective workout. The squeaky wheels may think that it's cool when Jane Doe instructor takes their saddles away, but you as the professional have to step up sometimes and say what needs to be said. Of course, you must keep in mind that your position is really that of a customer service specialist. So, how can you easily stick to your guns and provide a top-notch customer-first experience? Enter the Bad News Sandwich.

4. Bad News Sandwich. Here's an example of a bad news sandwich.

"Hey Sally, I totally understand where you're coming from and I hear you. You're right. Riding an entire class without the seat is very challenging and it does make you "feel the burn." However, there are actually more effective ways to achieve the same end result and in an environment that is safe for everyone. Can you imagine how terrible it would be if someone were to fall on the seat post during our class?! I'm sure I would lose my job and I would feel awful. After all, my job is to help people achieve optimal health, not promote injury. I know you understand the predicament I'm in; I have to look after everyone's well being -- including yours. Let's discuss a plan that will work around your fitness goals. I'm sure we can come up with something that will challenge you even more."

Okay, so that was a bit on the cheesy role-play side of things, but I'm sure you've had similar conversations before. Just remember: Bad News Sandwich = Recognition of issue or compliment (Good News) + Addressing the issue (Bad News) + Recognition of issue (Good News). You can't go wrong with the Bad News Sandwich. Or ending emails with a smiley. 🙂

5. Equal attention for all. Some people may disagree with me on this one, but no one at your facility should be valued higher than anyone else. This goes for members and instructors! Even if a member has been paying dues for 20 years, the new person that just joined or just attended class for the first time should get the same kind of attention and treatment. Likewise, an instructor that packs the room and has been teaching for years is as much a part of the team as the newer instructor that supports a different set of participants (and thus increasing the number of unique users). The minute a hierarchy starts to form, problems arise. Suffice it to say, everyone plays an equally important role in developing a top-notch indoor cycling program.

Think about your classes this week whether indoor cycling, group strength, step, etc. Ask yourself: Am I teaching to the person that looks miserable or am I teaching to everyone? Am I dividing my attention equally amongst my attendees? Don't overdo it when it comes to greasing that squeaky wheel-- you never know when the chain might fall off.[/wlm_private]

Please share with the ICI/Pro community: How have you been addressing the "squeaky wheel" situations? Any good stories or ideas to share?

Originally posted 2011-11-10 13:22:22.

It is NOT Just Cardio!

by Tom Scotto | Mar 4, 2026 | Master Instructor Blog

Indoor cycling has had a reputation of being a good cardiovascular workout. And that is absolutely true. However, when an aspect of any activity is touted vigorously, the reputation that is created can become definition. Even a recent indoor cycling certification workshop I attended spoke of the aerobic benefits while going as far as to say other training approaches on the indoor bike are not recommended because they lack the aerobic focus. There is nothing farthest from the truth. Although cycling does not contain the weight-bearing qualities needed for holistic fitness, it requires the strength and conditioning of the entire body.

Building Strength

Building strength on an indoor bike requires a specific focus. Just this morning I trained a dozen cyclists on their road bikes and indoor trainers on muscular strength. This is one of the rare cases where our power meters can work against us. To develop strength, the muscles need to be stressed with great force. Due to the amount of resistance needed to apply this force, legs speeds are considerably lower (50 to 70 RPM). Anyone who has experimented with power quickly figures out that faster leg speeds are best for producing higher levels of power output (more watts). This knowledge and the presence of a power meter can be a hindrance to developing muscular strength. Why? Because riders will look at their power meters during a strength interval and see that they are generating less power, which often causes them to panic. To fix what they believe is a problem, they will reduce the resistance (force) and then increase their leg speed to increase their power output. This in effect will reduce the needed stress on the muscles and greatly decrease the effectiveness of the effort.

Power Per RPM

To set riders up for success, have them focus on how much force they can apply or power they can produce at a given leg speed or RPM. Let them know up front that this may be considerably less then they would produce during a steady-state threshold effort or high-tempo climb, but the “purpose” is to build muscular strength which will in turn allow them to produce more power when it counts.

Have your riders perform an interval (30 seconds to 2 minutes) and see how much force they can apply to their legs at 60 RPM, then 65 RPM and then 70 RPM. Use the cadence on your bike or the speed of the music to set the tempo. If your bikes have power meters, what is the maximum or average power sustained at the specific speed for the determined duration?

Strength intervals are usually done in sets with 1 to 1 recovery. So if you are performing 30-second intervals, riders should receive 30 seconds of recovery between each effort (and 3+ minutes of recovery between sets). The number of intervals you perform per set can also vary depending on who is in your class and if they are accustomed to strength training (WITHOUT weights) on the bike. As you and your riders become more conditioned, advanced combinations of repetitions, duration and recovery can be used.

Start incorporating some on-the-bike strength training and help your riders develop the muscular fitness they need. Indoor Cycling is not just for Cardio anymore.

Originally posted 2012-01-12 10:55:13.

Rethinking Heart-Rate Training?

by John | Mar 1, 2026 | Big Box Instructor, Engage Your Students, Instructor Training, KEEPING IT FUN, Master Instructor Blog, Training With Power, Zone based Heart Rate Training

The computer industry has an acronym: G.I.G.O which stands for:

GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT

It refers to the idea that if your input data/information is inaccurate (GARBAGE IN), then any computations, using that inaccurate data/information can't be anything other than GARBAGE OUT.

Over the years I've come to believe that you should carefully consider G.I.G.O as it could apply to the Heart Rate & Power training you offer in your classes.

Spinning® Master Instructor Danielle Foster alerted me to this article: Three Reasons To Rethink Heart-Rate Training from running.competitor.com. While they don't identify G.I.G.O by name as the cause of their concerns, a quick read through their list shows, and I'm confident you'll agree, that's the case…

1. Fluctuations Do Not Correspond To Effort Levels

Perhaps the biggest limitation to heart-rate training is that many changes in your heart rate do not correlate to your fitness level. Sleep, stress, and dehydration can all raise or lower heart rate on any given day. As normal people with jobs, families, and otherwise busy lives, these outside influencers are common and can have a drastic affect on your heart rate readings.

“Sleep, stress, and dehydration can all raise or lower heart rate on any given day.” I don't know about you, but if I don't get enough sleep I can feel like >>> GARBAGE. So anything my HR Monitor or Power Meter shows me will be potentially inaccurate. Same goes for; stress, hydration levels, illness, training frequency / amount and also if you're in the doghouse… because you forgot your wedding anniversary.

2. Lack Of Concrete Data Needed To Establish Training Zones

Another inherent drawback to heart-rate training is how difficult it is to establish your max heart rate and the accurate training zones that result from that figure. While a quick Google search reveals a myriad of formulas to help you find your max heart rate, the problem with formulas is that they are based on an average. What if youâ€™re not average? Not only that, but is maximum heart rate really the best predictor of training zones?

Sally Edwards says using shoe size would be as accurate a predictor of maximum heart rate as any age predicted formulas. So what should you use to determine your training zones? If you're really serious, I'd take a graded exercise metabolic assessment. Yes they're expensive and you might have to travel a ways to find a provider.

What about a the 20 minute threshold field tests other's promote? They may work for the true endurance athletes in your classes. It's only after hours and hours of training that most have the fitness, and have learned to tolerate (and enjoy) the pain, that is working at threshold continuously for 20 minutes. Without either, your riders are probably not really finding their actual threshold HR or watts = G.I.G.O. Any zones they build from GARBAGE will be… GARBAGE.

Were always adding new members, so in case you missed (or haven't found) my series of posts from 2011. They describe why I don't feel long threshold field tests get the results we intend.

Is a 20 Minute Threshold Field Test realistic for your class? Part 1

Is a 20 Minute Threshold Field Test realistic for your class? Part 2

Is a 20 Minute Threshold Field Test realistic for your class? Part 3

Most of your riders don't really fall into that endurance athlete category?

Then I'd suggest you promote what ACE recommends. This video is best Zone Methodology for the Club Athletes that make up most of our classes.