John and I had the opportunity to take a Saturday cycle class at the Scottsdale Life Time Fitness this past weekend. I always learn so much when I take another instructor's class and this was no exception. It was a super high energy class with a very interesting playlist- consisting of YouTube videos…David Bowie (one of John's favorites), Pat Benatar, Poison, Brittney Spears, Usher, you name it. What a great idea! I also picked up some great cueing verbage along the way.
But what really hit me came after class was over. We liked the class, and the instructor, so much that we wanted to talk with her when it was over and possibly interview her for ICI/PRO (we haven't been turned down yet!) She was busy talking with people after class and had others waiting, so we (along with two members) just hung out and waited….and waited….and waited…you get the picture. The two members left and then finally we did to when we saw she wasn't going to disengaged herself from the original people she was talking to.
The “take away” from this is that we need to be very aware of who is waiting to talk with us after class and manage our time so that we can acknowledge each of them. We never know what opportunities await!
Here's Tom Scotto with part #1 of YOUR Numbers, his first Audio PROfile as a part of our ICI/PRO team!
Although the ultimate focus of this PROfile is on training with power, those of us without Keiser M3's or the new Schwinn AC cycles will still benefit from Tom's guidance.
PROFILE DESCRIPTION
Experience and “Start” to learn YOUR numbers. The ride provides an opportunity to explore the
affects of cadence, heart rate and power (watts) and learn how to use these “training tools” that
are becoming available on indoor bikes. It will also identify strengths and limitations and the
ability to measure progress.
OBJECTIVE AND INTENSITY
The objective of this profile is to allow riders to get acquainted with some of the more important numbers on their indoor bike computers: Cadence, Heart Rate and Watts (Power). It is essential that we stress that riders should focus on “their” numbers and not the person next to them. They should avoid comparing themselves to others. There are numerous factors that will affect each of these numbers including strength, neuromuscular speed, aerobic fitness, form, fatigue, injuries, and body weight. Have them first learn what their numbers are and become aware of how a different focus or approach will affect these numbers. Then they can use them as a guideline for “their” improvement and development. Riders can experience a wide range of intensities depending on how hard they push during each effort. The drills that utilize leg speed have the greatest potential for increasing the heart rate exponentially. The better and more developed a rider’s pedal mechanics, the least the cadence ranges will affect/raise heart rate.
NOTE: Even though cadence, heart rate and power all affect each other, these drills are designed to only have riders focus on 1 or 2 number at a time so they don’t become overwhelmed. Once riders get accustomed to what the numbers mean, additional complexity can be added for a bigger picture. The format of each drill is also simple for the same reason. Observe more, think less.
This is part #1 – ICI/PRO members will find part 2 tomorrow in the Super Secret Feed as Podcast # 141 as well as the .pdf Audio PROfile download.
Here is Tom Scotto's first post in his official capacity as a Master Instructor here at ICI/PRO –
Indoor cycling instruction keeps progressing and improving and so do the bikes we ride. Today, many of our indoor bikes have more than the ability to add and remove resistance. Bikes are now providing us with cadence, heart rate, power, time and a host of other measurements to guide our rides and training. So I thought it would be good to talk about what these numbers actually mean and get some response from our knowledgeable community about experiences you’ve had or ways you’ve incorporated these tools into your classes and teaching.
“KILLER” Calories
OK, they are really not “Killer” calories but that is how is sounds much of the time when I hear people talk about it. We are referring to kcal. This is a scientific abbreviation for kilogram calories or kilocalories. It is generally used to indicate a “small calorie” or gram calorie. When written properly, it is presented with a lowercase “c” as in “cal”. However, like many things we try to understand these days, the inconsistency of how it is display and how it is calculated can create more confusion. So, by its original definition, kcal is 1000 “small” calories or simply a Calorie (note the uppercase “C”).
Without nose-diving into a verbose science lesson (which I’m not qualified to give), kcal or Calories is simply a measurement of energy needed or required. In science terms a kcal represents the approximate “energy” needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. So on the bike kcal is simply a measurement of how much “energy” we are generating.
So how does the bike know this? Enter the joule.
Since these bikes are also calculating power output (watts — we’ll talk about that in another post), a joule is the measure of energy from the amount of force (mechanical work) required to move an object. Joules can be converted to calories (1 joule equates to 0.2389 calories or 0.0002388459 kilocalorie) – YIKES!!!!! Let’s just say that with my math skills, I’m glad computers can figure this stuff out.
Enough of that Brain Twisting — Is kcal Useful or Accurate?
In a “very” general sense 1 kcal = 1 calorie, but it is better to think of this as the energy that you produced during your ride rather than how many calories your body burned while riding. Here are some factors that affect the true conversion from 1 kcal to 1 Calorie:
(1) Muscle Mass
A person with a higher percentage or body fat will usually burn LESS calories than a person with more muscle mass. Since body fat percentage affects a person’s metabolism, it will affect how much it will cost them (energy) to do a certain amount of work.
(2) Fitness Level
A person who has a greater fitness level will more likely burn LESS calories than someone who is not as fit for the same amount of work or activity. Hence the benefit of training and adaptation.
(3) Body Weight
A person that has more body weight may require LESS energy to push (move) a certain workload (force) than an smaller, lighter person.
(4) Mechanical Efficiency
A rider with good form, posture and technique will fight the mechanics of the bike LESS and may achieve the same output with LESS effort of energy expended.
Because of all the possible variations and factors, it is best to use kcal as a “personal” benchmark. If you generated 500 kcals during a certain ride or training focus, you can try to replicate this on a future ride or try to exceed it. Use it to measure your progress or gauge how hard you may be working during a given class. Just remember, that different pieces of fitness equipment may not calculate kcal the same. This may be due to the mechanics of the equipment (treadmill vs. bike) or because they may include additional measurements (like body weight) into the calculation. Consider each piece of equipment its own animal and use kcal an estimation of how much energy one workout required compared to another.
Tom at the ICI/PRO conference - Cycling Fusion photo
Tom Scotto has been a welcomed (but infrequent) contributor here at indoorcycleinstructor.com for the past two years. He impressed all of us at the ICI/PRO conference last fall. I think it was Amy who said “beyond his incredible knowledge as a USA Cycling Coach and his charming personality, Tom just looks good on a bike” 🙂
Tom will now be contributing articles and engaging with our community on a regular basis. During my recruitment call with Tom, he admitted he had multiple Audio PROfiles bouncing around in his head. Tom and I are committed to recording them for our ICI/PRO members to enjoy, starting this weekend!
But it doesn't end there;
Tom also has a stable of USA Cycling Coaches that work for him at Stage 5 Cycling. They all are accomplished Indoor Cycling Instructors / presenters as well. Tom has promised to bring these talented people to ICI/PRO, offering us more diversity than ever before! Take a minute and visit http://www.stage5cycling.com/ and you will begin to understand why I'm so excited I can hardly type this…
Oh, I almost forgot this part:
MORE VIDEO TRAINING RESOURCES ARE COMING!
Audio works great for Podcast Interviews and communicating information via our Audio PROfiles, but not so great for helping you learn Presentation Skills, displaying and demonstrating proper form/techniques and some people just learn better when they can watch what's being described.
There are multiple reasons we haven't had more Video PROfiles and training Videos:
Video is more difficult and time consuming to produce.
You need a studio that works (lighting and sound)
We all know how hard it is to teach an energetic class with only a few participants. Finding willing participants, at the right studio, at the right time is maddening to coordinated.
Then there's a huge licensing liability of publishing a video without the rights to use the music – and I don't see videos without music as being very appealing … or useful.
I interviewed Tom Scotto at the Cycling Fusion Keystone Summit - Cycling Fusion photo
Enter Cycling Fusion to the rescue! They operate the Global Ride Studio where they are regularly produce Indoor Cycling Class videos, with a room full of students, using fantastic music that they have license to legally use. Just ask Amy or Leslie Mueller, they both loved the music used for the class videos they did there. I personally can't wait to watch them 🙂Cycling Fusion will be producing special Video PROfiles, on a monthly schedule, for our ICI/PRO members.
When we were investigating locations for the ICI/PRO Conference last spring I looked at what venues other Fitness Conventions were using. Long story short, I got to know Sara Kooperman who is the founder of the SCW Mania conventions. Beyond being a very successful business women, Sara is also a sought after speaker and fitness presenter.
Sara regularly presents her Guaranteeing Instructor Excellence in Your Facility workshop. I felt that a portion of this presentation would be of interest to you. D.R.I.L.L TO HELP US CUE AND BE CREATIVE
CREATIVITY by focusing on:
Direction
Rhythm
Intensity
Lever
Length
CUING: We are translators, people learn in different ways
Police will hear Direction
Musicians will hear Rhythm
Psychotherapists will hear Intensity
Lawyers will hear Levers
Accountants will hear Length
In the introduction of this episode Amy (the senior Group Fitness Instructor at ICI/PRO) describes her trip to the Global Ride Studios to film a number of Indoor Cycling classes for Cycling Fusion.
This Free Podcast is provided to you through a sponsorship from our friends at CyclingFusion.com
Listen to the Podcast below or subscribe for free using
Last year, you joined us as we broke a Guinness World Recordâ„¢ with the largest cycling class ever. On March 6, we're doing it all over again. Saddle up and join us in this high-energy ride into history!
This year's event will be held from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the St. Paul RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul. The class will be led by Bahram Akradi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Life Time Fitness.
The Ride of a Lifetime is exclusively for Life Time members and their guests. All participants must wear a 2011 Life Time Cycle Club jersey, which is included in the cost of registration.
All net proceeds of this event will benefit the Life Time Fitness Foundation, which is currently focused on improving the quality of children's nutrition in school.
Here is the video I shot from last year if you didn't see it.
