How often do you introduce complete silence into your class?
Exhibit 13 -( Blue Man Group 8:50) is a 9/11 tribute. The first 4 minutes are quite somber, fading out for over 30 seconds of silence. What follows sounds connected, but very different in the emotion it communicates, building to a very intense finish.
I have found this song works very well at the end of a 90 minute class. Everyone is tired and during the first four minutes I will use the music to describe the pain and fatigue you feel at the end of a long climb or race. As the music tapers off I ask my class to lift their heads only to see that they have fallen off the back; no more sounds from the group we were with. During the silence I ask everyone to reconnect with why they are here today and decide if you are OK being dropped. The second half begins a sort of “re-birth” where everyone can find the energy to fight their way back, and not content to just reconnect, attack the finish.
This video only includes the front half of the song.
As is customary, I’ve opened my big mouth and am faced with the proverbial “put up or shut up”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one to trash talk and overstate my abilities. However, I am one that is always challenging others to accomplish things they think are bigger than themselves; to push past their own perceived limits and discover things about themselves they never knew. Sounds all good so far, but I have a basic life philosophy that tends to get me in trouble. To wit, I believe that whatever you teach, you should experience first. Consequently, all my challenges to others end up first putting me to the test.
Way back in January when our annual Winter Training Program kicked off, each participant was required to have a goal to train for. Goals ranged from doing a 50 mile charity ride to having 2 separate peaks during the race season. For me however, having just finished filming the Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen as a charity project for Livestrong, and watching some of the strongest riders I know struggle just to finish, that event seemed to be the logical choice. So I said it, I would train to complete – NOT COMPETE – in the Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen Race.
Starting this weekend, September 4th, I will have exactly 12 weeks to prepare for The Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen. I’m going to post my training plan (both Heart Zones® as well as Power Training), and pre-ride schedule on this blog for others in the Pittsburgh area who would like to train along with me. The training plan will provide some structure to follow even though we will train in different areas. Every 2 weeks I will take on at least 2 (or more) of the 13 climbs as part of the overall training plan as well. Exact times and dates will also be posted here so riders who want to share the pain can join me if they like.
Point of fact is: this IS a race. Point of reality is: only about 10 to 15 of the 180 riders that rode last year were strong enough to garner any points at all. The format of this “race” is that the entire field is together at the bottom of every hill, and then the organizer, Danny Chew blows the whistle (by the way, someone needs to buy him a new whistle this year, it was sketchy at best last year), and the first 5 riders to the top get points.
While a few supermen and wonder women surge to the top like they have hidden motors in their bikes, the rest of the field climb at varying speeds, with an inevitable group on every hill pushing their way if they can’t maintain at least 4 to 5 mph. In surveying the group last year, it was clear that a lot of the field were experienced amateur racers, and that this was not bringing out the average casual rider. So when I say people were pushing, and there are always people pushing, it does not mean they were weak or inexperienced riders.
The graphic above is from the training DVD we created (Global Ride Productions) from last year’s race. It is slated to be released in 2 to 3 weeks, just in time to mix up some great indoor cycling with the outdoor application. Stay tuned, as I will endeavor to keep this updated once per week as we head towards this epic event.
This article from Seth Godin speaks to what Jennifer and I discuss about the differences between being and Amateur, Hobbyist or a Professional Indoor Cycling Instructor in Podcast number 68
There are three stages of preparation. (For a speech, a product, an interview, a sporting event…)
The first I'll call the beginner stage. This is where you make huge progress as a result of incremental effort.
The second is the novice stage. This is the stage in which incremental effort leads to not so much visible increase in quality.
And the third is the expert stage. Here's where races are won, conversations are started and sales are made. A huge amount of effort, off limits to most people, earns you just a tiny bit of quality. But it's enough to get through the Dip and be seen as the obvious winner.
BPM control for all of you who teach to tempo and use an iPhone or iPod Touch.
Here's the newClass Builder iPhone App for Spinning Instructors. Tempo Magic Pro is a new iPhone app that allows you to change the BPM of your music on your iPhone, while it's playing. You old Group Fitness instructors all know what that slider is for on the CD player. Looking to add a little more intensity to a song? Adding a few additional BPM may be just what you need.
I saw Tempo Magic Pro at IDEA last month being promoted by Petra Kolber and Yes! Fitness Music. They didn't have a working demo at the time and I just got their announcement that it is now available. I downloaded (purchased $4.95) the app and am giving it a try. I hope to have more about this as I play with it.
Here's what I do know so far:
It sounds great! Changes to the BPM seem to have very little effect on the pitch. No chipmunks in your class 🙂
It takes a while for the App to analyze the music in your playlist. But then it appears to work without delay.
The change in BPM is gradual, without a sudden change that would disrupt the flow of your class.
It only works with unprotected files (AAC or MP3), not with protected AAC files – which is no different than MixMeister or any other music software
You can add individual songs or a complete playlist. You can control the BPM of each song as it's being played or set it to match all the songs at the same BPM.
You lose the “now playing screen” that shows time elapsed and you will need to use the volume control on the side of your iPhone.
You can move ahead or back from one song.
Tempo Magic Pro iPhone App is another toy for you to play with and for 5 bucks it is something you will want to try in a class. As I type this I am thinking of all sorts of ways I can use this… Strangle Hold (my favorite climbing song) is at 148 BPM so it has you pedaling at 74 RPM. What would happen if I slowly increased the tempo at the half way point? Or started it a little slower so they really add on the load?
What if you discovered, after struggling with a consistently small class, that the problem wasn't you or your teaching, but that people simply couldn't find your studio when searching online?
Now you may be thinking; “John, my studio has a web site.” “When someone Googles [indoor cycling class or Spinning class + your city] I'm certain we show up.”
You know what they say about making assumptions…
I teach for a large “Big Box” health club and I always assumed that they were great marketers. They would never make the simple mistake of not being Findable online.
So for fun I decided to try a search for myself. I Googled [Indoor Cycling Eden Prairie, MN] and the results floored me. None of my clubs showed up on the map Google showed. NOT ANY OF THEM! Just two bike shops. Please forgive me when I tell you that my initial reaction was WT_ is this!
Click here to see a map I made showing all the Indoor Cycling Studios missing from the results in Google from my little corner of the world. This isn't Google's fault. It's a complete oversight by my club's management and/or whoever is responsible for online marketing.
Now if I have you just a little curious, try this Online Findability Test on your studio or club…
Pretend you woke up this morning and decided to take your very first Spinning Indoor Cycling Class. Two questions you need answered are; “where can I find a class” and “what times are the class”
Most people nowadays will do a simple Google (or Yahoo or Bing) search for indoor cycling & the name of your town. Try it now and see what you find. If you also teach another format try that as well.
What did you find? A Map listing? Search results listing? Nothing?
If you did find your studio or club on the (hopefully) first page, click on the link and see where is takes you. Does it obvious answer those two questions; “where is it” and “what time is the class” ???
Leave me a comment with the results of your search.
Now many of you know that I'm all about solving problems for myself and other Fitness Professionals. So I have started a new blog and Podcast all about solving this problem of Online Findability for the studios where many of us teach.
Check it out at Fitness Studio Marketing if you are interested… or maybe forward the link to someone who has some work to do 🙂
How often do you introduce complete silence into your class?
