This Podcast is was originally published on November 19, 2008, I have updated it with our new Podcast host information and I am representing it now. I hope you enjoy it, Joey
I met Paul Camerer, AKA Pink House, at the Heart Zones conference. We both were taking the level 1 Indoor Cycling certification course. Paul's birthday is December 26th and he will be 90 years old. That afternoon he will probably teach an Indoor Cycle class in his garage /studio or lace up the new running shoes he regularly wins at local 10K races. The guy is amazing and a real inspiration to everyone who meets him.
Here is an article all about Paul and his Pink House Studio!
That's Paul in between Dr. Carl Foster and Dr. Phil Skiba, MD
Listen to the Podcast below or subscribe using iTunes or Zune.
This week I have the extraordinary privilege to be working from my balcony in Punta Cana. I have never been to an all inclusive resort before, and it is quite the experience. The grounds are beautiful, you can go to any of the many restaurants or bars on the property, and there always seems to be a smiling face nearby ready to wait on your next need.
Last night we attended an outdoor band that was playing and there were six younger people that were hired by the resort to provide entertainment and get the crowd dancing etc… While all of them were great dancers, the lead young man was simply incredible. His feet were light and fast, and yet somehow thoughtful and deliberate. He was smiling from ear to ear, and seemed to be having as much fun doing his job as we were joining him on the dance floor. As talented at this young man was, one of his gifts seemed to be the ability to dance with a wide range of partners (guests that he would engage) and have them seem comfortable and loose. You could see the transformation in the people in only one minute: they went from thinking “oh, no, I can't dance with him, he is too good” to relaxing and enjoying themselves and then going back to their tables only to return to the dance floor with their spouse or partner.
It really got me thinking about customer service and how that impacts our industry and profession. Yes, being an indoor cycling instructor is, well at least should be, a profession. We have customers (riders) and it is really our job to guide them through this fitness experience that we have (hopefully) spent time and effort creating. In many ways, we should be presenting an image similar to this young man's for not just our riders, but all of those that are in the club or studio.
As with any great performer, his performance moved me, and has me thinking….Am I providing a high quality performance for my riders and most importantly, am I providing that experience to most of my riders or only just a few? As with most instructors, I have a core group of 10 or so people (about a third of the class) that seem to be in all of the classes I teach. They are all cyclists (they ride outdoors) and they work hard, they work very hard. They are inspirational to teach to and certainly in the midst of a very tough set they help to get me to the other side. But what about the other 20 or so people in that room? I am reaching them? Is my class actually fun and enjoyable, or has it become a 60 minute grueling experience?
I have often heard group exercise instructors talk about the class they just delivered and the gist of the conversation always seems to revolve around “killing” the people, or it being the “hardest” class they have had or something similar. Very rarely, if ever, do you I have pleasure of hearing about how they had the entire class pedaling to the beat and enjoying themselves. I am not sure that I myself have ever measured the success of one of my classes by the number of smiles I have seen on the participant's faces; but perhaps I should. Some, well really most, of my riders will never be on a triathlon course, so I should be mindful about training them like they headed there in three weeks.
So I challenge you, take a few moments and think about your next class. Are you providing great customer service? Are you including most of the riders, and not just your hardcore following? Are your riders having fun? As for myself, when I return I plan to taking the time to be sure that I am dancing with all of my customers, not just the cyclists!
Below you'll find Week 3 of October's @ or Above Threshold Keep it Simple and Progress indoor cycling profile.
Workout Basics:
4 minute warmup
15 minute benchmark ride to find “Maximum Sustainable Wattage”
2 minute recovery
6 x 1 minute interval w/30 sec recovery after each
2 minute recovery
12 minte interval at higher wattage than the 15 minute benchmark
2 minute recovery
3 x 1 minute interval w/10 seconds recovery after each
6 minute interval increasing intensity throughout
4 minute 40 second cool down
Workout Goal:
“Can you increase your average wattage for each of the long intervals and for each of the short intervals?”
4 minute warm up
Slowly and steadily elevate the HR or Wattage to above threshold
No recovery, roll right into the next interval
15 minute “Maximum Sustainable Wattage” Test
Settle into a sustainable intensity, HR or Wattage
Ride for 15 minutes and let the songs dictate the terrain
2 minute recovery
6 x 1 minute w/30 seconds recovery after each interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 1 minute in any position and with an RPM above 60
Complete the every interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
30 second recovery or reset
12 minute @ Threshold Ride
Settle into a sustainable intensity, HR or Wattage
Ride for 12 minutes and let the songs dictate the terrain
Try to finish with a higher average wattage than the 15 minute interval
2 minute recovery
3 x 1 minute w/10 second recovery after each goals and specifics:
Ride for 1 minute in any position and with an RPM above 60
Complete the every interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
10 second recovery or reset
5 minute interval goals and specifics:
Increase intensity every minute until end of song
Cool Down
[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge'].
Trainer Road Profile (If you're Trainer Road Member join my Team to get this and all profiles)
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I did a ton of traveling this past year. Visiting studios where I've been brought in to troubleshoot issues, attended multiple conferences (IDEA/IHRSA/WSSC) and I have lost count of how many dozens of classes I've taken as a participant in 2014.
When I take a class, as a consultant or participant, I pay attention to things many other's don't. Take for example Instructor cues directed at correcting form/position/techniques… they almost always come at the very beginning of class, during her/his initial introduction – never to be heard again.
Which is exactly the wrong time IMO > let me explain why.
Think about the last time you walked into a party, an important meeting or a new class at school. There's a good chance that you were consciously aware of your body language as you entered the room, right?
You want to project confidence, so you stand up straight and tall and walk with purposeful steps. Your chin is lifted and your gaze is focused across the room, not (hopefully) down at your feet.
Perfectly natural as most of us want to make a good first impression, when we meet with new or important people.
When we sit down in these situations, we tend to stay near the front edge of the chair. We smile and continue to display strong, erect posture while seated, that is as long as we stay focused on it.
Conversation requires us to concentrate on things other than what we look like. Over time we may tend to relax. When we do, we will start to soften our posture, drop our head & shoulders, slide back into the chair and slump slightly, rounding our once flat backs.
The same process occurs to the participants in your class.
The start of class is an exciting time for your participants. Riders maybe looking around at who's riding near them or watching the Instructor. Some will feel a touch of insecurity (how do I look on this bike?) that causes them to “preen” a bit when they realise others are doing the same and casting a critical eye on them as well.
In your next class watch for this, if you haven't noticed it already. You might see a few checking themselves out in the mirrors. Others are focused on the rider in front of them, as they try to appear disinterested – but many are and their body language gives them away. The first words you speak may cause a few to sit up a little straighter. Right now your class doesn't need any direction on form/position/technique.
Everything come crumbling down
I have to smile thinking back on family dinners when I was young. My dad was a stickler about not slouching at the table; “sit up Mac!” – my nickname – was a less than gentle reminder. It never came at the beginning when I was focused on looking like I was in the military, rather at some point later in the meal when I'd lost focus, interest, or was simply bored with the whole ordeal.
So when should you be cueing form/position/technique?
When you see that your class needs it. Pay attention to everyone during the recoveries. Are they reasserting themselves on the bike? Watch and you'll see this with many of your outdoor cyclists, as they gather themselves back after a hard effort. There's a lot of unspoken peer-pressure in a group ride and many cyclists have learned to fight through the fatigue and at least appear strong to those around them.
When you observe dropped heads, shoulders, elbows or rounded backs, this could be your cue to jump off and walk the room. I know for me personally, when the instructor is walking near me I will self-asses my form without them saying a word.
This is getting long so I'll save; When it is time to cue form/position/technique – what should I say?until next week.
It’s a given that different people come into our classes with different expectations, needs and goals. How can we as instructors/trainers accommodate their individual needs without alienating any single group?
Let’s take two hypothetical participants — Susan and Bob. They’re the same age, but Susan is interested primarily in weight management, arguably the most common fitness goal, while Bob is interested in getting stronger, fitter and faster on the bike because he rides outdoors frequently and races regularly. Can these two find happiness in the same indoor cycling class?
I’ve resolved this with a reasoning that works for me. First, I needed to define my professional role as I see it, which may differ from how the fitness industry sees it. As an instructor/trainer, my job is to create a situation and an environment in which members can experience the benefits of physical exercise, and nothing more. Which benefits these are will vary with the individual, and it’s important that I never assume what they could or should be.
Even though Susan tells me she wants to lose weight and Bob says he wants to race bicycles, I know from experience that what the members want is often far removed from what they need, regarding the benefits that training has to offer. Here’s an easy trap, though: I have to be careful not to presume to know what they need.
The goal-oriented approach to training has a built-in limitation. I have known many members who, after 10 years of trying to “get something” out of exercise (e.g., weight loss), were frustrated and disheartened. Maybe they had some limited success from time to time (that I even helped them achieve), but it didn’t last.
If a workout session has to produce a result, you have a paradigm for unhappiness. Instead, my current approach is to create a training session that allows a person to get whatever he/she needs from the workout without interference on my part. I keep in mind that the average member will not understand this approach right away, so the training has to be about something they can understand and offer them some fundamentals of training.
So I teach indoor cycling. This is because the bike has brought balance to my life. It has been a source of both hardship and delight, but the practice of cycling has made me happier. I look forward to riding my bike, whether indoors or out, every day.
I explain early on that I will ask them to ride as if they were riding a real bike outdoors because there are excellent reasons for everyone to train that way, no matter who they are: greater enjoyment of the class, for example, and good technique that will prevent them from wasting energy, so they can apply the energy to creating power. (The last point will clearly help Bob, but it helps Susan as well. The stronger the trainings make her, the more power she can generate, and the more calories she’ll burn.)
Now my job in class is simple: Teach the bike. Completely. Offer my students structured trainings that have helped me and never assume what they need. If it’s in my heart to lead a training on riding big gears in the hills, that’s what I do. What the students get, they get, and I don’t over- or underestimate my influence on it.
Sure, a student with a specific goal may need individual attention. If Susan really wants to lose weight, I can make recommendations and/or referrals. The same goes for Bob. My job as an educator is to show them how to modify what I teach — which is a valuable skill they can use in any class they may take in the future. I offer suggestions but recognize that this is their path. I can’t overshadow it with what I think they should do with, or gain from, their training. That’s not my job and would be a misuse of the trainer role.
