Our Cycling Studio Owners will want to check this out ASAP…
For years we've promoted Working Fitness Vacations – where you, the Instructor, teache a few fitness classes in exchange for a very low cost, Caribbean vacation. Hundreds of Instructors have followed our recommendations and have really enjoyed their all inclusive vacations.
Now there's TripTribe.com. They specialize in assisting fitness professionals who want to take a group of clients (your tribe) on a fitness retreat. For leading these trips you, the Instructor, will be paid as the Trip Tribe Ambassador!
To learn the actual scoop on these trips, I asked the marketing representative at Trip Tribe if she'd connect me with an Ambassador that I could interview…
Coach Kelly McCormack owns Club Inhale Exhale in Billerica, Massachusetts. This past May she traveled with a group of her clients to a ranch in the mountains of Costa Rica. It sounds like everyone had a great time and best of all, the check TripTribe.com sent her at the conclusion of the trip paid all of her expenses🙂
Listen to my interview with Kelly to learn if this would be something you could do with your tribe.
TripTribe.com offers dozens of exotic locations across the world, in a wide range of pricing, including;
Go here and create a free profile. Spend some time working with their retreat planning wizard to get an understanding of the possibilities. Then I'd encourage you to call and discuss your ideas for a group trip with one of their advisors.
New to Podcasting? What's with this Subscribing thing?
Once you subscribe, iTunes will check each day to see if I have posted a new Podcast. If I have, iTunes will automatically download it so it's ready for you to play or transfer to your iPod. It's easy.
Barbara Hoots and I discuss how you can grow your Indoor Cycling classes using the same techniques she has successfully used to grow her own Spinning classes.
SIX WAYS TO GROW YOUR CYCLING CLASS
1. Create an Ambiance which allows students to disappear from the real world. Paint the walls dark, add mood lighting to enhance the mind body connection, LED candles, draped fabric along the walls for sound absorption, etc.
2. Treat your class (and students) as if they were coming to your home for a dinner party.
Use warm lighting, background music playing, perfect air temperature, clean, clutter-free environment, instructor first to arrive to greet students as they enter, make introductions so everyone feels welcome, etc.
3. Pass out Free Multi-Class Passes and brochures describing the musical styles of various instructors at your facility. The rule in our gym: As long as there is an empty bike, there is room for friend. Bring friends. Create a vortex of energy using people who are excited about the class and like each other. Students should have passes to give out to their friends and relatives. A brochure describing the class and a brief description of each instructor's musical style, students will FIND the class they connect best with. For example, I play alternative, progressive tribal, trance. Another instructor may use Big Hair Bands from the 80's and hip-hop. A third could use dance diva's and top 40. Music is the first judgment made about your class. Don't lose members over music – provide knowledge beforehand so everyone can enjoy the ride.
4. Donate charity rides for fundraisers in your community.
Find a local charity benefit (Cancer, schools, etc.) and donate a private indoor cycling ride for 50 (or the limit of bikes you have). A silent auction bid will usually generate interest, as it can be marketed as a group ride to celebrate the end of a cycling/sports team season or even a birthday party! Provide iced cold adult beverages after the ride and photos. Follow up with a press release in your local newspaper as a fundraiser for (name of organization). Charity rides work best on Thursday or Friday evenings.
5. KNOW your audience. While as an instructor your must be passionate about your music, yet be aware of your audience. If you have some young guys who are ripped animals, use mixes of Nine Inch Nails or heavy beats by Crystal Method. Any instructor who has students that arrive to class wearing their iPod means simply put, “Your music is awful.” NEVER criticize the student….it's your job to connect to the class via music.
6. Reward your students. After completing 6 classes, students receive a black Spinning sticker to place on their bumper. It's not only a sign of pride, but great advertising as well.
and always say thank you. Remember, respect the time of your students – they are busy people and should never wait on you. As in instructor, you are the first to arrive and the last to leave. Make your room warm, inviting, nonjudgmental, and watch your classes soar.
I have always been a fan of cycling videos in my Indoor Cycling classes. I tend to do a fair amount of my low zone work inside, even during the summer months, on various indoor bikes or trainers and I totally love the distraction. Bike-O-Vision was a fresh new take for me in that the videos do not have cyclists or any type of dashboard. This is truly just eye candy to get your mind off of the hours of work that you have ahead. The creative inspiration of Jan Hunter is evident in the videos that he produces and they have over 71 titles.
Additionally, Bike-O-Vision has recently release their streaming service on Vimeo which is an amazing way to try their products and always have fresh scenary on hand.
Your students are looking to you for help reaching the gateway.
This Podcast is was last published on May 7, 2017, I have updated it with our new Podcast host information and I am representing it now. I hope you enjoy it, Joey
How can you tell if your Indoor Cycling students ready to move outdoors and confidently tackle some reasonable climbs?
Gino Nacey says they need to be able to sustain One Watt of Power Per Poundof body weight. Gino sees this as a key measurement of fitness and we discuss how to get your students to this level of power with his new Power Training eBook for Indoor Cycling Instructors. Listen to the Podcast below or subscribe for free using
This Podcast is was last published on Feb 12, 2010, I have updated it with our new Podcast host information and I am representing it now. I hope you enjoy it, Joey
If you can measure it you can improve it. That's a big part of Indoor Cycling 2.0 where we use measuring tools to help us improve physically. When I saw that there was a device that can measure both the quality and quantity of sleep you get I had to know more about the Zeo Sleep Monitor.
The people at Zeo Inc. introduced me to The Sleep Doctor, Dr. Michael Breus and he joined me to discuss how your sleep can be improved and with it, your athletic performance. They were kind enough to provide me with one of their sleep monitors to use and I will posting my observations in the future.
Listen to the Podcast below or subscribe for free using iTunes
