Technology can be a great thing for our classes – as long as all of your Instructors have been trained to use it properly.
I'm seeing a bunch of clubs and studios having enormous success with performance data tracking and display systems. These systems connect to the consoles all of the new Indoor Cycle's with power and then display the information on a big screen + send out those informative emails that your participants love to receive.
Unfortunately some studios and/or Instructors aren't having the same amount of success. During many of my consultations with studio owners, I'm hearing them say that they would have appreciated (and benefited from) more in depth Instructor training, i.e. exactly how do we integrate these systems into an actual class?
So when I was at IDEA this past Summer I was encouraged to see that Schwinn Indoor Cycling has developed specific education, for the use of their Schwinn branded version of Performance IQ 🙂
To get the low down on what they are offering I invited Schwinn Indoor Cycling's Director of Education, Julz Arney, join me to discuss their education and get her thoughts on Best Practices for using Display Training.
During this interview Julz mentions that she would provide everyone with a PDF of her 10 Best Practices for using a Display Training system – here's the link to download it.
Would your club or studio benefit from additional Instructor training, regardless of the brand of cycle you're using? ICI/PRO has an experienced team that is available to provide intensive Instructor training at your location – please contact us and we can schedule a call to discuss your needs and see if we can help. We can also help you with decisions regarding Indoor Cycles, website design and performance data tracking and display systems.
This weeks ride is from Joey! – “This ride was fun to put together. You will recognize all of the music, and be tempted to sing along with most of it. This is a really hard ride. Normally, we structure endurance rides to begin with a higher cadence so that it first stresses the cardio vascular system and then the muscular system. The theory behind this is that the cardio system recovers fairly quickly where the muscles take more time. In this weeks ride, we begin with the muscles and then work toward the cardio, so you will carry the fatigue with you through the ride. Good luck and have fun.” Joey
This maybe an option to adding cadence/RPM to any conventional Indoor Cycling Bike
Teaching to a room full of new Indoor Cycles with power & cadence monitors is awesome, if your club has made, or is ready and willing to make the investment. So what are the options for adding metrics to conventional cycles like the Star Trac Spinner® Pro, NXT or those made by Schwinn and others?
Let's get this part out of the way. At this time there is no, known option to add a power meter (that displays watts) to any Indoor Cycle that wasn't designed with power as an option. I get that question a lot.
How about a speed/distance meter? Nope. You can't accurately measure speed and/or distance by measuring the rotations of the flywheel.Could you install a bicycle computer and would it display something like speed/distance? Yes, but what you're seeing is nonsense. Years ago I watched my club add cheap bike computers to our NXTs in preparation for an indoor triathlon. It was comical to watch everyone spinning away like hamsters on crack, trying to reach their required distance. Please don't waste your time or money on this.
What can be added is a cadence (RPM) meter to display a riders pedaling speed. Not the same as power/watts, but it would make a big improvement to your class and simplify your cuing. I've talked to dozens of instructors who really aren't interested in teaching to power… but they almost all appreciate cuing to RPM and having everyone seeing their cadence.
Your options for installing a cadence meter to an indoor cycle are:
Wired Cadence Computer (NOT Recommended) – you'll need to run the wire down to the sensor added to one crank arm and the computer either needs to be attached to the cycle's frame (because the handlebars move) or you'll need to leave a bunch of cable slack so you can raise the bars. Looks tacky and I guarantee someone will rip off the wires no mater how carefully you route them.
A wireless cadence sensor used with an iPhone or Android device. The picture at the top of this post shows the Wahoo Cadence Sensor which works with any of the dozens of free cycling Apps. Installation couldn't be easier > you just stick it on one crank arm and pair it to your phone. There aren't any magnets. This might not be the best option for a studio, but would be perfect for anyone training at home.
Speaking of Wahoo – I hear they are coming out with their new TICKR HR Strap – a Heart Rate strap that transmits both ANT+ and Bluetooth. Why this is important is your iPhone/Droid doesn't pickup ANT+, only Bluetooth. In the past you'd need to purchase a Wahoo ANT+ Key, a “Dongle” to plug into your device to read ANT+ signals. It's supposed to be out in a month or so and I'll let you know if you're on our newsletter list. You can join for free if you aren't.
This ride is from Gene!! – “PLEASE: Listen to the podcast of Gene delivering this ride at www.indoorcycleinstructor.com (ICI/Pro). This class is a mixed class that was pretty hard. I hope you enjoy this ride as much as I enjoyed riding and recording it.” Joey
This ride is from Joey!! – “PLEASE: Listen to the podcast of Joey (me) delivering this ride at www.indoorcycleinstructor.com (ICI/Pro). This class is focused on explosive power with some seated and standing strength that is primarily used to pre-exhaust the legs for the explosive sections. I hope you enjoy this ride as much as I enjoyed riding and recording it.” Joey
This ride is from Gene Nacey!! – “This week’s episode of The Weekly Ride was an amazing pleasure for me; I was able to take, and record, Gene Nacey delivering this weeks ride, which he authored.
As an instructor, I find that I have very little time to get out an take classes that I am not delivering. But when I can break free for a class, it is a pleasure. As many of you may know, Gene and I have been friends, and business associates, for years now, and getting to take one of his classes is a rare treat as when we are together at a studio, we are usually working.
This class was an interval based ride design, and boy was it hard. As always, use your discretion when cueing intensity and tension. Gene delivered this ride using Keiser Bikes, so you will hear him refer to “gears” but you can certainly cue tension without the gears you need to.
Remember, you can get the full PDF of the ride choreography, the Apple Music and Spotify playlists, and the downloadable file to put all of the cues into MyFitnessDJ, as well as the link to purchase the class for iClass Builder at indoorcycleinstructor.com. There is no other monthly service out there that does as much for you, the instructor.
I hope you enjoy this ride as much as I enjoyed riding and recording it.” Joey
