Engage Your Students
ICI/PRO is here to assists you in keeping your students engaged with the latest trends and recommendations from our teams and other members studios.
Shiny (sweaty) Happy People
Five million viewers of ABC's "Good Morning America" TV program were treated to a wonderful promotion for Indoor Cycling this past week. As I watched I just couldn't help myself and began humming REM's Shiny Happy People. That was exactly what I was seeing > hundreds of shiny, happy people enjoying riding inside. I can't think of a better way to kick off 2015! I'm of course describing the nationwide 2015 SoulCycle resolution ride that aired Jan 7th live on “Good Morning America. What a way to jumpstart January! SoulCycle joined Good Morning America today for its Resolution Revolution. We tapped it back on SoulCycle bikes in their dressing rooms and hallways as well as in Times Square – while GMA showed live feeds from Soul classes happening in Bethesda, Chestnut Hill, Coral Gables,...
A failure of leadership leads to anarchy and chaos in class
4/1/16 update - not an April Fools joke, rather I'm re-publishing this today to help a friend with this issue. I heard a very disturbing story this morning, from a regular in my 6:00am class. What follows is a sad example of what happens when an Instructor isn't the...
Indoor Cycling Shoes for Wide Feet
A member at our club asked me this morning asked me for a recommendation on a last minute Christmas present for her husband. She wanted to buy him some Indoor Cycling shoes, who she described as having "very wide feet". I know all about the challenges of...
A Good Reason to Come Back
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Chuck Cali “Indoor cycling instructors!! As you 'teach' your class this week ask yourself- am I using this time to effectively TRAIN these people or am I using every trick in the book to just be an 'entertaining distraction'?? And yes,...
Why not an Indoor Cycling class focused on improving creativity?
9/19 update - listen to my interview with Dr Wendy Suzuki about Creativity Indoor Cycling here. I know that whenever I'm feeling the need to get more creative, I'll attend someone else's cycling class. Typically Amy's Saturday morning Evolution class at Fife Time. Not...
How to Keep Crowds into February – Presentation by Shannon Fable of GroupEx PRO
Shannon Fable, Co-Founder and President of GroupEx PRO Group, has published this informative presentation directed at Instructors and studio owners/managers: How to Keep Crowds into February January is such a great time of year for Fitness Professionals, especially...
Teammates Melissa Marotta & Barbara Hoots to co-lead 6-Hour “Ride for a Reason”
Our very own Melissa Marotta & Barbara Hoots will be co-leading the 11th Annual Special Olympics 6-Hour "Ride for a Reason" on Saturday, March 19 in Burlington, Vermont. Joined by Spinning® Master Instructors Angie Scott and Anthony Musemici, Melissa and Barbara...
ICI PRO Podcast 368 – Does Intensity Trump Duration?
Do Indoor Cycling Classes really need to be 45-60 minutes - to provide the health and fitness benefits expected by our participants? Asked another way: If your studio offered classes that were shorter (say 30 minutes), while still just as effective as 3/4 or a full...
ICI Podcast 238 Meet Nerd Fitness Creator Steve Kamb
If you watched the free screening of the documentary; I'm Fine, Thanks, you met Steve Kamb. Steve's journey really spoke to me. He went from thinking; my dad's in sales, my mom's in sales, so I should go into sales... to I hate sales. I'm going to do something I'm...
Be the Leader they expect
"Thank you for saying something to those two girls. I can't tell you how frustrating it is for me to have to sit and listen to their mindless chatter while I'm trying to focus on my workout." It was yesterday and I had just finished subbing a class at one of the...
One Rider's Perspective of CHS Revolution in Charleston, SC.
Occasionally I'll see stories pop up where a class participant writes a review of an Indoor Cycling class he or she took. What makes this review noteworthy is that Bryan Ganey, the writer of this review, has lost an incredible 400 pounds and has written a book about...
Take a spin around the parking lot + how many watts to hang on?
I saw this last Tuesday and forgot to share it with you. Our club ride begins at the Minnetonka Lifetime Athletic Club. Better known as The Spa, this is a unique LTF facility. Definitely not a Big Box, this club began as a women only club before being purchased by...
Speak their Language: New Participants
I'd like to welcome Jennifer Lintz - the latest addition to the ICI/PRO Team. Jennifer is a registered dietitian and indoor cycling instructor from Rochester, MN. She will be contributing a series called "Speak their Language," focusing on specific populations of...
Happy New Year – 2018!
I spent the morning thinking of some overwhelming wisdom to impart for 2018. I thought about clever phrases that would sum up the entire 2017 in 4 words or less, and power phrases that would inspire us all to be better, stronger and faster. As I was doing this, I...
Motivation vs. Enthusiasm
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Joan Kent Do any of your students struggle with motivation? Have any of them missed classes, perhaps several in a row, because they “just didn”™t feel motivated”? For a number of years, I”™ve been an instructor/nutritionist...
ICI Podcast 200 Be The Instructor Your Students Can't Wait To See Again
For our 200th episode I wanted someone very special! Meet my friend Dr. Shannon Subramaniam who is someone you can't wait to see again. I asked Dr. Shannon to be my guest to discuss what Amy and I saw as the four traits that made us so excited to see her over and over...
Leading with Lollipops by Drew Dudley
I teach indoor cycling at multiple facilities in the Denver area but I spend most of my work week at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club. Greenwood is my "home club". This is where I'm a personal trainer, teach indoor cycling, HIIT (High Intensity Interval...
More observations from our students
This is getting to be a bit of a trend, people writing about their experiences in a Spinning class. Here's another from ChicagoNow.com called Spin Classes are Cool (for men too) Like we need to told that 🙂 I've been spinning since I stopped going to my...
Naked Indoor Cycling
I had forgotten how challenging it is to teach a completely naked Indoor Cycling class! I'm in Jamaica with Amy this week, teaching at Couples Tower Isle on a working fitness vacation. Jamaica is well know for sun, rum, Red Stripe beer, the clear blue ocean and a very...
ElliptiGO – could this be the next Big Indoor Cycling Thing?
Gary Hawkins from Ride Fit contacted me last week about a new virtual cycling training video he had produced. Except this video doesn't feature typical cyclists - it's designed for people who train indoors on an ElliptiGO. If you've never heard of an ElliptiGO you can...
Keeping It FUN … A Year Later
"Hello... My name is Karen and I stepped out of the box last year. I am also the self proclaimed spokesperson for KEEPING IT FUNâ„¢ Indoor Cycling. I”™m committed to helping other indoor cycling instructors who aren't afraid to approach indoor...
I'm Fine, Thanks
Something about this movie trailer moved me to the point where I made a donation to support the production of this film. It wasn't much, only $25, but as I begin year #51 it really spoke to me and I wanted to show my support. Maybe it was this quote, right at the end,...
If I can't ride in front…..
I won't ride at all.... John was talking with a neighbor friend after returning from a challenging group ride and invited him to ride along the following week. His response was, "I used to lead the A ride. I won't do it now, because I can't sit up front anymore."...
ICI Podcast 309 – learn to build your tribe from Lisa Druxman
As the fonder of multiple fitness programs for Moms; Stroller Strides®, Body Back® and Fit4Baby® - Lisa Druxman knows all about creating a Tribe of people passionate about a fitness business. Lisa Druxman created Stroller Strides in 2001 after the birth of her...
What to say about Armstrong?
I'm guessing that by now you've had members/friends/family/co-workers who recognize your passion for cycling and have asked you; "so what do you think/feel about Lance Armstrong?" They obviously don't have to explain their question any further... you already know...
Was she at your class?
What do your students think about your class? Do you really know what they are thinking after they leave for home? I found this post from Julie Erdmann at her Tri-ing to be Athletic blog. Julie's posts are a series of funny drawings that tell her story of her very...
Bring Heart Rate Training Into A School Near You
While most of us are focused on adult fitness, Sally Edwards and her Heart Zones company are doing some pretty amazing stuff with middle and high school aged children - using display training technology to motivate kids and get them active :)...
Solving Student's Technical Problems
Question from an ICI/PRO member: Hey john, I had a rider wearing a Timex HRM in class yesterday and it would not pick up her heart rate on the Keiser console of any of the bikes? It does work on other equipment in the facility (treadmills etc.) Is there a reason for...
Remove Resistance to Build a Larger Following
by Team ICG® Master Trainer Chuck Cali As I prepared to support ICG at IHRSA 2013, I considered the ICG tenet that learning is about removing resistance. I had just gotten back from a bit of Vegas shopping. A nice saleslady asked me what I was doing in Vegas and told...
Why Exercise Shouldn’t Be Just One Thing
Because I work in different fitness environments, I see different approaches to health and fitness. In one gym, the equipment and the personal trainers focus almost entirely on strength training. Cardio is secondary, and done while watching TV — with that level of...
Forgive me… I've forgotten your name
Back to business this morning at the "Spa" (Minnetonka LifeTime Athletic Club & Spa) after the summer break. Everyone calls it the Spa because it's full name is just too much of a mouthful, especially in the early AM. It's amazing how consistent (or maybe habitual...
Help your students have their best season ever with this video from Joe Friel.
This may be of value to you and those training endurance athletes in your class. Triathlon coaching legend Joe Friel, author of The Triathlete's Training Bible, gives you essential tools to have Your Best Season Ever. Topics in this presentation include- Goal Setting,...
Your riders come to see YOU and YOUR Smile!
There was an interesting question asked at one of the Facebook groups; If you were to tell a New Instructor to master one thing as an Indoor cycling instructor . What would it be ? There were a plenty of great responses that included; learn musicality, cuing, be...
People lie to you…
It's true. People lie to you. Now I'm not talking about lying to you in a malicious/manipulative way, I have this awesome bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you really cheap - or - she's a real peach, only driven to church and back by the gentlest 80 year old grandmother...
The Cycledelic experience
After attending ICI/PRO Conference 2010, Kathy Ehrlich-Scheffer and husband Matt were motivated to open their own studio. In her words, “to bring the best the industry has to offer to our riders.” And to her credit, she has done just that. Kathy and Matt opened...
Morning of the living dead class
Hate isn't the proper word... detest is a better way to describe my feelings toward my first Monday 5:45 am class after the Daylight Savings switch. Nothing more, just wanted to express that.
Pulling back the curtain on SoulCycle
Amy and I are in Santa Monica, CA this week for the MINDBODY Bold convention. I knew I would have a bunch of downtime and did a search for classes near our hotel. Imagine my delight at discovering a SoulCycle just a few blocks away 🙂 We attended a sold out class...
The TV's Too Loud… No it isn't… Yes It Is… Is not… Is too!
ICI/PRO member Kristin Krantzman makes an excellent point here in her comment, to my earlier post about sound levels. I have one student that really complains about the loudness of the music. She has tried wearing special noise protectors. She tells me that I am...
Have You Pleased Most?
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,...
Would you teach for SoulCycle?
I'm really curious how you would respond; would you teach for SoulCycle? But before you answer, imagine you had the following conversation at the end of your last class... A women approaches while you're collecting your stuff. "Hi [wlm_firstname]." "My name is...
ICI Podcast 284 – Meet 26 year old Cycling Studio owner Jessica Bashelor!
John, you absolutely need to interview this new customer of our's in Boston... she's only 25 years old and it sounds like her Indoor Cycling Studio is really doing well! I was talking with Gina Perrault from MINDBODY Online last month, at their conference in LA. I had...
ICI Podcast 334 – How do you track the effectiveness of your social media campaigns?
Social Media has grown to become the primary method of marketing for Indoor Cycling Studios. Which makes sense. Many of your prospective customers are active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - and you can't beat the cost. All it takes is posting a few pretty...
Flow
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas - The experience of flow remains one of the least-understood phenomena in training. Yet it”™s one of the richest, most memorable experiences we can help deliver to our students. Creating the circumstances though which...
Be The Instructor (Inspirer) Your Students Can’t Wait To See Again…A Lesson On Being Grateful
Thanksgiving is not just a holiday that comes once a year. Thanks giving can make every day of your life a holiday and you a celebrity! I will show you how. The most powerful thing that you can do to make your life (no matter what you are experiencing) the best that...
Teach Cycle-and-Row Like a Pro
If you”™re about to start teaching a class that includes both cycling and rowing, here are a few tips. Stay off the bike. To handle all the variables in a cycling/rowing class, you”™ll need to be on your feet, moving around the room. Will you warm up?...
That's not what they're singing dad…
Can I see a show of hands here? How many of you have sung along to a favorite tune for years, in the safety of your car/shower or (God forbid) over the Instructor Mic, only to learn that you have some of the lyrics completely wrong? Or looked at from...
Power, Part 3: Control and Power
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas Using power/watts conventionally in indoor cycling improves students”™ fitness. But it”™s the tip of the iceberg, a small projection of the immense power below the surface. Consider, instead, introducing the...
ICI Podcast 178 It Was Like Presenting at Indoor Cycling Graduate School
Between sessions last weekend Master Instructor Cameron Chinatti took me aside and told me how impressed she was with the quality of Instructors at the conference. Wanting for you to hear it first hand, I invited Cameron back for a post conference interview for the...
Zoning Success Story
If you've followed indoorcycleinstructor.com for any length of time you know that I'm a huge fan of the 2T/3Z method of Heart Rate training which is the basis for Zoning. That simple Blue/Yellow/Red response from my Blink Heart Rate monitor is (to me) the perfect way...
Happy New Year!
I spent the morning volunteering at the Life Time Fitness Commitment Day 5K run in downtown Minneapolis. It was the perfect morning to prove your commitment to fitness; sunny and 10° below zero... that's -10° Fahrenheit = painfully cold. That's why the smart people...
PRO Members in the news
I love seeing stuff like this! ICI/PRO member Joe Ducosin was the front cover model of our local community magazine - you look great Joe 🙂 Joe's Cycle Quest Studio runs a regular weight loss challenge and it was featured in this article; Southwest Metro Fitness...
Making effortless connections with participants
I love sharing anything created by public speaking expert Alexa Fischer. She has just published part one of a free video series. I just finished watching this 13 min video and felt you may enjoy learning how to move past the negative thoughts that could be holding you...
Inspirational Class Cycling Video featuring professional cyclist Liz Hatch
This 45 minute free video could make a splash in your next endurance class - especially if you have a large number of women participants. With so much of the sport dominated by men, I found this video featuring professional cyclist Liz Hatch refreshing. Yes guys, that...
Be The Instructor (Inspirer) Your Students Can’t Wait To See Again…A Lesson On Being Honest
The only attribute better to possess than that of being an encourager, is being an honest one. Honestly, it”™s true! I like to think that most people are honest, but sorry to say, that is simply not the case. Although I still like to believe it. J In a world...
GRIT Indoor Cycling is doing something right
Saw this posted on Facebook and just had to share it. The author, Victoria, is a triathlete, runner and fashion blogger at alltheshoesfit.com - she's also a raving fan of GRIT Cycle in Costa Mesa, California. TOP 10 SIGNS YOU”™RE ADDICTED TO YOUR SPIN...
Demystifying power for the runners in your classes
John, I'm still confused by this power stuff... where should I be riding? How many watts should I be seeing on my monitor, because I'm no where close to my body weight? I get questions similar to this frequently from members. My answers has evolved over time: I used...
Bring Some Extra Dimensions to Your Next Class
For years I have taught classes that were physically challenging to participants but when I started to bring more than the Physical Dimension of Wellness to my classes, MAGIC HAPPENED. Dr. Bill Hettler, the co-founder of the National Wellness Institute (NWI), created...
The Black Hole for Runners – and Cyclists
My friend Sally Edwards makes an excellent point here that applies equally to any endurance athlete and affirms our discussion from Podcast 368 — Does Intensity Trump Duration?. It turns out that very fast runs are good for you–and that moderately fast runs (those...
So, what's wrong with “winging it”?
After watching the presidential debate last night, I remembered this post that addresses the importance of being prepared. Originally posted on Oct 9th 2014. Many of us have been guilty of showing up for class and then just "winging it". But are we putting...
Taking the Indoors Outside
When a friend and I returned from a cycling trip in Croatia last June my IC classes were curious about the experience and I told them lots of stories. One day I mused “Now that we have done some hills in Europe I guess it”™s time to do the hills here at home....
Tabata = Effective? ACE says YES!
I just read a press release and accompanying article from the ACE - The American Console on Exercise PRO SOURCE magazine about their study to gauge the effectiveness of High Intensity Training (HIT). Is Tabata All It's Cracked Up To Be? “It seems like everything...
Multiple benefits to Indoor Cycling for Seniors
Guest post by Instructor & Studio Owner Pauline Geraci According the Administration for Community Living (ACL), people 65-plus represented 12.4 percent of the population in the year 2000 but are expected to grow to be 19 percent of the population by 2030....
Do Something that Scares You
By Jennifer Lintz, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and ICI/PRO Contributor Have you ever not done something because you weren’t sure you could? As instructors, I have a feeling many of us talk quite a bit about comfort zones (specifically, getting out of...
Susan and Bob
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...
The future looks bright for Indoor Cycling
My Monday morning (5:45 am) classes are always a JRA Endurance ride. My class looks forward to them as a foundational part of their weekly training. The combination of plenty of caffeine + a steady Aerobic effort gets the old brain cells working and the creative...
How You Sound – People Judge You By The Words You Use
I started writing this post with the idea of giving you some outside resources like this one: Many of us have heard these words as part of the advertising campaign for the self-help book Verbal Advantage: 10 Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary and although I haven't read...
What are your participants training for?
I need your help. Beyond fitness and weight management, many of the people in my class are training for some event this summer. Most are tied to a charity fundraiser. The MS 150 is a popular ride here in Minnesota, that happens in July each year. Could you ask your...
ICI Podcast 310 – Indoor Cycling at the University of Florida
Meet Dave Goss - Graduate student and Indoor Cycling Instructor at the University of Florida! While working on his music education graduate degree at U-Florida, Dave enrolled in the college's group fitness instructor development program. There he earned his AFAA...
Stop the Talkers – Step One… Identify The Real Issue
There's a recurring issue that keeps popping up on Facebook and Pedal-On forum: Does anyone have a suggestion about to do about the consistent talkers in my classes? They're really disruptive, but I don't what to offend anyone. What should I do? What follows are a...
Turned my class into a S>A>D support group
To my group this morning. "Hi, my name is John and I'm a SAD sufferer." "Hi John..." SAD as in Seasonal Affective Disorder It figures that the #1 response in Google would be this article from the Mayo clinic, which is located here in Minnesota. Seasonal affective...
ICI Podcast 358 Take your fitness studio's “tribe” on vacation with TripTribe.com
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...
Endurance State Of Mind
Question from a PRO member; Hi John, I hear you talk about your ninety minute endurance class and I would like to work up to a 90 minute class at our gym. Could you give me the details of how your class is structured for the 90 minutes? I have done some steady state...
Be the helper
Yesterday was devastating. I began to think that after the tragedy at Newtown, our country had finally hit its breaking point. I was pretty sure that violence had won and that more and more of these stories would be told. Today it seems I was right, and yes, it is...
Would adding a few Recumbent Indoor Cycles = a more inclusive class?
Would you agree that Indoor Cycles are a poor method/modality of exercise - for some populations? There's a long list of people who would never consider participating in our classes, or even riding an indoor cycle alone at home. There's a bunch of reasons: Physical...
Tour de Pier is back with a goal to raise $500,000 for cancer research!
Last year I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Sadvec, co-owner of Fit On Indoor Cycling Studio located in Manhattan Beach, CA. Michael shared with us his plans for their upcoming Tour de Pier, which was a big success! Tour de Pier is back again this year and...
Tri-Lingo 101 — Part 1: Common Triathlon Swim Terms
As an indoor cycling instructor, you”™re going to find a large percentage of your students dabble in triathlon, or engage in it as a serious sport. Either way, you don”™t want to be embarrassed by using the wrong triathlon-related words or terms in your class when...
Blink, Blink, Blink by Jay Duplessie
Blink, Blink, Blink …………………goes the clock on your VCR. Yep, I said it, VCR. It is mind boggling to me that I have children (ages two and four) who will never know a Tape Player, VCR, 8 Track, and possibly even a DVD. Technology moves fasters than the...
Movement On An Indoor Bike
While it may seem redundant to say, most indoor bikes do not move. Please, stop and think about that for a moment. We are not talking about forward motion or distance, of course an indoor bike does not move forward. But what about the other motions that are involved...
What's the best number of Heart Rate and/or Power Zones in our classes?
If your objective is to communicate (sell) the value of either Training With Heart Rate - or - Training With Power, teaching your class using Three Zones will be the most easily understood, accepted and remembered... here's why. The Rule of Three It's no accident that...
Protein Power: It’s Not Just for Muscles (Part 2 — Appetite Control)
Protein Power: It”™s Not Just for Muscles (Part 2 — Appetite Control) By Joan Kent, PhD, and Shawn Bevington Protein is used to make hormones, which are messengers in the body. They”™re produced in one part of the body and then distributed — through blood,...
Sugar May Make High-Fat Foods Seem More Appealing
A previous post covered ways that sugar can increase fat consumption. One way is that fat makes sugary foods taste sweeter. That may mean a sugar/fat combination tastes preferable to a sugar-only food, such as hard candy. Clients have told me that, when they eliminate...
THE FOUR AGREEMENTS
Principles to being a successful Group Fitness Professional You have your Mic on, your equipment is all set, you have new killer choreography, and your class is packed! You head over to hit play and start class… What”™s going through your head? For me personally when...
6 Odd Tips For Controlling Your Eating
This short post covers 6 relatively unknown — and odd — tips that can help us control how much we eat. Odd Tip #1: Hide Your Breakfast Cereal This first tip comes from Brian Wansink, PhD, who is well known for his work on food psychology and eating behaviors. His...
Protein Powder: What’s the Use Of It?
Frequently, I recommend protein powder to supplement dietary protein, but my clients aren't always sure exactly what to do once they have it. That”™s the topic of this post. Why Protein Is Important Protein has numerous functions in the body, starting with the obvious...
Should I Move More or Not?
Talking after class with members, is an infinite source of feedback for me. Today was a great example. My friend Georgia Green and her friend Mark were in class this morning. You met Georgia and learned about her and Mark's plans to ride 10,000 miles this summer...
ICI Podcast 342 – 2 PEOPLE, 2 BICYCLES, 2 DOGS, 1 TRAILER, 12 MONTHS, 10,000 MILES
Georgia Green is a regular participant in Amy and my cycling classes at Life Time Fitness. I'll never forget the first day she walked in > tall, strong, with a great big smile - she looks like a fitness instructor - and came right up to me, with her hand extended;...
I didn't know I sounded like that!
I'll let you in on my little secret. I edit many of my interviews. When my guest misspeaks, has a few too many ums/ahs/likes/you knows or they run off topic. They tend to say "stop" and then ask "please edit that out". Although I've been asked multiple times, I never...
You Don't Know What You Don't Know By Jay Duplessie
I'm sure I could list 10 or 20 clichés that everyone reading this could relate to, but I'm only going to do a couple. "If I knew then what I know now," and then one of my personal favorites in this genre "You don't know what you don't know." Being that this is only...
Milk: It Does a Body No Good
Clients ask me about lactose all the time. A brief survey of facts about lactose had to begin with milk. Many books and articles exist on the health problems associated with milk. They include breast, prostate and ovarian cancers; allergic reactions in infants; and...
Great Comment on Stop the Talkers — Step Three… Let’s Fix This Today!
Instructor Tom Lahoud left such a thoughtful comment on Stop the Talkers — Step Three… Let”™s Fix This Today! I felt it deserved it's own post 🙂 Take it away Tom >>>> Great post and well detailed. I appreciate all the great articles you post. The...
ICI/PRO Podcast 296 – You can develop a 1,000 Watt Presence with help from Alexa Fischer
My guest in this PRO Podcast episode wants to help you develop a 1,000 Watt Presence & express yourself brilliantly. It starts with "taking a personal inventory" of yourself interacting with and teaching your class. Listen as communication expert Alexa Fischer...
Be The Instructor (Inspirer) Your Students Can’t Wait To See Again…A Lesson On Being Passionate
Are you still as deeply passionate and in love with instructing as you used to be? If the answer is yes, good for you! If it is not, then good for you! You are about to be reminded of some things that perhaps you have forgotten. It was the spring of 1985 and I will...
Can Workouts Hide a Sugar Addiction?
“I don”™t understand. She trains well.” The program manager made that comment when a participant in our weight loss program didn”™t get results. I was both an athletic coach and the lead nutritionist. His comment exasperated me. Of course she trained well. She was an...
Give Your Cues a Makeover!
By Jennifer Lintz, Registered Dietitian and ICI/PRO Member Soigneur One of my colleagues recently asked me if I ever feel like a broken record on the instructor bike. Of course! I have definitely fallen into ruts where I find myself using the same cues over and over....
Rethinking Heart-Rate Training?
The computer industry has an acronym: G.I.G.O which stands for: GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT It refers to the idea that if your input data/information is inaccurate (GARBAGE IN), then any computations, using that inaccurate data/information can't be anything other than...
What's holding you back?
OK [wlm_firstname], What's holding you back? I had an 'aha' moment after last week's Sunday morning ride with the group which is going to tackle the Cabot Trail. All of these people started their cycling in my indoor classes so I have had an opportunity to observe...
In your haste to educate, are you completely missing the question?
As Instructors, our riders will often asked us questions about: insert topic here. Where we can get into trouble is by launching into a short/long/epic dissertation on the subject, often without fully understanding the whole question. My first sales job out of school...
What to do about Schwinn Triple Link Pedals?
I want to share this email exchange I had with ICI/PRO member Julie Zweck-Bronner. Hi John, You have said you teach at a facility that has the Freemotion bikes. I was wondering if that facility uses the pedals that came with the bikes or different pedals. We will get...
Over 80% raised their hands
The question I asked was "how many of you are training for something?" Over 80%, of a full class with 50 bikes this morning, raised their hands indicating that they were training for something... I wasn't specific as to what, only are you training? Even though this...
ICI Podcast 275 Follow Darcy Knoblich's Lead and Promote Yourself Online!
Meet Spinning® Instructor/Personal Trainer and Fitness blogger Darcy Knoblich! Darcy is doing a fabulous job connecting with participants and other instructors, while promoting herself online through her website darcyknoblich.com. I really enjoyed interviewing Darcy...
Are you the annoying type?
Are you annoying some of your current (or potential) participants? You know, rubbing those folks who are of a different/opposite personality type than yours the wrong way? I recently came to the conclusions that there's a good chance that I do at times - please let me...