Master Instructor Blog

It can be intimidating and awkward to instruct an indoor cycling class when not on the bike.  Our bike seat can become a security blanket — a comfortable, happy place.  However, getting off the bike and mingling with our riders can enhance their experience and allow...

It’s like trying to drink from a fire hydrant! During the weeks of September we were focused on improving our instructor and coaching skills.  Articles were posted on how we look, sound and feel as we lead our classes. We were already bubbling with info, thoughts and...

In my last article I focused on the implications of making adjustments to the drivetrain (seat height, fore-aft, tilt, etc.) to compensate for issues and limitations surrounding the upper-body and cockpit. Drivetrain … Cockpit….. are these “technical” terms in the...

By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas My thanks to everyone for the numerous responses to my post last week on the Commoditization of Indoor Cycling.  As captured by those responses (Chuck”™s in particular), differentiation is the strategy necessary for...

By Team ICG® Master Trainer Chuck Cali In the movie A League of Their Own, the coach, played by Tom Hanks, confronts player Geena Davis as she quits just before the World Series because, “It just got too hard.” The coach”™s reply is a memorable rant that ends...

We talk a lot about becoming more than just instructors in our indoor cycling classes.  We want to be coaches.  We are coaches!  I”™ve spent the last 20 years coaching riders and teams on the road and half that indoors.  Anyone who has taken one of my classes...

As an athletic coach, nothing bothers me….OK, “ticks me off” more than when legitimate methods of training are misused.  It blatantly demonstrates a lack of knowledge and professionalism.  Unfortunately, this tendency is rampant in the fitness industry, which has thus...

Indoor cycling has had a reputation of being a good cardiovascular workout. And that is absolutely true. However, when an aspect of any activity is touted vigorously, the reputation that is created can become definition. Even a recent indoor cycling certification...

By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas Video impacts Indoor Cycling more than any other form of Group Fitness. With the advent of Forward-Motion Video (FMV), the indoor cycling instructor can integrate the video into the ride profile for the day”™s class....

Take out the lights, put on some make-up and setup the cameras. You are about to be the star of your next class.  Since joining Cycling Fusion, I”™ve been thrust into the world of video and spend more time in front of a camera than I like. Between our digital classes,...

We know it is safe to keep both feet attached to the pedals and simply focus on one leg at a time, but is it safe, and should we unclip one foot to perform pedal stroke drills in our indoor cycling classes? To stay on point I’m not going to discuss if and why 1-legged...

[plulz_social_like width="350" send="false" font="arial" action="like" layout="standard" faces="false" ] Not sure how you”™d construct an experiment on this one If you”™ll recall from Blog post #5, we are doing our best to stick to “The Scientific Method” as we...

Some may say I”™m all work and no fun. Oh, come on! What can be more fun than final exams? Although this time of year is loaded with holiday parties and a time to take a well-deserved break from training structure, it is also a great time to determine our conditioning...

By ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas Last week”™s post covered variations in intervals and ladders.  This week”™s covers variations in pyramids and steady-state workouts. PYRAMIDS A pyramid is a training technique that is essentially two ladders back to back, one...

The cadence or speed at which we pedal has a large impact on the type of workout we will receive.  Maybe larger than we think.  Often times, the only thing that separates one workout from another is leg speed.  This 4 part series will explore different ways cadence...

In my last article entitle “Make Recovery Work” we looked at how we as instructors can efficiently use recovery time to our advantage.  Two of the main points were to use recovery as a time to provide instruction to prepare our riders for what is ahead and as a way to...

By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas Every day, countless products, services, and people provide us with positive or negative experiences. Not long ago, one of my students confronted me to let me know that she was annoyed and frustrated with a substitute instructor...

By Team ICG® Trainer Elliott Bringman Growing up cycling and swimming, I never knew that without a flexibility regimen, the muscles would tighten more and more and, cumulatively, end up rigid. Rigidity, in the long run, decreases range of motion, which is detrimental...

(A PEP TALK — because we all need some empowerment from time to time) Although I thought I would be preaching to the choir on this topic, I believe we need to stay inspired as much as anyone. We are the ones using all of our energies to change the face of indoor...

The look on Tom Scotto's face says everything! That's real mountain climbing, at Threshold, in Spain. Tom was in Spain last week with Gene Nacey to film another in the series of Global Ride Indoor Cycling DVDs If you have a few minutes I encourage you to watch the...

My approach to indoor cycling has always been to bring the qualities of cycling outdoors into the indoor cycling studio.  On one hand, there are the general qualities of fitness and condition that everyone enjoys, cyclist or not. However, there are definitely...

ICI/PRO member question from ICI/PRO Podcast #203 Cycle Strong Audio PROfile What exactly should the "openers" in the warm-up consist of? In Tom's "Getting Started with Intervals" audio profile, he described them as 30 seconds of maximum effort followed by 30 seconds...

Last week I was asked to sub a couple of classes for another instructor and friend.  It was at a club that I used to teach at and where I still knew a number of the members.  I always like teaching at this particular club because the riders throw out some good energy...

By Team ICG® Master Trainer Jim Karanas We”™re not wired to seek out pain.  Human evolution developed and adapted a neurological system and sensory perception for reducing pain and seeking pleasure. Easy-to-moderate cardio conditioning is of a manageable...

As I hit the streets after teaching at one of my downtown clubs, I bumped into a friend of mine who appear to have been run over by a car.  She had a large gym bag clawing at her shoulder with cycling shoes peeking out of the end pocket.  The bag apparently weighs...

So I decided to lead my first virtual ride this past week.  In my true style, I didn”™t just try it in one of my classes but at all 5 clubs.  I like to just throw myself into things so I can learn and experience while the iron is hot.  For those not familiar...

If you are one of those instructors who loves to bring the experience of riding outdoors to your indoor riders, now is the time to get them excited.  Give them a taste of the Tour de France and introduce them to some of the fun we enjoy during this special time of...