I get a lot of "Dear John" letters.
SoulCycle doesn't offer Indoor Cycling "classes" so much as they offer Indoor Cycling "productions" where the participants (if they choose) are part of the show. Not just as "extras" playing bit parts, but critically important actors and actresses in each SoulCycle performance.
During these 45 minute scripted fitness events, the Instructor's role is split between; Performer, Cheerleader, Coach and lastly as the Director - directing the participants in their parts of the production.
If you missed any of my earlier articles about SoulCycle, you'll find them all here.
Any great musical or theatrical production begins with building anticipation in the audience. The SoulCycle location we visited has what can best be described as a waiting area. A room with multiple benches that's midway between the hall with the lockers and the primary entrance to the studio.
After I got dressed in a very nice locker room, I met Amy in the waiting area. The previous class was just ending and a stream of sweaty, smiling faces flowed out and past us, on their way to shower and change. (Yes they have showers) We chatted with a couple of women regulars (I never miss this class for anything) one told us, while waiting for an indication it was time to go into the studio. My typical experience has been when one class leaves, the next files in right behind. Not here. You could feel and hear the excitement of the 30 or so of us waiting, when a man wearing a SoulCycle shirt walked out of the studio with a handful of rags. He didn't say anything and didn't appear to need to. The group knew it was time for us to go in.
As I described in part #1, SoulCycle understands that details matter. Between classes they have a crew (it looked like three people) go in and clean everything before the next class. Every bike appeared spotless and functioned properly. Each had a clean towel across the handlebars and two clean hand weights in the little holders under the seat.
When we walked in it was obvious that the studio is a very special place. They had the lights were very low, primarily lit by the faux candles on the four corners of the Instructor platform. What was a noisy/chatty group became much quieter as everyone filed in and found their reserved bike, got set up, and climbed aboard. With 60 people in that small space and so much activity going on, I didn't see when Instructor Heather P (Peggs) walked in - but it was obvious once she cued up her music and turned on her mic.
Among friends
Amy and I were two of the three new folks in that class. Heather seemed to know most everyone else in the room, greeting what seemed like dozens by name as she bounced around the room before the start. She must have reviewed her attendance list because she walked over and welcomed us both by first name.
Heather explained that this was her third class of the day and that two of her favorites would be up front demonstrating, while she conducted the entire class off the bike. The cleaning/setup crew had already prepared for this. Before we walked in there were two bikes on the Instructor platform - in my second class there was only one.
Heather P
Intros
In both classes the Instructors introduced themselves and explained a little bit about the ride to come. I was surprised how both Heather and Lindsay B (who taught the second class I took) offered modifications; the need to keep enough resistance on the wheel and suggestions for taking it easy if today wasn't your day. Lindsay made the point several times; "turn it down until you can't feel anything... then add back a half turn. We never ride in here without resistance".
Note about form. I can't remember when I saw so many people who looked so good on their bikes. And no it wasn't that they are all young females. Nice flat backs, relaxed upper bodies, very smooth pedalling techniques and I didn't see any of the wild, out-of-control crazy stuff I expected to see. Yes there is a lot of 110+ RPM in these classes - and it looked very controlled.
My idea, and it's only based on observing two classes, is that there's a lot of peer pressure between riders to look good on the bike. They know they're part of the "show" and do their best to look the part.
If you ride in a group outdoors, you've probably experienced the same peer pressure to look good - that's why many men shave their legs 🙂
I've taken this class before
Both classes I rode started exactly on time and followed the same basic profile. I wasn't keeping track of time so I don't have any specific segment lengths. Actually I didn't watch the time on purpose. I wanted to know; how long did the class feel? It felt like it zipped by very quickly. Amy felt it was short - she normally teaches 60 minute classes.
The class profile was something like this:
- Standing warm up, with cues to add load over ~ 10 minutes
- Transition to a climb with a lot of push ups and jumps
- Lather, rinse, repeat
- Weight segment
- Inspiration/reflection time
- Big finish
- Stretch and transition
Key Detail: These Instructors know their music exactly and teach to it very effectively. Both exhibited Group Fitness backgrounds, giving us helpful 8 count - countdowns, that always ended right with the phrasing of the music.
I was very impressed by both Heather's and Lindsay's professionalism in the way they conducted their classes. NOTE: with the one exception that Lindsay used music (hip hop) that had a lot of profanity in it and swore herself on occasion. It's not for me, but the guy with the gauges and sleeves riding next to me said he never misses her class. Throughout class they both discussed and encouraged proper form. During the weight segments we were instructed to add a bunch of load and sit up straight and tall. It was also suggested that we stop pedalling. Most slowly rolled their legs during this part.
Is there purpose to all of these extraneous movements?
Critics of SoulCycle (and similar) classes point to how non-cycling specific movements; jumps, push ups/rhythm presses, "tap-backs", figure eights, etc... have no proven training value and/or diminish the potential training value of riding an Indoor Cycle... like an Outdoor Cyclist would. For those reasons, along with perceptions the some of these movements may be potentially dangerous, we're told we should not include these movements in our classes as they're "Contraindicated".
Based on what I saw at SoulCycle (and other similar classes I've taken) my feeling is that critics are completely missing the point. IMO these movements are a critical part to the appeal of these classes. It is a thing of beauty, watching a room full of people exactly on the beat and rising and falling in unison. I've heard this described as "tribal" behaviour, similar to fans doing the 'wave' at a sporting event. It's a very powerful way to connect a group of people together. And at the same time, these jumps are very challenging to perform correctly - which I feel is another reason for the success of SoulCycle that I explained in this post.
Soultime
I found this element of each class interesting. After the weight segment, both Heather and Lindsay turned down the lights and described overcoming a challenge in their personal lives. Playing some trance like music, Heather explained how this week marked the five year anniversary of her sobriety and how appreciative she was of the support she'd received from SoulCycle and all of her regulars.
Lindsay did something a little different. She invited a man to ride her Instructor bike. Then described how she had lost her voice for 10 days and couldn't teach. She then put her arm around the man and explaining how he was the doctor who helped cure her vocal paralysis.
Both short speeches ended with loud applause.
This then segued into a time where we were all asked to reflect on some personal challenge of our own. We rode in near total darkness for a few minutes with just the music. From here the intensity built in a way to communicate how we could overcome whatever it was - leading into a final big effort to finish the class.
Closing time
Each class includes a three minute stretch/cooldown. How do I know it was three minutes? They both said so in their closing. With everything else tightly scripted, I'm guessing the class ended exactly on time. Here's where these Instructors diverged a little; after each did hamstring and lower back stretches while on the bike, Heather did most of her stretches off the bike. Lindsay did all of her's on the bike.
After we were told their upcoming class times and locations (there are 6 SoulCycles around the LA area and they both teach at multiple locations) we were thanked and encouraged to leave quickly. This may explain what didn't happen. I've been in classes like these where the "groupies" flock to the Instructors after class. I observed both pretty much alone after the immediate end of class. This gave me and Amy a chance to say hello to Heather and tell her that we were visiting instructors. She said she appreciated us being there and asked if we would be attending other classes while we were in town.
Overall impression of SoulCycle
In case I haven't effectively communicated it here, Amy and I were very impressed by our experiences at SoulCycle. I participated in two classes, led by true professional Indoor Cycling Instructors who understand what their participants want from a class and they both delivered it.
With the exception of the horrible music (I hate Hip Hop) Lindsay played in the beginning of her class (she did win me over during her weight segment as she went around cuing proper form to multiple individuals), I didn't see anything that wasn't near perfect in the delivery of this experience.
Final note: I appreciate the 20 or so emails and Facebook PM's I received about part #1 - my preference would be that you leave your remarks as comments to this post. But if you're concerned about publicly expressing your views, your email or PM is still appreciated.
John
Originally posted 2014-10-18 11:12:52.
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
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Why is it that over 20 people were afraid to post a public, positive comment regarding a truthful, well written article about Soul Cycle?
Isn’t it sad it has come to this?
It’s indoor cycling! When did this space become so scary and judgmental?
Perhaps that’s exactly why Soul Cycle is killing it? I found my experience there to be welcoming and fun. I was on the ‘look out’ for contraindicated movements and lack of coaching and found none. As John wrote, I found just the opposite- movement, yes, but with plenty of sound coaching technique. I was personally challenged to spend more time out of the saddle, at higher cadences, than I normally do.
John expressed, really well, the feeling of choreographed movement cued and executed successfully by 60 riders. It is tribal and it is powerful! Experiencing it made me want to incorporate a bit of choreography back into my cycling classes. I experimented with a few rhythm presses this morning. Gasp! 🙂 I’ll take it slow, as it’s been a long time since we’ve done anything rhythmic, other than jumps, in my class.
I also agree with John that Heather knew her music. There was no ‘flying by the seat of her pants’ playlist here. I think this is key to cueing safe, effective ‘tribal’ movement on the bike and it takes a very special instructor to be able to do this well. Not to mention- a lot of work, skill, planning and prep. Soul Cycle instructors get paid well, thus encouraging them to put in the back end hours that produce classes like we experienced.
Aesthetically, I too, found the physical studio clean and appealing for such a small space- we Minnesotan’s are used to lots of space! The locker room had all the amenities I needed- face wash, moisturizer, hair dryer, curling iron, fresh towels, etc. They even have gum at the front desk to cover ‘exercise breath’ on the way out.
I simply didn’t see anything at all to criticize…nothing! In fact, thank you Soul Cycle for re-energizing the entire indoor cycling industry.
Amy Macgowan- Johnny G, Schwinn, ICG, Cycling Fusion and ACE Group Fitness Instructor
I’ve taken well over 50 classes at Soul Cycle in N.Y.C and enjoyed them all ! I’ve had the same exact experiences as both John and Amy .
The reason I’m a better Indoor Cycling Instructor to date by infusing everything John and Amy experienced at Soul Cycle and applied it to my own classes . I also have to give Flywheel props as well because I have take classes their as well .
I happen to be FB friends with the majority of both Soul Cycle and Flywheel Instructors and happen to know Heather P and Lindsay B because I follow their posts regularly and spoken to both of them via FB messenger .
I’ve always stayed silent when Instructors who never took a class would have some negative comments or even those who have . The only times I have spoken up was to respect , understand and appreciate their successful business model .
Instead of focusing on what you think they are doing wrong , I take the approach on …what is it they are doing right and then apply it to my classes and it had Worked !
Hey Peter – do you think there’s any chance you could persuade Heather to share her playlist?
Amy and John,
Congrats on having your first (and second) soul cycle experience.
Of course I’ve had mine and written about it here. Without looking up what I wrote years ago I remember stating that if you were into heart rate zone training don’t go to Soul Cycle classes. In my case I just took off the heart rate strap and took it all in.
Like Peter I’ve expressed in many comments or my own posts how Soul Cycle understood the ‘business’ of indoor cycling and how different it is from the business of training cyclists. The former a clear success the latter, IMHO, still floundering.
Like Peter, I’ve incorporated Soul Cycle enthusiasm into my classes. Though, frankly, I’ve not integrated the small weights yet. Like Amy, I say, “instructors speak up!” This is a forum for open comment with all the freedoms of the first amendment. Soul Cycle is cool on many levels. Try it, use it embrace the possibilities.
There are those of us that chose to teach more cycle specific classes. I’m one of them. But there is so much more to a Soul Cycle Class than push ups and tap backs.
If you have not done so, go take a class. You’ll find that doing so can add value, wow factor and more butts on saddles in your classes.
There are some rather vocal opponents of Soul Cycle in other forums. I’m pleased that John and Amy both put themselves out there and circled back to this topic.
John in particular is the quintessential news reporter/color commentator. He told it like he saw it. I happened to be with Amy and John at their home in the weeks before their trip to California. We spoke at length about the state of the industry. They were looking forward to this experience without prejudice.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Indoor cycling is a business. From a bottom line perspective – Soul Cycle does it better than most! Perhaps better than all.
Thanks Chuck – I beginning to feel in some sense much of our industry is confused about our actual role and who’s actually in our classes…
We think of ourselves as endurance coaches, training endurance athletes. Most of us aren’t and the majority of are participants aren’t either, but we still teach our classes that way – and then wonder why the new studio down the street is full, and our’s isn’t.
My perception of SoulCycle is they understand exactly who is the largest potential target customer and they’ve designed a product to appeal specifically to them.
You John just hit the ” Nail ” on the the head and it’s exactly why research and learning a successful business model is important . ” My perception of SoulCycle is they understand exactly who is the largest potential target customer and they’ve designed a product to appeal specifically to them ” .
I’ll ask Heather if she can secretly share it with me if she remembers it 🙂 Note : Their policy is not to share playlists but I’ll see if I can pull some strong for ya 🙂
Thank you for describing your experiences. Until now, my impressions were based on youtube videos, and they looked pretty darn scary. It’s much better to have a detailed account from someone I trust.
Whether or not one would ever decide to incorporate Soul Cycle types of activities in their classes, it certainly does provide food for thought.
I still reserve the right to mock that twerking dude ;D
Peter I’ve got my fingers crossed. Maybe if she reads what I wrote about her she’ll make an exception.
Agreed Jennifer – definitely no twerking.
John, you are exactly right! As a former triathlete, I definitely appreciate the role that the endurance instructors play in upping my game, but what some don’t realize is that there can be value in several different formats for different goals. Soul cycle has brought new riders into the studio that would not normally be interested in a typical endurance ride with profiles. And, isn’t that what we are all about as instructors – encouraging people to get moving for cardio health? True, a push up on a bike may not make your arms stronger, but who cares? It’s fun and challenging! I remember the same argument in the running community when the color runs and other theme runs became popular – serious runners were concerned it was diluting the sport. Again, it’s about getting people moving, and there can be more than one way to accomplish this. Go SoulCycle!
…and by the way, push ups on a bike can fire up your stabilizing core muscles much more than people realize!