26 Comments

1. 

   Bill on October 2, 2009 at 3:26 pm

   Barb –

   These are all really good ideas and can be done farily easily. I don’t think that using the ‘Sex Sells’ tactic is unethical, it’s creative.

   You seem to have some very good thoughts on how to increase attendance in an indoor cycling class. Playing devil’s advocate, why does it matter? I get paid the same whether its a full or empty class.

2. 

   Katherine Howard on October 3, 2009 at 11:41 am

   I agree!! What kills me is to see instructors who are out of shape and overweight. If the instructor doesn’t look like spinning is working on her body, why should I take the class?

   If you truly practice what you preach your body should be a reflection. Yes, instructors are coaches, but they are also role models. Would you believe a Pilates instructor if her middle was mushy? Would you believe a personal trainer who was flabby? Why is spinning any different??!

   Tighten it up, guys!!

3. 

   Anonymous on October 3, 2009 at 7:03 pm

   Wow Katherine you are harsh! I am a brand new instructor who has lost 55# and counting because of cycling so I decided to teach b/c I feel I am a good example… Or maybe I should wait for the HARD body that I will NEVER have in my 40+ years. Not all people are out of shape because they are overweight.. I know a lot of very ufit thin people.

4. 

   Mel on October 3, 2009 at 8:11 pm

   I am
   planning on buying
   clothing that has the logo of my program
   on it and am already using free passes
   to promote my classes.

5. 

   Barbara on October 4, 2009 at 7:39 am

   Hi Anonymous,
   I appreciate both your passion and honesty. I agree that many ‘thin’ people are not healthy. With eating disorders rampant in today’s society, we must be cautious never to compliment people on being ‘thin’ or ‘skinny’ but rather say, “wow, you look fit, etc.” I admire your dedication and desire for teaching as you are a walking testimony (Your Body is the Best Marketing Tool!) of how amazing indoor cycling can be as a weight loss tool and vehicle for mental inspiration. However, in support of Katherine’s comment, there are many instructors, especially those at the Master Level, who should improve their body image if they are considered “leaders” in the industry. Keep up the great work and thanks for your comment!

6. 

   Spin_me on October 4, 2009 at 8:20 am

   Barbara and Katherine what do you sell with Spinning? Only Fat Burning? If you see the whole package spinning, nutrition and support of participants outside of the gym, ok then you`re right! If Spinning is only a Cardio Workout, then i think you`re wrong!

   I think…
   6)Know your studends by their first name, greet individually.

   7) Offer small events! Maybe with a small fitness drink at the end of the class.

7. 

   Barbara on October 4, 2009 at 12:17 pm

   Hi Spin Me,

   Greeting individuals by name…perfect! Don’t you love it when a restaurant owner greets you at the door by name? Same concept with your class! And your idea of a fitness drink after class? …yes, that was part of my Tip #3 above. I agree with you that Spinning, like Yoga, is a LIFESTYLE and one that encompasses nutrition, support and encouragement both inside the gym and out. When instructors represent that ‘total package’ concept, the credibility of Spinning increases dramatically. It’s not just a cardio workout – cardio benefits are merely icing on the cake.

8. 

   Keith Fairchild on October 4, 2009 at 6:14 pm

   Anonymous:

   Congrats on your success so far. I do agree that overweight instructors are a bit of a barrier in terms of drawing people in to class. I think instructors should be fit. In my case, and possibly yours, if we are not fit, but are getting leaner and healthier, we can make that known and we will draw people to classes who are in the same situation. In my experience, the instructors who are overweight year after year don’t inspire students because they don’t seem to have the right formula for proper nutrition and exercise.

   I don’t agree that you will never have a hard body at 40+ years. You couldn’t be more wrong. If you believe it and adopt the right habits, barring medical problems, you can be as toned and lean as a 20 year old.

9. 

   mrwilsoncycles on October 4, 2009 at 6:51 pm

   Hey all you fabulous cycling instructors:
   Keep up the great work — i know we all work
   hard and it shows. There is ssssomthinggg
   we all possess that draws people in…
   so share with us from time to time! 😀

10. 

    amanda on October 4, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    I am 50 and have a strong fit body. Dedication, passion, commitment, nutrition, SPINNING, rest, it all goes together. My role models motivate me in turn I hope Ido the same.

11. 

    Anon2 on October 5, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    In regards to the ‘fit’ comments. In today’s perceptions it seems that fit means that you have to be thin. There are many men and women who are stocky but incredibly fit. Just take a look at football, soccer, even baseball. Many football and baseball players have their gut hanging over their belt, however, they can move.

    As mentioned thin does not equate to fit.

12. 

    Jennifer Sage on October 5, 2009 at 3:36 pm

    Something to consider….

    About 5 years ago, when I ran the Spinning program at my club, I had an instructor who was overweight. I’ll call her Mary (not her real name). Mary was the most passionate instructor I had; she was loyal to the Spinning philosophy, she loved heart rate training and taught it to her students, she loved teaching endurance (and got her students to love it) as well as the HIT classes. She connected with the students. She was always early to class, always wrote her profiles on the board (and had great profiles), she got her classes subbed well in advance and subbed other classes when needed; in short, she was a program director’s dream instructor.

    One day the club manager pulled me aside and suggested I replace Mary with someone whose body personified the “image we wanted to portray” at that club. I was incredulous. “Mary is my best instructor! I will not do that!” And I didn’t.

    Mary had some hormonal issues which made it difficult to lose weight, and she was large boned. She always struggled with weight her entire life and was always very self-conscious about it. Spinning had helped her take quite a bit off – but she was not thin, never would be. At the time my manager suggested this, Mary and her husband had been trying for a very long time to have a child so she wasn’t trying to lose weight like before – doctors had told her to stop focusing on that. Priorities.

    But she was fit.

    If there were any students who might not have gone to her class because they thought the instructor should be thinner or should portray a certain image, then there were just as many, or more, who DID come because they saw that it was OK not to be a rail, and because of her passion.

    Mary taught me a valuable lesson in judging.

    There was a hole in the program later on when she left after she found out she was pregnant. (Doctor’s orders). I always wished we could have her back.

13. 

    Debbie on October 5, 2009 at 6:07 pm

    I loved Jennifer story about Mary…. Good for you Jennifer. I believe instructors should be judged on their knowledge and fitness level not… by how thin they are.

14. 

    Sarah on October 5, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    Wow……when did this post turn into an argument over the size of the instructor? I think Barbara’s idea of wearing SPINNING sweatshirts, RPM warmups, SCHWINN tee shirts is what the post is about…and yes, healthy people come in all shapes and sizes. But when an instructor pops a Mountain Dew and Moon Pie after class after they encourage students to find the FAT BURNING RANGE of the heart rate monitor, well, don’t you think that’s a bit hypocritical? Yes, God love the Mary’s in the world as they are so inspirational, and we certainly need them in our gym, but Barbara’s point was based on using clothing on your healthy body to be a walking advertisement for your class. How many of you actually wear clothes as her article suggested? At least she is actively trying to grow her class to spread her joy of indoor cycling.

15. 

    Sarah Chancey on October 5, 2009 at 6:49 pm

    Talk about a double standard. You wouldn’t trust your physician to manage your health if HE was overweight, chain smoked, drank to excess and had high blood pressure. Yet you have a different set of rules for a spinning instructor?? So as long as your doc passed his boards and knows his stuff – that’s all that matters to you? Nonsense. Maybe those of you who need to firm up a bit are trying to justify yourselves. I dunno…….???

16. 

    Jennifer Sage on October 5, 2009 at 9:09 pm

    Good discussion!

    don’t get me wrong, I believe in fitness, and think that all instructors should preach it in more ways than just “teaching” a class. There’s no double standard here (or in anyone’s post) – I don’t think anyone is suggesting that someone who eats Twinkies, chain smokes, drinks excessively and has blobs of fat hanging over their shorts should be up there on the instructor bike preaching about the fat burning zone.

    But my suggestion is you have to look deeper into it before judging someone who has a larger frame – make sure you’re not acting on a superficial vision of perfection promulgated by the media. I know many people who are heavier but still very fit. I have another friend who runs 3-5 triathlons a year (Olympic distance) in what is called the “Clydesdale” category. She would beat me anytime. She’s about 5’9″ and 190-ish lbs. She’s solid and very muscular, but wide.

    These are fit, active, non smokers and healthy eaters, but with a BMI that the “charts” and the “media” (and many onlookers) would label as overweight/fat.

    Perhaps I’m more lenient in a way because my family is largely heavy or even obese (believe it or not), and because I’ve worked with so many personal training clients over the years who couldn’t lose more than a certain amount, and still were “heavy” but fit. (Sure, there may be some psychological issues, but that’s another story)!

    There is heavy and there is big boned and fit. We all must recognize the difference. Also you never know someone else’s story – it could be something like cancer.

    Therefore, I always think twice before I judge.

17. 

    Barbara Hoots on October 6, 2009 at 7:41 am

    WOW! Thanks to everyone for your lively discussion regarding TIP #2…..USE YOUR BODY. Please don’t forget that the purpose of this tip, as SARAH mentioned above (thanks girl!) is to WEAR LOGO CLOTHING which reflects your cycling brand. If cars & trucks can advertise, why not wear a sweatshirt with RPM, SPINNING, SCHWINN, ICI, etc. printed boldly? You are a walking testimony of your class. Now, if your body is not indicative of a fit Spinning instructor, well, you may not get the results you expected by wearing a logo. That is my point – please don’t cloud the statement or lose sight of its intent.

    Hopefully we are all mature, seasoned instructors who would never judge or criticize anyone based on outer appearances! I cannot imagine any of us being that sophomoric, superficial or shallow. We are a positive, uplifting team at ICI and delight in celebrating our passion for indoor cycling and the joy it produces in so many lives.

    Rather than jump on the bandwagon and turn this post into negative criticism, as is so easy to do unless you read the FULL POST, please take a step back and be honest….If you saw a fit instructor wearing a Spinning sweatshirt, would you want to try his class?

    My purpose here is simply to generate new ideas for class growth. If we all took the time to incorporate a few of these tips with enthusiasm our classes would be full this week.

    While I’m very pleased many of you think before your judge, wouldn’t it be better not to judge at all?

18. 

    pascal on October 6, 2009 at 7:51 am

    About the body use … I personnely think it is all about the instructor presentation: how he/she is dress, connect with people, know and prepare his/her class … that is important.

    -cycling shoes and short have to be an habit, is a great help/need in our activity; would you run with dress shoes or Croc ?

    Is a “fit” instructor better ? Yes AND no. Why no ? Why so many people are affraid to come in the room … you have the answear.

    We need “fit” instructor and instructor who are not on our society standart of what is a fit person.
    As Jennifer I have a friend she is overweight but on a flat road she kick my butt and struggling trying to keep her wheels.
    I have a pure cyclist climber body so the perfect body for cycling do I consider me fit yes but a model NO because too much is not good, too much specificity is not good.

    Also a perfect diet, a perfect exemple, perfect … ? What is a peferction ? It is a something without any excess; in both direction ! Enjoy life that is perfection. Have a beer, eat chocolate, lye on a coach, … yes but with moderation as everything.

19. 

    pascal on October 6, 2009 at 7:59 am

    Barbara at the time you put “sex always work” you open the discussion about appareance and standart.

    One gym I work have the Gold gym franshise, now the management change the franshise and they want employee who have not the Gold gym “appearance” they to go out of the bulky steroide reputation.

20. 

    Spinner on October 6, 2009 at 10:17 am

    You had me until I read the “sex sells” part. Think twice, Barbara, before you print such slop.

21. 

    Anonymous on October 6, 2009 at 10:29 am

    Performance Bicycle has a NEW Ad campaign: Slip Into Something Sexy with a New Carbon Bike…….is this slop? Point:

22. 

    Jennifer Sage on October 6, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    The number of comments on a post are hints to the level of interest! This is a great one – thanks Barbara!

    I have subscribed to several internet marketing newsletters, many with excellent training tips. One I received awhile ago listed the top 7 methods for selling online (Darn, I wish I had kept that email – I even searched my deleted files!). The #1 method? Sex sells. The author listed many statistics, and truly, this one topped out much higher than all the other methods put together. Start doing your own bit of research – just today, look at how advertisers use sex to sell their product. Not blatant like a naked body…but subtly, like a nicely dressed fit woman in tight jeans buying curtains, a man without a shirt on with nice pecs drinking a juice product… any product in any industry (like the last example of Performance Bicycle).

    Its ubiquitous, so much so, we are sometimes not even aware of it.

    This marketing expert I was talking about explained that not everyone could employ this tactic successfully; it depended on their product, their content, their own personality and mores, and of course, their market. He gave some tips on how to use it.

    The point is, it certainly works! You want bigger numbers? In your market, this might work. In other markets, and depending on your own comfort with it, maybe it’s not something you would employ. Just like any of the other methods, you pick and choose. Just because you wouldn’t do one of them doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea or it isn’t effective.

    I *say* this is not me and that I don’t do it with my classes or at my club, or with my students, but maaaaaaybe in a subtle way I do. I don’t wear provocative clothes, but I always have a nicely fitted cycling jersey, often sleeveless or tank (in the summer) and cycling shorts, and never a t-shirt or dumpy jersey/sweatshirt while teaching. And yes I am thin and fit – something my students comment on. So, perhaps I am using it in my own way without realizing (or admitting) it!

    OK, ok, …… I admit it!
    😉

23. 

    Katherine on October 7, 2009 at 11:21 am

    Spinner,

    I don’t think Barbara was being a slop when she said “sex sells.” She was being realistic- it does. I won’t lie- Having the presence of a fit guy really encourages me to come to class, and I find that I try a bit harder and really push myself to my edge when that presence is there. That being said, there is automatically a higher energy level in class the moment those guys/gals walk in. Every class needs a few of those people- just to make you try a little harder and motivate.

24. 

    Jodi on October 11, 2009 at 7:34 pm

    Jennifer, well said. no one really knows what is going on in someone’s life, physical health issues, emotional issues, trying to get pregnant (and yes, those fertility drugs wreck havock on you your body in so many ways), there are so many factors that influence our weight and body shape It is really unfair to say that instructors should fit a “thin” stereotype. As a GF manager I have instructors on my staff of all shapes and sizes, as long as they are active, strong spinners, highly motivated, skilled instructors who are attentive to our members, they have a chance to be on my staff. I think that many members feel comfortable in classes with instructors who do not fit the perfect mold that everyone is speaking of, they are less intimidated, and appreciate you for the fabulous instructor that you are.

25. 

    Bob on December 22, 2009 at 11:16 am

    Great article. I took my first Spin class yesterday and found this site while searching for more info. I guess that’s a good sign that I want to do it again.

    I’m a 55 year old male with 60 more pounds to lose (lost 20 so far), and our teacher was much like the instructor named Mary mentioned above. She is fit, but has big thighs and a thick waist. She encouraged me to try the class even though I was a bit hesitant, and suggested I just do the best I could, without being judgmental.

    I made it through the class and felt like this would be a great addition to my workout schedule, and plan to be a regular in her class.

    She motivated me, and that’s what an instructor should do, whether your class is full of pro athletes or fat guys like me, we can all push ourselves harder. It really doesn’t matter where we start from.

26. 

    Brian on January 17, 2010 at 9:12 pm

    Good discussion. As a spin instructor I teach Performance Cycling based on Keep It Real and other sources Periodization training. I see the best instructors having Passion for spinning, care about the participants and what is best for them. Not judging them or critizing their looks. In my opinion, it is THEIR class. My role is to support them and help achieve their goals. Make it enjoyable too.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.