“I think she's talking to you John” was the response from Mad Dogg's Tony Berlant, as we both watched a very excite women running toward us. Tony and I were enjoying an adult beverage during the reception at last fall's MindBodyFitPro convention in LA when the women confirmed who exactly she was addressing:
YOU (she's now pointing at me) John Macgowan… YOU TAUGHT ME TO USE SPOTIFY!
A big hug completed my formal introduction to ICI/PRO member Charla Goodnight. What followed was an hour long conversion with one of the most passionate Indoor Cycling Instructors I've ever met. Charla explained to me how she had benefited from the information she had received here and how she was at the conference to finalize her equipment and studio management software decisions for her new Indoor Cycling studio – Time Trial Cycle in Naples, FL.
Well the big day is this Friday, March 21st and I'm very excited for both Charla and her business partner Carter Wheeler.
Here's how they describe their new studio
When you enter the friendly doors of Time Trial Cycle, judgment and fear are left behind. Offering expert coaching and a variety of classes for all ages and fitness levels, the only person you have to be better than is who you were yesterday.
As the premier indoor cycling studio in Naples, we offer:
Stadium seating with plenty of elbow room to grind up the hills
Audacious sound system and LED lighting
Top of the line Star Trac Blade Ion bikes that provide constant display of RPM’s, Heart Rate, Calories Burned, Speed/Distance and Power.
Two massive flat screen TV’s to track your performance on the Performance IQ board
Post-workout reports emailed to measure your progress
Changing rooms, shower, spa quality amenities and alkaline water tap
Charla and Carter appear to have done a good job promoting their launch – today they were featured on the local Fox morning show and this Naples newspaper ran a great story about the new studio.
It’s “Time” for Naples to pedal its way to an unrivaled indoor cycling experience as Time Trial Cycle, Naples’ premier dedicated indoor cycling studio, celebrates its Grand Opening on March 21. Taking place from 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m., the event will celebrate “Fitness, Food & Fun” and will be co-hosted by Fit Nation Magazine. The stunning high-tech studio, located at 3080 Tamiami Trail N, offers indoor cycling classes for all ages and fitness levels.
Guests at the Grand Opening event will enjoy complimentary food, beer and wine as well as door prizes for the first arrivals along with a raffle. In addition, the event will feature two competitions: one for athletes to compete to win the “Time Trial Cycle Most Power” Award as well as a “Self-Proclaimed ‘Couch Potato’ Competition” in which participants challenge each other for 10 minutes. Participating event vendors include Collier Family Farms, Helen Jon Swimwear, Megan Rose Boutique, Femme Couture, Blue Martini, Naples Pathway Coalition, Endurance Sisterhood, Pizza Fusion, and Organically Twisted Food Truck. RSVPs are requested to info@TimeTrialCycle.com.
With regular classes kicking off on March 22, Time Trial Cycle will continue its celebration with a special offer of participants’ first class free, as well as a special price of $99 for a month of unlimited cycling.
I met up with Charla and Carter at the ECA conference in Fort Lauderdale and had lunch with them both. I see them as having very complimentary personalities and feel they're going to have a very successful fitness business.
Bill Pryor has an interesting article in the latest addition of Club Industry's online magazine.
Indoor cycling isn't what it used to be, and for traditional health clubs, as well as the hundreds of brand new dedicated cycling studios popping up around the world, this is turning out to be a good thing. Technology and innovation, especially in electronics and fabrication, are revitalizing the venerable indoor cycling workout in dramatic ways while reducing the headaches and costs that club and studio owners dread.
Using Technology to Measure Performance and Motivate
Outdoor cyclists have long had access to tools such as Computrainers that allow them to measure and analyze their efforts. For indoor cyclists, these kinds of tools are a recent addition, and club and studio owners are finding them to be an effective way to build and grow attendance. Dozens of studios are using performance metrics technology in their group exercise cycling programs, and many more are coming online soon.
Performance Metrics for Cycling Classes
In just the past few years, most major bike manufacturers have started offering metrics capabilities or consoles as a built-in feature or as an add-on option in their top bikes. These systems provide the rider with some combination of performance-related metrics: pedal cadence, heart rate, power (watt) output, calories burned and estimated mileage. In some cases, this information also can be automatically transmitted and stored for later viewing. Several third-party suppliers and web developers have built systems to measure, present, store and track performance data. In essence, this information can now be viewed in several important ways:
On each bike. With this, individual class visitors can view real-time data, and class instructors can coach to that data.
In front of the class on a monitor. Classmates can see their own performance data as well as data on fellow class participants.
After the class on the web (data tracking). Performance data can now be stored online so riders can view and compare historic performances.
In some cycling studios, the instructor uses this data as a primary tool for coaching and motivation. In others, the data is there purely for the user to review, and they often can choose the metric of their choice–heart rate, watts, calories burned, etc. In any case, just having this information available is a far cry from the traditional cycling class. Music and cult instructors remain the primary draw for most classes, but performance technology has added an appealing new dimension to the mix.
Cyclebeat is a beautiful Indoor Cycle Studio located in what was an old English pub in the commercial district of London. I couldn't decide which of these pictures to use, so here's the view as you walk in – fantastic… unless you're actually after a pint 🙂
Cyclebeat studio owner Greg Allon joins me to celebrate their first completed year in business! During the interview we discuss their “mixed membership model” (combination of monthly and per-ride payments) and the problems that occur when monthly members book a bike, but then don't show for the scheduled class – which prevents them from selling the reserved seat to someone else.
There's typically a “surprise” in every interview – something that catches me and gets my fully attention. When Greg describes the age demographic he sees in his classes (21 to 30), it's easy to understand why Performance IQ has been so helpful to making his studio a success. So successful that they're planning a Cyclebeat #2 for the near future!
Greg is also having success promoting a corporate discount rate… not by soliciting local business directly, but by encouraging the employees of those businesses to bring the information back to where they work. Effectively creating a little army of sales people to promote his studio – very clever!
Listen to the interview below – or you'll find this episode in our.
We got great responses to our two surveys asking for feedback from both Instructors and Studio owners about the Indoor Cycles they're riding and the impact power is having on their classes. Now the challenge becomes; “how do we publish all of this information in a way that's valuable?” I had originally wanted to just share all of the info, except I'm not finding an easy way to remove all of the personal information – so I'm not comfortable sharing access to the full results.
Instead I'd like to help you understand what I feel are the important bits 🙂
Let's start with answering what I see as the most important questions; Is Power worth the added expense, and does it improve the quality of Indoor Cycling classes?
70.8% of respondents responded in the affirmative, yes, power is important = worth the added investment vs. conventional ICs without power. The other 29% offered a reserved Maybe – with it dependent on the makeup of a club's members and Instructors. There weren't any negative responses.
Over 70% say their riders are interested in power – does that square with your experience? I really wish I had included more questions asking what do your riders like about power/watts?
Did the switch to power increase attendance? This is a good sign with 20.5% saying YES they're seeing improved attendance in class and less than 2% say it's reduced class size.
I asked this question specifically to studio owners; Is there a noticeable difference in attendance between Instructors who focus on Power vs. Instructors who don't? In retrospect I now see that this would have been a difficult question to answer and It doesn't appear that there's much difference between them.
Now there does seem to be a disconnect between Instructors and owners & managers about the quality of the wattage these Indoor Cycles are displaying.
Which is typical. We're in the thick of it, while owners and managers have learned to tune out complaints 🙁
I'm working on the comparisons between brands and will have it up ASAP.
“Over and out….10-4….Roger that”. We use this ‘radio speak' around our house a lot. Weird, I know, but it makes for clear text messages :). No wonder it's used by truckers!
“Over and out, but not totally” describes what's going on with me at Clarins and my Account Development Specialist Position.
Tomorrow is my official last day as an ADS for Clarins. I resigned two weeks ago. My resignation is bittersweet, as I am sad to go, but am looking forward to what's ahead. (More on that in a minute).
Once I resigned, ‘freelance' opportunities opened up to me. Chanel, Sheseido, Lancome,Philosophy and Clarins asked if I'd be interested in working for them as a freelancer. “Heck, yes!” Because, here's the truth: I will always be plant/chemically dependent! 🙂
So, the good news is, I'll have even more great beauty products to try and write about!
What will I be doing out of the beauty industry you ask? I'm going to be helping Cycle/ Pilates/ Yoga studio owners all over the world with website development, SEO and seamless integration of registration and performance tracking software. (No, I haven't suddenly developed a technical mind! I'm selling and my great team will take it from there and work the magic). I'm working for LiveEdit/Aurora. My first day is Feb. 3. Coincidentally, LiveEdit/Aurora is located in St. Cloud, MN, a 75 minute drive from Minneapolis where I live.
Onto the product ‘love' of the week: Tigi Catwalk Curlesque Curls Rock. My hair is super short again, but I liked this product when it was long too. Long or short, Curls Rock brings out body in curly or straight hair (weird, I know). It works with fine hair like mine, or thicker hair like my daughter Carly's. It doesn't get crunchy or hard. It's “just right”, as Goldilocks would say! The reviews on Ulta (see on the above link) attest to what I found with this product and a little goes a long way.
When traveling, I pump Curls Rock into a small jar and take it with me. Works perfectly and travels well.
I'd love to hear from you: amyjo@groupfitnessradio.com
*I receive no compensation for writing PRO/STYLE. If I do, I'll happily let you all know.
