About 10 days after hitting a SoulCycle class on a recent day off, Barry’s Bootcamp owner Joey Gonzalez got a phone call. It was a lawyer for the mega-popular cycling brand issuing a message: don’t come back.
“He essentially said we have a policy at SoulCycle where instructors at other group fitness studios are not allowed to take class,” Gonzalez says. “He seemed half embarrassed.” We reached out to SoulCycle’s public relations team for comment on the policy but did not hear back.
Gonzalez took to Facebook with the news, and his post went viral. (At time of this writing, it had 158 comments and 14 shares.) Other popular fitness instructors, like Natalie Uhling, Darryl Gaines, and Lindsey Clayton weighed in to say the same thing had happened to them. Flywheel instructors jumped in to invite trainers from other studios to come take their classes (“#team”), and tons of people weighed in to rail against the lack of “soul” the policy stood for.
Then I dug in to this story a bit more. The article references this post from rateyourburn.com addressing the same issue. They begin with listing a few reasons why it maybe OK to limit the access of Instructors from competing fitness clubs. I see it as incomplete… in fact, I feel they are missing the real concerns of Soul Cycle completely.
IS IT OKAY FOR FITNESS STUDIOS TO BAN INSTRUCTORS WHO WORK FOR THE COMPETITION?
Why do studios ban instructors employed by competitors?
Trade secrets. We suppose the primary reason studios do this is to prevent competitors from coming in and spying on their ways of business, copying them or stealing their methods.
Exclusivity. Perhaps some studios want to create a country club bubble, where only approved members are allowed within their establishment.
To ward off studio-bombing. On rare occasions, people do show up just to cause trouble. In our opinion, bad behavior is the only justifiable reason to ban a paying client.
Limiting access to your “Tribe”
Paul Harmeling from Full Psycle Studio really opened my eyes about what makes Soul Cycle so successful – how good they are at cultivating a “team” or “tribe” of passionate people who are united by their participation in class. This sense of community isn't just between the customers and Soul Cycle or the Instructor. There are a lot of relationships, both personal and professional, being made between the riders.
You've probably seen this at your club. It's no secret that common interests and activities build trust between people. That trust can lead to relationships that extend beyond the club. Over the years my family and I have chosen to do business with people we've gotten to know at our club;
Claudia is Amy and my financial planner – she's also been a longtime regular in our classes.
Amy first met Craig at the club. He later hired her and we've been friends of Craig and his wife Julie for 15 years.
Morry (another regular) arranged for daughter Abby's interview, which resulted in her current job.
Richard is an Instructor at our club. He's also a C level employee at a company where younger daughter Carly would like to have a summer internship…
I can easily understand why Soul Cycle (or your club for that mater) would want to limit access to their Tribe of passionate, fitness minded people who have the financial wherewithal to pay for premium classes.
Wouldn't these same people be prospective customers for any fitness business – especially a competitor located near by?
Soul Cycle's “Tribe” is really their brand, the “special sauce” that makes them unique and profitable. Using attorneys to protect a brand from competitors isn't really any different from how Mad Dogg Athletic will do the same thing to protect the Spinning® brand from improper use.
I don't know anymore than what's been written, but I would venture this guess; Soul Cycle was concerned that Mr. Gonzalez was recruiting customers for his boot camp business. Neither of the articles, nor the Facebook post, explains how Soul Cycle's attorney would know Gonzalez was an Instructor… unless someone (maybe a class participant?) informed management.
With 40°f and rain scheduled for this past Sunday, I agreed to sub the 9:00am Cycle Sculpt class at the Life Time Fitness where I have scheduled classes. This was my third chance to teach this LTF branded format that combines Indoor Cycling and Resistance training. You can read about my earlier experiences here and here – both links include my class profile and Spotify playlist.
I was chatting with my friend Richard in the locker room before class. He has taken my cycling classes for years and he's front & center for this class religiously. He also knows something about training physically and mentally – Richard's a triathlete and Tae Kwon Do Grand Master with 9th Degree Black Belt. I told him how I rarely feel anxious before any class, but these cycle sculpt classes always make nervous.
Do you have any suggestions? I asked.
Just relax and do what YOU normally do…
Just relax?That's it? That's your suggestion?
Richard went on to explain; I haven't seen the John I know up on that bike, the other times you've lead this class. You need to lighten up man and just be you. Show us that you're having fun, work us hard and we'll all be happy!
Truer words were never spoken
As soon as Richard finished speaking I knew exactly what was wrong. Two things actually:[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
I was trying too hard to make everything fit together. I had decided that the music, movements and transitions all had to flow together perfectly = the anxiety I felt before and during the class. I can remember panicking early in the last class I subbed when I heard the currently playing song crossfading to the next > Crap – they're not done with their exercise yet! This messed up my perfectly choreographed class and shortened the time available (and needed) for next activity… everything snowballed downward from there.
I wanted (needed?) everyone to like me and my class. I've been at this game for a long time and normally feel very confident subbing any class. Why, all of a sudden, am I now feeling insecure and looking for approval? Because these people don't normally come to my class. That's why. I realized that I was trying to be someone different in order to appeal to a group of people whom I assumed don't come to my other classes because they don't like me.
Separating their like/dislike of ME from a like/dislike of MY CLASS
After 9 years at LTF, I'm well known as the Instructor who teaches a very cycling specific class. Believe it or not, there are a lot of members who don't like that format. That's why they don't come. It isn't that they don't like ME, just my heavy emphasis on outdoor cycling. So after 30 seconds of self-talk while I walked to the studio, I had a new perspective – the proper perspective to lead the class confidently and it appeared that most participants enjoyed it 🙂
End note:After the class I was told by a member how she appreciated that I included the weight segments. She explained that a previous sub had refused to offer anything but cycling > which confirmed my new perspective (it's not ME they dislike) and I felt awesome knowing that I delivered a class very close to what these participants came for!
Evolution Cycle/Sculpt Profile #3
To keep this class more familiar to me, I switched my plan and followed our typical Evolution Cycling format through the first four tracks.
Equipment: Everyone needs hand weights = 12/15 Reps to failure and a floor mat.
This light between us 5:09 Warm up where we transition to a standing run after just a few minutes. Every minute after we sit, increase a few gears and then up again. NOTE: Cycle Sculpt includes a lot of standing work & jumps. Frequent variation is important = if you feel you've been doing something for too long, you probably have and need to change.
Revolution 5:09 Openers– I like to have everyone find a comfortable cadence and add load until they feel the need to stand. Each of 4 openers is a standing acceleration that's maintained for a progressively longer effort. Start with 15 seconds and add ten seconds each time. The goal is to get to threshold by the end of the last 45 sec effort.
Daybreak 5:04 Best Effort– This track has a long intro that lights off at exactly 1:00. I used that as a recovery after the openers. Sunday we recorded our Best Effort distance over three minutes. This is all out, absolute maximum sustainable power, from start to finish.
Remind everyone to remember both their miles traveled and Avg. Watts (if you have them) or average HR at the end. We'll be referencing these metrics later.
Runaway Baby 2:28 Reset – Resets are a short transition song, part recovery part just plain fun! Here I offer an option to either recover completely, or find a productive effort around VT1 – edge between Zone 2 & 3 in a five zone system.
Tribal Force 8:01 Floor set #1 – With only 12 participants, we had plenty of room in the front for everyone to have a mat. While standing we did: 10 x DB curls, 10 x DB OH press, 10 Pushups and 10 situps/crunch > repeat. These are all at self directed tempo and with 8 minutes there's plenty of time.
The few who choose to stay in saddle were instructed to find a comfortable climb and alternate seated and standing at their discretion.
Spectrum 5:01 Jumps on a climb – @62 RPM, this track has a very strong beat begins around the one minute mark. Use the intro to get everyone back on and settled, then build the hill – again to that point where they feel the need to stand. Follow the phrasing of the music first at 8 count, then 4 count jumps. It's super important that you can properly demonstrate these jumps exactly with the music. I'll start by calling out the count; up, two,three,four, down, two three four (or out to eight). Then get quiet and just watch them, watching you. If you see some struggling, go back to the basics of seated pedaling to the music. Rinse & repeat.
Until we go down 4:12 Floor set #2 Compound movements: 20 Squats/OH press and then alternating leg lunges with curls – 8 each leg.
Animals 5:04 Pick your head up – You're off the back! – this seated climb replicates the panic you feel when riding in a group, with your head down… only to raise it up and see you've slipped off the back. Have your riders find the 64 RPM pedal speed and then add the hill that has them thinking they should stand. There are a number of changes in the music (a great one at 1:50) that become your trigger to pick your head up, realise what's happened and then stand, accelerate and sustain the effort to fight to get back on. You'll find natural breaks that will have these efforts ~ 30 seconds. Perfect for a few brief trips to threshold.
Police and Thieves 6:10 Floor set #3 Floor work 2 sets of 20 pushups (using weights as support) and 20 crunch/sit-up.
Riders are following the 77 RPM cadence with a strong endurance (just below threshold) Time Trial pace.
Show Me 3:28 Reset Easy pace, taking time to drink, towel off and prepare mentally for the last hard effort of the class.
Ready to go 5:01 Big finish Time to replicate that earlier Best Effort – or better it if possible. This track as a nice, 30 sec building into where you'll be encouraging everyone to get back to their previously remembered watts or HR. Hit the stage button and see how far you can get over the next three minutes… or sustain that VT2 threshold HR over the timed section. [/wlm_private]
It's the end of the world 4:07 Warm down – my preference is to give athletes a chance to warm down = a gradual recovery vs. just soft pedalling. The cadence of ITEOTWAWKI is a tick over 100 RPM. Get there and then add enough resistance to keep yourself aerobic (around VT1) for the first three minutes and then slowly dial it back until everyone is conversational > that's your cue as the Instructor that everyone has recovered 🙂
Boomer Rose is a BeatBoss & Schwinn® trained indoor cycling instructor with an AMAZING story. From the moment he first clipped in, Boomer knew his life changed. The ambience, atmosphere, and camaraderie of indoor cycling introduced the fact that a healthy high does exist. If you were to ask Boomer, he'll tell you it's hard to believe or even imagine the life from which he came. Here's WHY…
Boomer used to weigh over 300 pounds. He had a history of drug/alcohol abuse, homelessness, had been to jail twice, and had never held a real job. But … that was then and this is now … today, Boomer is a full time Crunch Fitness employee and teaches 3-8 cycle classes a week. He is adulting on the daily, has formed healthy relationships, and is an inspiration to anyone who struggles with anything. Most importantly, Boomer is happy, healthy, and strong!!! Indoor Cycling literally changed his life. Watch and listen as Boomer tells a little bit of his story here …….
Tonight, Boomer teaches a special and sold out indoor cycling class celebrating his 2 year milestone and it's going to be LIT!!! RockOn, Boomer Rose … ROCK ON!!!
So if you're not including jumps in your classes… why aren't you?
The proper way to do this would be to ask you personally; so why don't you include jumps in your classes? But I can't [wlm_firstname], because you're there, and I'm here. So let me take a few guesses as to why you are reluctant to include these:
#1 I don't feel I can properly demonstrate jumps and don't want to look foolish.
I totally get this. If you didn't come from a Group Fitness background – or you suffer from what's called Caucasianism [To be completely and utterly rhythmically challenged. Someone who does not know what a beat is, nor how to stay on it.] you may have trouble finding and pedaling to the beat. To me, this is the number one reason many Instructors don't like Jumps – or any other form of rhythmic movements done on an Indoor Cycle, they simply can't do them… so they don't.
Trust me, you're not alone. I've experienced multiple classes where the Instructor appeared to have zero sense of rhythm. Based on what I observed at WSSC, there are a larger percentage of both male and female instructors who either can't connect their cadence to the music – or choose not to follow the beat.
To perform Jumps that are controlled, smooth and orderly, your movement must be RIGHT-ON-THE -BEAT and strictly follow the phrasing. My preference is to always Jump on a hill with a level of resistance that has you feeling you need to stand – which is why we come out of the saddle, isn't it?
Listen to these short example MP3s to get a sense of how you count jumps properly.
[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|28 Day Challenge']
Let's start with Strangle Hold – a perennial favorite of mine for 74RPM Jumps following the 8 count praising.
Here's an example of some club music – slower @ 63RPM and it feels like you should count the phrasing as 4 vs 8 counts.
It isn't necessary to cue continuously > I like to get everyone started and then Jump with just the music. Depending on the track, you might have everyone stop moving and remain either up or down during a quite section. This introduces some additional challenge for both you and your riders as you focus on the phrasing, so you re-start at just the right point.
#2 If you don't do it on an outdoor bicycle… you don't do it inside… end of discussion.
Whenever I hear Instructors parrot “If you don't do it outside…” they're saying it like it's a law or something. Who exactly decided this? There isn't any “rule” – but why do some people act as if it is?
What's the purpose of deliberately removing banishing a fun and challenging activity from our Indoor Cycling classes? My guess is that it has something to do with #1 – but they don't want to admit it.
One reason maybe peer pressure. Many Instructors are competent outdoor cyclists. When they look up at their classes they see other cyclists riding in front of them. It's easy to understand why they would feel compelled to demonstrate good form and only use “cycling specific” movements. No one wants to embarrass themselves in front of their peers – right?
But is it proper to direct your class specifically toward the few cyclists in your classes?
I don't feel it is. When I'm consulting with a studio owner I ask a lot of early questions. The most important is; what is the current percentage of cyclists vs. regular folks in all of your classes? With the exception of studios that offer special Endurance /Performance training classes, the percentage of real cyclists should be 15% or less of the total number of participants for all classes. I have an interview going up this weekend with an Instructor who teaches at very popular club in Costa Mesa, CA. 50 bike classes are sold out for much of the week and they see <5% cyclists.
Wait… why don't you want a large percentage of cyclists? It's a pretty involved discussion and I'm planning to write about it in the near future. The short answer is this: If your class is directed at cyclists, it will come at the expense and/or exclusion of the people who are more inclined to ride at your studio regularly, especially during the summer months. Those people are middle aged women who make up the majority of all types of group fitness classes. They should be the majority of your customers and the primary focus of your classes.
If you don't believe me, go to the most popular class at your club or studio. A quick head count should confirm what I'm saying.
#3 My certification didn't include them – so don't.
My response to this would be to ask a bunch of questions:
How accurately or completely do you follow your initial certification?
Do you do exactly what your were first taught?
Have you, over time, added additional elements into your class that you learned here at ICI/PRO or picked up from another Instructor?
During my latest interview with Julz Arney, she explained that the current Schwinn certification they are offering includes information that's 40% new content. My point here is; there are a lot of things your certification didn't cover and what was included changes over time.
Why not decide for yourself if Jumps are something you should add to your classes?
#4 I read somewhere that they aren't safe.
Performed correctly; climbing gear and following along to a 60 – 75RPM cadence, Jumps are IMO perfectly safe. Sure there were idiots way back when, who tried to Jump randomly (popcorn style) while pedalling at 110+ with no resistance. BUT YOU WOULD NEVER DO THAT… WOULD YOU?
There's also a segment of “experts” in our industry who, in their crusade to remove anything that doesn't follow the If you don't do it outside… thinking, have used concerns about safety as a way to dissuade Instructors from offering many forms of movement from our classes.
My goal with this article is to encourage you to be open minded. Decide for yourself if you should include Jumps and other forms of movement in your classes. [/wlm_ismember]
#5 I don't want to embarrass anyone / I'm concerned some in my class won't be able to learn to jump.
If you came to a class and the Instructor stood up in front and announced; I can tell just by looking that many of you won't be able to perform the activity I had planned for today… so we'll just sit and pedal for an hour. You'd be insulted, wouldn't you? I know I would.
[/wlm_private]
Your participants want to be challenged. I'm convinced that much of the appeal of SoulCycle and their clones is that the movements in these classes are technically difficult to perform correctly. Riders leave thinking “I need to come back next week and show that Instructor (or person riding next to me) that I can do those Jumps as smoothly and rhythmically as everyone else in the room.
And that motivation is part of what could be filling your classes each week 🙂
I feel that “jumps” (the controlled/rhythmic/on-the-beat type – not the random “popcorn” or David Lee Roth varieties) have gotten a bad rap as of late. I love when they're a part of a class, enjoy teaching jumps and see them as beneficial for multiple reasons… here are five* for you to consider:
Picture yourself riding an exercise (stationary) bike for forty-five minutes (alone) in your garage while staring at a blank wall in total silence. No company. No music. Nothing (interesting) to look at. I get bored just thinking about it.
Now, relocate your bike to a bright room with lots of inspirational posters on the walls, a few flat-screen TV’s, a great view out of the numerous windows, some awesome music pumping through the place, a room full of motivated people peddling beside you and a hot-looking bloke (or chick) up the front inspiring you through a great work-out.
Some people call this scenario Spinning® (RPM, etc.). I call it cognitive dissociation.
It’s the same but different. Find a way to make it work for you.
A major part of our role as Instructors is to provide a distraction from the monotony of exercise. We do it with our music, structured profiles, our presentation of the class and video/virtual rides. All of these things can provide helpful distractions for the visual and auditory learners in the room. But what about the third type… the Kinesthetic learners in your class?
Kinesthetic Learning (also known as Tactile Learning) is a learning style in which learning takes place by the student carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or watching a demonstration.
Those are people who can't sit still and have got to move! I'll bet that you have participants in that category and they hate being forced to just sit there and pedal. My older daughter Abby is a super Kinesthetic Learner. It would drive her crazy to have to sit still to study. But give her something she could move/play with and problem solved.
Jumps can provide this cognitive dissociation because they force participants of all learning styles to mentally focus on the activity, not the effort. I can remember vividly how Amy used to teach classes where we would do 50, 80, 100 or more jumps in a row. I'd be so intent on staying with the music and counting down each jump, I would completely lose touch with the actual intensity – which for me made exercising fun!
Question for you: Do you have a few participants who won't sit still and occasionally do their own thing? I'd like you to consider why they are acting out. Could they be kinesthetic learners and you aren't offering them enough variety of movement?
Or asked a different way: could requiring everyone to “just sit there and pedal” be alienating a segment of the population who can't help the fact that they can't (and won't) sit still?
#2 Jumps can become Tribal Movements
Have you ever been to a sporting event where they did “the wave”? Try to remember the feelings you had when it happened:
Do you remember how you felt as you watch “the wave” slowly approach your section?
The feeling of being part of that massive, collective group?
Pretty cool, right?
Feeling like you're part of the “Tribe” goes a long way toward a feeling of connection with, or being part of, something bigger than yourself.
Did you maybe have just a touch of anxiety, worrying that you would stand up at just the right moment?
How did you feel when the “wave” started to become disorganized?
Were you a little frustrated with the others in the stadium?
Maybe you exerted your leadership skills by trying to reorganize the wave?
Tribalism is the state of being organized in, or advocating for, a tribe or tribes. Got an iPhone, iPad or Mac? Chances are one reason you choose an Apple product, over a PC, is because you wanted to join the “Apple Tribe”.
SoulCycle, if you haven't noticed, has an amazing tribe. I'm convinced that part of their appeal is directly connected to having everyone moving together as one. It truly is a thing of beauty. If you've never experienced a class like this, I highly recommend trying one.
Studio owner Paul Harmeling understands the value of building a passionate tribe, as demonstrated by his three successful Full Psycle Indoor Cycling Studios. If you didn't hear my interview with him, where he describes the importance of developing a tribe through specific movements, you can find it here.
#3 Jumps – help for the rhythmically challenged
I'm personally in the demographic that (had) a problem with rhythm. For most of my life, I had no ability to hear and then follow the beat of the music. Dancing? Let's just say that I'm really glad that pocket video recorders didn't exist back in the Disco era – my moves were not pretty and rarely connected to anything close to the beat. That all changed when I learned to jump as a participant in cycling classes.
Early on I found that, with practice, I could learn to pedal to the beat of somewhat slow music > in the 60ish RPM range. Having to rise and fall along with the Instructor (and other riders in the class) became a sort of gauge that helped me to understand if I was actually on the beat. Amy helpfully explained how coming up on the same leg, in the same point in the crank rotation, identified that I was truly “on the beat”. It took a long time for me to feel comfortable doing jumps without needing to think about each action – and it may for some of your regulars. I can't think of a better example of the “practice makes perfect” cliche – it really does take time.
So if you have men people like me in your classes, do them a big favor and teach them how to jump. I'm willing to bet that there's a significant other in many of their lives who will thank you for it 🙂
#5 Jumps are challenging
Why are extreme endurance events like the Spartan Race so popular? OK, that's a dumb question. Pretty much anyone who knows what these events are, know why people flock to them by the tens of thousands… they're crazy challenging both physically and mentally. Everyone who finishes has a sense of accomplishment that only comes from overcoming the challenges faced during the race.
Can all agree that there's little challenge in pedaling a bicycle? That's a big part of the appeal of Indoor Cycling, anyone can do it. Sure you can make the class hard – challenging physically. But why not add a few jumps, which for many people are mentally challenging as well? The end result is that once mastered, jumps can create a small, but similar, feeling of accomplishment at the end of your class.
#5 Jumps are FUN
Please don't underestimate the FUN factor of jumps. Not everything in your class has to (or should) be focused on some specific element of training. There's a lot of good arguments that playful exercise is as beneficial as structured workouts – especially with people who are burned out or bored by rote workout regimens. Recognise that many of your participants come to your class to have fun and want to enjoy their time exercising. My feeling is that adding a few jumps will go a long way to keeping them happy with you and your classes.
Stay tuned for Pt2: Jumps – 5 possible reasons why you aren't offering them…
* I'm tempted to add a #6 here: Jumps help cyclists learn to smoothy come out of the saddle. I know it has helped me, but there's a lot of conflicting opinions about if it does or not. The majority of your riders are probably not cyclists anyway, so this point really doesn't matter… does it?
