Technology can be a great thing for our classes – as long as all of your Instructors have been trained to use it properly.
I'm seeing a bunch of clubs and studios having enormous success with performance data tracking and display systems. These systems connect to the consoles all of the new Indoor Cycle's with power and then display the information on a big screen + send out those informative emails that your participants love to receive.
Unfortunately some studios and/or Instructors aren't having the same amount of success. During many of my consultations with studio owners, I'm hearing them say that they would have appreciated (and benefited from) more in depth Instructor training, i.e. exactly how do we integrate these systems into an actual class?
So when I was at IDEA this past Summer I was encouraged to see that Schwinn Indoor Cycling has developed specific education, for the use of their Schwinn branded version of Performance IQ 🙂
To get the low down on what they are offering I invited Schwinn Indoor Cycling's Director of Education, Julz Arney, join me to discuss their education and get her thoughts on Best Practices for using Display Training.
During this interview Julz mentions that she would provide everyone with a PDF of her 10 Best Practices for using a Display Training system – here's the link to download it.
Would your club or studio benefit from additional Instructor training, regardless of the brand of cycle you're using? ICI/PRO has an experienced team that is available to provide intensive Instructor training at your location – please contact us and we can schedule a call to discuss your needs and see if we can help. We can also help you with decisions regarding Indoor Cycles, website design and performance data tracking and display systems.
You'll be quicker up Pikes Peak after a winter training indoors with power!
While Performance Enhancement Specialist Dennis Mellon and I were getting warmed up to record his Audio Class PROfile Mashup – HIIT vs. Party on the Bike, we spent a few minutes discussing his thoughts and observations on coaching with power.
Were his participants seeing any improvement after a full winter training indoors with power?
If so, how are they comparing their performance year to year?
Has Star Trac been able to improve the consistence / accuracy of the Blade Ions?
Can we depend on riders bringing their own technology (HR Monitor, iPhone App, ect…) to class for the purpose of tracking performance?
Or is it better to provide rider data/metrics tracking as a service of the studio?
During our conversation Dennis makes an interesting comment about a summer class format, that could be of interest to the cyclists and endurance athletes who abandoned you this Spring. Many training plans call for very specific HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) – which is difficult to complete on the road, but easy to do indoors. It may make sense to ask one of the local endurance coaches in your area if they would be interested in bringing their athletes indoors once a week to your studio.
You can learn more about Dennis here at his website.
Listen to our discussion below or
If you'd like to learn more about automated rider data/performance tracking from Performance IQ with the Spinner Blade Ion or any of the other Indoor Cycles with power, please contact me and I'll connect you with the right people.
Wahoo BLE & ANT+ cadence sensor easily attaches to either crank arm and doesn't require any magnet or second sensor.
We talk a lot about the new Indoor Cycles with consoles that display a rider's performance data; Power /watts, RPM, distance, calories. Training with Power is fabulous if your club or studio as invested bikes recently. It's even more fabulous when all of that data is connected to a display training system like what's offered from Performance IQ or Spivi. Either system really adds to the fun factor, while delivering true performance data directly into each participant's email box – an awesome convergence of Keeping It Fun & Indoor Cycling 2.0 🙂
But is there an option to bringing big screen display training to your club or studio using conventional Indoor Cycles?
Absolutely and around 90% of the investment you'll make today will carry over to when you do finally upgrade to Power bikes – assuming you do of course.
My assumption is based on the fact that if you are riding a conventional Indoor Cycle, with no computer/console, there's a good chance you're on Star Trac Spinner® NXT's and Spinner® Pro's. Star Trac owned the market for indoor cycles back in the 2000's and sold thousands of both models. To my knowledge, back then nearly all of the Big Box clubs were riding Star Trac's – the one exception being LA Fitness.
So if your NXT's or Pro's are in relatively good nick and you would like to add technology so everyone knows how fast they're pedalling, you have a couple of options.
NOTE: I haven't seen a studio adapt a bicycle computer successfully and don't recommend wasting your time trying.
The most common solution is to install a Spinning® computer. These consoles will display cadence, distance (wildly inaccurate) time and HR if you're wearing an analog HR strap. A few words of caution:
The Spinning computer has no option for connection (BLE or ANT+) to a display training system = they won't connect with Performance IQ or Spivi.
These computers are designed to fit multiple models of Spinners®. There is a setting (you use a magnet to get into the option screen) you need to make to adjust the computer to your model of bike – to have RPM displayed correctly.
They're pricey at $167.00 each and I'm not aware of any bulk discounts.
The alternative for studios not ready to replace their bikes, but do want to begin offering performance metrics (even RPM & HR can make a huge impression on clients) and possibly a bike reservation system, I recommend the new Wahoo RPM cadence sensor.
The $39.99 Wahoo sensor is about the size of a quarter and attaches easily to one of the crank arms. That's it. There's no second magnet or parts needed. The package comes with a number of attachment methods – I'm showing it simply stuck on using some incredibly sticky double sided tape.
Battery life (replaceable coin cell) is supposed to be a year or more with it's auto-on feature. The sensor transmits in both BLE and ANT+ with great range so you could have a large studio with 40 or more NXT's wirelessly connected to Performance IQ or Spivi. Let the fun begin 🙂
The other option would be for participants to bring in their personal portable device; iPhone, iPad or Android phone. There are multiple Apps that will receive the sensor's BLE signal (all phones have BLE) and the free Wahoo Fitness App would be my choice. It's super easy to use and paring is very intuitive.
Yes this sensor will work with the Spinning App – only after you purchase additional sensor options.
My guest for this episode of the Podcast is Studio Owner Leslie Grosshauser.
Leslie launched S & L Tri-Cycle Fit Studio on the first of the year. I was excited to learn from her about a number of decisions she made, to differentiate her offering from other fitness competitors.
Key among them were the purchase of Schwinn AC Performance cycles and the Performance IQ on-screen display system of each rider's Power and Heart Rate metrics.
Here's more about Leslie Grosshauser
Leslie has been teaching and training in the fitness Industry for over 25 years. Inspiring the world to workout and have fun are the key ingredients in all of Leslie’s program. Leslie has a wide variety of experience ranging from Managing and Directing Group Exercise and Personal Training in Hospital based centers, National Fitness Chains and small Boutique studios.
Leslie loves the world of competition and that is why she is so passionate about S&L Tri-CycleFit studio. Leslie has always had a vision to create a place where people can get a great workout, have fun and fulfill their competitive edge. Leslie has been teaching indoor cycling for over 15 years, loving every minute of the ride, she has created several creative formats to keep people smiling and coming back for more!
Leslie is currently a Master trainer for Polar Electro, The Cardio GX Program, she is also a Master Trainer and Presenter for the Hollywood workout “Piloxing”, Leslie is also a Fitness Educator/Presenter for SCW Fitness Education where she presents several of her own programs and educational seminars around the United States. Leslie has presented at several of the major Fitness industry Tradeshows such as IHRSA, Club Industry, Athletic Business Conferences and several others. Leslie has presented Internationally for FreeMotion Fitness where she launched the Group Free Motion program that she created.
Leslie was the 1999 National Aerobic Champion and also competed in the world of Body Building. Leslie loves the connection that the group classes create and that is why she has dedicated her life to designing fun group exercise programming.
We're looking for a Performance IQ Rockstar that we can develop into a Master Instructor – joining me to conduct PIQ Instructor trainings.
Master Instructor Qualifications
Are you super experienced at teaching Indoor Cycling classes where Performance IQ Display Training is a focus of the class?
Do you feel you have the passion and personality to enthusiastically transfer your knowledge and experience to other Instructors?
ICI/PRO is planning to develop, and then contract with, a Master Instructor to conduct workshops at North American (and potentially international) club and studio locations, beginning this fall 2016. The successful candidate will partner with me – Master Instructor Dennis Mellon.
If you've wanted to become a Master Instructor, this could be an awesome opportunity for you. My initial exposure here at ICI/PRO really advanced my career and lead to my current Master Instructor position!
Qualifications:
You’re recognised as a ROCKSTAR instructor, consistently filling your Indoor Cycling classes
You hold a current ACE/AFAA Group Fitness or Personal Training certification
You have a current Indoor Cycling certification from one of the established brands
You teach regularly scheduled Indoor Cycling classes at a club/studio that uses Performance IQ — and this is important — your supervisor is willing to be a reference
You have a thorough knowledge of zone based Heart Rate and Power training principles + you apply these consistently in your display training classes
Your classes are an effective mix of conventional and rhythm & movement formats; i.e. cycling specific training meets SoulCycle
Excellent computer skills — you’re the go-to person whenever there's an issue and who’s helping others learn to use PIQ at your studio
Written communication comes naturally to you
You have weekend (Friday — Sunday) travel flexibility
We're tentatively planning our first Performance IQ Display Training workshop for the middle of September at the Greenwood Athletic club in Greenwood Village, Colorado.
This is a contract position and the successful applicant will be compensated per training + travel expenses.
Please email me directly with your resume and a cover page to Dennis Mellon at dennismellon@me.com
magnet or parts needed. The package comes with a number of attachment methods – I'm showing it simply stuck on using some incredibly sticky double sided tape.
