This came in the mail yesterday and all I could think was, “this has to be for my dad. It can't be for me.” 🙁
No, I'm not going to apply…
I guess it just one more predictable thing that comes with reaching the half-way-point. (I'm 50 at the end of the month and I've taken to telling people that it will be me turning the corner for the other half of the race.)
The hardest thing for me about this age is now needing to wear reading glasses, after ~48.5 years without. Many of us are around this same age and I'm guessing you may have similar problems.
I have about 30 pairs of Dollar Store readers scattered around my house… and yet I'm constantly searching for a pair to wear. What a hassle. I can feel for those of you who wear glasses or contacts.
But what do you do while you are teaching, when you can't see the small numbers on your watch?
I'm one who prefers to ride at the same intensity as my class, but found my trusty Polar's display was no longer readable (by me) once the lights dimmed. Do I really need a heart rate monitor to know my intensity? Not really. 15 years of training has me knowing the feeling of both my T1 and T2 with a pretty high rate of accuracy. But I like to set a good example for everyone else… so I faked it.
Really I did. For about a year I would make a display of lifting my jersey and strapping on my chest belt. Then I would raise my monitor and ask; “how many of you are wearing your monitors?”
I don't have to fake it anymore. No, I don't bring my $1.00 readers into class. I'm using a Blink Heart Rate Monitor. 🙂
If you haven't (forgive the pun) seen this new Blink Heart Rate monitor yet, here's the link to their site. Very simple: it blinks BLUE below T1, YELLOW between T1 and T2, and then RED when you are above T2. T1 is your aerobic threshold and T2 is your anaerobic threshold / LT.
Chuck Cali manages ZONING, which is the educational program that sells the Blink. Chuck sent me one a few months ago to try and I'm in love with it. Now not only can I see what zone I'm in, but my class sees the little blinking light as well. 🙂 I have a new model that's a little different from what they show on their web site. The Blink I have has only one button, and it takes all of about a minute to program.
I love the simplicity of the Three Zone system and feel it will work well for the majority of the students in my class. It may also go a long way toward my desire for a standardized method of describing HR training zones. More about this in the future.
My original concept for the Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast back in 2008 was simple and yet unique; use the power of an Internet Radio Show, delivered through iTunes, to provide a platform for the many voices in our industry. The show wouldn't be “about me” or a few self described “experts”, but rather my vision was for a vehicle that would be truly inclusive of the most progressive manufactures and education providers in our industry. ®
Over the past three years we have executed on this vision through partnerships with;
With ICG / Livestrong MI's Dosta Dedic and Kimberly Treadway at Club Industry
To start things off I would like you to meet Jim Karanas, Program Director for the Indoorcycling Group (ICG for short). In this interview Jim and I discuss his 30 year experience in fitness, ICG, their relationship with LIVESTRONG® Fitness and touch on the fantastic FREE continuing education resources available to you from ICG.
The Indoorcycling Group supporting LIVESTRONG® fitness has made a substantial commitment to both sponsor our efforts here and to provide educational articles and Audio PROfiles for our ICI/PRO members. This is going to be a fabulous year 🙂
For the past two year's or so I have been lobbying for a universal “Standard” for the description of Heart Rate Training Zones. The purpose is to get all of us talking with a common language, so we aren't confusing our students and help them reach their weight loss goals by training more effectively.
I love what we have been calling 2T/3Z or Two Thresholds / Three Heart Rate Zones and feel it is perfect for the “Club Athletes” who make up the majority of our classes.
Now there is a multi-week Heart Rate training program, designed around 2T/3Z & the Blink Heart Rate monitor, that you can offer to the clients at your club or studio. Zoning was developed by Ms. Zone Based Heart Rate Training herself; Sally Edwards, along with her partner (and ICI/PRO member) Chuck Cali.
Zoning is literally a Turn-Key fitness program in a can. I mean it will actually arrive at your studio in a can 🙂 The Zoning can contains everything you need:
Handouts and training video to educate your instructors
Promotional materials to help you sell your 6 week Zoning program to your clients
Class plans for leading each of the 6 weekly small group classes
Having seen the complete program I'm confident you will want to offer Zoning
Zoning is due to be released on November 15th and they are currently interviewing potential Beta sites. If you own or manage a fitness studio and would like to be considered as an early test facility (or you would like to be contacted when the program is released) follow this link to submit your contact information.
Recently John posted another excellent piece related to the power of three. He concluded with ICI/PRO’s own version of three-zone power training. I applauded him in the comment section thanking him for getting back to basics.
As a primary facilitator of ZONING (a two threshold three zone heart rate training system) with Sally Edwards I couldn’t agree more with John’s support and suggestion that our club athletes don’t need more.
Yet as an instructor who been teaching daily (M — F) for some time now, I’m convinced that few if any riders in ‘spin classes’ theses days are there for structured training. Three, five or seven zones, they could mostly care less. They don’t want any zones. They want to feel like they worked out and it wasn’t so bad. Heart rate and power were not at the top of their minds when they walked through the door.
And yes, I called it ‘Spin Class’. Like John, I’m getting back to basics. We’re looking 2014 square in the face. I think it is time we regard what we do in the context of what our paying customers call it. It is time to understand that just keeping it real is making it boring. We can offer sound training without our riders even knowing about. In fact I say don’t tell them.
Our riders come to Spin Class and I’m all about my riders! Thanks to Johnny G., we have Spinning. Spinning is what they come to do. No I don’t mean the Spinning most of us learned during our certification though spinning is still the number one certification out there.
I mean the fun spinning classes that everyone was raving about not that long ago. The community of fun, energetic sweat filled rooms that SoleCycle copied, repackaged and gave back to us at four times the price. Three zones not required.
So when I talk about coming back to basics I’m not kidding. The goal is still well attended popular classes. That is what management is looking at. More than you think. And let’s face it; teaching to a full room is cool.
So apply the following rule of three for sustainable well attended popular classes:
LEARN, LOVE AND BE LIVELY
LEARN as much as you can about indoor cycling, (as it pertains to the indoor bikes you teach on) cardiovascular training and outdoor riding. Just don’t try to sell it to your riders.
LOVE. Show up for class in time to make a friendly connection with your riders. Stay connected during class. See my post on connections.
BE LIVELY. Play music relevant to your plan for the class, which should be, to use your extensive cardio/bike riding knowledge and experience to give your riders a sense of community, some fun, and a good workout that DOES NOT include lessons on road riding, power or heart rate training.
Please understand I am in NO way suggesting we all abandon the sound fundamental principles we’ve championed here for so long. I’m recommending that you use all of it. Just don’t tell your riders.
Indeed my choice has been to cover it all up with a laugh, music playing somewhat louder than I would listen to in my car and cues that make sense to regular people. People coming to your class because they know it’s good for them and they can count on you to help them through on those tough days when they’d rather be somewhere else.
I love the simplicity of the Zoning Heart Rate program. Three zones (Easy-Blue/Moderate-Yellow/Hard-Red) that are created using two thresholds; T1 Aerobic Threshold & T2 Anaerobic Threshold – AKA: AT or LT. Simple to communicate and easy for anyone to understand – perfect IMO for our Indoor Cycling classes.
We've discussed Zoning multiple times here at ICI/PRO. Here are some links where you can learn more about Zoning and how this three zone system is recommended by ACE – the American Council on Exercise as their preferred Heart Rate Training program for our “Club Athletes”. We've also got some excellent class profiles that follow the Zoning format.
Tia Kilpatrick is a Zoning Specialist who works closely with Sally Edwards. You can virtually meet her in the video below where she leads her Falling in Love with the Golden Zone class at the past Heart Zones conference held in conjunction with Cycling Fusion.
Tia has an upcoming ebook; 44 ZONING Rides for the Indoor Cycling Enthusiast. We'll let you know when it's available.
This came in the mail yesterday and all I could think was, “this has to be for my dad. It can't be for me.” 🙁
