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In: Coaching and Cueing
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In this chapter, I discuss the use of metaphors and similes to add color and personality to your coaching. These spark your riders to be more creative and to use their imagination. They are an incredibly powerful coaching method and will set you apart from the typical bootcamp-style instructor who only shouts out commands, telling people specifically what to do. Here are 52 metaphors and similes to spice up your cueing.Read more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing
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The language techniques described here will help you to greatly expand your vocabulary, use different ways for expressing a similar idea, and will add color and excitement to your coaching. In part 1, I discussed the physiological effects of visualization and imagery techniques and how the mind doesn’t know the difference between a real or imagined event. Your creative cueing will take advantage of this fact to help guide them to higher levels of performance and success. Read more…

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In: Ask the Expert, Biomechanics, Cadence, Power, Form and Technique
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It is always great to see the response of our cycling instructor and coach community. A number of questions arose after I published the last Ask the Expert article on “Healing the Pedal Stroke.” The focus was solely on the practice of pushing down or dropping the heel below horizontal during the pedal stroke. In addition to my response to questions and feedback, I created a video using footage from the 2013 USA Cycling Pro Challenge to demonstrate the technique. Hey, pictures are worth a thousand words, right?Read more…

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In: Class Profiles, Theme Ride Thursday
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A good profile should provide you with endless ways to use it, saving you tons of time in the process. We have had several versions of this profile at ICA. This is an example of taking a template for a solid, goal-based workout and tweaking the music not just for a specific genre (like Bill Pierce’s Pop vs. Rock version), but for a theme like I did with this one using songs about “wild,” “crazy,” and “psycho.” There are so many fun songs in that theme! I also modified the intervals slightly, so it will seem fresh and new to your riders.Read more…

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In: Class Profiles
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Whether it be on a bike, a motorcycle, a car, or your own two feet, do you ever feel like you just need to escape? Get away from it all? Hit the open road? This ride, presented by guest contributor Laura Gurney, is for those who delight in the experience of the open road. As with any long ride, the main objective and benefit will be to build endurance: muscular, cardiovascular, and mental. This theme-based profile includes songs about driving, cars, highways, and travel. Read more…

shop 'til you drop

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In: Class Profiles, Theme Ride Thursday
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Guest instructor Christine Nielsen loves to play interactive games with her students. She came up with this creative profile for Black Friday, but given that you’ve got a few more shopping weeks before Christmas, there is still plenty of time to have a lot of fun with this profile. In fact, it is possible to use it year-round just for fun!Read more…

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In: Free Articles, Marketing Ideas
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Face it, we all want more people in our classes. More and more studios incentivize instructors by paying a per-rider fee, so it’s a good idea to learn how to promote your own classes. I’m learning myself and want to take you on my journey of becoming a social media expert. Here are some tips and tools to get your started, and some of the Instagram posts I’ve created recently since I’ve started teaching at a brand-new studio. Read more…

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In: Class Profiles
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“Sweet spot” is the name given to the intensity that overlaps upper Zone 3 and lower Zone 4, just below threshold. It’s called “sweet spot” because this intensity is an ideal balance of high intensity and the ability to cause some adaptations without needing a lot of recovery. Just for fun, this profile uses sweet-themed songs to enhance the concept of sweet-spot training! Read more…

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In: Music Resources
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Well, this is upsetting. Two tribute posts in two days, and both from the same era. We’ve lost another rock legend, this time Ric Ocasek. If you don’t know the name, you for sure know his music—The Cars, one of the most essential new wave rock bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s.Read more…