There is rarely enough time to work with brand-new students in your regular classes. If you have the luxury of scheduling beginner classes at your studio or club, here is a list of what you should include in these first-timer classes that will help them master the movements and feel less intimidated about venturing into regular classes. This is one of the best ways to provide a continuous flow of new riders to your classes.Read more…

ICA member Tammar Berger, owner of Off Road Indoor Cycling in Washington, DC, created this amazing short trailer for their upcoming Halloween ride. She gave a few quick tips on how she did it, but it made me think…what would you think if we created a course on how to do this yourself? Video is incredibly powerful to promote your program—you might as well take advantage of it!Read more…

If you’ve ever been frustrated about riders who seem to cheat about the amount of work they are doing, or how to coach your riders to add enough resistance to do appreciable work (and get the results they want)…then this is your profile! The audio for this profile is a veritable continuing education session, so get ready to learn a lot!Read more…

This is not one of our weekly music suggestions, but a song that I think every instructor around the world should have. Not only is it beautiful, but the message is so powerful. Thanks to Jeanne Sims of Long Island who posted it on Facebook this morning… I immediately bought it and put it in my inspirational playlists to use at a later date.Read more…

Mentoring new instructors is a valuable tool in helping them navigate the often overwhelming flood of information they receive in their certification and the weeks that follow. Listen to this audio interview with Melinda Massie of Lexington, KY, as she describes how she loves to take new instructors under her wing. If you’ve ever thought about mentoring (or if you’re a facility looking to develop a mentoring program) don’t miss this interview!Read more…

Have you ever dreamed of becoming a master instructor for an indoor cycling program (or any fitness program)? I believe that the steps to becoming an MI are similar to the steps of simply being be the best indoor cycling coach possible. In other words, even if you don’t care to present at conferences or train other instructors, if you take many of the steps outlined in this post, you cannot help but grow into an exceptional kick-butt coach and trainer!Read more…

Tom Scotto and I get asked a lot for high-energy music suggestions for field tests and time trials from 85 to 100 bpm. We’ve put our heads together to come up with 72 songs, ranging from downtempo and electronic, to rock, alternative, and hip-hop. What they all have in common is consistent rhythm and high energy. Some require more intrinsic coaching (downtempo), some work just fine on their own!Read more…