I visited BreakAway Cycle and Strength in Longmont, Colorado, to meet ICA member Allison Zemanek and to experience the Performance IQ system for projecting heart rate and power data on to a screen at the front of the studio. When you read this article, be prepared to learn how to truly motivate your class beyond anything you’ve ever experienced! Read more…
OK, so maybe only those who have studied and are passionate the Krebs cycle will love this, but if you are an indoor cycling instructor, I hope you have more than just a cursory interest in metabolic processes. As Dr. Jennifer Klau says, “If geek and cool made a movie, this would be the soundtrack.” Or, as they say in the song, this is freaking awesome!Read more…
Although our indoor classes might be populated with many folks who do not ride outdoors, we should also be mindful of what our outdoor riders may be doing or are capable of during a given time of year. This will help us deliver safe, fun, and appropriate classes regardless of the season. Understanding this still has value for the non-outdoor rider. Why?Read more…
I received a question from a cyclist who said a master instructor told him he should allow movement in his upper body and he disagreed, because he was always taught to keep his upper body still. But there is an important difference between an outdoor bike and an indoor bike, and that has implications in how you should modify your riding indoors.Read more…
How long do you spend putting together your profiles and playlists? Depending on my mood, I can spend anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, sometimes more (especially for ones like the photo at left). Often the actual profile itself has been brewing in my head for a while; sometimes I come up with the concept while out riding my bike.Read more…
Last month I was in Seattle and had a chance to take Shari Miranda’s cycling class at the Seattle Athletic Club downtown. It’s a hill repeat profile with a twist. I enjoyed it so much I asked Shari to present it to ICA members. I know you—and your students—will enjoy this one!Read more…
UPDATE: It appears the original location for BPM Widget is no longer active. I’ve updated the link to an alternate location. Sorry about that.
In this video I demonstrate how the FREE BPM Widget for Mac is used to determine the BPM (beats per minute) of a song. This widget works beautifully with iTunes, since it has the ability to add the BPM to the song with one click.Read more…
In this Magic Coaching Minute, Jennifer and I are enjoying the USA Cycling Pro Challenge. While in the team village before Friday’s time trial, we were inspired to talk about the importance of warming up.Read more…
My Back-to-School profile and playlist was a big hit this morning so I thought I’d share it with you. If you’re not into theme profiles, this one may change your mind! This playlist spans the genres, and includes folk, indie, R&B, pop, punk, retro, and classic rock. It also spans the school age, from elementary to high school to college. As the Ramones say, “Fun, fun, rock ‘n roll high school”!Read more…
In Part 1 of this series we provided visual cues for technique and pedal stroke. The visual cues provided in Part 2 focused on intensity, terrain, and duration. For the final edition of this series, we have several hand signals for miscellaneous uses, such as riding formation, focus, breathing, and stretching.Read more…