Our minds are used to jumping around. This is sometimes called our “monkey brain,” the part of our brain that gets bored very quickly. The term comes from Buddhism and means an unsettled or restless state of mind. Bill explains how calming this part of your minds can benefit your performance on and off the bike.Read more…
I know it’s not Friday Favorites or Wednesday Classics day, but here’s some free music anyway! In May of 2011 I wrote about a great free legal downloading source for electronic music (trance, psy-tran, downtempo, etc.). I want to remind members about this site, but because there is so much music it can be a little overwhelming to search through it, so here’s a tip about a group I just discovered. Many of these songs are excellent for fast flat cadence work, in the 90–100 bpm/rpm range. Perfect for endurance and mind-body classes!Read more…
This week’s article on wearing your superhero cape in the indoor cycling room has generated some great stories by instructors. I want to share one of these successful stories with everyone to inspire you to do the same if you are confronted with rude or challenging students. When Chuck took over a class, he was faced with a student who sarcastically said, “There’s a new sheriff in town!” Read how Chuck took ownership of the class; there is now a waiting list to get in! Read more…
Final day to vote on the ICA Facebook photo contest! Please let us know your preference by voting on one of these great photos. If you want more information, here is the story behind each photo and contestant. On this page are finalists # 1-4.Read more…
On the surface this is an aerobic interval ride, but the underlying objective is to help riders enter a dreamlike “reverie” as they work–also known as a state of “Flow” or being “in the zone.” The reverie is inspired through the music selection and coaching, guiding students to trust you enough to let them ride on their own for most of the final 12-minute interval. Instructors looking for profiles for “endurance” classes will really enjoy this one.Read more…
I’ve taught many field tests over the past six years and have assembled what I believe are some excellent coaching tips to inspire my riders to give it their all without overdoing it. Coaching field tests well requires a good understanding of what lactate threshold effort should feel like and how to inspire your riders mentally to hold to that level of intensity for 20 minutes. Here are some coaching tips for before, during, and after your field test.Read more…
I’ve received several questions on lactate threshold field tests lately. I will answer one today, and the next one in a few days. This question is about using the field-tested heart rate that you estimate in your cycling classes for running. I also give you information about comparing LT with an elliptical machine.Read more…
You have this timeless classic Spinning song, don’t you? I hope that every indoor cycling instructor on earth has this song! (If not, this is a FREE post, so every instructor SHOULD have it!) Tomorrow is the day we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, and if you’re lucky enough to teach on Monday, you can play this song. I’m not teaching until Wednesday and will play it then. But this song is not limited to just MLK Day. It inspires ANYTIME you hear it! No words are necessary, just close your eyes and climb.Read more…
Christine delivers a very thoughtful ride, one that will inspire students to reflect on the “How” they will achieve their goals, not just on the “What” aspect of what they want. I know you’ll find Christine’s unique and introspective coaching to be something you’ll want to incorporate into your profiles.Read more…
In Part 1 of this series on creating profiles I talked about the key elements of profile design. I promised to give you the exact same profile with a variety of different purposes. Here is one profile with nine different objectives. Your students may not even notice they’re doing the “same thing” even if you taught two of these a week apart. You will see how your objective can drive your students’ perception.Read more…