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In: Free Articles, Instructor Issues & growth
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How confident and powerful are you? How are you perceived by your students, clients, bosses and peers? This stunning video from an inspirational Ted Talk shows you that just by making small changes in your body language, you can change how you are viewed for the better and drastically improve your self-confidence. The lessons are very applicable to what we do as instructors, coaches and trainers. I’d love your thoughts on this video. Please feel free to share this with anyone you think might benefit from this fantastic information.Read more…

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In: Class Profiles
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Leslie Mueller brings you a very fun, interactive climbing interval ride. In this profile, you’ll have three forks in the road. At each fork, you’ll describe the two possible directions to your students. Your students will make the choice which way they want to ride; then you’ll cue up the songs, and off you go! The beauty of this profile is that every time you do it, it will be different! And there are so many possibilities of additional “forks” you can choose. This may become one of the most versatile profiles in your quiver!Read more…

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In: Music Resources
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Next week is the summer solstice. It might be time to put together a fun playlist of songs that reflect the joy and happiness that summer brings. Here is a playlist of 81 songs that you can choose from. I recommend an intervals class! Read more…

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In: Ask the Expert, Medical & Health
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I received an interesting query from an instructor who is worried about one of her co-instructors who takes a caffeine and Nitrous Oxide (NO) supplement prior to teaching. Students have described him as inattentive, distracted and even “psychotic”. I turned to Dr. Jennifer Klau for advice on this subject. Even if you’re not taking this particular supplement, you might want to keep Dr. Klau’s admonition in the back of your mind when considering supplements!Read more…

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In: Free Articles, Programming and Management
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When the weather gets nice, sometimes it’s fun to take your classes outdoors. Here is a checklist of things to consider before doing so. For those of you who do take your classes outside, please let us know how you handle the items on this checklist. I’d like to make this an interactive post so we can see how clubs across the world deal with this!Read more…

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In: Form and Technique, Outdoor Cycling
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You hear people like Tom Scotto and me, as well as many indoor cycling programs and their master instructors, preaching the benefits of “keeping it real” and sticking to authentic cycling techniques when training your students in your classes. This is absolutely true; it is your obligation as the leader of the class to provide a safe and effective workout for everyone in your studio. But is every cycling technique warranted indoors? Tom and I decided it would be a good idea to discuss certain techniques that might be valid training for outdoor cyclists but that are not recommended in the cycling studio, especially on bikes that don’t move. We give you the reasons they are valid outdoors, and the reasons they are contraindicated indoors.Read more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, New Instructors
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Christine’s article on determining a student’s learning style got me thinking of my own way of assimilating information when I’m learning or enhancing a skill. As I read her article, I saw myself in the “frustrated” students she described. I am a very strong kinesthetic learner, but fortunately, I also am also a visual learner. Coaches who are skilled at delivering bodily cues are less common, so I tend to pass the visual information I receive through my own kinesthetic filter. Are you like this? Might some of your students do this? I use my education as a ski instructor as an example in how I did this, and provide you with things to consider when trying to reach your predominantly kinesthetic learners.Read more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, Magic Coaching Minute, Training Videos
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Welcome to the Magic Coaching Minute, a new segment on ICA. We will bring you a coaching suggestion via video once or twice a month. The first Magic Coaching Minute is with Gene Nacey of Cycling Fusion, filmed and produced at the Cycling Fusion Headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA. In this video, we analyze a rider’s poor technique as demonstrated by Gene, and try to assess the best way to correct his form. The issue is a very jerky pedal stroke while climbing out of the saddle. The rider often looks like he’s on a pogo stick. How do you fix it?Read more…