Many thoughtful instructors spend a great amount of time developing wonderful playlists combining strong physiological sequencing with impactful music. Yet many of these same instructors ad lib the beginning and end of class without much prior thought. Here are some specific things you can do to strengthen the impact of your intros and outros, while creating an atmosphere of trust and community.Read more…
Use positive reinforcement to highlight students’ skills, positive efforts, and improvements to increasing the frequency of specific behaviors.Read more…
For this final edition of the high-intensity creative cueing series, you’ll learn very specific cues to direct your riders to execute a proper explosive sprint. Our bonus cue is a humorous analogy that will not only make your riders giggle, but will also serve as a light-bulb moment to help reinforce exactly what you mean by giving it your all, and recovering sufficiently.Read more…
Cynthia has a question about the perceived exertion for threshold intervals and the recovery in between the intervals. She also asks for motivational cues for threshold efforts. I’m sure she’s not alone with these questions, so I hope this helps many instructors.Read more…
In part 3 of this series, you’ll get the perceived exertion descriptions and creative cues to help your riders push themselves extra hard for up to 1 minute. But…these are not sprints! Sprints require their own set of cues because they rely on a completely different energy system. Stay tuned for part 4! Read more…
Super-intense, short efforts are an essential part of cycling fitness. They’re a great way to keep fit as long as they’re not overdone. Anaerobic intensity requires its own type of cueing since the physical sensations are different than at threshold.Read more…
Help your riders by providing them with the mental encouragement needed to maintain intense efforts. This is the first of three articles on creative cueing at high intensity: threshold efforts, anaerobic efforts of 1–3 minutes, and explosive efforts under a minute. You’ll never have to ask “what should I say” again!Read more…
HOW coaches communicate with their athletes is just as important as WHAT they communicate. Coaching is about developing relationships with your students, and helping them grow as athletes. When an athlete is coached properly, they are more likely to increase their effort, and perform at a higher level.Read more…
Christine teaches two-hour endurance classes during the winter in addition to her regular schedule. She doesn’t structure them the same as her other classes. Here are her tips for keeping her riders engaged and involved. Read more…
Do you like to be yelled at or do you like to be listened to? Will you perform better for someone yelling in your ear, or with gentle encouragement from someone you trust? I ask you to consider the idea of “gentle coaching” as you develop your own unique coaching style. Even if your natural style is more authoritative, you may find some ideas here that will help you personalize and expand your appeal to your students.Read more…