The Face of the Clock is the foundation of all pedal stroke drills and should be a part of every instructor’s coaching repertoire. The way you present this drill can mean the difference between confusion and lightbulb moments for your riders. We provide you with 12 cues that should become part of your stockpile for the rest of your coaching life.Read more…
We have 12 ways to make sure that you enjoy the process of teaching off the bike and engage your riders so well that they hang on every word (or moments of silence). These tips are for when you have to be off the bike for an entire class, whether it be due to injury, giving up your bike for a member, teaching a large number of classes during the week, or any other reason. The first 6 are here in part 2 of this series, and the remainder in part 3.Read more…
This highly educational series on teaching off the bike first appeared in 2011. It’s a very popular topic, so we are bringing this new and improved version back to the forefront. Part 1 discusses why teaching the entire class off the bike can be effective. Part 2 will provide 11 specific tips and tricks for doing so. Parts 3 and 4 will give advice on getting off the bike occasionally in the most effective manner to provide motivation and correction. This series, worthy of CECs, will help launch your coaching to the next level.Read more…
TBT (Throwback Thursday): We will be reaching into our archives for special articles to help you on your instructor journey. In 2011, Janet Toussaint inspired our members to take the steps necessary to transform from being an “instructor” to being a “coach”; one who seeks to get to know his or her students, inspiring them to discover and attain their potential. This article discusses your “coaching radar” and how to use it.Read more…
Welcome to our first installment of our newest series: OCD—Obsessed with Cycling Drills. Yes, we are definitely obsessive about everything to do with indoor cycling drills including the music, cues, and objective. Pressure Cooker does exactly what the name implies: it places the body under continuous and increasing pressure. You get to choose whether to put the muscles or lungs in the pressure cooker.Read more…
Bryan is a new contributor for ICA, and he starts with a bang-up profile that is sure to get your riders’ adrenaline flowing! It is a simulation of a real race that is held in Pasadena, California, twice a week in summers, nicknamed the Rose Bowl Brawl. This is what Bryan says about this ride: “On Tuesdays and Thursdays a 150+ rider peloton blasts 10 fast laps around the famed Rose Bowl. If you followed the 2015 Amgen Tour of California, it was also host to a nail-biting, down-to-the-millimeters sprint finish.” Yeah. Bring that to your riders now!Read more…
Profile objective: To vehemently defy the cycling cardio gods with a dance of strength. Think of performing 1260 single leg squats; this profile requires no imagination.
The mention of “dance of strength” was not just a fun euphemism; get ready to bring your bike and legs on the dance floor with some powerful EDM (electronic dance music).Read more…
Ever notice how standing affects your heart rate? How long does it take to return to where it was prior to standing (if cadence and resistance/power are the same)? Many riders might not notice the effect on their heart rate, so this eye-opening climbing drill brings it to their attention and teaches them the tricks to bring it back down.Read more…
When I am taking a class, it kills me to hear the same cue over and over and over again. If you have ever been in a class in which the instructor only knows how to say “Turn it up” to tell you to add resistance, you know how uncreative and boringRead more…
So far in the Coaching Series, we have looked at the concept of coaching in an indoor cycling class and we’ve examined ways to shift from being a technically adequate instructor toward being a more intuitive and inspirational coach. Now we look at the rider, who is, in a rider-centered environment, the single most important aspect of the class.Read more…