Like many of us, I had gone through a number of life transitions, which can distract us from basic principles we all know well and usually practice, like RECOVERY. I’ve spoke about this to instructors at conferences and have given lengthy diatribes on the importance of adequate rest to those I’ve coached. Yet, here I am (again) finding myself fatigued.Read more…
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…
As promised, following the interviews with Tom Scotto and Dr. Haley Perlus on the physical and metal aspects of pushing into the realm of discomfort, here are some of Tom’s and my favorite cues for hard to very hard efforts that include an element of suffering. There is a disclaimer of course: you must have a good relationship with your students and these are not appropriate for everyone. But you can also modify them based on where you are with your coaching and where your students are with their fitness.Read more…
Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Haley Perlus, mental training expert, on the mental tools you can use to motivate your students (and yourself) to go beyond self-imposed limitations and the lines of “suffering” that we dare not cross or have a very hard time crossing. Read more…
Last week I interviewed Tom Scotto about how an instructor should verbalize really hard efforts to students. This time I interviewed Dr. Haley Perlus, sports psychologist, an expert on motivation of the mental side of challenge. Dr. Perlus discusses when it is and isn’t appropriate to push through pain. Then she gives us 5 important tips on how to motivate our own students in our classes through the most challenging types of rides. Part 1 of this interview is FREE and includes 2 of the 5 motivational methods.Read more…
In cycling we are surrounded by images of riders suffering as they go beyond their limits on steep mountain grades, vicious attacks, grueling time trials and hair raising sprints. The cycling and training world is filled with terms such as “the pain cave,” “hurt box,” and the “sufferfest.” Is there a place for these terms in our indoor cycling classes? Tom and I discuss the if, when, why, and how of cueing discomfort.Read more…
This is a reflection on a very challenging ride I did two weeks ago, and a challenge to you as an instructor: go out and do something you didn’t think you could do, something that makes you dig in deep to overcome the difficulty! Then take what you learned and teach it to your students. In this article, I give you some tips on how to do that.Read more…
One of the most debilitating cognitions you can have is to believe that perfection must be attained. This irrational thought puts an endless amount of pressure on yourself, causing both your performances and enjoyment for indoor cycling (or any other activity) to deteriorate. . . . Read more…