Welcome to the Indoor Cycling Association
Calories: What You Need to Know Now
With the New Year upon us, you will be getting a LOT of questions about calories burned in your cycling class. How much do you know about the calorie estimates you see on your heart rate monitor, computer console, or power meter? Are these estimates accurate? Here is everything you need to understand how the wrong information—or faulty understanding of the data—can lead you or your riders to believe they did more work than they actually did. Read more…
Master Class: I Dare You To Fly!
(Reposted from last year.) In this profile, you will dare your riders to recommit to their goals using very powerful songs, each one a perfect compliment to your message. You can bring out this powerful motivating ride anytime you want you riders to commit to doing more of what they want and need. Use this profile in its entirety, or just pick out a couple of songs and the associated cueing and throw them into other profiles that need a motivational boost.Read more…
Instructor Spotlight: Jackie Maniscalco Embodies Authentic Leadership
When Billy was researching Jackie’s story, he was reminded of one of his favorite books, Good to Great, by Jim Collins. Collins attributes authentic leadership to having three characteristics: authentic presence, skillful communications, and effective action. Jackie embodies all three of these.Read more…
Technology is Here to Stay for Indoor Cycling Instructors and Studios
Technology can help you teach your classes, it can help your riders improve their performance, and best of all (at least from a business standpoint), it can raise you above your competition and fill your classes. You might as well learn the technology that is available to our industry and how to capitalize on it. Gene Nacey of Cycling Fusion will be providing us with monthly tech tips. Read more to find out about a few of the upcoming topics in this exciting area of studio cycling!Read more…
Indoor Cycling Masters’ Words of Wisdom for Instructors
The second round of advice coming from master instructors. This is pure gold for all indoor cycling instructors from all programs. Read more…
Four New Year’s Profiles From the Archives
Here are easy access links to four past profiles for the New Year, including the popular “How Big is Your Why,” which challenges your thinking with a *Revolution*; “Roll With The Changes,” which will help your students put the stake in the ground and avoid errors of the past. “The Word of the Year” encourages riders to choose a personal mantra, and “What’s Stopping You” reflects on the “How” they will achieve their goals, not just on the “What.”Read more…
TBT: Balancing Unfit Newbies With Your Regular Riders, Part 2
Last week I provided three suggestions to minimize the chance of unprepared riders in your classes. In this follow-up, I give you an example of how to balance your attention between your regular riders and a newbie who needs very close supervision, without anyone feeling left out.Read more…
“Endurance” Classes…Are They Really All That Important for Indoor Cycling?
In the cycling world, the concept of base training is being turned on its head. If this is being questioned for outdoor cyclists, how on earth would it apply to indoor cyclists to spend hours at low intensities? If you’ve ever questioned whether you should be teaching your 45- or 60-minute classes in Zone 2 (65%–75% MHR), you may want to read this post.Read more…
Understanding the HIIT Hype
Last week we shared an article comparing the benefits of HIIT and steady-state training. This week we follow up with a look at some of the hype surrounding HIIT, especially the concept of EPOC. As fitness professionals, it’s important for us to understand the science behind the hype, and to use that science to help our customers and clients safely and effectively reach their goals. Here are some tips for effectively incorporating interval sets into your ride profiles. Read more…
TBT: Ask the Expert: Balancing New, Unfit, Late-Arrivers With Your Regular Students (Part 1)
TBT (Throwback Thursday) Have you ever had a brand-new student walk into class who required so much of your time that it took away from your ability to coach your class? How do you balance helping the new unfit person and catering to your regulars? Where do your responsibilities lie and where should the line be drawn? The suggestions presented here, while beneficial to all instructors, are especially helpful for newer instructors to indoor cycling.Read more…