Welcome to the Indoor Cycling Association
A Great Climbing Drill to Help Riders Understand Heart Rate Control
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…
You Never Know
Have you ever walked into class and just known it was going to be one of those days? At the front of the room sit the fitness warriors, donning serious faces as they set their heart rate monitors and fine-tune their bike setup. At the back of the room a small riot brews. There is tons of chatter, laughter, and a couple of folks whose voices project more than is tolerable. The front row is noticeably annoyed.Read more…
When Creative Cueing Fails: Reaching Your Auditory Learners
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…
A Super Bowl Profile That Will Rock You Like a Hurricane!
We first posted this Super Bowl profile from ICA contributor Kala Markel three years ago, and have had so many comments and e-mails about how much fun it is to teach and how much students enjoy it. Now you have TWO great Super Bowl options!Read more…
Super Bowl Profile: Offense–Defense Switch
You want a Super Bowl profile to end all Super Bowl profiles? This exhilarating profile will have your riders dreaming of that Super Bowl ring, even if their own teams didn’t make it to the championship game. You will alternate from offense to defense, with different goals each time. Read more…
The Difference between Exercise and Training Just Might Change Your Life
The difference between Exercise and Training is knowledge, structure, and intention. Could making the transition from one to the other be the start of a new and better you? Read more…
I HAVE A DREAM! PLAY THIS SONG IN YOUR CLASS THIS WEEK!
I don’t usually use all-caps in a headline, but I wanted to get your attention! I play this song almost every year on Martin Luther King’s birthday, and I, or my students, never tire of it. It is a spectacularly beautiful song to use in a cycling class.Read more…
The (Legal) Use of YouTube Videos
Just because we’ve gotten away with it doesn’t mean it is legal or right. Are we as instructors using purchased videos (DVDs, downloaded, or streaming) or videos freely downloaded from the web legally? As the popularity of video and virtual rides in cycling studios increases across the country, what do we need to know to avoid legal repercussions as instructors and for the clubs we teach?Read more…
Uncomfortable and Self-Conscious
It is 5 minutes before class begins. The last few riders scurry to their bikes. I’m nervous and uncomfortable about my ride, and more specifically, the playlist. As the class starts and the music unfolds, I feel self-conscious and not myself. Only the cool-down can save me now.Read more…
YIKES! No Music? What Am I Going to Do?
There was an interesting discussion this week on one of the Facebook indoor cycling forums about teaching without music. I thought it could be fun to have a discussion here about teaching without music. Have you ever had a music emergency in which you had to teach your class with no music at all? How did you initially react? How did your riders respond?Read more…