Endurance

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In: Instructor Issues & growth, Physiology, Heart Rate & RPE, Training
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Indoor cycling endurance classes are a lose-lose situation. Low-intensity, steady-state classes are hated by your fitness enthusiast (or non-outdoor rider), and the fact that you attempt to deliver an endurance class to your outdoor riders within 60 minutes is just enough to tick them off. Instructors that try to force these mind-numbing, ineffective classes down riders’ throats will receive the same response as parents telling children to eat some nasty-tasting food because it is good for them. Some of you right now are possibly confused, stunned, angry, unfriending me from Facebook… What in the name of Keep it Real is Tom talking about?!Read more…

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In: Form and Technique, Free Articles, Instructor Issues & growth, New Instructors, Programming and Management
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James Fell, my favorite irreverent fitness myth buster and journalist, has just posted an excellent article on silly techniques in indoor cycling classes. James was one of the first to publicly challenge some of the unsafe and ineffective techniques done at SoulCycle (and other similar programs) in his front-page feature in the LA Times two years ago. Both Tom Scotto and I were interviewed for that article. You’re going to want to share this one with every instructor, student, and group exercise director or studio owner you know.Read more…

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In: Biomechanics, Cadence, Power
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Chapter 3 of Gene Nacey of Cycling Fusion’s e-book Power Training. This chapter discusses your limiters. A limiter is a physiological, mechanical, environmental or other circumstance that constrains or ‘limits’ performance. Put in terms of power, we would say that there are a variety of factors that can limit how much power we can produce. Read more…

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In: Class Profiles
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This year I took a compilation of the four inspirational New Year’s Profiles on ICA and put them together into one 90-minute ride. If you want a longer ride, this will give you ideas how to combine these profiles. Remember, New Year’s rides can be done all through January as riders set goals for 2014 and you commit to helping them!Read more…

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In: Communication and Presentation Skills, Free Articles
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Last month Tom wrote a post asking whether we should educate our students. It was in response to an article on another website that suggested that the role of cycling instructors is less to educate and more to entertain and give the students what they want. We feel strongly that by teaching our students the reasons why we do what we do, they will be far more likely to instill fitness into their everyday lives than those who simply are “entertained” by a rah-rah instructor. By learning how their body adapts to training they will be more likely to eschew popular gimmicks and trends in favor of more science-based training. The best part: they’ll love you in the long run!Read more…

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In: Class Profiles
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In addition to the Word of the Year profile, here are easy access links to past profiles for the New Year. The first is Jennifer’s very popular How Big is Your Why Audio Master Class, which challenges your thinking with a New Year’s Revolution, and last year’s Roll With The Changes profile, which will help your students put the stake in the ground and decide not to repeat errors of the past. Finally, What’s Stopping You will inspire students to reflect on the “How” they will achieve their goals, not just on the “What” aspect of what they want.Read more…