The final segment of this series addresses two of the benefits of teaching off the bike that have the most impact: assessing intensity of your riders and teaching HIT intervals. You now have all the tools you need to be a highly effective indoor cycling coach who knows how to teach off the bike.Read more…
Throwback Thursday (updated). Teaching off the bike is a skill. With effective and judicious use, you can empower your students beyond what you could do from the saddle. But you can also overdo it and alienate your students. Dismounting occasionally is different from teaching an entire class off the bike. Here are specific steps to elevate your coaching from the floor.Read more…
Part 3 of this series on effective coaching off the bike gives you the remainder of the 12 ways to make sure that you enjoy the process so that you can empower your students. Read more…
Part 2 of knowing whether your class is too hard or too easy means digging in deeper into what “hard” really means and how to convey it to your riders. I link to seven articles to help ensure you fully understand this level of effort. This includes 23 cues to empower your riders to give everything they have to reach the level of effort to actually realize the HIT benefits. Otherwise, they’re awash in mediocrity.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…
Alisha Shulter is an indoor cycling instructor who recently taught her first class off the bike. But, she hadn’t planned on doing it that way. The results, however, were magical and taught her a lot about herself and her students. She wrote this blog post about it and gave me permission to share it with you here at ICA.Read more…
This article by Bicycling magazine about incorporating a “buddy system” into a century ride to encourage the riders struggling at the back of the pack got me thinking of ways to utilize this in our own challenging rides. Read the article and let me know your ideas!Read more…
As an indoor cycling instructor, I believe your job is to lead your students to greater fitness, provide motivation and inspiration, educate them, and have fun in the process. In fulfilling these obligations, you want to have a mix of the elements listed in this article in your quiver of classes. These aren’t energy zones or specific types of profiles, rather they could be what is stated as an objective (or sub-objective) for your profile.Read more…