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In: Coaching and Cueing, General Coaching, Physiology, Heart Rate & RPE
With: 1 Comment

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…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, OCD - Obsessed with Cycling Drills
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The Face of the Clock is the foundation of all pedal stroke drills and should be a part of every instructor’s coaching repertoire. The way you present this drill can mean the difference between confusion and lightbulb moments for your riders. We provide you with 12 cues that should become part of your stockpile for the rest of your coaching life.Read more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, Communication and Presentation Skills, Instructor Issues & growth, Programming and Management
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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…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, Communication and Presentation Skills, Free Articles, Instructor Issues & growth, Programming and Management
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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…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, New Instructors
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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…

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In: Biomechanics, Cadence, Power, Form and Technique, Free Articles, New Instructors, Safety and Contraindications
With: 44 Comments

Suppose you hired a personal trainer. At your first session, your trainer, Jack, hands you 1 lb weights. You look at him doubtfully, but he smiles and says, “Trust me!” So you do dozens of biceps curls and shoulder presses and a few other exercises until your shoulder muscles areRead more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, OCD - Obsessed with Cycling Drills
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Welcome to our first installment of our newest series: OCD—Obsessed with Cycling Drills. Yes, we are definitely obsessive about everything to do with indoor cycling drills including the music, cues, and objective. Pressure Cooker does exactly what the name implies: it places the body under continuous and increasing pressure. You get to choose whether to put the muscles or lungs in the pressure cooker.Read more…

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In: Class Profiles, Coaching and Cueing, Outdoor Cycling
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Bryan is a new contributor for ICA, and he starts with a bang-up profile that is sure to get your riders’ adrenaline flowing! It is a simulation of a real race that is held in Pasadena, California, twice a week in summers, nicknamed the Rose Bowl Brawl. This is what Bryan says about this ride: “On Tuesdays and Thursdays a 150+ rider peloton blasts 10 fast laps around the famed Rose Bowl. If you followed the 2015 Amgen Tour of California, it was also host to a nail-biting, down-to-the-millimeters sprint finish.” Yeah. Bring that to your riders now!Read more…

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In: Class Profiles, Coaching and Cueing, Teaching with Power
With: 11 Comments

Profile objective: To vehemently defy the cycling cardio gods with a dance of strength. Think of performing 1260 single leg squats; this profile requires no imagination.

The mention of “dance of strength” was not just a fun euphemism; get ready to bring your bike and legs on the dance floor with some powerful EDM (electronic dance music).Read more…