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…
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…
In part 2 of our discussion on teaching recovery, I define workload, recovery, and adaptation and give you examples of when you ABSOLUTELY do need to teach recovery classes. You will also learn how to teach your students about taking responsibility for their own recovery.Read more…
A new instructor posed this excellent question, and because it depends on so many caveats, I am creating a series out of this topic. Part 1 provides the most basic, short-term way to assess how hard or easy your class is for your riders. But instructors, get ready to do a little self-analysis—I’ve got some homework for you. This series may very well pave the path to tremendous personal growth!Read more…
I posted this on the ICA Facebook page the other day, as well as in one of the indoor cycling forums on Facebook, and it caused a firestorm. I’d love your thoughts on the subject of stretching on the bike in your indoor cycling or Spinning class.Read more…
I was interviewed for an article in ACE Fitness magazine by Amanda Vogel called “Are Celebrity Trainers Making People Fat?” The tongue-in-cheek title of the article mimics the headline that appeared in Harper’s Bazaar magazine last fall called “Is Spinning Making You Fat?” Amanda asks whether fitness professionals stay silent or take a stand against the popular but misleading headlines propagated by the media.Read more…
Damn, I finally did it…I wrote one of those inane headlines that are so in vogue and are only designed to get clicks. I swore I would never do it. But sadly (not just that I succumbed to the trend but also because what I’m about to say is 100% true…) it’s probably the most descriptive and honest headline I could ever write about this topic. So get ready to have your mind blown if you’re a personal trainer or care about how fitness is taught.Read more…
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…
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…