Posts from — June 2007

A really hot Spinning class.  The profile was not mine.  The music was not mine.  But the class was on fire!  This is the link to the post on Pedal-On:  http://pedal-on.com/showpost.php?p=58054&postcount=1

 If you haven’t signed up for Pedal-on yet, it is a great resource for Indoor Cyclists.  I don’t think you’ll be able to view this link without registering, but now you have a reason to join.

 The music came from Cadence Revolution.  I used Mix #16.  The combination was an endurance ride that actually surpassed everyone’s expectations and helped my students see that you can accomplish good things in 65%-75% range. 

 Have a great day!

The best compliment you can give me as a group fitness instructor is to ask me the name of a song that I played during class.  Of all the elements of a group fitness class, your music has the biggest impact on your student’s enjoyment of and energy levels during your class.  Music is also one of the most difficult elements to master, because music preference is highly personal.  In today’s post, I want to give you ideas on where to look for more music to add to your collection and how to decide whether or not to play a song in your class.
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I recently joined an excellent group, and I wanted to share the site with you.  If you haven’t checked them out already, they are well worth the visit.  It is an amazing community of indoor cyclists from all over who generously share inspiration, playlists, rides, advice, personal stories and more.  After 2 minutes of reading the forums, I am bursting at the seams with new ideas and thoughts about how I am can improve my classes.   I can’t wait for you to try them:

Pedal-On.com, The Independent Voice of the Indoor Cycling Community

Have a great weekend. 

Ahhh, yes.  Summer is here.  The weather has turned hot, my mailbox is stuffed with wedding and graduation announcements, and my inbox is flooded with requests for subs.  It’s not so much summer anymore, as it is sub season.  In spite of the fact that members start heading outside, leaving your classes a little more sparse, exciting things can happen during sub season.  Here are a few things to help you make the most of it.

Advance Notice

Since it is sub season, you can expect that the pool of available instructors to cover for you will be smaller than usual.  It is important that you request coverage 4-6 weeks in advance of your planned vacation to ensure that you get a sub.  It is very stressful to everyone involved if you wait until the last minute to get a sub, only to learn that anyone who could have covered has made other plans.  One of my personal rules is my “Golden Rule of Subbing”:  Sub unto others as you would have them sub unto you.  You wouldn’t want to get an emergency call two hours before a big class, so don’t put anyone else in that situation.

Also, if you need a lot of subs, return the favors as often as you can.  My favorite instructors to cover for are the ones who volunteer to “give me a day off” in return for subbing for them.  Even if I don’t take them up on it, it reflects the right way to treat your coworkers.

 Get More Experience

If you are new to teaching and want to increase your opportunities to pick up regular classes, get on as many sub lists as you can now!  If you are already on sub lists, but you are unknown to the instructors at the club, get permission from the director to send out an introduction email.  After a greeting, and brief description of yourself and your abilities (2-3 sentences is sufficient unless you are wildly experienced or specialized), offer your services to anyone who will need coverage.  Some instructors prefer to email directly the folks they know are willing to cover for them so as not to bother the entire list.  After you start receiving the mass email requests, respond to them all, even if you can’t cover.  In some cases, this may not be taken well, but usually it will be a great chance to develop a rapport with your colleagues.  This could lead to them asking you directly the next time an opportunity arises, especially if you have a one-time conflict with the day they need a sub.

 Care for yourself

There is only one of you, and if you want to keep doing this Group Fitness thing long term, you have to take care of yourself!  I find that summer is usually when I get the most burnt out, and suffer the most injuries.  This is due in no small part to the drastic increase in the number of classes I end up teaching.  Here are some basic tips:

• Allow yourself to rest completely between intense workouts and/or classes.  You know what overtraining is, and you are not immune to it, so pay attention to your body!  AFAA recommends no more than 12 classes per week. 
• Don’t push it if you have an injury — you don’t want to end up out of the game completely. 
• Protect your voice by always using a microphone.  Pack extra batteries to have in case the gym doesn’t have any.
• Stay hydrated and well-fed, but avoid consuming food 2-3 hours before classes.

Here’s wishing you a happy sub season!!

Our Profile today isan all-terrain ride, meaning hearts will be  all over the map.   This profile should not be used for classes of novice participants. It is designed to challenge folks with an established and well-developed aerobic base. Because it is highly challenging, pay close attention to your students and give them opportunities to rest or bow out if needed. You should also rest or perform only a recovery workout the day after to prevent injuries or overtraining. Having said that, this really is an exciting and energetic ride that will get your class jumping, literally. We are going to focus on developing our technique and strengthening our heart and leg muscles. This is also a great way to spot any inconsistencies or dead spots in your pedalling technique. During this ride, expect to learn a lot about your body, elevate your heart rate to the top of your zone, and to sweat profusely. Ready? Set? Go!

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Today’s early morning Spin class was a fun ride.  I can’t share the profile, though, because I had to make it up on the fly.  See, I was all set to have my regulars pound out a grueling 80-92% max ride using various flavors of jumps and very little rest the entire class.  To my surprise, however, a group of the early morning weight lifters decided that they would try Spinning out today.  With it being the start of the holiday weekend, we were missing quite a few which put our numbers at 5 newbies and 3 regulars.  The obvious tilt in the experience scale required that I switch things up and give everyone an easier ride than expected.  Yes, I was catering to the new folks, but in this situation, how could I not?  But what if those five new gentlemen had walked into my class of 20 regulars?  Now we are looking at a situation that reflects a more common occurence.  So how do you do it?  How do you satisfy the strong ones while encouraging the beginners?   In the words of a Girl Scout song, how do you “Make New Friends, but Keep the Old?”

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