Category — Fitness Industry Info

When I first heard of Johnny G’s new creation, the Krankcycle, I had what I’ve learned is the typical response: “Spinning with your arms?  Who’s going to do that?”  That was a year ago.  I should have known that with a man like Johnny G attached to it, the Krankcycle would once again revolutionize the fitness industry, just as Spinning changed the way we think about fitness nearly 15 years ago. 

Independent Crank Arms of a Krankcycle, image from krankcycle.com

I have the awesome privilege to be on the sub list at EcoFitness, which was selected to be a beta site for Johnny’s krankcycles in 2007.   Even seeing the first Krankcycle models in action didn’t have me completely sold, because of all of the preconceived notions I had.  It is gorgeous and sexy compared to those horrible UBE machines that used to sit in the corner of my mom’s old gym, but I still assumed they were equivalents.  I was fully invested in the notion that you must use your legs in order to acheive any type of cardio benefit.  And I was a little afraid of change…

But then I was invited to participate in the certification workshop for teaching Krankcycling and in one day Jim Karanas, the CEO and Head of Education and Training for the Krankcycling College of Knowledge not only taught me something new and amazing about the potential of my body, he opened my eyes to a much needed and impeding change to the industry — Inclusive Fitness.  To say that what is coming is transformative and incredible is, in my mind, putting it lightly.  There are some other aspects of the training that I probably would not have been so receptive to had I not already found the deeper, philosophical side of Spinning; however, it is a shift in thinking that I believe is needed in our industry overall.  I’m interested to see if Kranking can bring the mind-body connection to the forefront of group fitness.

The Johnny G Krankcycle by Matrix. Image from krankcycle.com.

To attempt to share with you all that I learned yesterday would be impossible, but I encourage you to start looking at Kranking.  Take a look at their website and explore the College of Knowledge.  And check back here from time to time.  Not only did I learn some incredible stuff yesterday, I felt the flame of passion about fitness reignited!  I cannot wait to share more with you as I learn more about Kranking (through 150-hours of practice!), so stay tuned…

Wouldn’t it be awesome to travel to exotic locations and spend your days on sun-drenched beaches? Have access to world-class resorts and live like the rich and famous? Maybe teach a class or two during the day, just to keep your shape and prevent getting too spoilt? What if I told you that you can?

Okay, maybe not forever, and maybe not without a few tradeoffs. However, there is an organization that places fitness instructors and personal trainers at some of the top destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. The deal? You, the instructor, agree to teach a class, sometimes two per day, in your specialty. Opportunities are available in general group fitness, indoor cycling, yoga, pilates, aqua, even tennis pros and chiropractors! In exchange, you get a full week stay at a top-notch resort for you and a guest, and, in some cases, your family. The website that arranges the bookings — fitnessprotravel.com — takes a fee for making the arrangement that I find very reasonable. I’ll be making my reservation as soon as my husband and I can agree whether to go to Brazil or Curacao…

Check it out! Even if you aren’t interested in travelling, the Fitness Pro Travel website has social networking tools for fitness instructors that provide opportunities for education, publicity, getting to know others in the field and more. Give it a look: fitnessprotravel.com

The Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast. This website presents the worlds best Indoor Cycling instructors, presenters and industry leaders. They discuss a broad range of topics from teaching and presentation skills to class ride profiles to promoting your class and so much more. I found them after learning that my pedal-on buddy SpinBob was featured for his discussion on Mentoring. They have lots of great advice, so if you teach Indoor Cycling, I encourage you to check them out!

http://www.indoorcycleinstructor.com

GroupFitPower has been honored to share the insights of a very talented and very successful fitness blogger and presenter with you in the past.  She has provided a wealth of advice to us and we are thankful she let us pick her brain for this interview.  Many thanks to Biray for taking time to answer some questions about who she is and what she does.
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If you live in the New York Area and are interested in attending a conference this fall, the folks at Town Sports International are hosting the TSI Summit the weekend of October 10 & 11.  I used to work for TSI, which owns NYSC, and I attended the Summit as an NYSC employee.  It was a great learning experience and they had an excellent array of sessions.  Although I haven’t been to a Summit in 5 years, I would still recommend it based on my previous experience.  They’ll be offering opportunities to earn CEU’s for ACE, ACSM, AFAA, NASM, NCSF, NFPT, NSCA, and W.I.T.S. as well as Spinning^® star points.  Check out their website for registration and to see who’ll be speaking and what workshops are available: Summit 08.

If you are trying to gain the competitve advantage in your business, seeking out experts in your field from whom you can glean knowledge is a smart place to start. This is true whether you are striving to be the top instructor at your club or you are the CEO of a company. There is no better way to avoid mistakes and set your path to success straighter than by consulting with folks who have already done what you strive to do. I had a chance to speak with one of the most accomplished women in the fitness industry. She has a great deal of insight to share with us about how to get ahead in the world of group fitness.

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