When Are We Enough? Three Tools to Help You Love Your Body
We came across this article posted in one of the indoor cycling groups on Facebook and immediately fell in love with it. Rachel asks the question “When are we enough?” and begs you to find your authentic self.
Read More...Help Your Riders Leave Class With a Sense of Achievement—Even If They Don’t Understand the Console
Have you ever subbed a class where the riders didn’t know what to do with the console? Have you had a mixed class with some who understand watts and others who have no idea? Izabela inspires you to use the great tools you have at your disposal and provides you with some of her favorite ways for dealing with these scenarios, including a great way to help riders to understand watts even if they’ve never done an FTP test.
Read More...Using a 30-Minute Demonstration Class to Attract Seniors to Your Classes
Senior riders are becoming one of the most important demographics for our industry. The prevalence of baby boomers graduating into senior status is an opportunity for us to serve more people. But there is reluctance among this group to try indoor cycling. How can we overcome their resistance? I think the answer is the 30-minute senior rider demonstration class. This class can go miles in relieving the riders’ anxiety and creating dedicated new riders for our classes.
Read More...How to Turn New Riders Into Your Biggest Fans, Part 2
This is the continuation of our hints and tips that will help keep your “January newbies” in the saddle for the months and years to come. Here we cover introduction to bike operation, safety, and riding technique, and give you inspiration to use with your new riders. We finish with tips to make sure they not only will be happy with their first-time experience with you but will be much more likely to come back.
Read More...How to Turn New Riders Into Your Biggest Fans, Part 1
The first few months of every year bring in many new riders to your classes. This two-part series will provide ample tips that show you care and will help remove some reasons that your riders might abandon their first try at indoor riding, while increasing the chances that these newbies become your biggest fans.
Read More...I Took an Extended Break from Teaching Fitness Classes. Here Is What Happened.
Many of us find ourselves in a situation where we are expected to have it all figured out, time to fit everything in, and, if something comes up that disrupts that finely oiled machine we call our daily schedule—well, chaos ensues.
Read More...The Imposter Syndrome: When Self-Doubt Keeps Us from Doing Our Best
Doubting yourself is natural. What you do about that doubt is important. It can make the difference in your success as an indoor cycling instructor and even in other parts of your life. Do you feel like an imposter sometimes? Here’s a dirty little secret that many professionals are afraid to admit.
Read More...FTP Testing: Can You Teach One Without Knowing What It’s Like Yourself?
The benefits of utilizing FTP to create individualized training zones for indoor riders are increasingly becoming understood by instructors who teach with power. This, and the tests to determine FTP, have been discussed in other articles on ICA. But is just knowing “how to” put your riders through an FTP test enough? Is there really a need to perform one on yourself in order to teach it?
Read More...New Bikes with Power Meters…Now Watt?!
Your facility has just gotten new bikes—this time with power meters—but your riders have no idea how to use them. What do you do? Pam Benchley, master trainer for Stages Cycling, gives some tips on how to brief your riders about the bikes and the new technology without blinding them with too much science. Keep it simple!
Read More...Ask the Expert: How to Work with an Obese or Very Unfit Rider?
This email I received brings up an immensely important issue—how to work with obese and/or very unfit students. There are many things you can do to make these students more comfortable and increase the chances they will return, but it takes some hand-holding. Are you willing to do what it takes?
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