Interactive Based Drills: Cycling drills inspired through the interaction of participants. This type of drills is often coined as "Games", however can be as intense as any other type of cycling drills. The interactive drills offers a way to engaged participants and add the element of fun. Research has shown time and time again that the more interactive and fun a group fitness program is, the more cohesion is created and class participation increases significantly. Participants want an experience.   Timed Interval Based Drills: Cycling drills created with the use of a timer ..read more

The Power of Music  A successful indoor cycling classes uses music to create energy which will pump up your participants. Whether it is a sprinting, jumping, climbing, or flat road drill; it's important to set the music to match the drills. The right music can make or break a class. Always match the profile of the drill to the correct tempo and think outside your own genre for music in a class.   RPM Versus BPM RPM = Revolutions Per Minute "In cycling, cadence (or pedalling rate) is the number of revolutions of the crank per minute; this is the rate at which ..read more

Adapting in Times of Change As a business owner for the past 20 years, I have faced many struggles, but no experience has come close to COVID-19.  I feel it is fair to say for most of us COVID was a shock to our everyday life as instructors and owners. What I thought would be a 2-week closure, turned into an almost 3-month closure of my cycling & fitness facility called Inner Fit Studios. During that time, I honestly wasn't prepared for what was about to come, but I knew I had two options - the first option was to do nothing and lose everything I had worked so hard for, or get cr ..read more

Is there a right way and a wrong way to place bikes in a cycling studio? Of course not, but there are benefits that can go unseen if you are simply following what everyone else is doing. Traditionally, cycling studios have their bike formations in rows, often cramming as many bikes in one studio as possible - which makes sense if your priority is increasing revenue. From a financial perspective, you can fit quite a few bikes into a space of only 1000 - 1500 square feet. However, from a teaching or coaching perspective, does this jeopardize your rider's safety? It's something worth discussing a ..read more

Who here feels there is only so many things you can do on a spin bike?  Today I received an email and it gave me pause and I will admit, I felt a little sadness that instructors feel hopeless when it comes to drills.  As instructors are we really becoming brainwashed by certain organizations that believe indoor cycling has only 2 positions - seated and standing? I sure hope not, but I know the grim reality. Many organizations have created their drills around the world of outdoor cycling; but in my opinion, indoor cycling can differ significantly and it's important to know when&n ..read more

When planning drills for your classes, which do you start with, the song or the drill?  I used to start with the drill and try and match a song but over the years I have learned that the flow of a drill works wonders when you start with the song.  I find the easiest way to create drills for my class is to start by letting my Spotify run wild. I usually let the music play until I hear "that" song, then I quickly add it to my "To Be Choreographed" playlist.  Next up, I listen to the song repeatedly and write out the song in terms of seconds by a process I call "chunking it down ..read more

Music in a cycling class can make or break a class because the root of group fitness is music. This is why group fitness is referred to as “exercise to music.” Indoor Cycling has gone through a wave of trends from high intensity music to yoga cycling to DJ’s in the Studios and back to the top 40’s playlist consumed with Pitbull and Flo Rida. Is there one right or wrong way to use music in a class? I believe the answer is yes there is a right way to create a playlist. The key to music is to captivate your audience and use the music to guide the ride while creating an energy in the room.  M ..read more

If you are old school like me, there were no power metres when we first started teaching. We had to learn to cue power through inviting riders to push their tension while increasing their speed.  Power has been the never ending battle for cycling instructors. It seems like every class we teach, someone is floating their tension on a speed drill, which I am more convinced the bike is riding the cyclists versus the cyclist is riding the bike.  The reason instructors get so frustrated is because of what I call "ghost riding." If I were to crank the pedals with my hand and let the bike g ..read more

I love choreographing drills. In fact, I love it so much, I have created 4 ebooks full of choreographed cycling drills (don't worry, there are lots of timer drills too!).  Now, a lot of people think choreographed drills do not belong in a cycling class, but I am here to say they absolutely do.  They way I see it, group fitness is set to music, no different than a step aerobics class. You use the music to guide the workout and the same can be done with indoor cycling. This doesn't mean I am saying perform a dance routine with sexy hips on a bike, what I am saying is, you can choreogra ..read more

As Instructors, we have a deep understanding for the power of music in any style of group fitness class, especially indoor cycling or spinning classes. Music creates a vibe and energy which builds motivation through a workout, but have you ever thought about how it can connect you to your participants? Think about a song that makes you smile? What about a song you play when you need to blow off steam (Metallica is my go to). Or how about a time in your life you fondly remember thanks to the music in that time period? It is so easy to get caught up in our own favourite music genre to play for s ..read more