Drop in Spin Princess

[aubergine2]

Aaargh! Just have to vent - tonight in my class, about 1/3 of the way through, a woman waltzed in to the very front row, got on a bike, and proceeded to do whatever she felt like (not following any of my cues) for about 10 minutes or so. Then, she just got off the bike and left! There - I feel better. What do you do when this happens in your classes?
(Thanks ;-)

[Veronica]

I'm mean and think to myself, ha she couldn't cut it.

My big pet peeve are the chicks who whine about how much they want to lose weight and then never break a sweat in class because they spend the time socializing.

Veronica

[goddess1222]

i'll bet she "drops in" in the rest of her life too. just when things get "too hard"(whine, whine), she bails. i am sure the entire class was looking at her like she was a fool.

[Irulan]

would never happen at my club... the class takes reservations and is always full and waitlisted.

Irulan

[Irulan]

Originally posted by aubergine2
Aaargh! Just have to vent - tonight in my class, about 1/3 of the way through, a woman waltzed in to the very front row, got on a bike, and proceeded to do whatever she felt like (not following any of my cues) for about 10 minutes or so. Then, she just got off the bike and left! There - I feel better. What do you do when this happens in your classes?
(Thanks ;-)

going back to your post... as an instructor, other than the "drop in spin primcess" how do you feel about it when participants don't take your cues? As a class member, I ignore cues for any number of reasons... the two main ones being cued to stand and grind at a low cadence which hurts my knees, or occasionally I experince a low grade ache and I just go real easy for a while. Does it make a difference for you if you know the person and their commitment to working out?

Irulan

[han-grrl]

A participant not following cues is not a big deal unless a) they are being inappropriately vocal about their opinion b) they are doing something unsafe and contra-indicated. If someone walks in that late, get off your bike, see if this is their first time, or let them know what type of class this is, tell them to warm up before jumping in, etc... Don't talk to them from your bike it will just embarass them and make you look bad. you will look a lot more professional if you just speak to her for a couple of seconds one on one while the rest of the class is doing their thing.

if she leaves after that short a time, see if you can find her and find out why? was something hurting? explain to her what spinning is if she is unfamiliar. sometimes its tough, but it is better to be diplomatic right off the bat. it throws them off :)

my two cents

Han

[aubergine2]

Thanks for the feedback, all. For the record, I usually don't mind at all if someone is doing their own thing in my class, especially if it is someone who attends classes regularly and I know has their own training goals that they are pursuing. I respect that and am happy to do anything I can to help them reach their goals. This woman seemed to at least be familiar with the bike as she fooled around setting it up for a moment before she hopped on. If someone new comes in at the beginning of a class, I'll always get off my bike and go set them up, but when this person came in so late, I really did not feel any obligation to do so. I'll usually give one on one attention to "late" newbies after the class (having set them up quickly when they come in).

[kath]

I don't let them come in...we've made it really clear that coming into class late is not safe for them:( or fair to others who bothered to show up on time...you can see how it annoys me too. We also have reservations which helps, but you should see how people start showing up on time when they see the late ones turned away. ;)

[Terry]

I do not teach spin, but, I take classes and I do instruct yoga classes. Whenever I have a Yoga Prinnie float in late, I usually ignore'm. However, there has been once or twice when I've walked over because they were too attention-getting and asked them to follow the class format or kindly leave. They left. My management always backs up my call and so do my students.

Not following an instructor's cues is one thing, but for a student to come in late and start doing their own thing is a boundary thing/safety issue in most group fitness classes.

There is only one "Kate" in my class, but I agree with Han-grrl; be a professional and go over and talk to the student. I would probably have told Prinnie that it's not advisable to join spin class late because I would be very concerned for her safety. If she dissed me/reacted negatively, I'd ask her to leave.
Terry