Spin Instructor Try-out tomorrow- any tips??

[snooz]

Been in love with indoor cycling since I was assaulted while biking to work several years ago- was not injured but pretty much lessened my motivation to ride the streets/trails. Spin class= No traffic, no weirdos, no worries!

Sooo...I became certified to instruct and have a group try-out tomorrow. Been practicing all I know and all I've recently learned and have a pretty good routine but would really love any extra help as far as how to make the best of my try out.

Thank you!!

[tulip]

Congratulations, and enjoy your class! So sorry to hear about your assault.

Connect your routine to an outside ride. For those of us who do ride outside, a good spinning class is one that simulates outside riding. I don't bother with spin instructors who do not ride outside or never have.

Tie your cadence to the music. Nothing worse than the spin instructor completely ignoring the beat of the music, and nothing better than a good song sweeping you along in the class.

Also, remind people to drink often, and don't do things like pushups while on the bike! I took a TERRIBLE spin class where the instructor (how she was hired I will never know) had the students do pushups on the bike while pedaling. She also had students put the resistance at the hardest level and push no matter what. She and the students were at about 5 rpm no joke. I just did my own thing because her music was pretty good, but she got snippy about me not going along with her routine. I told her that her routine was dangerous and potentially quite injurious. Don't do those things!

Which certification program did you take?

[snooz]

Hi, thanks

I was certified through Mad Dogg Athletics (Johnny G). That class you mentioned does sound brutal.

I've been reading on the forums here about how many people feel the same as you in wanting their indoor rides to simulate outdoor riding. It's funny, although I began as an outdoor cyclist, I have always thought of the two as separate species and even though I "spin" on my own often when the classroom is empty, I am not really thinking too much about simulating the outdoors...Now I think I need to revisit this but I'm not sure how...

Is it as simple as referring to things like "getting to the top of the hill" or "sprinting down the backside" after doing a hard "climb" and following up with a high-cadence/low resistence effort/song?

thank you for your help!!

[Catrin]

First of all I want to congratulate you for doing the work to get certified, and wish you the best on your try-out tomorrow!

Personally I won't return to a spinning class where there are moves that I consider unsafe (like adding enough resistance to go 5 mph - just dangerous), or to do "exercises" on or off the bike. I've been to one class like this, never again. As an outdoor cyclist, I only attend spinning classes inside during the winter to help maintain bike fitness. I really want an indoor cycling class - tied to the music like Tulip mentioned The music helps to get into the zone.

Please don't stop the class to have people take their heart rates - indeed don't stop the class at all until it is over. Assuming you have fans in the room, turn them/keep them on. Don't ask the students what they want to do that day, you are the instructor. I am sure you would/wouldn't do all of that anyway ;) I've been in several classes where all of this and more occurred, very chaotic.

Good luck and have fun!

[Irulan]

no contraindicated moves**, good music, don't sing along....;)

** if you search older threads, you'll get a lot of info. Pushups, popcorn jumps, etc... not safe.

[snooz]

Hey, thanks.
I guess I'll do at least better than those instructors that don't sound like they are certified through a reputable program or have forgotten what they learned!

Thanks for the suggestions, wish me luck!

[Catrin]

Hey, thanks.
I guess I'll do at least better than those instructors that don't sound like they are certified through a reputable program or have forgotten what they learned!

Thanks for the suggestions, wish me luck!

Sadly they were all certified, and at least in my experience, aren't uncommon. Thankfully at my last gym we had a great instructor who was really responsible for encouraging me to learn how to ride outside. I loved his spinning class so much that I just HAD to see what it was like to take it outside ;)

[Crankin]

+1 to everyone else's comments. There is nothing worse than a spinning instructor who has never been on a bike in the real world.
To me, the most annoying (and contraindicated) things are the jumps, hovers, push ups, etc., or anything else that you would never do outside. Go to a functional fitness class if you want to do that.
As one who rarely stands while riding outside, I do stand on the spin bikes. However, I only stand for short bursts, and often times the instructors will have the class standing and riding with very hard resistance for 5+ minutes :eek:.
It's bad enough to have to come inside and ride and sometimes the choice between spin class, riding on the trainer, or snow shoeing is not a hard one for me. The snow shoeing will always win, if I have the time.

[indysteel]

I think it's very important to emphasize that your instructions are just suggestions. Everyone should be encouraged to listen to their own bodies and modify as necessary if something is too hard, uncomfortable, painful, etc.

My pet peeve with instructors are those who are just there to get their own workout. I've had a couple of "racer" instructors who basically taught classes so that they could kill two birds with one stone. So there they would be pushing these insanely high watts (this gym had spin bikes with power meters) while the rest of us would be hanging over the side of our bikes ready to throw up. I had another instructor (who ended up becoming a friend and riding buddy) who could spin like nobody's business. No matter the resistance, he could maintain a 90+ cadence. I did a couple of weeklong tours with him in Tennessee and he was a mountain goat. It took a lot to convince him that the rest of us mere mortals couldn't do that and until I did, his spin class was kind of a PITA.

You don't sound like the type that would do that, but it's important to keep in mind that just because you find a particular level of difficulty easy; the rest of the class might not. Pay attention to how people are responding to your instructors. If you see people struggling en masse, dial it down a notch.

Good luck. I like spin classes a lot. With the right music and the right instruction, they can really be a blast.

[snooz]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions!
These are the things I hope to bring to class and especially today when I try out!

I think I'm unique in that I have had the uber-extreme indoor cycling experience- when it was first a big thing in the 90's I took a class at my gym and it was so awesome (read serious sarcasm here) that it took me only TWELVE years to go to my second class!! That instructor had us doing crazy things that I was not capable of, even though I ran marathons and was in good shape. And since my love affair started with indoor cycling, I've had two C sections and one shoulder surgery as well as the very tough transition from surgery/couch potato recovery back to gym-goer so I understand the importance of everyone going at their own pace (even if I don't always do it myself when I should, sadly).
SO.....
I'm going to read everyone's posts one last time, burn them into my memory, shower and head off to the try-out.
If all goes well, I will rock it, become employed as an instructor and tell you all you helped me out!!!
Cheers,
S

[tulip]

Good luck!

I would add one more thing--not for your audition, but for your future classes.

Know your class demographics. In other words, if your class members are mostly over 50, go easy on the techno. I've also seen instructors provide a clipboard so that students can write down their favorite songs. How many times have you been listening to music and said, "that would be a great spin tune?" Happens all the time.

Remember, you are asking us here at TE, and we are all outdoor cycling enthusiasts. You will get students who do not like to ride outside, but I still say that making the class relate to real cycling is a good idea. It's gotten some students in a class I attend to get outside and ride their bikes. That's a Very Good Thing.

[Catrin]

How did it go?

[snooz]

Believe me, I'll be easy on the techno- I can't cycle for more than 6 minutes (happily) listening to techno :)

I really like the idea of the clipboard for song suggestions- I know some instructors ask us but most people are too shy to just shout things out, I think.

As far as how it went, it went well, I think. It was a group try out and I assumed I'd be there with a bunch of other cycling instructors...wrong! It was mostly Zumba, Pyo, Yoga and kick boxing and only two of us were there for spin. I knew the guy there for spin, super nice guy but he and I have two very different styles. Oddly enough, he's over 50 and played techno while I played "Soul Man" by the Blues Brothers since it's an upbeat, fun song.

The coordinator reminded us we were done that we needed to be sure to let the class know to ride at their own level using the "percieved exertion" from 1-10 chart that the club refers to during Spin. Duh. I should have said that but it was hard to remember all the things I should say without talking through the entire song. All in all, I think it was good, we'll wait and see.

Hey, at least I have a 50-50 chance, right?? :)

And one thing I did NOT expect- I had fun! I did the mini-workouts the other instructor-hopefuls led (some instruct elsewhere, some had never taught a class in their lives!) and not only got my heart rate up, just had fun doing stuff I don't normally do. And what was also really nice was how very warm and friendly all the candidates were- even though they were competing for the same job/s. I was impressed.

Thank you all....

Next time I post in this thread I hope to tell you I'm an instructor and maybe ask for more clues how to make the class more road-cycler friendly :)

Cheers,
S

[snooz]

I got the job!!!
Thank you all for your comments, I will be back and asking for more advice later on, I'm sure :)

Cheers,
S

[tulip]

Yay! Congratulations!

[Catrin]

Yayyyy! Congratulations!

[Dogmama]

So many great suggestions!

I'm also certified through Madd Dog & they will tell you to never do anything on a spin bike that you wouldn't do on a regular bike - with the exception of standing for more than a few pedal strokes. Push ups, hovers, etc., are worthless & dangerous.

I really work on getting playlists that are diversified & fun. People won't come back if it is drudgery. Keep it safe, make sure you work sprints as well as hills and always include a short recovery song - or part of a song - after a particularly difficult climb or sprint. I have my songs and what I'll do on a piece of paper that I can refer to. Watch your audience. If they're getting tired/not challenged enough, you may need to change on the fly.

I do use the 1-10 perceived exertion and remind my people that it isn't a number on the dial - it is how they feel. As the class progresses, be sure to remind people to watch their form because it usually starts to go south as people get tired.

As Tulip said, tie the cadence to the music. It makes it MUCH easier, although it will take work on your part to research the music. I always practice the session before I present it so that I know it flows well. Very often I'll need to make changes because what looks good on paper doesn't work.

Smile, make eye contact and remember this isn't your workout - it is their workout.

[amb]

Music is one of the main reasons I only went to 2 spin classes ever! I actually like techno, dance and other fast music. It helps me pedal faster & harder. Maybe I am the minority? I guess I'll stick to outside cycling with my own iPod.

At any rate, congrats on your achievement!

[Catrin]

Music is such a relative taste - I loved one of the spinning classes at my last gym and he used primarily good old rock and roll from the 60's-current and tied our workout to the music, it was great! He DID mix it up occasionally, which was also nice. Techno and dance music would have sent me running out the door screaming ;) We DID have another instructor who used either that or syrupy icky 70's disco <shiver> I avoided her class, though for more reasons than the music.

A survey of some sort of your student base would be a good idea, and I like the idea of asking them to list their music preferences with specific examples (*rock", or "techno" or whatever covers a broad range) so to help guide your class development.

[snooz]

Hey!
I did it!
Ironically, substituted for my favorite cycle instructor while she's out post surgery :( She was super supportive when I told her I wanted to try to become an instructor and helped me along the way.
I taught a class I normally go to and surprisingly, was not as weird or intimidating as I thought - maybe because i used to have a job at a zoo working on stage with wild animals ( yes, I know, my career path has been an odd one)- and probably in general, daily life I'm used to people staring at me with questionable or confused looks on their faces ;)
The class was super nice and supportive. A couple knew I was new, I think, while others I think just thought I'd been an instructor all along- one that just happened to sub this particular night.
I think it went well but I need to add some variety- some of the stuff I enjoy doing in class (when forced to) is not something that comes naturally to me (sprints, progressions , etc) so I will need to work on that, I think.
Overall for first class, it went as well as I could have hoped! That said, who knows what the rest of the class was thinking as they walked out of class...We'll see how many return as I will be subbing the same class next week.

Do keep all the advice coming- particularly what you like/dislike as far as variety- my default is to alternate hard climbs with fast paced, out of the saddle or jumps but I know I need to mix in some other stuff. Hard to find music to do progressions to (30 seconds at 70%, 30 sec @ 80%, 30 sec @ 90%, recover x 30 seconds, then 20 seconds each, recover 30 seconds, then 20 seconds, etc...)

Appreciate all the words of advice and encouragement here- nice group of people :)
Cheers!
Susan