I've been quiet

 Well, life takes us in many directions. Unfortunately, this includes me not posting to this blog. I hope to start to get back to posting on a more regular basis. Until then, I wish you all well.

It's Been a While

Wow, I can't believe I forgot this blog.  I will soon be adding content to this blog.  Look for playlists, profiles, insight and other fun blogs in the future.

Thanks for those that have kept my link active!!!

WSSC 2015 Playlists

Below are the playlists used in my sessions at WSSC 2015.  Enjoy!!!

Dissecting the Pedal Stroke

Right Here, Right Now	Fatboy Slim
Ever Rest	Brain Bug
Absurd	Fluke
Last Train to Lhasa	Banco de Gaia
Ghost Dance	Cusco
Toca's Miracle (Inpetto 2008 Remix)	Fragma
Swamp Thing	Juno Reactor

Twenty-four

Ten Seconds Before Sunrise	DJ Tiesto
Last Train to Lhasa	Banco de Gaia
Toca's Miracle (Inpetto 2008 Remix)	Fragma
Stargate	Legs
Switch/Twitch	Fluke
Remembrance [Edit]	Delerium
My Tribe	Russ Landau
In The Air Tonight [Remix]	Phil Collins
Inertia Creeps	Massive Attack
Solitude	Schiller
Crickets/Silence
Birds
Voices of Heaven	Russ Landau
One Perfect Sunrise	Orbital
Acroyali/Standing in Motion (Medley)	Yanni
Gold	Russ Landau
Calls From Her	Max Lasser

Hear it, See it, Ride it

Flip Your Mind	Karmadelic
Colossus	Afro Celt Sound System
Rods and Cones	Blue Man Group
Survivor Yell	David Vanacore
Alcarda	ATB
In Your Eyes	Peter Gabriel
9 AM	ATB

ECHO

Echo, a simple term that conjures up visions of someone hanging their head over the side of a mountain and screaming "HELLO" at the top of their lungs and waiting to hear the familiar sound of "HELLO... Hello... hello" reverberate back to them with each subsequent hello getting softer and softer.  I think of this term in a slightly different way after a discussion I had with a salesman when I was on a flight for a business trip.  His definition really means something and I never take it for granted. 

The salesman looked me straight in the eye and said to me, "Remember, approach everything keeping ECHO in mind."  His definition of ECHO was an acrynom for "Every Contact Has Opportunity".  I have always kept that saying in the back of my mind because I never know who I'm going to meet. 

He went on to explain his ECHO theory may not give you immediate returns, but it will some day pay off for you.  Some of you may call it Karma, or the Golden Rule, but his definition had a different twist.  He told me that I may wait years or even decades before the ECHO returns, but it depends on what I did during that first encounter.

We have all heard the saying that first impressions mean a lot, and under the ECHO theory, the will influence the outcome of our interaction with whomeve we meet.

Keep Your Fleet

Well maintained equipment is one of the major factors in keeping participation levels high in your Spinning® program.  When equipment is broken or in need of regular maintenance, your membership notices the deficiencies and may not return to class.  New participants may see the “Out of Order” sign on equipment and wonder how much of an investment is the club making when the Spinner® bikes are out of service for lengthy periods of time.  You have spent thousands of dollars on your fleet of Spinner® bikes, and when they are down, members will let you know in no uncertain terms they are unhappy. But what can you do to save your fleet of bikes?

First, keep your bikes off limits to the membership unless there is a scheduled class.  A member that hasn’t been set up properly on the bike or instructed on its safety features may put themselves at risk of injury.  Instructors are trained to set up a rider based on the unique anatomy of the individual member.  Instructors will also make sure that the members know how to operate the bike safely and will explain how to use the components of the bike.  Allowing your bikes to be ridden by members during non-class hours increases the potential wear and tear on the bikes as well as exposes the club to potential liability should an injury occur. 

However, some instructors employed by your club do need to practice their ride profiles before they present their ride to a class full of Spinning® program enthusiasts.  Allowing access to the cycling room for those instructors must be handled carefully.  The instructor must be on your payroll.  Place a sign on the studio door that indicates that the instructor is practicing their profile and no other member will be permitted to ride during this practice session.  Let your instructors know that they can practice their profiles but must do so by themselves without any other member in the room. 

Some members may be certified Spinning® instructors and ask you for the opportunity to use your studio to practice.  However, to limit complaints from other members, limit the use of the studio for solo practice sessions to those instructors on your payroll.  Otherwise you will receive complaints from other members that are not allowed to use the studio to meet their own training goals.

Secondly, maintain your bikes.  Obtain a maintenance contract with a reputable mechanic that knows the specifications of the Spinner® bike.  Check with StarTrac to identify qualified mechanics.  Additionally, make sure you purchase a service manual for your particular model.  The manual will have specifications for how to repair every component on the bike as well as torque specifications to ensure your members ride a well-maintained bike.

Lastly, make sure your members wipe down the entire bike after their rides.  This shouldn’t be an option, but a requirement.  Members should be provided with a light cleaning solution and a rag to wipe down the entire bike, not just the handlebars and saddles.  Instruct the members to spray the rag and not the bike.  They don’t have to clean it as if they were going to eat off of it, but clean it as they hoped the rider before them had cleaned the bike.

Keeping your fleet of bikes in top working order is important to maintain member satisfaction. Keep the bikes safe, secure and well maintained and they will provide you years of service. In addition, you’ll limit your liability exposure.

Movements in the Spinning® Program

The Spinning® program was founded on the principles of outdoor road cycling. The movements that are part of the Spinning® program were developed to simulate conditions we encounter on the road. They were designed with safety and biomechanical efficiency in mind to promote healthy training principles. However, there are instructors that have created movements that are unsafe, can lead to injury and have no foundation in road cycling. They should not be performed by anyone.


There are five core movements in the Spinning® program – the seated flat, seated climb, standing flat, the standing climb and jumps. In addition, more advanced movements are derived from the five core movements. These include running with resistance, jumps on a hill and sprints. There are no other movements in the Spinning® program.

Most students will blindly follow their instructor without knowing if the movement is correct and true to the Spinning® program. So how do you know if a movement is not part of the Spinning® program if you have not gone through a Spinning® Instructor training program? Simply ask yourself this question: “Would I do this on a road bike?” If the answer is no, then you probably shouldn’t be doing this indoors on a Spinner® bike.

So you say you have never seen anyone on a road bike do jumps. True, jumps were designed to improve a road cycling skill of smooth transitions in and out of the saddle. But we actually use the movement out on the road, just not in a repetitive motion like we do indoors. And don’t let anyone tell you that you should be performing jumps in a rapid-fire motion. Jumps are performed to allow you complete each segment of the movement – the rise out of the saddle to the standing flat and the controlled return to the saddle to a seated flat – without compromising your safety. Lift out of and return to the saddle using your legs and not your arms.

There are many other movements that can cause injury while riding the Spinner®. You may have heard of these movements – hovers, squats, riding with your hands behind your back, riding with little to no resistance, riding with too much resistance, and pushups on the bike to name a few. The list can go on forever. These movements are often created by instructors that lack faith in their coaching abilities or feel students need something different in order to “feel the burn” and get a great workout. They can lead to serious injury!!!

No movement should cause you to feel pain or discomfort because your body is stressed in a compromised position. Sure, you’ll feel fatigued, but you shouldn’t ever feel pain during any movement during a Spinning® class. Learn to recognize the difference between pain and fatigue.

Just remember that simple question – Would I do this on a road bike? If your answer is no, then most likely the movement is incorrect.

WSSC 2012 - My Recap

A little late, but better than never!!!

WSSC 2012 was an incredible year for me. I managed to present three of my favorite sessions, three new ones and attend some of my incredible teammate’s rides and lectures. It was an amazing experience for me. To top it off, one of my teammates from my MI class, Angie Scott, was there to assist me in my rides. It was the first time that I have been able to ride with her since we joined the MI team back in 2007. Thanks Angie, you really helped me stay calm and you provided the visual example of perfect riding form.

My experience started on Thursday, I arrived at the hotel later than I usually do, but still managed to get connect with some of my friends I’ve met throughout the years, both on the MI team and attendees. It was relaxing and fun. Our presenter dinner was good and it provided the opportunity to see everyone on the MI team in one place.  I could feel the excitement of the conference starting to build.

My conference sessions started early Friday morning as I was scheduled to present “Communicate with Style” at 7:00 AM. You truly learn the benefit that caffeine can provide at that early hour. The participants were incredible for such an early hour and their contributions to the group sessions were unbelievable. The beauty of this session is that everyone learns a little about themselves as well as those that participate in their classes. I really enjoy presenting this session since so many of us fall into one specific communication style without realizing we may unintentionally ignore the styles of others in our classes.

My Friday afternoon session was “Riding on the Edge”. The ride is based on your threshold as determined by a practical sub-max test. Then the heart or the ride is based on those numbers. The hardest part is to keep within the heart rate parameters prescribed by the ride. Holding to heart rate parameters throughout the ride proved difficult for some as we moved through the core movements during intervals of threshold riding followed by an increase of only 5 heartbeats. Riders experienced the opportunity to see how only 5 heart beats can take them beyond their threshold and how quickly fatigue can set in.

Friday night was the MI team ride. I loved the energy in the room and this year and there was no shortage of excitement. An opportunity to ride with my teammates as well as 200 attendees makes me realize just the special connection we all have when we attend a WSSC.

I was able to sleep in on Saturday, well at least I didn’t have to present at 7:00 AM again. “The Sizzler” was first on the list for my sessions during the day. Thankfully Angie was my model of perfect form on the bike while I got to coach this exciting Race Day™ session from the floor. The riders responded well to the challenges and I’m sure they all reached their goals. The ride was followed immediately by the lunch break which allowed everyone to recover and refuel before their afternoon sessions.

Saturday afternoon I presented my “Dissecting the Pedal Stroke” workshop. We dove into the major muscles used during cycling based on the position in the pedal stroke. Muscle fiber types were discussed and how their use is based upon the power demands of our ride. We looked at a couple of videos to start to develop our coaching skills to correct flaws in the pedal stroke of our students. Finally, we explored pedal stroke drills that everyone can take back with them to their studio to help improve pedal stroke dynamics. Thanks to Cesar Valera for assisting me in tweaking bike setup and coaching the on-the bike portion of the class.

Sunday morning came early again as I presented “Exhilarating Endurance” lecture at 7:00 AM. I was surprised at the number of participants that actually showed up that early considering the time and it being the third day of the conference. This was a new session for me this year and I covered how instructors can make the endurance ride a regular part of their training regime.

My final session was Sunday afternoon entitled “Hear it, See it, Ride it.” My goal was to help instructors identify ways to make their classes more accessible to members that may be deaf, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired. The ride was broken into three segments where riders rode blind folded for the first session, without music and verbal instruction for the second segment, and finally with both verbal and visual cues for the third segment. This was an emotional ride for me to coach. I couldn’t believe the way the participants found their level of flow and rode with so much energy. It was an amazing display to watch. I hope that I can present this one next year.  The response from the participants was very touching and overwhelming.  Almost everyone that was there shared a story of how this ride affected them personally.  Some participants had children, relatives or friends that they knew were being excluded because of visual or auditory limitations.  Thanks to all of you for being there with me and sharing your experiences.

As for my own education, I took Natashia Iacovelli’s “Warrior Within” and came away with such an incredible sense of accomplishment. I highly recommend taking Natashia’s sessions as she has such a way to bring meaning to her rides and lectures. I also rode in Sarah Morelli’s “Reload” where we rode blindfolded the entire hour. This was a great experience for me as I got to prepare for my own session on Sunday. Sarah has such an incredible voice that it blends in and becomes part of the soundtrack. I took Teri Aerands workshop “Finding your S Factor” and learned a lot. The ride was just what I needed.

Overall, I’m grateful for having the opportunity to share the WSSC experience with instructors from all over the world, enthusiasts that just love the conference, and my master instructor teammates. I’m already thinking of sessions for next year and have notes for a couple new rides for next year. I hope to see all of you there!!!

Overcoming Fear

One of my friends said that her mother used to tell her, “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” Wow, that is a powerful and truthful statement. You can literally apply this statement to everything in our lives. It works for personal relationships, our first time getting behind the wheel of a car, our first ride on the bicycle without training wheels or a parent running along to ensure we don’t fall, but most importantly, it can apply to when we take the next step in our wellness initiatives.

As a fitness instructor, I encounter people who fear attending a class because they are unfamiliar with the structure, instructor or are just afraid of what others may think of them in the class. People may be afraid of rejection, embarrassment if they cannot perform all of the movements, their own personal appearance and a multitude of other fears. Overcoming this fear is probably the hardest part for anyone who is considering taking a group exercise class. I’ve had the same fear, I can relate to what they are experiencing. I’m sure you can. I remember standing outside of my first step class – 30 women and then there was me – the lone male with two left feet.

Had I not overcome my fear of taking a group exercise class, I’m quite certain I would have never become a Master Instructor for the Spinning® program, nor pursued my group exercise certifications. Both of which have opened many doors for me and introduced me to some incredible people from every continent on our planet.

If you fear taking a class because you are new to the club or just starting your physical fitness journey, push it aside and take the plunge. Jump in and participate to the best of your ability. It is like diving into a pool; some people put their toes in and leave, while others just dive right in regardless of the temperature. Do not be worried about what others think, they were in your shoes once as well. You may find that they welcome you with open arms.

It is OK to be fearful of your first class. To ease your anxiety, arrive a few minutes before class begins and introduce yourself to the instructor. Ask where you should stand (or sit) and let him or her know your apprehension about even being there. A great instructor will help you overcome your fear and will know to break down their cuing to help you be successful. And let us face it, you’re lapping everyone that is sitting at home on the couch.