Spin instructors & fans

Re: Spin instructors & fans

• mrs.jacinthe

  March 2012

  I love to spin but I've never been a huge fan of the games and such (I'm lame, though).  I prefer to just suffer along in silence.  LOL

  That said, I do enjoy theme days ... I used to go to spin with an instructor who would have a random 80's day, or "color day" (using only songs with a color in the name), or whatever.  I LOVED those classes and that instructor.  His holiday-theme classes were especially awesome.

  My current favorite instructor does visualizations and uses world music.  So he'll have some peruvian folk song remix (LOL) blasting and he'll be all "By the power of spinning, we're going to be climbing the andes ... " and then we'll go up and down hills at varying levels of "steepness" as he describes them.  I like that style of visualization, they're interesting to me. 

  

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• thedutchgirl

  March 2012

  I've personally never been a fan of visualizations, but I know others like it.  My favorite class the instructor tells funny stories about herself, talks about the songs (she often has very new music in her playlist), gives some health or fitness-related information she learned that week, she often dances off the bike for a song, and each song she has us do multiple things, so time goes quickly.  Like jumps, or turning up the resistance.  Things change quickly, and I personally enjoy that.

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• Namasteak

  March 2012

  Thanks ladies! I was hoping that the games not going over well wasn't me and was that people just didn't like them  

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• LesPaul

  March 2012

  Not a fan of the games or forced 'whoop-whoop' stuff.  One instructor I like talks about riding (visualizing) a particular road or hill, which doesn't really work for spinners who don't ride outside and haven't done that particular route. I don't mind, since I do ride outside and usually have done the ride she's referencing.  My very favorite instructor simply frames a generic hill by steepness or length in minutes.  She will give cues along the way, and say 'you are stronger than this hill' when we're deep in the weeds, which I have told myself on a real ride on many occasions.  She was touched that I remember what she said when it counts, but I actually hear her telling me that I can do it when I'm challenged on a real ride.

  

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• AGsWife member

  

  March 2012

  I don't love talking during spin as much as I love the teacher motivating us - go faster, push those little legs, etc. I don't love games, but once in a while, things like a "race" are ok. I hate visualizing. I haven't biked outside since I was a kid and I guess that's what it reminds me of. 

  ?"All I want is what I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share."
  
  
  GP buddy to blenderdance
  
  

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• robinsokj

  March 2012

  I don't do visualizations. Most of my talkIng is about what the ride is and making sure they have proper form. Getting certified is key in knowing proper form and safety

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• Namasteak

  March 2012

  @robinsokj...I did the kaiser certification. I feel like a learned about drills & technique but not so much about how to put together a great class. Any suggestions on another certification I could look at? Or books?

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• robinsokj

  March 2012

  MADD dog spin is the real spin cert. if you're on a spinner bike they want you to have gone thru that process. It's only one day and I learned a ton. I make y classes based on what the members want. My members go for music and a workout. How I learned to out together a good class was by taking a lot if classes from people who filled theirs. I had a horrible time with talking at first but knowing cues on form makes it easy. You can scan the class, see what's wrong and address it and it takes up dead space

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• thedutchgirl

  March 2012

  I wanted to chime in again after going to my favorite class this morning.  The PP is right--my instructor talked a lot about form. She reminded us to drop shoulders, flatten our backs for certain parts, heels down, suck our abs in, and keep our weight over the pedals.  She also yelled at us (in a nice way), when we weren't all working hard enough.  

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• Namasteak

  March 2012

  I really appreciate your advice on how to become a better instructor! 

   My gym has Kaiser bikes so I think that is why they want their instructors to do that cert. I'll look into MADD Dog training as well. 

  I have a great book on cycling anatomy so perhaps I can integrate some of that into class (ie: talking about what specific muscles we are using by changing cadence, tension, body positioning) 

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