Bodies in Motion™
Century City - Santa Monica - Pasadena - Encino, CA

RoadRacers™ vs. Spinning® and the others

(This essay reflects the reality of my experience as the creator and director of the indoor cycling program at Bodies in Motion™ between Dec. 1, 1996 and May 15, 1998. However, because I am no longer running that program, it no longer applies. Since it makes for good reading about a truly unparalled program, it is staying here on the website for historical reference.)

Spinning® was a good first shot at an indoor cycling program just like the Model T was a great first car. But how many people are still driving around in that outdated and slow-paced piece of machinery? Spinning® is to the Model T what RoadRacers™ is to the latest Mustang!

What specifically sets RoadRacers™ apart from, and ahead of, Spinning®, Cycle Reebok™, Power Pacing™, or any other indoor cycling program?

  • Bodies in Motion (BiM) would never be like the masses and just buy into some mass-merchandise, watered-down cycling program franchise such as Spinning, Cycle Reebok, or Power Pacing. BiM is a trail-blazing, standard-setting company that is committed, first and foremost, to the quality of its teaching staff. This is why BiM is consistently rated the finest instructional fitness establishment in the U.S. BiM brought boxing and kickboxing to the fitness industry, and now BiM's similar commitment to cycling has positioned BiM as the home of the finest indoor cycling program anywhere.
  • BiM is the only company in the world with a full-time Director of Cycling Programs. BiM's Director of Cycling Programs is Chris Kostman, a fifteen year professional cyclist and ultra endurance athlete who still actively races, organizes major bicycle races, writes for the top cycling and fitness magazines, and appears on television as a cycling and fitness expert. (National Geographic Television recently profiled Chris on TBS, for example.)

Chris is also one of the original creators and pioneers of Spinning over five years ago, so he's no copycat or wannabe. He has also been an internationally recognized, world record breaking cyclist for over ten years, with top finishes in the Race Across America, Alaskan Iditasport, and the Triple (yes, Triple) Ironman Triathlon. He also has a Master's degree in archaeology from U.C. Berkeley.

Chris has personally trained our entire team of instructors. Chris's purpose with the company is to build and promote and continually strengthen the integrity of BiM's RoadRacers indoor cycling program. No other fitness company has a person in such a job.

  • Across the country and around the world, 99% of all Spinning/Cycle Reebok/Power Pacing instructors went through just a quick and rudimentary 8 hour instructor workshop and then started teaching immediately. They have absolutely no ongoing education and no in-house expert to move them and their program forward. Most of them were not, and are not, outdoor cyclists. Many also had no previous fitness teaching experience.

At BiM, all of our cycling staff actively and continually participates in ongoing training. We have over 45 instructors and not one of them rests on their laurels. They train together in small groups during the week and as a team most every weekend. They are committed to improving themselves and one another. We also have over a dozen more athlete/teachers participating in Chris's ongoing instructor development program. We train the best cycling instructors right here in-house at BiM. No one else can say that, because no one else does that.

  • Because BiM pays its cycling staff a flat, hourly rate, the instructors stay focused on delivering the best, most meaningful, and most enjoyable class to every member. There is no competition between any of our staff. When our instructors look across the room at their students, they see individual people with individual needs, desires, and goals; they do not see $2 or $3 a head!
  • Almost our entire staff rides bikes regularly outside. Many compete in road or mountain bike races and triathlons. So when they teach indoor cycling, they take members on a real ride that's based in real cycling reality. They don't do fou-fou aerobics on a bicycle. Their teaching is based on real, outdoor cycling with a firm grounding in biomechanics, physiology, and postural awareness. Their commitment is to the members' experience, NOT to their own workout or ego-stroking. Members become regulars in different instructors' classes because they enjoy the ride, find meaning in the workout, and because the instructor treats them like adults and lets them "make it their own ride." There is no racing and no competition in our cycling rooms, only an authentic and ongoing dedication to self-improvement, empowerment, and enjoyment.
  • The RoadRacers program has a legitimate, firm grounding in overall health and fitness and is delivered by legitimate fitness professionals. The way we teach and ride is specifically designed to cultivate a strong lower back, abdominals, back, arms, and the rest of the body that is ignored by Spinning and other cycling programs. This is an all-body approach that is entirely true and authentic to outdoor cycling. This postural awareness and intentional, mindful focus on tight abs, a flat spine, relaxed shoulders, and proper pedaling technique results in a more powerful, meaningful, and life and body-changing ride. Many members and staff report stronger lower backs, a taller posture, and more relaxed demeanor, both on the bike and off. (Our program is designed to "walk out the door" with you, so it's these off the bike life enhancements which make us most proud! One of our own instructors, at age 30, even grew one inch taller after just three months with us!)
  • But while our instructors teach in a common manner in terms of technique, posture, and biomechanics, and they all share a meaningful commitment to the members' personal needs and desires, they are all individuals in terms of style, music, and delivery. With over 45 instructors to choose from, certainly more than one will make you happy.

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