AdventureCORPS® Indoor Cycling Instructor Training Workshop: Sample Timeline

By Chris Kostman
 

10:00AM Check In

  • Distribute Instructor Training Reference Materials

10:30AM Welcome and Introduction

  • Names and introductions
  • Goals and timeline of the workshop

11:00AM An Actual Class

  • Welcome
  • Learn names of everybody
  • Ask who has ridden indoors or out
  • Basic fit on the bike
  • Safety items, hand positions, terminology
  • A 45 minute workout, incl. warmup and cooldown
  • A few stretches

11:50AM Five Minute Break to Change Clothes

12:00PM Proper Bike Set-Up and Safety Issues

  • Bicycle Geometry 101
  • Saddle height, fore/aft position, and nose position
  • Handlebar height
  • Resistance, emergency brake, fixed gear, and flywheel
  • How to introduce a newcomer to the program
  • Using toe straps, street shoes, and/or clipless pedals & shoes
  • Common physical ailments and problems
  • Clothing (shoes, shorts, gloves, towels, etc.)
  • Hydration
  • Review of technical details

12:45PM Instructors Practice Bike Set-Up in Pairs

  • Confirm set-up/position of each workshop participant

1:00PM Recap Bike Set-Up and Newcomer Orientation

  • Kostman demo's set-up and positioning of 5-10 participants
  • Common physical ailments and problems
  • Clothing (shoes, shorts, gloves, towels, etc.)

1:30PM Lunch Break

2:00PM Safety and Hand Positions (Kostman demo's)

  • Obvious but important safety assumptions, such as:
    1. No pedaling backwards
    2. No removing saddle or grossly changing its position
    3. Necessity of using resistance
  • Why we use these positions:
    1. safety and balance
    2. additional training benefits
    3. communication
    4. based on real cycling
  • Center / First Position
    1. seated flat road
    2. light or no resistance
    3. Wide / Second Position
    4. standing tall, jumps, seated climb, speedwork
    5. moderate to heavy resistance
    6. Extended / Third Position
    7. climbing out of the saddle only
    8. moderate to heavy resistance
  • Review of hand positions

2:30PM Movements and Their Purpose (Kostman demo's)

  • Seated Flat Road
  • Seated Climbing
  • Standing Tall
  • Climbing out of the Saddle
  • Jumps
  • Speedwork-Sitting and Standing
  • Upper Body Movement and Rhythm: to engage or disengage
  • Working abs, back, arms, etc.
  • Changing position while riding according to terrain
  • Review of movements and their purpose

3:00PM 45 Minute Riding Review Class: Technique, plus intro to Music

3:50 PM Five Minute Break to Change Clothes

04:00PM Music as Road

  • Beat count, how and when to use it and when not to
  • Music creates a mood and makes the class accessible or inaccessible to the students from a taste point of view
  • Use your imagination; music IS the road
  • Songs vary in length; use this diversity to create your ride

4:30PM Using the Movements and Designing a Class

  • First there's a road, then music, then a class
  • Always: warm up, a real road workout, and cool down.
  • Ask yourself: What is the objective of the class?
  • Strength: which muscle groups
  • Cardio: high, recovery, interval, AT, etc.
  • Outdoor cycling training
  • Kinesthetic awareness
  • Zen teaching: in the momentness with students and music

5:00PM How to Motivate and How to Teach the Program

  • Teacher's mindset: Most important student is the newcomer
  • This is not your workout
  • You can and should teach off the bike
  • A good instructor doesn't show a student what they know, but gives a student what they need
  • Students in this program are more self-motivated and autonomous. Instructors motivate and make the students want to push harder. Students don't follow the instructor, but look inside, self-motivate, and push themselves to new levels of fitness, strength, and awareness.
  • This is about "polishing yourself from the inside out."
  • This is not an outdoor program taken indoors. Indoor cycling is exactly just "as real as you want to make it." This is not a math class; if you want numbers to teach you and tell you what to do, then ride a LifeCycle or other stationary bike. But if you want real life, then come be a part of this class.

5:30PM 45 Minute Class: Bringing It All Together

6:30PM Where You Go Next

  • You may, theoretically, begin teaching immediately
  • There is potentially more room to be creative and grow in this program than in any other fitness class
  • Your own training program outside of teaching is critical (indoors and out, on and off the bike)
  • Get together with other instructors in next few weeks to motivate one another and practice teaching
  • Make the commitment to continuing education!
  • Referencing the materials
  • Watch for updates at: http://www.adventurecorps.com

6:45PM Questions and Answers

7:00PM End of Session
 

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