Indoor Cycle Instructor Profile

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Guest Instructor Profile Shop ’Til You Drop An interactive games profile

Shop ’Til You Drop

Created by Christine Nielsen Objective: Games, fun, form review Working intensity: Moderate to very hard Length: 60 minutes

I was inspired to create this profile by the publicity about the shopping madness that occurs on Black Friday. It will be most appropriate until the end of the year but could be used at any time.

Objectives This is intended as a fun ride that lets students make their own choices about level of effort. At this time of year, some people may equate “fun” with “not at home.” To others it means hard work. The profile is structured as a game that allows participants to partially control their own experience, but the instructor can also affect the intensity and “fun” factor. There are opportunities to remind riders about form and quality without repeating the same old cues.

Preparation Select 16 to 18 songs from your music library. They should each be approximately 4 minutes long and include cadences (bpm) from the lowest to the highest your students can effectively ride. Try to have half the songs below 80 bpm and half above. I recommend catchy tunes and diversity of styles/artists. A little “candy” at this time of year won’t hurt anyone. Sort the songs from lowest to highest cadence and create a playlist that layers them with a short (2-minute) spacer tune between all of the tracks. I use sound effects from a shopping mall for this purpose. Add your choice of warm-up and cool-down/stretch music. My playlist is included at the end of this profile.

Choose three colors of Post-it notes (the intensely colored ones work best because they are more opaque). Using a pencil and one color of Post-it, write the cadence of each of the hill songs (60– 80 rpm), one per note. On another color write the cadences of the flat songs (81–105 rpm). Fold each note over onto the adhesive so that the writing is hidden.

On the third color of notes write modifications of effort. These could include decreases or increases in cadence and resistance or references to RPE. Heart rate responses are likely to be too slow to use as criteria for this purpose. Throw in a couple of “Sorry. Please play again.” options. These are your “scratch and win” tickets.

I usually use –5 rpm, +5 rpm (x2), +10 rpm, –2 resistance, +2 resistance, and +3 resistance and two “play again.” (Note: I teach on Keiser bikes, thus the reference to specific increases in resistance. You may need to find another way to frame those changes.)

Write out a list of “manager’s specials.” (See below under Shopping.)

Indoor Cycling Association Guest Instructor Profile Shop ’Til You Drop

If you have a flashing red LED light of some kind (I borrowed mine from my road bike) bring it to class and mount it where you can reach it and the class can see it.

When people arrive at class, have the first eight choose one each of the hill and flat notes (without calling them by those names). These should remain folded and can be placed on their bikes or in their pockets.

Warm-up Breathless (Original Mix), SBP, 8:23 Lead the class through a warm-up that includes resistance and cadence increases. It is difficult to structure it to precisely meet the demands of what follows because there is an element of randomness to the order of events.

Today we are going to do what we all dread at this time of year—we are going shopping! Some of you are going to have an opportunity to make a purchase. You will be able to buy either a hill or a flat. When it is your turn to enter the store, pick up the pink note if you’d like to buy a hill or an orange note if you’d like a flat. Open it and read me the number that you find inside.

That’s the price of your item—the cadence you will ride. How much resistance you add on will be your choice. It should be appropriate to a hill or a flat. Beyond that, you decide. It might help if I told you a little more about your shopping experience.

After you have carefully examined the quality of your purchase, it will be time to check out. At that time I’ll give you an opportunity to choose a “scratch and win” card (a green note). I’ll open it and reveal what you have “won.” You might have to make some changes for the rest of the song.

At some point during each shopping trip you may see the red light on my bike start to flash. That will announce the Manager’s Special. For 30–60 seconds you’ll be given an opportunity that’s too good to pass up.

This is a fun ride so I will leave it up to you to determine your level of effort or set some heart rate targets. For those of you who came prepared to ride off the stresses of the season I promise there will be some hard work ahead, but it is also fine if you put yourself on autopilot and just survive our trip to the mall.

Near the end of the warm-up ask your first “shopper” to choose a “purchase.” Identify the matching song and select it as the warm-up music comes to an end.

Shopping See notes on preparation and the sample playlist. Each song should be approximately 4 minutes long.

Indoor Cycling Association Guest Instructor Profile Shop ’Til You Drop

As the music starts remind everyone:

Susie is shopping for a [flat/hill] at a price of [xx rpm]. Grab the beat and put on a resistance that is appropriate to your goals today.

Coaching You can be quiet during the first part of each song or you may choose to offer some coaching. It’s fun to think of ways to frame the coaching using shopping analogies. I usually talk about form/shape and quality. Here are some examples.

Before you get to the checkout, be sure to check the form of your hill/flat.

Does it look perfect? Is it stable? Are the inputs correct? Does it operate smoothly?

Manager’s Specials At some point in the first 2 minutes of each song, you may choose to turn on the red light and announce a Manager’s Special (have fun with your “Attention, shoppers!!” voice). Since the outcome of the class is determined by the random selection of cadences and “scratch and win” choices (see below), the Manager’s Specials offer you an opportunity to change things up. There may be times when you feel the balance of the class has not been challenging enough. At other times it feels right not to intercede until it is time to “check out.”

Here are some of the options I have used for the Manager’s Special. In particular, these give you ways to change up the middle cadences (75–90 rpm).

- Stand* for 30 seconds. Note: During low cadence/high resistance climbs this is actually a discount. The manager has offered you a small gift. - Stand* and maintain cadence for 30 seconds. This is a limited-time offer. - Stand*/sit at 10-second intervals (50 seconds total). The manager has offered you a deal that will have you hopping up and down with excitement. - 20 seconds all out/20 seconds recovery/20 seconds all out. The manager has offered you a deal you cannot turn down. - Recovery for 30 seconds. You have just been given an opportunity to create your own discount—drop your cadence or your resistance as far as you’d like. - Cadence pyramid, by 5 rpm every 10 seconds as far as you’d like, come down by 10 rpm every 10 seconds. You have received a gift with purchase—a magic pyramid.

*Always remind riders to have sufficient resistance before standing

Following the Manager’s Special, remind the class about their intended purchase (cadence and starting resistance) and encourage them to examine its quality one more time before they go to the checkout counter.

Indoor Cycling Association Guest Instructor Profile Shop ’Til You Drop

Check out With between 1 and 2 minutes remaining, bring your basket of “scratch and win” tickets to the student who is the shopper for the round and have him/her choose a ticket and give it to you. You will open it and reveal the contents and cue the class accordingly. It is fun to draw out the reveal as you walk back to the front of the room; in other words…keep them hanging for a few seconds!

Note that I have intentionally structured this interaction so that you are free to modify the contents of the ticket if you think it’s appropriate. No one will know but you! I have never had to do this but if they were riding at 103 rpm and the ticket said to add 10 rpm I would fake it and give them a different alternative. Sticking with the original plan would likely induce bad form.

Recovery Shopping at a Department Store 5, Dr. Sound Effects, 2:11 When each song is over, the sound effect track will kick in and riders can exit the store for a break. Give them 45 seconds or so and then ask the next shopper to make his/her choice. That gives you time to identify the song and be prepared to select it near the end of the 2-minute sound effect track. You can shorten the recovery period slightly if the previous song and choices warrant. Note: I need to turn up the volume on the sound effect track I use. Don’t forget to turn it down before the next song starts!

There is time in an hour-long class to fit in eight rounds with a warm-up and a short cool-down and stretch. If you are on a strict time limit, I’d recommend doing seven rounds. If you have fewer than seven or eight riders, offer some an opportunity to make a second purchase. You can top up their options from the “stock room” so that they aren’t forced to choose whatever you have left.

End of class/Cool-down and stretching Computer, Laptop – Type on Keyboard, Fast, Sound Effects Library, 0:33 Together in Silence, Saafi Brothers, 10:03 I use a sound effect track of keyboards (you’ll need to turn up the volume), which is placed just before my cool-down and stretch music. After the last round, I say:

I don’t know about you but I’m ready to go home and do the rest of my shopping online.

Complete whatever sequence/timing of cool-down and stretch is appropriate for your class and/or time slot.

Students get surprisingly excited by this game. They recognize when they have dodged a bullet and used up a difficult “scratch and win” during an easier hill or flat. When someone pulls an “easy” option at the checkout, they groan and wish that option was still available when things get tougher. They love to receive the “gifts” of a few seconds of recovery or the opportunity to maintain the status quo at checkout.

Indoor Cycling Association Guest Instructor Profile Shop ’Til You Drop

Song Artist Album Length BPM Source

Breathless SBP Spinning Vol.13 8:23 129/65 similar available on iTunes

Running Up That Hill Re-Touch Running Up That Hill 4:03 124/62 iTunes, eMusic (Radio Mix)

Stadium Love Metric Fantasies 4:14 125/62 iTunes, eMusic

My Body Young the Giant Young the Giant 4:04 130/65 iTunes

Somebody That I Gotye Making Mirrors 4:05 129/65 iTunes Used To Know

Gimme Sympathy Metric Fantasies 3:55 140/69 iTunes, eMusic

Not Your Fault AWOLNATION Megalithic Symphony 4:02 143/72 iTunes, eMusic

Gogglebox Kaleidophone What’s Your Tonic? 4:06 145/73 iTunes, eMusic

Drive Like Lightning The Brian Setzer VaVoom 4:12 152/76 iTunes, eMusic Orchestra

Perfect Hedley The Show Must Go On 4:13 78 iTunes

Wake Me Up Before Wham! Make It Big 3:51 162/81 iTunes You Go-Go

Walk of Life Dire Straits Sultans of Swing 4:09 172/86 iTunes

Untouched The Veronicas Hook Me Up 4:15 89 iTunes

Jump On My AWOLNATION Megalithic Symphony 4:08 90 iTunes, eMusic Shoulders

We Are Young (feat. Fun. Some Nights 4:10 92 iTunes Janelle Monae)

Run For It (Radio Delerium and The Best of Delerium 4:12 94 iTunes Version) Leigh Nash

Good Life OneRepublic Waking Up 4:13 95 iTunes

Ringa Ringa A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire 4:15 98 iTunes Alka Yagnik, Ila (Music from the Motion Arun Picture)

The Best Tina Turner Simply the Best 4:10 104 iTunes

Indoor Cycling Association Guest Instructor Profile Shop ’Til You Drop

Song Artist Album Length BPM Source

Shopping at a Dr. Sound Effects Twelve Days of 2:11 iTunes, eMusic Department Store Christmas – 162 Happy Holiday Sounds

Computer, Laptop - Sound Effects Computers: Sound 0:33 iTunes, eMusic Type on Keyboard, Library Effects Fast

Together in Silence Saafi Brothers Mystic Cigarettes 10:03 79 iTunes, eMusic