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EquipmentGroup Fitness
Indoor Cycling by Science
There you sit, spinning your mental wheels, trying to create a successful indoor cycling workout . . . again. What if you had an easy-to-follow template that would empower you to design effective, fun classes and get results week after week, ride after ride? These programming formulas can easily be adapted to cardio indoor cycling classes, using the four-step system described here.
Overpronation in Fitness Classes
Overpronation is a fairly common problem among many fitness enthusiasts, including the ones who take your classes.
Creating a Fitness Class Family
As group exercise instructors, we can get wrapped up in creating
choreography, choosing music, cuing effectively and teaching proper
technique. While all these aspects are important, we sometimes lose
sight of the overall picture and miss the opportunity to connect with
participants.
Fitness Classes for Everyone
Fitness classes abound and it has never been easier for movement-hungry people to find a workout experience that appeals to them.
Small Exercise Equipment for Big Impact
Whether you’re instructing virtually or in person, small exercise equipment still tops the list of effective do-anywhere, use-anytime tools.
Pilates Training Is a Game-Changer
Strong evidence shows that Pilates training is an effective conditioning method for healthy individuals, particularly those wanting to increase core stability. Furthermore, Pilates can be a game-changer for athletes. Benefits of Pilates Training Here’s a…
How To Create a Workout Community
As we return to the group exercise studio, it’s good to remember how a workout community not only brings us together, but helps us thrive.
Tubing for Two
Resistance tubing has been popular for years, and it’s still one of the most versatile and inexpensive fitness tools available. There are countless styles of tubing, which vary in size, resistance, shape, material and covering. They even come braided! Regardless of which ones you work with, they are portable, they’re easy to pull out and put away, and they take up very little space to store.
Sample Class: Band Blast!
If you want to keep participants engaged and challenged, this high-energy class will do the trick. Break out the exercise bands and add targeted strength moves to high-intensity intervals. This format includes three phases, each consisting of one Tabata round followed by four resistance exercises. Bands are safe, easy to use and portable, making this a great class to offer in any location.
Add Competition to Boost Benefits of Wearables
If you use wearables with clients, consider adding competitive challenges to improve results. University of Pennsylvania and Deloitte Consulting LLP researchers found that simply giving wearables to people in the workplace did not increase physical activity; the key was to add fun and competition.
Virtual Reality and Indoor Cycling
Indoor cyclists who wore virtual-reality headsets experienced less leg-muscle pain during brief, high-intensity intervals than cyclists who wore headsets showing static images, according to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2019; 51 [10], 2088–97).
January 2020 Question of the Month: Equipment and Activity Trends
What activities or equipment-based program trends are you seeing in the new year? Are you boosting promotion of any particular programs like high-intensity interval training, indoor cycling, yoga or barre? Or are you offering shorter class times or opportunities for virtual training? Please share your success stories.
Cultural Appropriation in Yoga
Yoga teachers will already be well aware that the yamas are one of the eight limbs of yoga. According to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the word yamas can be translated as “abstinences”; in other words, these are things yogis should avoid doing (Satchidananda 2012).
High-Cadence Cycling and Recreational Cyclists
A recent study supports indoor cycling instructors who urge students not to pedal at a cadence above 90 revolutions per minute. Researchers found that at 90 rpm and beyond, pedal forces exerted by recreational cyclists decreased, heart rate increased by 15%, and exercise efficiency and skeletal muscle oxygenation declined.
The study appeared in the International Journal of Sports Medicine (2019; 40 [5], 305–11).
Overcoming Pain to Stay in the Fitness Game
More and more people choose exercising at gyms and studios to stay healthy. The trend is occurring across the age spectrum, from baby boomers to millennials. Americans choose the convenience, expertise, and comradery found at gyms and studios to stay at their fitness best.
Get Your Fitness Business Ready for the Holidays
Whether you’re getting your first frost warnings or temps have dropped from 100 degrees to a balmy 95 where you live, summer is just about over.
That means it’s time to plan for the holidays at your fitness business and the ensuing new year’s rush.
Sample Class: Tabata for Every Rider
This indoor cycling routine introduces Tabata-inspired intervals in a friendly, nonthreatening ride that provides a great workout for both beginner and advanced cyclists. The intervals—20 seconds of all-out effort, alternating with 10 seconds of rest—help to increase both aerobic and anaerobic capacity and may keep metabolism elevated for a longer time period when compared with low-intensity, steady-state training.
Minimalist Shoes and Stronger Foot Muscles
Minimalism is trending in many areas of life, including athletic shoes, with many fans touting numerous benefits. But does the evidence support the hype? Yes, according to research findings published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2018; doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001751). Walking in minimalist shoes is as effective as foot-strengthening exercises and may result in better compliance than doing specific exercises.
Improve Common Posture Deviations With Yoga
Yoga can be strategically used in concert with exercise physiology tenets to identify common postural issues that cause movement limitations for clients. Learn how taking a biomechanical approach to yoga offers an understanding of the interrelationships among joint structure, muscles and movement and how yoga postures can release tension, restore mobility, enhance stability and rebalance the body.
2019 IDEA® World Convention: Igniting Passion With Purpose!
Purpose, passion and people! The fitness industry is all about forging relationships that lift others up. Fitness professionals have energy to spare, and they are dedicated to mentoring new generations of pros, networking with peers, and motivating clients and participants every day.
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