styles of teaching

Hey Fellow Instructors and Spinning Students

I had to "audition" for a spinning instructor job, and the main critique of my style was that my endurance class wasn't what mad dog recommends. So here is my question:

How CLOSELY do you follow Mad Dogs guidelines. i'm not talking about contra-indicated movements, just the pure definitions of the types of classes. For instance, for an endurance class, the recommendation is a seated flat.

Not only do i think this kind of boring but so do the students, plus any long slow distance ride wouldn't necessarily be on a flat the entire time, especially around here. I don't see a problem with telling the students to maintain that low heart rate, but add in some climbs or even jumps (done very slowly). The key is to use breathing effectively to maintain low heart rate. What do you think, what do the students think? Do they like an hours worth of seated flat?

Thanks!

Have a great day

Han

If the music is good I don't mind staying in the saddle for the whole class. I ride a tandem so I spend a lot of time in the saddle when I'm outside and don't get to wiggle.

Most of the women in my classes seem very relieved to get out of the saddle on endurance days.

An hour is a long time for people who are not bicyclists.

So what are the benefits of jumps?

I stopped doing them because it's not a movement I can replicate on a tandem and usually do a seated sprint when the class does jumps.

Thanks,

Veronica

Quote:

Originally posted by han-grrl

Hey Fellow Instructors and Spinning Students

How CLOSELY do you follow Mad Dogs guidelines. i'm not talking about contra-indicated movements, just the pure definitions of the types of classes.

What are mad dog guidelines? Is this something I should know?

Quote:

For instance, for an endurance class, the recommendation is a seated flat.

Not only do i think this kind of boring but so do the students, plus any long slow distance ride wouldn't necessarily be on a flat the entire time, especially around here. I don't see a problem with telling the students to maintain that low heart rate, but add in some climbs or even jumps (done very slowly). The key is to use breathing effectively to maintain low heart rate. What do you think, what do the students think? Do they like an hours worth of seated flat?

Sounds boring to me. I like the long extended climbs, and the cadence work, and the cadence/sprint work. The up/down/up/down sequences are the only one I struggle with.

Irulan

Asked the instructor today: she explained that MAD DOG is one spinning method, Precison is another etc. My club uses the "Preccision" methods.

Ok, NOW I get it.

Irulan

jumps don't really "apply" to cycling very well. It's a bit of a strength movement. the idea is that your body position and cadence don't change in or out of the saddle (well, don't change very much). it's handy for getting the heart rate up too

Thanks - that's pretty much what I had figured about jumps.

Have a good day.

Veronica

Yesterday I had a nice chat with Beth the instructor when she explained all the different spinning programs to me ( Johnny G, Mad Dog, Precisione etc)

They are putting together a class ( collecting interest) for a two hour long endurance oriented class for marathoners, triatheletes etc. Sounds good to me... I think endurance is something I can apply to my long MB rides next summer.

Irulan

i have participated in 2 hour spin rides and they are awesome. really good for endurance. enjoy!