Stages Indoor Cycling

Have you heard about the Stages™ Indoor Cycling iPhone app and are you wondering if you want to make the investment in the Wahoo™ Key so that you can use the app?  Does the app actually benefit your class and your riders?

One of the great things about this app is that it allows you to coach your participants with power zone concepts, without needing to give them a lesson in physics to understand.  You can enter your personal Functional Threshold of Power (FTP) or if you don't know what that is, the app will calculate it for you over time.  Once it is entered or calculated, the background of the screen changes colors depending on how hard you are working... and this is specific to you at your FTP!

Without the app, you can coach participants using language of Rate of Perceived Exertion or using the language of power.  These are great conversations.  But with the app, you can ask your class to "stay in the green zone" or "try to hit orange and hold it for 15 seconds."  Since the app is programed to know each person's personal threshold, everyone is working at the same level... at their own pace!  Lance and grandma are both getting a great workout!

John MacGowan, with the Indoor Cycle Instructor blog, provided his readers with a great step-by-step guide and review of the app from a first-time user's perspective.  Visit the ICI/Pro blog for John's review and stay tuned for podcasts coming soon where ICI/Pro will host our very own Cameron Chinatti for further discussion on how to use the app effectively!  Download the app here.

There are lots of reasons that we stay active.  The health benefits, the social aspects, to reach a goal, the list is endless.  One studio is riding for another reason.  They recognize that their health, resources, and indoor cycling facility are a blessing and they want to show gratitude by giving back.  Stages™ Indoor Cycling trained InMotion Cycling Studio in Long Island, NY is hosting a "Wish Upon a Hero" Ride.  Wish Upon a Hero is a non-profit foundation that gives people with a variety of needs a platform to voice their wishes and connect with people across the country who can support them by granting their "wishes".  Wishes posted to this platform range from healthcare to natural disaster relief, from education to basic needs.

On April 28th, there will be an all-cycling fund raiser.  InMotion has decided to join thousands of cyclists who are riding to raise money and support for this cause.  According to Nancy Bachety, the studio owner, they are riding "to give the opportunity for others to feel good about themselves and realize the importance of serving others at times in our lives when we can.  And to accept help when we can't."  Of course there are many organizations promoting a variety of causes, but InMotion chose this one because "it serves a wide array of needs and causes.  It is not selective.  It is energetic.  It uses a form of exercise and well-being to generate funds.  And this year it is solely for cyclists!"

If you live near Long Island and would like to join them for their ride on April 28th, it's not too late to join.  To learn more about the Wish Upon a Hero organization, visit their website.  If you have a unique way that you are utilizing your indoor cycling classes, let us know!  We'd love to hear about it!

The FreeMotion® S-Series bike line has just expanded! At IHRSA, FreeMotion® launched their Carbon Drive™ indoor cycle. The S-Series which is currently a chain drive system, now also comes in a Carbon Drive™ model. I had a chance to ride a Carbon Drive™ bike while at IHRSA, and was quite pleased with the experience. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said that it felt just like a chain drive. What is the magic behind these bikes? How were they received by the first participants who rode them?

The FreeMotion® Fitness Carbon Drive™ is the first and only belt-chain hybrid drive system available in the indoor cycling market that combines the quiet, smooth ride of a belt drive while maintaining the efficiency and inertia of a chain drive. In fact, the Carbon Drive™ requires no tensioning or lubrication- like traditional Poly V belts and chains respectively- making it the only maintenance-free drive system in indoor cycling. Carbon fiber tensile cords are embedded within the belt, making the Carbon Drive™ the strongest, most durable, and highest performing premium system in the market. This "gold standard" of belt drive systems is so durable that it comes with a 5 YEAR manufacturer's warranty. The Carbon Drive™ is available on the FreeMotion® S11.9, S11.8, and S11.6 models.

This new drive system is gaining a lot of attention from consumers, experts, media and the like. Post-IHRSA, SNEWS identified the FreeMotion® Carbon Drive™ Indoor Cycle as the most innovative indoor cycle at the show stating that "FreeMotion took the cake in terms of innovation with its new hybrid carbon drive system, which provides the smooth ride associated with a belt but the secure feel of a chain system." According to the article, the FreeMotion® bikes bring the "Wow Factor":

As far as innovation goes, FreeMotion’s new hybrid carbon drive system was the most interesting new element in indoor cycles.

Doug Crawford, vice president of product development for Foundation Fitness, [Stages Indoor Cycling’s] parent company, said the traditional poly-v belt is smooth, and that when users pedal, friction causes the belt to tighten, making a ride feel sluggish.

Plus, traditional belts have a tendency to slip. Crawford and his team started with the poly-v belt material, then put teeth into it so it would operate and catch like a chain system. Now the hybrid, which will be available on all FreeMotion's current models of indoor cycles, offers the benefits of both belt-drive and chain systems rolled into one. The company is so confident in the product, it's offering a five-year warranty.

"It feels like a chain and it’s never going to slip," Crawford told SNEWS.

--Ana Trujillo, SNEWS, "Cycles, cycles everywhere at IHRSA", posted 3/23/12

Another voice advocating for the new product is indoor cycling aficionado John MacGowan. John has reviewed the new system. After giving a brief evaluation of traditional belt-drive bikes, he concludes, "what if there was a solution that had all of the advantages of belt drive, without any of the negatives?" Check out the full story on his blog.

The engineers of the new FreeMotion® Carbon Drive™ bike have recorded several videos explaining the benefits, features, and testing that has been done to ensure that they bring the highest level of quality and innovation. View these videos on our YouTube channel.

What do you think? If you’ve had a chance to ride these bikes, we’d love to hear how you liked them!

 Stages™ Indoor Cycling is headed to Los Angeles for the international IHRSA Convention!  Come see us at the FreeMotion Booth #1325!  We have several new, innovative products that you will not want to miss!  Join us for a morning workout Friday at 7:00 and 7:45 or take our Group Ride at 4:00pm.  We will have short demo rides through out the day and lot's of smiling faces who will be eager to talk to you about the fabulous FreeMotion™ bikes and Stages™ Indoor Cycling education program.

Cycledelic Studio in Rochester, NY offers creative and exciting events to keep their participants motivated! Check out their website to see what they are doing.  In addition to their typical schedule of classes and events, Cycledelic will be offering a Stages Indoor Cycling Instructor Essentials full day training!  If you live near Rochester, join us, Sunday March 4th at Cycledelic for an 8 hour Instructor Essentials training course. 

Email admin@stagesindoorcycling.com to register!

Doesn't Cameron always wear cool clothes?!

If you love this Stages™ Indoor Cycling Jersey, today is your lucky day! You can win one, too!

Click here to join our Facebook event and learn how to win a free jersey! 

Have you started thinking about your training goals for 2012?  While you are deciding what goals to make and what training plans to follow, check out what the pro's have to say.  One of Stages™ Indoor Cycling's partners, TrainingPeaks.com, offers tools for coaching athletes from beginners to professional racers.  Last month they posted an article with tips for typical training mistakes to watch out for.  These tips are helpful for your personal training plan and would make a great topic of conversation for an active recovery ride!  Click here to read the article.  Thank you to Roger Rilling and TrainingPeaks for the great information!

Many times as 'Fitness Folks' we wear many hats - it is common today to not only be a Group Ex Instructor, but to also work with individuals as Personal Fitness Trainers.  A typical day can have you teaching morning classes, while spending your afternoons working with an individual client or small group trainings.  The Stages™ Indoor Cycling Instructor Essentials course is a valuable training resource for utilizing the FreeMotion™ Indoor Cycling Bike with Power Console to create a cycling program for your facility based on benchmark assessments and goals.  As Personal Trainers, we base our clients' training program on individual goals (weight loss, faster trianthlete, stronger, etc) and use a variety of assessments to create a plan to achieve those goals.  Who doesn't love it when they see PROGRESS?  Even the smallest gains in imporvement can make a big difference in a client's willingness to continue!  By using the Power Console, we can create a fun 'testing' environment, and show our clients measurable progress!

For example - create a 'distance' test.  After a thorough warm up, have your client complete a series of 3 minute distance attempts, with proper recovery in between.  By using the Stage button feature on the console, this is easy to administer!  AND with the advantage of a USB console, the information is recorded easily and accurately!  You can also monitor heart rate to see in the future, if they were able to complete a further distance with a LOWER heart rate.  In a month or 6 weeks, retest and watch your clients be motivated to chase those new distance goals!  (Remember to keep the testing environment as closely replicated as possible to reduce variables).

Many times as Personal Trainers we have to come up with creative ways to motivate our clients.  But on occasion, we have to also 'rein in' our most zealous clients!  The Stages™ Indoor Cycling Program can teach you how to create 'Power Profiles' to help educate your clients and athletes on not just hard training days, but the value of RECOVERY as well!  Good trainers and coaches know the value of quality training, not just quantity.  Stay tuned for more information on our ecucation modules and hopefully we will see you soon at a Stages™ Indoor Cycling event!!

-Pam Benchley, Stages Indoor Cycling Master Educator

Stages Indoor Cycling wishes you a happy, safe, and healthy Thanksgiving!

Stages™ Indoor Cycling Master Educator and program developer, Cameron Chinatti, has been given the honor of posting her instructing wisdom on John Macgowan's Indoor Cycle Instructor blog.  Her most recent article speaks to the age-old dilemma of how to keep regular members engaged while meeting the needs of new members.  She shares insight on how to accomodate the needs of both, as well as how to respond positively to critical or demanding clients.  Read the blog for yourself and let us know what you think!