Tag: group exercise tips

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17 Great Throwback Indoor Cycling Songs for 2017

Group fitness instructor listening to throwback spinning songs for 2017

Indoor cycling songs will make or break your group fitness class. Sure, the exercises, motivational cues, tempo and overall vibe are important, but it’s mission critical to get the music right, or you risk losing return Group X participants. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some great chart-topping hits in 2017, but in the meantime, it’s always fun to toss in a few throwback cycling songs to get the class jamming.

Whether it’s a popular song from 2016 or one from the 80s, it’s always a good idea to think about your audience when choosing songs. After a few classes under your belt, you’ll know whether they prefer Top 40s, rock, instrumental or one of the many other genres out there. Once you know their faves, you’ll want to continue to offer a mix of songs, with a special emphasis on their preferred genres.

I teach evening weekday indoor cycling classes, mostly to professionals at the end of their workday (our gym is right outside a couple corporate buildings). There’s certainly a mix of interests in the class, leaning towards a love of classic rock and the Top 40 pop music.

Here are their favorite indoor cycling songs that they ask for again and again.

  1. Livin’ on a Prayer, By Bon Jovi — I think this is generally folks’ all-time favorite cycling song!
  2. You Shook Me All Night Long, By AC/DC — this is another major crowd pleaser in my class.
  3. Bad Reputation, By Joan Jett — great for sprint/quick feet songs.
  4. Born to Run, By Bruce Springsteen — this one makes me feel like I’m cycling in a movie.
  5. Come as You Are, By Nirvana — good for a climb with heavy resistance.
  6. Communication Breakdown, By Led Zeppelin — this song is a little over two minutes. It’s great when you need to fit a quickie sprint at the end of the class.
  7. P.Y.T., By Michael Jackson — pretty much any Michael Jackson will do. He gets you in a such a good mood.
  8. Draw The Line, By Aerosmith — this one doesn’t have a whole lot of vocals, so I like to use for my warm-up when I know I’m going to be doing a LOT of talking.
  9. Emotions, By Mariah Carey — I LOVE this song. Not everyone does, but worth a try in your next cycling class.
  10. Heartbreaker, By Pat Benatar — tempo is fast, and lyrics are addicting.
  11. I Like the Way You Move, By Outkast — I’m not sure if this really counts as a “throwback”, but nothing gets you bobbing to the beat quite like Outkast.
  12. Livin’ La Vida Loca, By Ricky Martin — this is the kind of song that will surprise your participants, but with an open mind it’s super fun to use for cycling.
  13. Lose Yourself, By Eminem — another one of those cycling songs on the border of a “throwback”, but I’ve had participants specifically ask for this song before.
  14. Only Wanna Be With You, By Hootie & The Blowfish — The pace for this is moderate, but it’s a fun song if people know it.
  15. Pour Some Sugar on Me, By Def Leppard — I was obsessed with this song last year, so I know I overplayed it in my cycling classes, but I promise it’s so good!
  16. Push It, By Salt-N-Pepa — if you want a change-up from the classic rock, this is a fun throwback for you.
  17. Survivor, By Destiny’s Child — this is a special one because you can tap into the lyrics for motivation.

I’ve heard other instructors suggest Madonna and Whitney Houston, but I haven’t found the perfect indoor cycling song by either of them to get the group fitness studio rocking. If you have other cycling song suggestions, please send them my way!

For more workout song suggestions, check out the workout routines and playlists page.

 

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A Back and Chest Stability Ball Workout

Have I mentioned I love the stability ball? 🙂 There’s something about that giant bouncy ball that makes me feel like a kid again. Unfortunately for us Group X instructors, there’s a limited supply of stability balls in our studios. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t get creative in order to incorporate it into our class workout.

What I’ve found works well is to ask the Group X class to partner up, and each pair take one stability ball. Then, we’ll do the same workout twice through, and folks can do the exercises once on the stability ball and once on the floor (while their partner uses the ball).

Here’s a back and chest workout you can do on the stability ball.

The incline push-up

First, you’ll lead the class through push-ups. Participants can try to do this one on their knees, but it usually requires you to be on your toes based on the height of the ball. Place your feet squarely on the floor, and then put your hands on the top of the stability ball. I like to slightly angle my hands in order to face my fingers away from each other, because it tends to be easier on my wrist. From there, the class will lower and lift in push-ups.

Chest workout: push-up

Reverse Fly

The incline push-up transitions nicely into the reverse fly. Instruct participants to rest their lower abs on the ball, so that their belly button is roughly at the top of the ball and their legs are extended out behind them. Then, grab a dumbbell in each hand. Without moving your back, bring your slightly bent arms out to the side in a “fly” position. The elbows will be bent and maybe an inch or so higher than wrists. Palms are facing down towards the floor.

Back workout: reverse fly

Push-ups with Legs on Stability Ball

For a more challenging push-up, you can also put your legs on the stability ball. As you move the stability ball closer to your toes, the push-up gets harder. From there, keep your body in a plank position as you lower your chest to the floor.

Chest workout: push-up on stability

Alternating Rows

If you opt to do the push-ups with the ball under your calves, it’s easy to transition into alternating rows. Grab the dumbbells and maintain your plank. Then, lift one arm at a time towards your chest. Keep your elbow tight to your body, as you lift your elbow towards the floor. Abs stay tight and hips stay low to the ground.

Back workout: alternating rows

Chest Press on the Stability Ball

If you’d like a non-push-up option, you can also instruct participants to lay face up on the stability ball, so that their shoulders and head are resting on the ball. You’ll want to be in a plank position from your knees to your head, with your ankles right under your knees. Press your hips toward the ceiling the whole time. Then, press your arms up and down as you continue to press your hips toward the ceiling.

Chest workout: chest press on stability ball

Shoulder Workout with a Stability Ball

The chest press is a nice workout to combine with shoulders. You can go right into a shoulder exercise, keeping your arms straight, and moving at the shoulder joint to lower your hands towards the floor overhead. Make sure your participants are not moving at the elbow joint.

Shoulder workout with a stability ball

This is a great workout to try with the stability ball. You can provide these as options for participants, or include each exercise throughout the entire class.

For more push-up options without the stability ball, check out the three types of push-ups Part 1 and Part 2.

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What to Say to Your Group X Class after the Presidential Election

Group X Instructor speaking about presidential election

Last week, we learned the results of an incredibly polarizing presidential election. In general, roughly half of the voters sided with Trump and the other half with Clinton. If we assume that these results reflect the opinions of the entire country, then roughly half of the U.S. is pleased with the results and the other half is not. While I certainly have my own feelings about the election, I believe it’s important to keep Group X classes nonpolitical, and instead offer to pick up any political conversations after class is over. That’s because many participants consider the gym their safe place to get away from the stresses of life, and you want to create an inclusive environment for everyone no matter their political affiliations.

But, no matter which side of the coin you’re on, this election shook this country right to its core. Every American needed — or still needs — time to process these results. So, how do you respect and accommodate your participants’ needs without the class turning into a political debate?

Acknowledge Your Own Emotions and Needs

You need to make sure you’re feeling well enough to teach first. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or shattered, take the day off. Your participants will be fine for a day without you.

And, use your own response to the election as a guide. If you’re feeling a certain way, chances are others around you are feeling similarly. Think about what you need to hear right now, and consider sharing some of those things with your participants.

Allow Participants Time and Space to Process their Emotions

The main takeaway here is that every participant is responding to the election differently and is processing it differently. There isn’t one thing you can say to make it all better for everyone.

Instead, I would acknowledge that the presidential election happened last week, which is a major life event. If people have been feeling off — whether it’s extra pent up energy or changes to their sleep and health patterns — they’ll want to keep that in mind while they’re in class. If they are still processing, it’s okay to take it easy. If they want an outlet for their extra energy, they have that option, as well. Group X instructors can help participants acknowledge how their body is reacting, and help them get in tune with themselves.

This isn’t to say that Group X instructors should be nonpolitical completely. You can use your voice to have conversations about the presidential election with other outside of class, at dinner or on social media. But, know where to draw the line in the Group X studio.

For more advice, check out the group exercise ideas page.

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2 Ab Exercises to Try in a Group X Class

2 Ab Exercises to Try

Earlier this month, my family went on a trip to Maui, and we were sure to fit in a few self-run boot camp classes while we were there. Since Group X participants are always requesting ab exercises in class, I enlisted the help of my family to showcase a few ideas you can try in your next class (beach optional :)).

Here are two ab exercises worth considering for your next group fitness class.

Ab Exercises #1: Up & Down Plank

My friend and I partnered up to show the Up & Down Plank. Start on your elbows and toes. If you’d like, you can also be on your knees. Just make sure your body is in a straight line from the shoulders to the ankles or knees.

From there, you’ll want to press up onto your hands, trying to keep your hips square to the floor. Continue to press up and down, switching the hand you start with each time.

Ab Exercises #1: Planks

 

Ab Exercises #2: Flutter Kicks

Put your hands under your hips, then straighten your legs out in front of you. Make sure your legs are about one to two feet off the ground – keep them pretty low to the ground. Lift one leg about six inches higher and then switch, bringing that foot back to the starting position and the other six inches higher.

Make the movement fast, small and quick. If you’d like an extra challenge, cross your arms over your chest instead. For a modification, don’t straighten your legs all the way.

Ab Exercises #2

These are great ab exercises and workouts to do in your next group fitness or Group X class. They’re especially challenging if you include them in a back-to-back rotation of different exercises.

For more exercise ideas or workout routines to try, check out the workout routines and playlists page.

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How to Cue Music for Group X Beginners

My fiance Chris and me

Learning how to cue music can be one of the hardest parts of teaching a Group X class. When I was taking UCLA’s Fitness Leadership Program, cueing was the very first thing we learned – and kept learning for the next month or so. For some, music just didn’t come naturally – they often would struggle to learn it as others whisked on to the next lesson.

Music can feel like a foreign language, and it’s stressful to teach a class to rhythm when you’re not confident in your cueing. Teaching to the rhythm means having participants do exercises or dance moves to the beat of the music and cueing new activities in time with the music, so that there’s no break in instruction.

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are a few initial tips for beginners trying to get the hang of cueing to music.

  1. Buy a premade CD, and use it for your first few classes.

Purchase a fitness CD online that has a consistent BPM (beats per minute). It’s much easier to count music when the beats stay the same. Also, the top of each phrase (32 counts) of music tends to be stronger in these CDs, so it’s easier to find in the middle of class. Use the same CD for as long as you need to really become comfortable with the music that’s included.

I’ve been happy with the CDs I’ve purchased from 32mixes.com, but there are countless other premade CDs out there. You can buy some from ITunes, or elsewhere on the web.

Keep in mind when you play a CD on the fitness stereo, you can’t change the BPM. But, I would recommend keeping the same BPM throughout the class while you’re learning anyway.

  1. Listen to music as often as you can.

Play music all the time — in the car, as background music at work and even while you’re doing chores or cooking dinner. Ideally, you’ll be listening to the premade CD you bought, so it can start to feel like you’re memorizing your cues.

It’s okay to start with memorizing the cues and using the same CD over and over again. As cueing becomes more familiar, you’ll start to branch out with other songs and playlists. While you’re listening, practice cueing every few minutes. Find the top of the phrase in the music, and then start counting your eight counts.

  1. When you feel like you know your CD like the back of your hand, start counting down instead.

Typically, instructors will cue the next activity by counting down. You’ll eventually want to start counting down that last eight count of a phrase, leading into the next phrase. So, “eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

From there, I like to count down from four every other beat. It helps to clap in between each beat to keep you on track. It would look like this:

Grid of 8-counts to Help Cue Music

Once you’re able to cue music, you can start adding exercise instruction. I like to either say, “Squats at singles pace in four, three, two, let’s go.” Or, I’ll say, “In four, three, single squats, go.”

There’s a lot to learning how to cue music, but this is a great starting place. Mastering your music cues can take your classes to a whole other level, and it can start to feel fun! For more music advice, check out my post on finding the right music for your Group X class.

Good luck, and happy cueing!

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How to Teach a Group X Class When You’re Not Feeling Well

Sick Group X Instructor Preparing for a Class

It usually comes out of nowhere and gets you when you least expect it. You’ve been hanging in there for quite some time when suddenly you can’t hang anymore and you get sick. It’s always encouraged to find a sub when you’re sick to prevent spreading the cold and ensuring participants get the best class. But, sometimes these things come on so suddenly that there’s no time to find someone to cover the Group X class. So, you take some DayQuil, hike up your gym shorts and are on your way to teach.

Here are a few tips to teaching a Group X class when you’re not feeling 100 percent.

Cue Group Exercise Activities That Don’t Face the Front

There’s a lot more attention on the Group X instructor when members are facing forward. When all eyes are on you, it’s a lot harder to stop working without interrupting the flow of the class. However, when participants are lying on the floor or facing away from you they aren’t affected so much by your actions.

That way, you can spend more time walking around and cueing than demonstrating and performing the exercises.

A few examples are:

  • Bent over rows, standing
  • Chest press on the floor
  • Push-ups
  • Supine brides
  • Planks and crunches

Cue Group X Activities For Time

I usually like to cue each exercise as I go to the beat of the music. I like doing it this way, because it feels powerful when you start an activity, like squats, on the beat. But, it can be tricky, because I have to demonstrate each new activity as we go to keep the flow of the class.

Instead, instructors can do timed exercises. There can be circuits where participants do a different exercise every minute for 5 minutes before resting. For example, one minute each of alternating lunges, mountain climbers, jumping jacks and squats.

This has the same effect, since you don’t need to spend so much time participating in the activities.

Cue Exercises Participants Already Know

This one works for strength and dance classes. Lead the class through a bunch of exercises the class already knows, so you don’t have to spend a ton of time exercising.

You can jump into the exercise quickly without spending a lot of time at the front of the room.

Enlist Participants to Bring the Motivation

Usually the class looks to you to bring the heat and convince members to go harder, faster, etc. But, when you’re sick it can be challenging to bring out the “coach” persona. Instead, prompt the class to inspire themselves. You can have them count down the last ten as a group. You can also have them work to beat a goal. For example, in one minute, count how many push-up repetitions you can do. Then afterwards, do it again and see if folks can beat their number of reps.

Boost the Hygiene

When you’re sick, make sure to avoid touching (or even getting too close to) participants. Wash your hands more than normal and wipe down your equipment. If you’re noticing participants are getting sick, give extra encouragement to wipe down equipment, stay hydrated and sleep.

With the above tips, you should be able to survive teaching when you’re feeling under the weather. If you can, always try to find a sub — it’s better for you and the participants! For more tips and tricks, check out the group exercise ideas page.