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Teaching an Indoor Cycling Class with the Schwinn Cycling App “Class Tamer”

When I first started to teach an indoor cycling class, I wrote my lesson plan and notes in my notebook, then created the playlist for it in iTunes. At the time, iTunes would automatically add up the time of each song and share how long the entire playlist would last. This is critical in order to properly teach a cycle class, because if a playlist is an hour and five minutes but the class is only an hour, you’re going to have problems.

But then, one of Apple’s software updates removed that feature, so it no longer automatically calculated the time length of the entire playlist. For a couple weeks, I would manually add up each song to estimate if the playlist would end on time. It was time consuming and inaccurate. After the class ran (slightly!) late one too many times, I decided to find a new way to do my indoor cycling class playlists.

I remembered my Schwinn indoor cycling instructor certification trainer recommending the Schwinn cycling app, so I decided to give it a try.

Here’s my review of using the Schwinn Cycling App to teach an indoor cycling class.

The Pros

  1. The app will calculate the total time length of the playlist to help make sure you end the class on time. Schwinn Cycling app tracks total time for spin class playlist
  2. It shows how much time has passed and is left for each song in big numbers. This is nice, because I don’t have to squint to read the numbers. However, be careful to not confuse the two numbers — I’ve learned that the hard way!
  3. There’s a space to add notes for each song. This is nice when there’s no place to set your notebook, like in cycle rooms that use Bluetooth stereos. I normally put my water bottle and notebook on top of the stereo next to me, but if it’s on the other side of the room, everything gets placed on my bike’s handlebars.

Add Notes to Schwinn Cycling App to Teach the Spin Class

The Cons

  1. It’s difficult to press the “next song” if you decide to skip a song during class. This can be good, since there are no accidental song changes, but it also means I’m stuck pressing the button a bunch of times in front of a class full of waiting riders.
  2. You have to start at the beginning of your playlist, so you can’t jump to the middle very easily without clicking through each song.

Overall, I would recommend the Schwinn cycling to anyone teaching an indoor cycling class. It’s never let me down in the year I’ve used it. And, I love that it calculates the total ride time for me. Since I don’t have to press buttons all that often, it doesn’t bother me that it’s difficult. If you’re someone who bounces around your playlist, this may not be the right app for you.

For more tips and tricks, check out the group exercise ideas page. And, if you’re considering an indoor cycling teaching certification, check out my tips on the cheapest way to become an indoor cycling instructor.