I really love Spinning and love to teach it- what becomes very frustrating at times is when students do things that are just plain WRONG!! You can try to instruct over and over again, but some people really think they know best.

This is an excerpt from the recent Spinning newletter- the FOUNDERS of the SPIN program- if you are a Spinning fanatic- read on, some of these things might be bad habits that you have been taught...

Do What on a Bike?

From push-ups on the handlebars to "isolations," there’s some pretty scary stuff going on out there. And while the intentions behind such movements are certainly good, it’s important to know what movements should not be done on a Spinner® bike and why.

Riding tri style.Why it’s done: You’ve probably seen triathletes riding with their forearms on the handlebars, which makes it seem like is must be OK.Why it shouldn’t be: When you’re riding a road bike, this position is not as potentially harmful because your bike moves. But because the Spinner bike you ride in class can’t move, your body needs to be relaxed enough to dissipate the energy you’re creating. Keeping your back or any part of your body completely still can place excessive tension on the hips, lower back and/or neck.

Dropping the seat.Why it’s done: “Hardcore” instructors have been known to drop the bike’s seat, forcing their students to remain standing.Why it shouldn’t be: Riders must have the ability to go at their own pace and recover, which means that they should always have the option to ride seated. Removing the seat could cause a rider to over-exert or injure themselves.

Stretching on the bike.Why it’s done: It seems like a harmless way to stretch.Why it shouldn’t be: Not everyone is flexible enough to swing a leg up onto the handlebars. And stretching the calves on the pedals could cause students wearing tennis shoes to slip out of the pedals.

Adjusting a student’s resistance.Why it’s done: You’ve all got students who constantly pedal without resistance. It’s natural to want to encourage them, but making adjustments for them is not the way to do it.Why it shouldn’t be: Turning your students’ resistance knob or even quantifying a change in resistance (two turns to the left!) is never a good idea. Not only are instructors unable to judge how much resistance a student can tolerate, but significant differences from one bike to another makes this a dangerous proposition. Try cueing your students using rate of perceived exertion. For those with a fear of resistance, help them overcome misperceptions.

Push-ups, figure eights or other upper body movements Why it’s done: Instructors mistakenly consider such movements effective ways to build core or upper body strength.Why it shouldn’t be: These movements are not safe or effective. There’s insufficient resistance to build strength and the erratic movements can disrupt balance and misalign the body. Save core and upper body conditioning for the weight room.

Riding sans hands.Why it’s done: Instructors may think that riding without hands engages or strengthens the core.Why it shouldn’t be: While it’s OK to ride with no hands at low resistance during warm-ups and cool-downs doing so at other times places excessive pressure on the lower spine and makes it difficult to maintain a smooth pedal stroke. Core conditioning should not be attempted on the bike. Stability ball work, Pilates and yoga are all effective ways to build core strength.

Isolations or “freezing.”Why it’s done: Instructors interpret the burn that accompanies many of these movements as a strengthening or anaerobic workout.Why it shouldn’t be: When the body is held still on a stationary bike, tension is transferred into the joints—especially the knees and lower back—which can lead to injury. Your body must be relaxed enough to soak up energy that has nowhere else to go. Want your students to go anaerobic? Teach a Strength, Race Day or Interval Energy Zone™ ride.Your passion, energy and creativity are all you need to create rut-busting rides that keep students motivated and engaged. There may be just five core movements but with a little imagination, the possibilities are endless.

Without a Travel Agent- you are lost!
I know that today we live in an age where "do it yourself" is the name of the game. But on the flip side, we also live in an age where we are happy to enlist the services of a professional to take care of things that we are not as knowledgeable about and/or things we just don't have the time to take care of ourselves.

As a Travel Specialist, I LOVE the internet and I LOVE when my clients have come to me with some ideas and research that they have already done on their own. It is important that we are all informed so that we know what we are doing; however, industry professionals are the ones to make sure things go smoothly and they are the ones "there" should you run into any problems. In a perfect world, nothing will go wrong- but we know that our world is far from perfect- but using a Travel Specialist will make life easier from start to finish when planning your trip.

I have had two recent airline situations that I would like to share:
Situation #1: My client's daugher emailed me to say that her mom's flight was delayed from Kansas City and would likely miss her connection in Italy in Atlanta. They wanted to know what her options were. I emailed back and told them that although it was the last Delta flight of the day, there were two other options that would still get her to Italy the next day. When the client missed her flight in Atlanta, Delta said they didn't have any options except their flight the next day; however, when my client asked about the Continental or Air France flight that was going to leave in 2 hours- all of a sudden, Delta was able to put her on one of those flights. KNOWLEDGE is POWER!! Now what would this client have done if she booked her ticket through an online site like Orbitz or Travelocity? She would have been lost and at the mercy of Delta and would have been a day late for her Italy adventures.

Situation #2: A corporate client had a business meeting in Houston, it finished early and he hoped he could get on an earlier flight home. However, weather was already delaying flights and his reserved flight was mechanically delayed. At 5pm Houston time, he calls me to see what other options he had to get home that night. I told him that the 7pm flight was sold out, but there were 3 seats left on the 9pm (Continental had already told him all fights were sold out and had begun to find him a hotel)- I grabbed a seat on the 9pm flight and then all of a sudden the Continental agent was able to confirm him on the 7pm flight- again- if he didn't have his trusted Travel Agent to contact, he would have been at the mercy of Continental.