A huge part of any indoor cycling class you take is the relationship you develop with the instructor.
Some studios consider their instructor hiring and training process a trade secret.
Heres what we did find out.
JAMES RYANG PHOTOGRAPHY
Some have dance backgrounds and love teaching group dance or fitness classes.
They may find a natural fit with indoor cycling and its combination of music, inspiration, and choreography.
I dont do a lot of things like push-ups on the handlebars, no dumbbells.
Courtesy of Liz Voorhis / Monster Cycle
Youll likely have to try out just to get into a training program.
Depending on the studio, you could do one tryout or multiple tryouts.
Once accepted, youll start learning a lot of basics and taking a ton of classes.
Peloton
The training process can take a while.
“Some people youll talk to, it can be a four-week training program.
Ive run some and they last several months,” Kristin Kenney, instructor atFlyWheel, tells SELF.
Issac James / Peloton
Eachboutique studiohas its own training regimen and time line.
About 75 percent of training ison the bike, Tsiumis says.
You’ve finally finished training, so it’s time to start teaching classes, right?
Courtesy of Swerve
You might go through a few more tryouts, then lead community classes or private rides.
During community rides, youre in charge of inviting your friends and filling the studio.
Its a good way to get feedback on your classes before you land on the official schedule.
Youll know that really fast, Kenney says.
However, starting as a sub isnt the worst thing.
I was teaching one to three classes a week for three months.
As a new instructor, you have to work your way to the top like anything else!"
Holly Rilinger, creative director atCyc, tells SELF.
Usually to three to four people!
I remember giving bikes away to make a run at build a following.
Her wait list now numbers more than 100.
Its not unusual for instructors to also have another throw in of job.
For some, thats personal training.
(King runs a transformation business; Branker teaches with Akins Army; Kalley is a triathlon coach.)
They support our [personal] brands.
The bigger our personal brands, the stronger we are there, King says.
Indoor cycling can open up new opportunities you didn’t expect.
Everyone was brutally honestits hard.
If you want to break into the industry, be prepared to be vulnerable, experts say.
If you mess up, it happens.
Failure is hard in any position, but especially when youre in front of 20 or more indoor cyclists.
In the end, authenticity always wins, Rilinger says.
