Mad Dogg Athletics is the creator of indoor cycling, Spinning® and the new Spinner® Blade ION bike. The Spinning® program is the global leader in indoor cycling training, education and equipment. As the creators of Spinning and the indoor cycling category, they have been building the Spinner® line of stationary bikes and training Spinning instructors around the globe for over two decades. Spinner bikes set the standard for indoor cycling equipment and nearly 1 out of every 2 bikes sold globally is a Spinner bike. There is a Spinning® resurgence going on right now regardless of age, weight or experience level and technology is playing a major role. Josh Taylor leads the Spinning community workouts as they continue to be at the forefront of a fitness tech revolution. Josh shared with the Sports Techie blog his insight into their new Spinner® Blade ION bike tech, the Spinpower™ Program, some company sports business, and stories about his pioneering indoor cycling experiences.
About the Spinner Blade ION & Spinpower™
The Spinner Blade ION is the result of five years of research and development that brings power training to everyone, not just the elite athletes. The Spinner Blade ION also comes with a handful of new features that takes the indoor cycling ride to the next level with:
· Support for the exclusive Power Training that is a quantified measurement of work
· New watts computer that allows the user to monitor power output as well as heart rate, cadence and time
· The rider generates the power that drives the system and maintains the long battery life
· Handlebar adjustability can accommodate riders of every size and ability
Spinning – http://www.spinning.com/en
Mad Dogg Athletics and the Spinning program have trained over 200,000 instructors and has reached millions of enthusiasts in over 80 countries worldwide through a network of over 35,000 fitness facilities and studios. More facilities choose Spinner bikes and Spinning education than any other indoor cycling program. Spinner bikes also feature a patent-pending bottom bracket and pedal system that exceeds industry standards, rust-defying materials and rock solid construction.
Blade ION
The Spinner® Blade ION will measure, and also display on a bike-mounted computer screen, a rider’s work or energy expenditure over a given time by kilojoule. The new bike has best in class biomechanics, ergonomics and a high degree of adjustability to deliver best-in-class bike fit for riders of all shapes, sizes and abilities. This bike is terrific for niche specific workouts. The high-end, performance bike is optimized for heart rate training, muscular change and physiological response which creates an improved Sports Techie athlete.
Spinner® Blade ION: Why Train with Power?
This measurement, termed “power,” is a significant training tool for cyclists and more recently, it has grown in popularity within the indoor cycling world. The bike goes along with their new Spinpower™ Program.
Spinpower™ program
The Spinpower program is a power-based program that teaches instructors how to train with power using a quantified measurement of work to respect the principles of training. Knowledge and training are key elements. Without this critical component the computer is just a gadget and one is merely working out on a bike with a power meter. Science-based training plays a pivotal role in developing the most effective means to achieving wellness, fitness and performance goals and the combination of the Spinner Blade ION and Spinpower program perfectly merges the two. The Spinpower instructor manual has a 9 hour certification component put together by Angie Sturtevant.
eSpinner®
Another indoor bike by spinning to consider is the commercial quality eSpinner®. The eSpinner is the first indoor cycle to feature virtualized, instructor-led training. Whereas other touchscreen cycles present riders with different programs, a virtual instructor appears on the screen of the eSpinner to help riders achieve maximum results from the program they choose. For beginners, the indoor cycle also offers virtual training that teaches correct hand and body positioning.
What’s more, the eSpinner offers loads of features that improve the indoor cycling experience in terms of safety, exercise value, and entertainment, including: the Smart Release™ flywheel system, a dynamic chain drive system that delivers an authentic riding feel, cable and satellite capability and integrated iPod® connectivity with music and video.
Spinning App
The Ultimate Spinning App and Fitness Tracker download is available for iOS and Android. This Spinning® app measures heart rate, time, mileage and amps to an iPhone or Droid. The accuracy of the app is notable. The app can track progression, power and wattage measurement by using an algorithm calculation of resistance. Each calorie and kilojoule can be optimized and monitored. See: http://www.spinning.com/en/digifit
Star Trac
The Spinning program and patented Spinner bikes manufactured by Star Trac deliver a personalized workout, incredible calorie burn and personal challenge—all at a self-directed pace. Combine the Spinning program and Spinner bikes with Star Trac’s unsurpassed customer service and support, and you’ll have all the tools necessary to kick your facility into high gear. Josh said, “The Star Trac partnership allows us to continue to work with the evolution of Spinning®, staying true to roots.”
Star Trac’s cardio line includes a full range of offerings including treadmills, cross trainers, upright and recumbent bikes, steppers and Spinner® bikes. The company is proud to offer one of a kind features like the revolutionary Star Trac Coach™, a personalized treadmill workout led by a professional coach and the groundbreaking eSpinner and Spinner Blade innovations resulting from the long running relationship between Star Trac and Mad Dogg Athletics. Star Trac will continue to drive innovation in the cardiovascular category with an exciting product road map of development.
Competition
Like any good global or local business concept there is always competition and for Mad Dogg it is Soul Cycle and Fly Wheel. They are entrenched in the New York area and use a celebrity endorsement campaign that is, “sexy cool marketing,” says Josh. “Using one pound weights for an upper body workout can restrict movement,” said Josh. Any Spinning® or indoor cycling workout needs to be safe and not hurt the rider so they can continue to come back.
Spinning Nation
Spinning Nation is a nationwide charity ride that for the last three years has benefitted Ride 2 Recovery that helps veterans at the National Naval Medical Center.
I enjoyed hearing Josh’s excitement about the time about a year and a half ago when he went to the New York Jets training facilities to drop off two custom Spinner® bikes there were painted green. The Jets trainers used the bikes to warm-up NFL football players and for rehab.
About Josh Taylor
Josh has been a Spinning International Master Instructor for over 17 years and has been an integral part of the Spinning program. He also serves as the Spinning Product Specialist for Star Trac, the manufacturer of Spinner bikes, and is responsible for supporting and driving Spinning products. It has been, “Three years with the same prototype (Spinner® Blade ION), about 400 hours, and I never touch it,” said Josh, “it is the alpha unit.”
Josh raced professionally for Rite Aid and has seen riders like Lance Armstrong “Throttle,” first hand. He has led the Spinning Program while in China from inside of an aircraft hangar with 1,000 people in attendance. Several European Spinning® sessions lasted over six hours and had 400 to 600 participants riding along with Josh and his video screens. One was in Amsterdam at the world’s biggest indoor cycling event in the world and the other in an Italian arena.
Josh synchs the cadence, music pace and beat as drivers, especially during intervals, “Europe is beat oriented,” said Josh when compared to America Spinning® rhythms.
What sets Josh apart is the subject matter he chooses for Spinning® classes he instructs. He uses animal motifs such as migratory birds, a hunting cheetah, or great white shark to elicit responses. Other custom rides include climbing MT Everest and partaking in fighter plane dog fight where you battle as you climb up to altitude. He does a horse racing Triple Crown with the Champions ride on the video screen.
It takes Josh about 100 hours to put together a two hour ride. Josh is a purist, world class cyclist, and has been a Sports Techie for 17 years and 100’s of Spinning® shows. Words such as variables, interpretation and freedom come to mind when I think about this artist on a bike.
Ride with Josh at the new WORLD SPINNING® AND SPORTS CONDITIONING CONFERENCE or WSSC here: http://www.wsscconference.com/en/wssc/special-events.html
About Mad Dogg Athletics
Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc. was founded in 1994 by John Baudhuin and Johnny G as a start-up company dedicated to developing the Spinning® indoor cycling concept and the Spinner® bike. When John and Johnny started manufacturing bikes in a garage back in 1991, little did they know that their cycling-based program would one day become a fitness phenomenon.
Home of the Spinning®, Peak Pilates®, Resist-A-Ball®, Bodyblade®, Ugi™, CrossCore®, Kettlebell Concepts and SPIN Fitness® brands, Mad Dogg Athletics is the world’s largest equipment-based education company. Mad Dogg Athletics has trained more than 200,000 instructors and has reached millions of enthusiasts in more than 80 countries worldwide through a network of more than 35,000 fitness facilities. The company manufactures home Spinner® bikes, Pilates and functional training equipment, DVDs, and a complete line of Spinning-branded apparel and accessories. Mad Dogg Athletics also works closely with Star Trac®, who is the licensed distributor of the patented line of Spinner bikes for the commercial market. Find out more about Mad Dogg Athletics equipment, products and education at www.maddogg.com or by calling 800-847-SPIN(7746).
Sports Techie, I hope I was able to share some of the incredible history and passion Josh, Spinning and Mad Dogg Athletics have for the indoor cycling Industry. Mad Dogg Athletics has a new corporate HQ under construction. Go to Spinning.com or visit them on Facebook or Twitter to see more of the state-of-the-art facility. The Spinner® Blade ION will be launching this summer in clubs. Josh said it’s been a, “Long time coming and took three years to perfect.”
Josh wanted Sports Techie to understand that, “Certified, not qualified,” is a part of the Industry to consider when you shop around for a bike, instructor or program. They offer the latest and greatest in indoor cycling and are number one in the Industry for a reason.
My suggestion to Josh was they develop a Google Glass interface so riders at home can partake in his groovy Spinning® classes. Josh thought that as long as you can verify that riders were in a safe and efficient seating position optimized for body performance that idea could work. Proper footwear, arm rest positioning and many other factors play important roles in achieving proper mechanics.
I like the fact that the new Spinner® Blade ION power system requires no battery replacements because it powers itself, this is definitely a step in the Sports Techie direction. Josh wants to help you learn how to get started, get proper bike set up and riding form, and be part of a rewarding fitness program with Spinning.com. Get yourself your own world class bike, or take a Spinning® instructor training at an accredited facility with the leaders of Spinning, Mad Dogg Athletics.
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