About Luciana "Lu" Marcial-Vincion

Q: How often do you teach a week and where?A: Twice per week at my studio, Charleston RIDE^™, in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.Q: What is the most unique feature about your facility?A: Many students are fascinated to learn the story behind the birth of Charleston RIDE^™ - in a nutshell it was created to serve as the home base for the annual Pedal4Pattison 4-Hour Spinning^® Marathon, which raises funds for Pattison’s Academy, a school for children with severe mental and physical disabilities, located right here in the Lowcountry. The Spinning message, culture and philosophy were the perfect vehicle to cultivate and perpetuate this incredible school’s efforts for the children.

About My Profiles and Rides

Q: What's your favorite profile to create rides?A: I am always entranced by an Endurance Energy Zone™ ride. The act of steady movement for extended periods of time brings a sense of stillness to my mind while building hidden power in my body. When I was younger I would ride Paso Fino horses in the mountains with my dad for hours at time, the horses never losing rhythm or step. This breed is known for their sure-footedness and ability to endure long distances at steady paces. There was something so raw and powerful in that skill, feeling the rhythm of their majestic bodies connected to my own. I’d like to think the human mind can quiet itself long enough to glimpse this raw power in our own bodies.Q: What is the most unusual, yet successful, song to play in class?A: Playing anything that makes people look up at you with a confused look on their face! Don’t be afraid to shake things up with people’s expectations. It helps us all remember not to take life too seriously all the time. Laugh, be silly, and play stuff like “Mistress for Christmas” by AC/DC during your next Christmas ride, right after the serious Enya song. They will not know what to do with it, except laugh and smile!

My Favorite Things

Q: When not on a bike, what are your other hobbies?A: I am either dancing, singing, or acting. The theatre is in my blood and I try at least once a year to be in a local musical or play production. I spent years as a choreographer for dance teams, theatres, and other various hip hop projects. I would like to be buried with my road bike and my dance shoes, please.Q: What are your Spinning^® essentials? A: A good microphone and the ever-important windscreen. If I had to pick between having music or a mic, I’d choose the mic, seriously. Luckily, the choice doesn’t present itself often

What Fuels Me

Q: What is your pre and post workout meal? A: Nuts, fruit and a protein shake are my faves after a workout. I also really enjoy fueling for a workout, making sure there’s enough time to digest it all – ‘cause I love to eat! Eggs and veggies are my favorite pre-workout meal.Q: What is one training tip that you follow every day? A: Look for the miracles in the small moments. Be alert and keep my eyes open…I don’t want to take for granted the things we get accustomed to. Right now, I’m sitting in a warm office with tunes playing, my kids healthy, gas in the car and food in the fridge, a glass of water on my desk that I got just by turning a handle in my kitchen. Pretty amazing. And now I get to go ride a Spinner® bike. Wow, I’m blessed.

Ask Me Anything

Q: When to wear a chamois?A: Always. The less you have to worry about comfort with your gear the better.Q: How do you motivate yourself when you don’t feel like getting on the saddle?A: Oh easy-–I listen to music! I put on any of my playlists and will often feel the spirit right away to get up and move!Q: Tell us about an embarrassing moment that changed your outlook on coaching.A: It’s pretty embarrassing, an epic fail. I laugh about it now, but wasn’t laughing then, that’s for sure. I was on some kind of visualization trail, leading the students with a bunch of cues about “opening your mind.” I went through a bunch of phrases, and realized at some point that I wasn’t really paying attention to my choice of words, it became useless gibberish, more as filler rather than impactful coaching. Here’s how it went down: “Don’t be afraid to open your heart. Open your mind. Open your feelings. Open your breath. Open your thoughts. Open your legs…” YIKES! All the students looked up at me like “what the heck?” and I realized what I had just said. Yeah, it wasn’t funny. It was disastrous! Of course, now, I’ve spent years studying the art of communication and language choice and continue my quest for mindful coaching.

Advice for Instructors

Q: How have you had to shift your approach, coaching methods over the years or for different audiences? A: Always. As coaches we must be malleable in our approach to teaching. Different audiences require various techniques to captivate and interest them. I’m going to use different language with 20-year old students vs. 70-year old students. Likewise, with different cultural groups, male vs. female, new students vs. veteran riders. We must always study the art and psychology of coaching, this is the only way to build relationships with all your students.Q: What’s your secret weapon to keep clients coming back?A: Simple–-be yourself. You must be authentic for people to trust you. Trust builds the relationship, and that relationship keeps your students coming back. Don’t try to be like another instructor. Build your skills based on who you are and where you want to go, not on the path of another. Your students need to knowto know you’re a real person, share your stories with them to make them feel comfortable.

#NewFitU in 2015

Q: What goals do you have to grow your mentoring/coaching abilities in 2015?A: My main goal, especially as the Team Manager for the Spinning MI Team, is to observe more. In more carefully observing my team, my instructors at my studio, and my students, I feel I can support them better. It is already a big part of my job, but I want it to be more focused and intentional. I am already working on eliminating unnecessary tasks from my world so I can dedicate more effort to observing and supporting.Q: What goals do you have in 2015 to improve your own training/performance? A: My main objective: decrease the amount of travel/commitments in order to facilitate more balanced training on my bike, on the yoga mat, and with my lifting. Too often my health and fitness patterns are disrupted and disconnected due to work commitments. It’s ironic that working in this business is the very reason why we can get disjointed with our own goals. So, this year, I’ve already begun changing that.Q: What changes are you excited about in the New Year?A: I am most excited to see the new members of our MI Team shine-–they are the ones that will carry the torch long after us ‘veterans’ are gone. The best part of my job is working with these incredible people, seeing them grow and flourish, and accepting the great responsibility of changing lives. I feel like a proud mama, and it brings me tremendous joy to watch them shine, knowing they are out there changing the lives of millions of people all over the globe, every day.