If you’re like most Spinning® Instructors, you’re constantly on the lookout for fresh inspiration to teach your classes. And we want to take this opportunity to remind you that there is a surefire solution to keep your rides awe-inspiring, heart-pumping, and soul-nourishing. SPIN® Profiles are the perfect solution for ready-made classes that will energize your riders with fresh zest each time their feet touch the pedals for your class. They will also help you to discover new music, learn new coaching cues, and ensure that your classes are designed with training zones and purpose. It’s a win-win – both for you and your riders. 

These monthly profiles have been a favorite teaching tool for our Spinning® community for years, but the actual process of creating them has been a bit of a secret…until now. We want to give you a glimpse behind the curtains and let you see an example of the creativity, thought and care that goes into each and every SPIN® Profile that is designed for YOU!

Behind the Scenes with Master Instructor Pru Comben: The Secrets to Creating a Great SPIN® Profile

Way back when I did my initial Spinning® Instructor Certification training with Sandro Morelli, he taught the group to always develop your profile first, then add music. I'll be honest and say that I didn't always stick to that advice, but when I do, the rest of the profile development flows so much more smoothly. I find planning the what, the how, and the why creates a logical structure to the process. It begins by deciding what training zones I am targeting. Sounds obvious but deciding that first allows the rest of the planning to flow. What does the profile look like within the zone parameters? I enjoy the simplicity of endurance, but also relish finding the perfect balance of work to rest in intervals. I’ve also discovered in my years of teaching that the best profiles fit strongly within the themes of stamina, strength and speed, so the training effect is obvious and easier to plan for.

When it comes to planning the ‘how,’ for me simplicity is key. It makes planning easier and certainly allows more time for coaching the ‘why’ of the ride. You could spend ages planning intricate intervals with a lot of position changes, but getting hung up on guiding riders through when to stand, jump, sit, sprint means there’s less time to coach why they’re doing the ride in the first place! How does the profile relate to the training zone? How am I going to achieve the training effect I want? Remember F.I.T.T? How do I use the nine different movements? Once those are nailed down, I often jot down notes or 'hooks' -- How am I going to coach this? How do I make this ride unique and keep my riders engaged, on track and stop repeating tired old cues? I rarely script my rides word for word but have key words or phrases that I then use to talk around as I coach. I also use a thesaurus a lot…let’s be honest, there’s only a limited amount of words for ‘strong’ or ‘push!’

This leads to the 'why' of the ride. I note several cues about the purpose of it all on my profile plan. One of my regular riders memorably calls my classes 'brutal but interesting,' which starts with a great profile but finishes with knowing 'how' to take the class through the ride and essentially the 'whys' of riding to hold their attention and drive their ambition. For example, why do we ask our riders to spend so much time below anaerobic threshold? How does it serve them? Why do work-to-rest ratios matter? For me, it’s understanding and explaining the ‘why’ that transforms a Spinning® Instructor into a coach, and my profile has to reflect this.

For me, the music comes last. If the purpose of your ride is clear, then it can be easy as some tracks seem to be made for a certain point of the ride. I often listen to several different songs or pieces of music until I settle on what feels right for what I want to achieve. In my Equilibrium Ride, recently published on spinning.com, I knew I wanted three-minute ‘punchy’ tracks to match the intensity of the interval and inspire everyone to take their bodies beyond their perceived limits. This was the easy bit as I have plenty of those tunes in my library; so then I had to narrow it down a bit more to genre, lyrics or no lyrics, and BPM. Because the ride is as much about the recovery as the work, however, I had to search hard for the right vibe, the appropriate feel for the rest portion of the ride….honestly, I fell down the rabbit hole for a few hours! But it was a fun few hours and it’s never time wasted when searching for the perfect track. When it all comes together, it’s magic!