Katie and Doug Fell were out for a drive on an ordinary day. Little did they know that they would end up in a crash that would later require surgery and restrict them to a lot of bed rest.After a few weeks at home, the couple was feeling lethargic and overweight due to a lack of exercise. Together, they decided to take control of their health again and enrolled in a local gym. The first time Katie walked into the Spinning® class, she admits to feeling a little daunted. “There is a certain level of fear, uncertainty and doubt about walking into a room full of bikes for that first time that we never forgot,” Katie said. But they continued to take Spinning classes and soon, both the fear and the weight they gained after the accident began to disappear.Now looking better, feeling better, and hooked on Spinning classes, Doug decided to become a Certified Spinning Instructor. Their passion for fitness grew, both as exercise partners and as husband and wife. With their 50^th birthdays approaching, they began to reflect on all the benefits they reaped from their fitness journey and wished to share it with others. With their two sons growing older and headed off to college, they started to spend evenings drafting a design for a dream studio. They attended trade shows for more ideas and networking. Three years later, their dream studio, DK Fitness, is now booming with business and new members signing up.

Finding the Niche with the Recovery Ride

In 2015, Doug and Katie taught over 700 Spinning classes, that enabled them to “get to know our members very well and respond quickly to their issues and needs.”That same year, they came across a continuing education session called “The Recovery Ride”. Katie and Doug were so inspired by the positive aspects of recovery that they added it to their programming.  Even though recovery rides do not get the blood pumping like an Interval or Race Day ride, it did present a great opportunity to enter a more relaxed state in training and build a mind/body connection. It was also the challenge for riders to keep their maximum heart rates between 55-65%. That challenge was accepted by riders, and the popularity spread quickly. “A few members actually began staying past a regular class to spend 15 to 20 minutes in the Recovery Energy Zone™,” Katie says. “Our legs feel much better the following day,” she added.

Download a Playlist for the Recovery Ride

With the success of their “Recovery Ride” continuing education session, Doug and Katie saw two amazing benefits that came to DK Fitness. For one, their members can now see the amazing gains – both physically and mentally – that recovery can bring their fitness journey. But they also see how valuable continuing education sessions are in keeping instructors informed and being the best coaches that they can be. With Katie and Doug in constant “learning mode” combined with the Spinning program’s continuing education, they truly believe they now have the best instructors in the world.Learn more about recovery and our amazing continuing education program. Subscribe to our newsletter today!