Key takeaways
  • Class prep doesn't have to take hours.
  • Music-mapped choreography makes classes more fun and engaging.
  • Using an app can drastically reduce planning time.
  • Don't be afraid to try new tech to enhance your teaching.

My Path to On the Beat#

I was working in finance, fresh out of Harvard, and had just moved to the Bay Area. I was still trying to teach three or four cycling classes a week.

I’ve been teaching for ten years, and I love it. But working a full-time finance job made it nearly impossible to plan my rides.

I used to teach Les Mills back in the day. Nobody offered that format here, so I was stuck making my own playlists from scratch. I was spending an hour or two just to prep a single 45-minute class. If I’m being blunt, it was exhausting.

I wanted a simpler way to do it. I talked to other instructors and realized we all share this pain. We want to ride to the beat because the participants love it, but mapping out the drops takes forever.

That’s why I built On the Beat. It maps your songs to the beat and generates your class structure so you always know when the changes happen.

I’ve seen instructors take their planning time from hours down to twenty minutes. I teach every class with it now, and I couldn't imagine going back.

My All-Time Favorite Songs for Indoor Cycling#

I've taught 15 classes with the app so far, but I'm going to tell you all my favorite songs to teach to so far.

Eat Your Man (with Nelly Furtado)
Dom Dolla, Nelly Furtado
All Out Pace3:17125 BPM

The number one song on the platform right now, and an absolute beast for sustained endurance.

Beat drops
Drop 11:10Drop 22:12Drop 32:42
Where You Are
John Summit, HAYLA
All Out Pace3:56126 BPM
Va Va Voom
Nicki Minaj
Out-of-Saddle Jumps3:04127 BPM
Greedy
Ariana Grande
Heavy Climb3:35110 BPM
JUMP
BLACKPINK
Max Sprint2:45145 BPM
MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) (Full Length Edition)
BTS, Steve Aoki
Out-of-Saddle Jumps5:08170 BPM
Let Me Think About It - Club Mix
Ida Corr, Fedde Le Grand
Heavy Climb6:01129 BPM
All The Small Things
Timmy Trumpet, STVW
Max Sprint1:52170 BPM
EAT THE BASS
John Summit
Isolations3:23128 BPM
The Way I Are (Dance with Somebody) - DallasK Remix
Bebe Rexha, DallasK
Heavy Climb3:03117 BPM
Sports car - TELYKAST Remix
Tate McRae, TELYKAST
Heavy Climb2:30128 BPM
B2b
Charli xcx
Heavy Climb2:59116 BPM
Tunnel Vision
Restricted, Nik Sitz
Max Sprint4:02160 BPM

Common Mistakes and How I Fixed Them#

  • Obsessing over the perfect playlist. I used to spend unpaid hours trying to hand-map every beat drop. Most riders come for 40 minutes and happily forget all of it. The app builds the plan, and you bring the energy.
  • Forgetting to learn your student's names. I teach so many classes across SF that I often forget to ask for names. It quietly costs rapport, and I still have to remind myself to fix it.
  • Thinking you have to do it all yourself. Instructors get pushed to either be very creative on their own unpaid time or not creative at all. You can share classes with friends and just steal their choreography.

I'm glad you're here. I really hope you check out the app and use all the resources that we're going to be putting out to make your teaching experience better.

Welcome to On the Beat.