How to Turn Your Car Into an Indoor Cycling Studio
How to Make Indoor Cycling a Part of Your Personality
How to Playlist Like an Indoor Cycling Instructor[Without Actually Becoming One]

We’re all guilty of carpool karaoke, and if you take any sort of indoor cycling classes, you’re probably also guilty of carpool choreography. Your instructors definitely do this in their car, at the bar, and it’s almost always their go-to dance move at the club. You know exactly what we’re talking about, the “one down, one out” pushups on the steering wheel as soon as that beat drops? The girls that get it, get it – and it’s nothing to be ashamed of when the person next to you at the stoplight starts staring. They probably just wish they were in your passenger seat dropping and pressing in sync with you. 

After riding a few times, you may have left class wondering what one of the songs the instructor used in their playlist, and how to find it. It’s a pretty safe bet that most of the wonky, crazy remixes are from SoundCloud, which is one of the top music-streaming services. They offer a monthly subscription, but coming from an instructor, you don’t need to pay the $5/mo – you just have to know how to use it. All you have to do is type in the name of your favorite song and follow it up with “remix.” For example, if you’re a Lady Gaga fan, try typing in “Fun Tonight Lady Gaga remix” and one of the songs that pops up will be this one by OTIOT. Maybe Gaga isn’t your jam, but you really like a good mashup? This “Temperature X Satisfaction” remix with Sean Paul and Benny Benassi is fire. Finding a new remix to a song gives all your old favorites a total refresh, so you too can create a hot playlist just like your instructors! The best part about SoundCloud is almost all of the best remixes are completely free to stream and download.

If SoundCloud isn’t your jam, don’t worry – Spotify and Apple Music can be just as good when it comes to making a flawless playlist that will have all your friends begging you to share it with them. They both cost $9.99/month and will give you access to not only hundreds of thousands of songs, but also podcasts, custom playlists, and radio as well. You can find playlists that have already been made for indoor cycling classes by searching popular keywords, such as “indoor cycling,” “cycling music,” or “spinning workout.” For more recently released songs, include the year 2022 in your search. The first playlist that pops up on Spotify is this 7.5 hour playlist, so you should be able to find at least one song you like! Apple Music is a good source too; here’s a similar playlist to the Spotify one. One of the perks of having Apple Music is you can download SoundCloud songs straight to Apple Music using an online converter, whereas to download them on to Spotify you have to use a 3rd party service. To use the website tool to convert SoundCloud songs to MP3’s and play them through Apple Music, you have to copy and paste the SoundCloud song link into another site such as https://soundcloudmp3.org/, download the MP3, and then it should automatically pop-up and start playing in your Apple Music Library. If you’re a visual learner, here’s a YouTube video that explains how to download your music. YouTube is a great source for finding remixes that sometimes aren’t even on SoundCloud. For example, one of my favorite climb songs EVER is this ‘Milkshake X Losing It’ mashup. If you’re into Tik Tok remixes, or just enjoy the funny clips of Julia Fox interviews, this is one of the best remixes for her iconic “unkuh jahmzz” scene on the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast with Alexandra Cooper. You can literally find a club remix to almost anything you see on the internet, even scenes from everyone’s favorite childhood tv show, SpongeBob SquarePants. Remember in the Krusty Krab Pizza episode, when the fish is demanding his Diet Dr. Kelp? Yeah, there’s even a trap remix to that too. You’re welcome. 

After you’ve curated your perfect driving playlist, the second most important piece is the ambience of the space. A lot of indoor cycling studios utilize bright LED strip lights to drive your motivation and set the vibe even further, and you can get that same effect in your car for less than $20 on Amazon with this link. These customizable strip lights have several colors, effects, and can even be set to be sensitive to the music you play, so when that beat drops the lights will change accordingly, just like in your cycling classes! Setup is a lot easier than it looks and there are multiple how-to videos so you know exactly what goes where. There is also an app for these lights so that you can control them from your phone when you’re not driving. Don’t get too carried away with all of these while you’re driving, always stay safe on the road! 

You’ve got music, lights, and all you have to do is grab your cycling buddy and hit the road. Just like the feeling when everyone in the front row hits the drop in sync, you can just as easily recreate that feeling with your bestie in the front seat. What better way to get hyped for class than to pretend like you’re already in there? With the right playlist and fun lights, you can easily pretend like your car is your favorite indoor cycling studio. We recommend doing this especially when you’re on your way to take class. Whether Apple Music, Spotify, or SoundCloud is your jam, you’ll for sure be able to compile the perfect playlist with our advice, the addition of the lights in your car is just an added bonus. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to take your playlist curation skills to the next level and become an instructor at your indoor cycling studio! 

Staying active has always been important for both my physical and mental health. Growing up and through my formative years, I played soccer year-round and loved the intense cardio and competitive aspects of the game. In high school and college I also performed in musical theatre and stage productions.  Combining physicality with music felt natural and was just downright enjoyable. So, when I went to my first StarCycle spin class and felt the energy in the room, I knew this was the right place for me.  

I went through StarCycle spin instructor training the same time I found out I was pregnant.  Though it was a bit daunting to go through training during my first trimester, I believe the work I put into preparing to be an instructor helped my overall psychical and mental well-being. The excitement, anticipation, anxiety, and physical stresses that I was enduring as a first-time mother-to-be at times felt overwhelming. So, having a place where I could decompress and focus my energy into something that didn’t revolve around work or home life was like therapy.  Moreover, being pregnant during the pandemic would at times feel isolating, so being a part of the Star Cycle community, whether it be instructing or taking a class, helped me to feel more connected.

I taught spin until I was 37 weeks pregnant. I felt strong mentally and physically, and I believe it helped me recover from the birth of my son more smoothly. I had a c-section, and it was a painful recovery. But knowing that I had an outlet to go back to as soon as my body was capable helped me push through.  I pushed myself to get back on the bike slowly and by week 5 post-surgery, I was back to conditioning and preparing myself to teach again. 

I dealt with postpartum depression, and I can honestly say that clipping into the bike was the therapy that helped me push through mentally. As a new Mom, it is incredibly difficult and the sleep deprivation was mind bending. There were times I felt broken down. I had a new routine that wasn’t my own. I felt like my life wasn’t my own anymore: my mind, body, energy, everything.   Everything that I had was being poured into this little being that I had given birth to. It was miraculous, overwhelming, and chaotic. I didn’t know when or if these feelings would ever go away or if this was the “new normal.”  

Having the StarCycle community motivated me to push through. Just like a spin class when you hit a wall and your legs feel like they can’t pedal anymore, you push through. So as a new mom, I continued to put in the work and knew that if I worked hard at giving my little baby what he needed to grow and thrive, then that connection and bond with him would also grow and thrive. And now my little one is 17 months, and I couldn’t imagine a life without him.   

StarCycle is a place that motivates me to be the best version of myself. Having an outlet for yourself, especially being a new mom, is incredibly important. And the entire process of being an instructor: searching for and listening to new music, creating playlists for class, spinning to make my body stronger, and encouraging everyone in the class to push themselves for 45 minutes in a dark room with music blasting, is the most powerful outlet. This outlet helps me stay strong for my family. 

The desire to inspire and push others to achieve goals is so rewarding. I believe that making exercise a lifestyle has given me the freedom to share this passion with others. The example is such: no matter what you set your mind to do, no goal is unattainable.

I chose to franchise with StarCycle, even though, to tell you the truth, I could have gone out and opened an indoor cycling studio on my own. Did I want to do that? No. Here’s why…

My story with StarCycle is one with history; you can read more about my journey from client to StarCycle’s corporate director of training here in a previous post. To tell the long story in just a sentence or two, I began riding at StarCycle as a client when I was 16 years old and completely fell in love with the class, the instructors, and the fellow clients. I knew StarCycle needed to have a larger role in my life, so throughout the years to come I worked in childcare, front desk, as an instructor, trainer, and lastly the director of training. 

All of a sudden the stars magically aligned for my life long dream to open a StarCycle franchise to come true. It dawned on me for a moment that I could just open an indoor cycling studio on my own, but honestly the moment was fleeting. Even though I have about an 8 year history with StarCycle, there are a handful of reasons that stood out to me as a no-brainer to franchise StarCycle and how it would not only make my life easier, but make my business more successful.

First is technology. There are so many technological aspects of opening a business that a franchise takes care of for you. StarCycle already has an operating website with a developer who quickly added my location page to the website. I didn’t have to create a privacy policy, figure out SEO, pay for website hosting, etc. I didn’t have to find a booking software to use, or set up an email marketing service. I can’t even imagine how much extra time and money this would have taken me. Instead, I am able to be out in my local community making connections for my StarCycle location. 

Second is the brand. Every business has to create a well-thought out brand including, fonts, colors, logos, merchandise and more. Not only did I buy-in to a pre-established brand, but it’s a brand I can fully stand behind and absolutely love. StarCycle is all-inclusive, fun, and encouraging. Our mission statement is to, “deliver a kickass experience that inspires every rider to be their best self.” 

Next is the buildout. When you franchise with StarCycle you hardly have to make any decisions on the studio buildout, which is SO nice. Again, instead of picking bathroom tiles, you can be spreading the word about your new business. 

While there are endless reasons why franchising makes the most sense, the last and best reason is the support. StarCycle has a team of amazing people who I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside with to help support you every step of the way. Whether you’re opening a business with a franchise or on your own, it’s a big deal and takes a lot of hard work. Having a support system to cheer you on and help strategize is priceless.