With over 6 million users worldwide, becoming a Peloton instructor is a highly exclusive, sought-after role that you may be considering as a career option.

Whether you’re a newly qualified fitness instructor or an aspiring PT, you may be interested to get an idea of the average Peloton instructor salary in the UK.

In this article, we’ll answer the question ‘how much does a Peloton instructor earn?’, covering:

• What is the Average Salary of a Peloton Instructor?
• 4 Factors That Influence a Peloton Instructor’s Salary
• Who is the Highest Paid Instructor and What is Their Peloton Trainer Salary?
• How Much Do Peloton Coaches Make Compared to Other Careers in the Fitness Industry?
• Why is the Peloton Salary in the UK and Worldwide Higher than Other Fitness Instructors?

Before we get started, if you’re not already, become a qualified as both a fitness instructor and personal trainer with our Personal Trainer Diploma. Enquire now, or download our free course prospectus to browse the full range of courses we offer.

What is the Average Salary of a Peloton Instructor?

Although the company doesn’t disclose exact figures for their salaries, we are going to provide the answer to the question ‘how much do Peloton instructors make?’

It has been reported that senior instructors earn a salary as large as ‘six figures with stock options’, as Jess Sims told The Wall Street Journal in 2019.

This is because Peloton founder John Foley believes in shared ownership and therefore hands several billion dollars’ worth of company equity awards to instructors. This then in turn boosts the overall Peloton fitness instructor salary.

These free stock options also act as an incentive for instructors to begin teaching classes on the Peloton platform.

It was reported in January 2021 by various media sources that senior instructors earn up to $500,000 per year, which is equivalent to £359,000.

However, this does not count the extra income that instructors can make from external sponsorships, which we’ll cover in more detail later in this article.

How Much Do Instructors Earn Per Class in Terms of a Peloton Trainer’s Salary?

As with the overall Peloton instructor salary, Peloton does not officially report on the amount that their instructors make per class taught.

However, it has been frequently reported that instructors can earn from $500 to $750 per class, (approximately £400-600) depending on several factors that we will discuss in the next section.

Since they teach 10 to 15 classes per week, instructors could therefore be earning approximately $12,000 per week (approximately £9694) from their Peloton classes alone!

4 Factors That Influence a Peloton Instructor’s Salary

Since there is no fixed income for instructors, it is difficult to answer the question ‘how much do Peloton coaches make?’

This is because their earning potential can vary based upon the following factors:

#1- The Salary of Peloton Instructors Depends on their Role Within the Company

Some Peloton instructors have other roles within the company alongside teaching classes, which will boost their earning potential.

For instance, Cody Rigsby is Peloton’s cycling director and acts as a scout for potential new Peloton instructors. He also has a large Instagram following of over 1.3 million users.

This means that he has extra responsibilities when compared to other instructors, meaning that he is likely to generate a higher income.

If you’re wondering what a Peloton manager salary is, it has been estimated that CEO John Foley earned $17.8 million in 2021.

In contrast, it was reported in Peloton’s Proxy Statement that in terms of the average Peloton employee salary, such as someone who works in a showroom, for example, earned on average $56,084 (approx £45310) in 2021.

This is dramatically lower than the salary of Peloton instructors!

#2- Reputation Can Determine a Peloton Teacher Salary

When Peloton instructors are initially hired, they are given full-time contracts. They are also provided with a generous compensation bonus on an incentive basis.

This means that the more successful their workouts are with Peloton’s customers, and the more active their association with the brand is, the more commission they will earn.

So when answering the question ‘what do Peloton instructors make?’, it’s clear that the better the reputation that they earn for themselves, the higher their salary is likely to be!

Those with a better public reputation are also likely to gain higher-paid brand deals which will boost their yearly salary.

For example, popular instructor Robin Arzón is an Adidas ambassador and Leanne Hainsby has worked with luxury brands such as Harrods!

#3- A Peloton Coach Salary Varies Based on Their Level of Experience

To determine the average Peloton instructor salary, it’s important to consider that instructors who have been working for longer are given more responsibility.

In other words, they are seen as the main faces of the Peloton brand. They are therefore huge assets to the company, and to retain their talent, they are therefore likely to be paid more.

When Peloton was first founded, talented instructors would have been offered a higher salary to secure their employment. This would ensure that Peloton would be able to attract and retain members in the long term.

However, as the platform grew from an audience of 1.6 million in 2020 to 5.9 million by June 2021, the Peloton instructor role has become much more desirable and exclusive.

This means that Peloton does not necessarily have to pay their newer instructors as high a salary as their original recruits.

For example, as the first ever instructor, Jenn Sherman’s Peloton salary is likely to be higher than a newer recruit.

This is actually the case for most fitness-related roles.

For example, the salary of a fitness instructor also depends on their experience level. The more experience you have, the higher you can expect your salary to be.

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Enjoying this article so far? Here’s 3 more that we think you’ll love:

• How To Become A Peloton Instructor Complete Guide 
• How To Become A Group Fitness Instructor
• Spin Instructor Salary Explained

#4- How Many Classes They Run Can Impact a Peloton Instructor’s Salary in the UK and Worldwide

As we’ve mentioned, Peloton instructors generally earn from $500 to £750 per class (£400-600). This means that the more classes they run, the more they are likely to earn!

However, the number of classes taught per week may depend on how popular the instructor is, as well as other commitments they have.

For example, many instructors work on brand campaigns and post sponsored content on social media, which will take up some of their schedules.

Who is the Highest Paid Instructor and What is Their Peloton Trainer Salary?

As we’ve mentioned, the answer to the question ‘how much does a Peloton instructor make per year?’ depends largely on their role within the company.

Cody Rigsby is currently the highest-paid Peloton instructor to date, with his salary estimated to be greater than $500,000 (£404,000), with his net worth between $5 and $6 million (£4039,500- £4847,400).

Cody is Peloton’s Cycling Director alongside his role as an instructor. With his eye for talent, he also helps to recruit new instructors, and it is these roles combined that make him the highest-earning instructor.

Alongside his roles at Peloton, Cody shot to fame with his appearance on the American TV show ‘Dancing with the Stars.’

He now has over 1.3 million followers on Instagram, where he promotes his rides and works with various brands. This is another factor that contributes to his Peloton instructor salary.

How Much Do Peloton Coaches Make Compared to Other Careers in the Fitness Industry?

If you’re considering becoming a Peloton instructor, it can be useful to know how the salary compares to other careers in the fitness industry.

So when considering ‘how much do Peloton instructors earn?’, this will allow you to make an informed decision on the career path that is most suited to you.

Here is an idea of the average salary for some of the most popular fitness careers:

• Peloton instructors-£359,000
• Gym instructors – £24,000
• Personal trainers – £29,000
• Gym managers – £30,000

Why is the Peloton Salary in the UK and Worldwide Higher than Other Fitness Instructors?

As you can see from the figures above, the average Peloton instructors salary is higher than that of other fitness instructors.

Peloton pays their instructors a higher-than-average salary as they typically recruit high-profile instructors to run their classes. In fact, it is reported that Peloton uses talent agencies to find their instructors.

Having well-known, likeable instructors acting as the face of the Peloton brand helps to attract people to their classes and keeps them coming back each week.

As they are so important to the high-end nature of the brand and help to maintain its values, Peloton instructors are therefore well-rewarded with a high salary for their efforts.

This also ensures that Peloton can retain its high-quality staff and that they are not head-hunted by other fitness companies offering higher salaries.

Since they are high profile, instructors can also make money through sponsorships and ads on social media.

For example, instructor Leanne Hainsby began teaching spin classes in London.

After being spotted by star instructor Cody Rigsby, Leanne began working as a Peloton instructor and has built up 282,000 Instagram followers.

She has also built a community of fans online known as the ‘Yes to You Crew’ and is frequently invited to high-profile events such as film premieres.

Along with her Peloton instructor salary, Leanne works with brands such as Mazda to produce sponsored content to share with her followers- as you can see below.

The content aims to encourage users to make purchases of a company’s products or services, which she will be paid for based upon a pre-agreed, contracted price.

With over 54 Peloton instructors across the world, this is a highly exclusive role that is only open to those spotted by Peloton scouts.

This means that instructors have built up a reputation in their field and are discovered by Peloton through word-of-mouth or networking. With so few instructors to pay, Peloton can therefore afford to reward their small and exclusive group of instructors with a large salary!

Before You Go!

So, we hope you now have a better idea of the average Peloton instructor’s salary, and the factors that can affect it.

Feeling inspired? If you’re not already, start a lucrative career in the fitness industry with our industry-leading Personal Trainer Diploma! Enquire today, or check out our industry-leading courses by downloading our free course prospectus here.

Sources

• Amy Lombard, ‘Peloton Instructor: “We Are Treated Like Professional Athletes’, The Wall Street Journal
• Peloton, 2021 Proxy Statement, October 2021

If you wish to explore a new career, learning how to become a SoulCycle instructor offers an exciting prospect that will allow you to teach one of the most innovative fitness classes available today.

To ensure that you have all the necessary tools and information required to become a SoulCycle instructor this article will cover the following topics:

• Step 1: Get The Right Qualifications Before Your SoulCycle Instructor Training
• Step 2: Gain Practical Experience Before Becoming a SoulCycle Instructor 
• Step 3: Become a SoulCycle Instructor By Completing The Application Process 
• Step 4: Undergo Your Offical SoulCycle Instructor Training
• Step 5: Secure Your Dream Job As a SoulCycle Instructor 

Earning a Diploma in personal training can help kickstart your career, providing vital skills and knowledge that will inform the way in which you lead these cycling classes, to ensure you flourish within the SoulCycle organisation.

Alternatively, download OriGym’s FREE prospectus for further information about our courses!

Step 1: Get The Right Qualifications Before Your SoulCycle Instructor Training

The first step in learning how to become a SoulCycle instructor is earning the right qualifications. This cannot be skipped, as without these certifications you will not be considered for employment opportunities.

With this in mind, let’s discuss what qualifications you need to become a SoulCycle instructor.

 

Complete A Level 2 Gym Instructor Course Before You Become a SoulCycle Instructor

If you’re looking to become a SoulCycle instructor, you’ll first need to complete a Level 2 Fitness Instructor Course. This is an entry level qualification, meaning that no previous experience is required.

The Level 2 certificate is the basic qualification needed to work in a gym or fitness centre. Check out the example job advertisement below, which asks all applicants to hold a Level 2 Fitness Instructor qualification:

A Level 2 fitness instructor course will teach you the fundamentals of leading fitness classes, such as techniques for motivating your class members, as well as how best to make a fitness class successful.

You’ll also learn the basics of human anatomy and physiology. This will help you to curate class plans that are both safe and effective in pushing customers towards their fitness goals.

In fact, this is something that SoulCycle stresses the importance of on their “Qualifications” page:

By achieving this certificate, and becoming a fitness instructor, you will have explicit proof that you’re well versed in anatomy and physiology.

In short, if you wish to audition for the SoulCycle instructor training process, then you need this qualification. Without it, you won’t meet the job requirements, and won’t be considered for employment.

Level 3 Personal Training Course Can Be Beneficial For Aspiring SoulCycle Instructors

If you want to learn how to become a SoulCycle instructor, you should also consider enrolling on a Level 3 Personal Training course. In doing so, you can build upon the knowledge acquired at Level 2.

Whilst obtaining this qualification isn’t a necessity, it can still provide valuable skills that are beneficial when looking to become a SoulCycle instructor, and may even set you apart from other candidates.

This isn’t just applicable to SoulCycle either, as many prominent gyms and fitness centres throughout the world will prioritise candidates who hold this qualification.

This can be seen in the following advertisement for a Lifestyle Fitness gym, where the certification is marked as ‘preferred’:

By becoming a qualified personal trainer, you can hone and develop beneficial skills, as well as significantly boosting your earning potential. This is evident from the example above, which highlights how successful applicants can earn up to £35,608 per year.

In addition to these benefits, completing the qualification essentially shows employers that you’re willing to learn and develop within the industry.

This is a key attribute that SoulCycle look out for during their audition process, as evident from the screenshot provided below. For this reason, you should make reference to your Level 3 personal training qualification during this process, specifically highlighting what it taught you and how it helped you progress within your professional career:

Essentially, a Level 3 PT qualification will show to employers that you took the initiative to build upon your initial training, and can now provide customers with a unique fitness experience.

Step 2: Gain Practical Experience Before Looking To Become A SoulCycle Instructor

Before completing the training for SoulCycle instructors, you should look for practical experience working in the fitness industry. Specifically, aim to get experience teaching general indoor cycling classes at a local gym or fitness centre.

These roles will provide you valuable experience in areas such as learning how to lead fitness classes, which will help you stand out from other applicants applying for a SoulCycle role.

In addition to this, gaining practical experience can boost your general confidence. Think of it this way, when it comes to learning how to become a SoulCycle instructor, you will already know how to:

• Operate stationary exercise bikes
• Provide instructions and demonstrations to classes of varying sizes
• Offer bespoke amendments for customers who may struggle to keep up with the rest of the class

This leaves little room for any unpleasant surprises that may arise during the application process. You will then be able to enter a job interview at SoulCycle fully confident that you’re highlighting your best self.

SoulCycle also personally stresses the importance of having prior experience on their website. From the screenshot provided below, you can see that they prioritise applicants who have 1-2 years worth of professional teaching experience:

Another benefit of working in a fitness instructor role prior to pursuing training for soulcycle instructors is that you can cultivate a loyal customer base.

This is something you can mention in the job interview, stating that your most loyal students have agreed to follow you to SoulCycle should you get the role.

The ability to fill a studio is crucial, and employers may view you as a valuable commodity should you share this during the interview.

To gain this experience, you should look out for relevant job postings in your local area that mention or indoor cycling classes, such as this example from Virgin Active:

With that being said, don’t discount jobs that are listed as holistic ‘Fitness Instructor’ roles. These positions could still list cycling or Spin classes as one of the core responsibilities, as evident from this example:

This is all applicable if you’ve yet to become employed, but if you currently work at a gym or fitness centre then you could offer to lead Spin/indoor cycling classes in addition to your other responsibilities.

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Those who are interested in learning how to become a SoulCycle instructor should also check out these OriGym articles:

• Spin Instructor Salary Explained
• How To Become A Peloton Instructor in the UK
• How To Become a Group Fitness Instructor

Step 3: Become A Soulcycle Instructor By Completing The Application Process

Those who are interested in learning how to become a soulcycle instructor will likely have clicked onto this article for this section alone. This application process is entirely unique, and it’s therefore important you know what to expect.

First and foremost, be aware that SoulCycle does not offer a continuous or rolling application process. 

Instead, you will only be able to apply for a position at various points throughout the year, and even then you will still have to audition. 

In addition to this, SoulCycle only allows applicants to apply twice every year, meaning if you are not accepted during this time you will need to re-apply during the next calendar year.

To apply for an audition, you’ll need to write your fitness instructor CV and cover letter explaining why you want the role and what Soulcycle means to you (just like any other job).

You will then need to send the documents to soulcycleauditions@soul-cycle.com

If your application is successful, you’ll then be invited to audition for the SoulCycle Instructor training programme.

Note this will not be a standard solo job interview – other aspiring instructors will also be in attendance.

To prepare for this you should try to attend as many SoulCycle classes as possible. This will give you a feel for the studios teaching style, which you can then seek to mimic during your audition.

You will also be asked to prepare 2 routines to 2 different songs that you feel comfortable cycling to. These should demonstrate two different rhythms such as a gentle jog, or hill song.

The audition to become a SoulCycle instructor will typically follow a structure such as:

• You will be assigned a bike among the rest of the group – Your bike number correlates to your audition number e.g. if you’re bike 1, you’ll be auditioning first.
• When it’s your turn, you will leave your bike and stand on a podium in front of the class. The interviewers will then ask you several different questions, such as what SoulCycle means to you, and whether you’d be willing to relocate for a position.
• You will then have to lead the class in the 2 routines you choreographed. Be aware that employers can stop you at any point, and this is not an indication of your performance.
• When it’s not your turn, you will be part of ‘the class’ following the routines of the other auditionees. Be aware that interviews will still be watching your form so put in the same amount of effort and dedication.

The entire audition process will require a lot of dedication and effort on your part, meaning that it’s not something you enter lightly. According to their website, if you’re looking to become a SoulCycle instructor you will have to dedicate 3-4 weeks to the process alone:

Successful applicants will then move on to take part in their official SoulCycle Instructor training. Here’s what you can do to ensure that you’re a part of this select group:

• Be Confident – Confidence is the belief that you can succeed, so even if you feel unsure, trust in your abilities and try to go into the audition with a positive mental attitude. In a piece he wrote for SoulCycle, instructor Kellen Townsend cites this as one of the key attributes that got him hired.
• Be Yourself – According to the SoulCycle FAQ section, the assessors are looking to see your personality shine through during your audition. This above everything (including technique and choreography) can get you hired!

• Practice As Much As Possible – Practice makes perfect, so put in the time before your audition to work with different groups of people. Again, this is where previous professional experience can be beneficial, as once it’s under your belt you will become more comfortable working with crowds of differing needs and sizes.

One last thing to be aware of is that you might not pass the audition the first time – and that’s okay. It’s more common than you think, so don’t be ashamed or worried if it takes you a couple of attempts to move on to the training for SoulCycle instructors.

Should this happen, try not to dwell on the negatives. Instead, reflect on your performance in order to determine what you can do to better your chances of becoming a SoulCycle instructor in the near future.

Step 4: Undergo SoulCycle Instructor Training

SoulCycle is a competitive industry, and relatively few proceed through to the training process. If you’re one of the lucky few, the hard work won’t end at the audition!

Whilst information on the exact process of learning how to become a SoulCycle instructor is scarce, there are a few online resources that provide insight into what hopefuls can expect from the training process.

For example, the SoulCycle website claims that the training process takes 8 weeks, and includes a in-depth schedule:

During the SoulCycle instructor training process, you will learn everything that you need to succeed within the organisation. For example, you will cover topics such as:

• How to select music for your classes
• Ways to motivate class attendees
• SoulCycle’s method of leading classes

In order to ensure you get the most of this training for SoulCycle instructors, we’d recommend adhering to the following advice:

• Ask Questions – If you’re ever unsure about anything that is covered, don’t be afraid to ask questions. This will not only make a good impression, but it will ensure that you don’t make any unnecessary mistakes.
• Make The Most Of Every Opportunity – You want to make the best possible impression during this process, so don’t be afraid to perform any task that’s asked of you. Remember this is only training, and every opportunity that comes your way is a chance to learn and grow!
• Ask For Feedback – If you want to learn how to become a SoulCycle instructor there are no better individuals to ask than active instructors. Through asking questions you can gain insight into what is expected of you in the role and how you can perform at optimal levels.

To summarise, you should approach training for SoulCycle instructors with the same thought and dedication as any other qualification. In doing so, you will be able to find future success in the role.

Step 5: Secure A Job As A SoulCycle Instructor

After passing the training for SoulCycle instructors, you’re finally ready to begin your new career teaching in-door cycling classes. One thing to keep in mind is that the completion of training doesn’t guarantee employment within the organisation:

If you wish to find employment within SoulCycle specifically, the best place to look is the careers section of the company site. Here you will be able to apply for instructor roles, as well as other vacant positions:

SoulCycle instructor jobs are typically posted from a variety of different locations, with the most popular sites being located in America.

Keep in mind that many applicants are willing to relocate to work with the company, a factor which makes the positions so competitive. This is the reality of seeking employment in SoulCycle, with opportunities being so sought after that positions are often filled as soon as they’re listed.

Despite the competitve nature of the role, this doesn’t mean all your skills and knowledge have to go to waste.

In the meantime, one way to keep your skills sharp is to work in a similar role. For example, leading general in-door cycling classes can help to ensure you maintain your form and stamina.

There are plenty of opportunities across the UK for cycling instructors, so you should regularly check employment sites such as Indeed and Glassdoor for opportunities such as the following example:

Alternatively, you could also seek to remain part of the SoulCycle community through working at other locations.

For example, if you hold a Level 3 PT qualification, you could apply for personal training jobs within organisations such as Equinox (a sister company to SoulCycle).

Working with Equinox helps you maintain a presence within the overarching SoulCycle community.

When in this role you can make valuable industry connections, which could lead to referrals should a position in SoulCycle become available.

You may also decide to pursue training with other popular in-door cycling brands to gain further experience. For example, you could learn how to become a Spin instructor in order to broaden your horizons even further.

As you can see, even if there aren’t any SoulCyle employment opportunities available, that doesn’t mean you have to remain unemployed. There are still a range of professional opportunities available to you, so don’t waste them!

 

Before You Go!

Now that you know how to become a SoulCycle instructor you can begin to take the necessary steps to ensure you’re suitable for the position. Remember, the best thing you can do is gain experience that helps you stand out from the competitors.

One of the best ways to do this is through earning a Personal Training Diploma. In doing so, you can develop specialist knowledge in areas such as anatomy and physiology, which can help to inform your teaching style at SoulCycle.

You can also download our FREE course prospectus to learn more about every OriGym qualification.

Whether you’re a newly qualified fitness instructor or want to start teaching classes, Spin is one of the most popular fitness classes out there. But you may be wondering, ‘how much do Spin instructors make in the UK?’

We’ve answered this and more in this article, covering:

• What is the Average Spin Instructor Salary?
• What is the Difference Between Spin and Indoor Cycling?
• What is the Average Indoor Cycling Instructor Salary?
• How Can I Earn a High Indoor Cycling or Spin Instructor Wage?

Before we get started, start your journey towards teaching Spin by becoming qualified with our industry-leading Personal Trainer Diploma. Enquire today, or download our free course prospectus to browse the full range of courses we offer.

What is the Average Spin Instructor Salary?

In terms of the average certified Spin instructor salary in the UK, it can be difficult to give an exact figure.

This is because there aren’t many gyms, leisure centres, or fitness studios in the UK offering branded Spin classes. For example, there is only one Spin class located within 20 miles of Liverpool.

This is because ‘Spinning’ is a trademarked company and was originally founded in the USA. It therefore remains more popular over there than in the UK.

Most Spin classes in the UK are located in independent gyms and leisure centres, such as Garston Lifestyles leisure centre shown above. However, Anytime Fitness is a large-scale, commercial gym which offers Spin classes to its members.

As part of the fitness instructor job description for most gyms, you will have to teach a wide range of different fitness classes- including Spin.

With this in mind, to gauge an idea of the average Spin class instructor salary, we will consider the salary of a group class instructor at Anytime Fitness- who will likely have to teach a Spin class as part of their role.

For example, a fitness instructor at Anytime Fitness earns £19,883 on average, according to Indeed.

However, this salary is only taking employed roles into account- as a freelancer, you could stand to earn much more.

You can therefore expect to receive this kind of salary as a Spin instructor.

What is a Typical Spin Instructor Salary Per Class?

Above we have covered the average Spin instructor wage on an annual basis.

However, you may be wondering, what is the average indoor cycling instructor salary per class?

A typical Spin class is one hour long. So, we can use the average hourly Spin instructor salary to give an indication of how much you can make per class.

In fact, most fitness instructor roles at Anytime Fitness are advertised at an hourly pay rate- so we can see this as the income per class.

This is because their roles are mainly freelance, meaning that an instructor’s average salary will be determined by how many classes they choose to teach.

Spin instructors can therefore expect to earn approximately £25 per hour, as shown in the job advert below:

However, this figure may vary, depending on several factors which we’ll discuss later in this article.

What is the Difference Between Spin and Indoor Cycling?

Before we go any further, let’s establish the difference between ‘Spin’ and ‘indoor cycling’, as you may see the terms used interchangeably.

Indoor cycling is a type of exercise class that involves using a stationary exercise bicycle.

Spin is a name trademarked by Mad Dogg Athletics, and is a type of indoor cycling class.

There are also other fitness companies who have their version of an indoor cycling class, such as Les Mills’ RPM.

However, many people use the term ‘spin’ or ‘spinning’ as a generic term for any indoor cycling class.

Since they are slightly different things, you may therefore find slightly different salaries for Spin and indoor cycling instructors. For example, here are some average hourly rates  for different types of indoor cycling instructors:

• Spin instructor – £25 per hour
• Self-employed indoor cycling instructor – £20 – £40 per hour

You should also remember that whilst Spin, RPM, and other branded indoor cycling classes also require different certifications to teach.

For example, you will need an official Spinning certification from Madd Dogg Athletics to teach their trademarked Spin classes. But you will only need a Level 2 Fitness Instructor qualification to lead an indoor cycling class.

For more information about exactly what Spin is and how to teach it, check out our guide to how to become a Spin instructor here.

What is the Average Indoor Cycling Instructor Salary?

With this in mind, you may now be wondering, so how much do indoor cycling instructors make?

By this, we mean how much generic indoor cycling instructors make- not necessarily the Spin brand specifically.

According to Glassdoor, the average indoor cycling instructor salary per year is £30,819.

However, this figure is based only on the salary of full-time indoor cycling employees and, in reality, average wages are typically higher than this.

This is because sites such as Glassdoor only have access to data from those who are employed full-time. So freelance and self-employed instructor salaries are not included.

We’ll go into more depth on freelance and self-employed instructor salaries later in this article, but it’s important to know that they generally have a larger earning potential than employed instructors.

For example, this freelance role states that their indoor cycling instructor salary per 50 minute class is £25.

Their average salary per year will therefore depend on the number of classes that they choose to teach as a freelance instructor. This means that they have more potential to earn more, as they can choose to teach more classes!

How Can I Earn a High Indoor Cycling or Spin Instructor Wage?

Now that you know the answer to the question ‘how much does a Spin instructor make in the UK?’, you may be wondering how you can maximise your salary and earn more than the average instructor.

Here are some of the factors that may affect your earning potential and can lead to higher wages in this career:

#1- Level of Experience Can Impact a Spin or Indoor Cycling Instructor Salary

The first factor that can impact the average Spin instructor salary in the UK is the level of experience you have.

As with any career in the fitness industry, the more experience you have, the higher you should expect your salary to be.

This is because you will gain more skills and knowledge the more classes that you teach, including how to motivate class members and instruct a good spin class!

You will therefore build up a great reputation as an instructor, so more people will want to attend your classes.

This makes you more valuable to gyms and Spin studios hiring instructors, meaning that they may offer you a higher salary, or you may be able to charge more for each class as a freelance instructor.

Although it is hard to put an exact numerical figure on the difference in salary between an entry-level instructor and one with more experience, here are the salaries that Glassdoor suggests, to give you a better idea:

As you can see, the higher up you get on the instructor career ladder, the higher your salary becomes!

#2- Where Your Classes Are Located Can Impact a Spin Class Instructor Salary

When wondering “how much does a Spin instructor make?”, one of the biggest factors is where you are based.

As living costs in London are greater than anywhere else in the country, the living wage is higher, meaning that the average salary is higher.

For instance, the average salary for full-time workers in London is estimated to be £41,866, whereas it is only £30,716 for those in the North West.

This is the same when it comes to answering the question ‘how much does an indoor cycling instructor make?

According to Glassdoor, for those instructors working in London, their average salary per year is £39,755.

In contrast, in Liverpool the average salary is much lower, at £23,487 per year.

Being based in a gym or Spin studio in a city centre location is also likely to increase your average salary, particularly if you are a freelance or self-employed instructor.

This is because there is a higher demand for Spin and indoor cycling classes here in comparison to rural areas, meaning that instructors are more in demand too.

However, if you’re working as a Spin instructor in a city, you may need to account for extra costs such as parking or public transport to get there.

Where you teach your classes also has a link to the type of people you will be teaching.

For example, if you choose to run classes in a high-end central London studio, you are likely to attract professionals who earn a higher wage than most of the population.

This means that you will be able to set a higher price for your sessions and are also likely to attract more clients as you are situated in a busy central location.

In contrast, if you run classes in a community centre, your clients are likely to be on a lower income. You will therefore need to make your sessions more affordable to make them accessible to a wider audience.

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Enjoying this article so far? Here’s 3 more we think you’ll love:

• How To Become a Group Fitness Instructor
• How To Become A SoulCycle Instructor: 5 Simple Steps
• Peloton Instructor Salary: Explained

#3- How You’re Employed Will Affect Your Spin Instructor Salary Per Class

As a Spin or indoor cycling instructor, there are three distinct ways that you can work. These are:

• As a salaried full or part-time employee
• Freelance
• Self-employed

Each of these options can affect the average indoor cycling instructor salary per class.

In general, freelance instructors work at multiple locations running spin or indoor cycling classes, whereas self-employed instructors typically work in one location.

Those who are employed- either salaried or part-time, will receive a fixed salary which is paid monthly. This is alongside other benefits such as sick pay and holiday pay.

Despite their differences, legally, freelancers and those that are self-employed are the same. For example, they will both be expected to provide their own fitness instructor insurance.

However, as we discussed earlier, freelancers and self-employed workers have a greater earning potential than those in employment.

This is because they can generate more income the more classes that they teach, whereas the number of classes a salaried employee teaches will not impact their salary as agreed in their contract.

For example, you can see from this advert for a self-employed instructor from Energy Fitness that the successful candidate will be paid per class that they teach.

Energy Fitness suggests that the instructor will be paid £20-£40 per hour, which highlights the fact that their salary will be closer to the higher end of this bracket the more classes that they teach.

#4- The Type of Gym You Work At Will Impact Your Average Spin Instructor Salary

If you’re a Spin or indoor cycling instructor employed on a full or part-time basis at a gym, a factor which can impact your salary is the type of gym that you work at.

Instructors working at high-end boutique indoor cycling studios are likely to earn a higher salary than those at a budget gym.

For example, SoulCycle began in the US and has now become a cycling phenomenon in the UK, with two studios in London.

They charge a premium rate of £24 per class, and although the average SoulCycle salary in the UK is not disclosed, it is estimated that instructors in the US can earn up to $150 per class!

In contrast, this role at a leisure centre pays £17.20, which equates to a lower average indoor cycling instructor salary.

#5- Your Reputation Can Impact Your Indoor Cycling Instructor Salary

Particularly if you are a freelance or self-employed Spin instructor, your reputation can impact your Spin instructor wage.

This is because alongside social media marketing, one of the best ways for self-employed or freelance Spin instructors to build a loyal client base is through recommendations from others.

This could be in the form of client testimonials or positive reviews, such as the ones below for Spin classes at LD Fitness.

Research suggests that 72% of consumers trust businesses more after reading positive reviews and testimonials.

So by building up a positive reputation through providing great Spin classes, instructors are likely to attract more clients to each session.

This means that they will generate a higher income and, in the long run, earn a higher certified Spin instructor salary!

#6- The Number of Classes You Run Can Impact Your Average Indoor Cycling Instructor Salary

As mentioned previously in this article, the average indoor cycling instructor salary can vary based on the number of classes they run.

This is the case particularly for self-employed and freelance instructors, who can generally determine how often they wish to work.

However, the number of classes an instructor runs may also be determined by the gym or studio where they work.

For example, this role at JD Gyms suggests that they run between 200 and 400 classes per month.

This is therefore a good amount of classes available for you to make money from!

So in general, the more classes you can run, the higher your potential spin instructor salary will be!

#7- How Many People Participate in Each Class Will Affect Your Spin Class Instructor Salary

Along with the number of classes that you run, the number of people that attend can have an impact on the average Spin instructor salary.

For instance, someone that charges £5 per class and has 20 members will earn more on average for each class than an instructor running a class priced at £10 with only 5 attendees.

The number of class members that a self-employed instructor has will depend on a variety of factors, including their reputation and the demand for spin classes within the local area.

Another important factor to consider is pricing structures, which can be chosen by self-employed instructors running their own classes.

If an instructor charges clients for individual classes, they may struggle to retain clients in comparison to someone who designs a monthly pricing package.

For example, an instructor working at Inverness Cycle Studio charges £7.50 per 45-minute class.

However, as shown below, they also have a membership package available for just £38 that clients can purchase to access an unlimited number of classes per month.

This means that they are likely to attract more members per class than if they were to accept payment per individual session, giving them the chance to build up a loyal client base.

Another benefit of this for the instructor is that once purchased, the package renews each month as part of a direct debit.

Members are less likely to cancel a direct debit once it is set up, so this is an effective strategy for retaining clients in the long run and increasing class numbers!

Before You Go!

So, we hope that you now have a clear answer to the question, ‘how much do Spin instructors make in the UK?’.

Feeling inspired? Take the first steps on your journey to becoming a Spin instructor with our Personal Trainer Diploma! Enquire today, or browse the full range of courses by downloading our free course prospectus here.

Sources:

• Emily Cullinan, ‘How to Use Customer Testimonials to Generate 62% More Revenue from Every Customer, Every Visit’, Big Commerce

If you want to know how to become a Peloton instructor, you’ve come to the right place! We’ll walk you through the ways you can boost your online presence, expertise, and chances of being discovered by this huge fitness brand!

In this article we’ll discuss:

• Why Choose to Become a Peloton Instructor?
• The Qualifications You’ll Need for Becoming a Peloton Instructor
• Can You Apply to Be a Peloton Instructor?
• 5 Expert Tips on How to Become a Peloton Instructor

Before we start, the most important thing you’ll need is the best qualifications. Our industry leading Personal Trainer Diploma is the ideal place to start, allowing you to gain both a gym instructor and personal trainer qualification to begin earning!

You can also find out more about all of our courses if you download our full free course prospectus.

Why Choose to Become a Peloton Instructor?

If you want to know how to become a Peloton instructor in the UK, you need to know exactly who they are and what they offer!

Peloton has become one of the biggest fitness brands in the world, especially in recent times when fitness streaming services soared in popularity.

They offer a huge range of classes with the use of their own bespoke equipment and platforms. These include:

• A Peloton bike machine with a screen to view an instructor
• The Peloton tread machine with a similar screen to the bike
• A Peloton app where you can stream and watch a huge range of videos for a subscription fee

The HD screen displays one of their 51 instructors in live streamed classes as well as pre-recorded, on-demand content.

The classes include:

• Strength
• Yoga
• Cardio
• Meditation
• Running
• Outdoor
• Cycling
• Stretching
• Tread Bootcamp
• Bike Bootcamp
• Walking

Not only is this a great way of working and growing your own personal brand, you’d also be attached to one of the biggest brands in fitness.

In fact, Peloton currently has 2.33 million subscribers and 5.9 million members on the platform as a whole!

Though Peloton has never revealed exact salaries, Jess Sims, one of their instructors, revealed to the Wall Street Journal in 2019 that the figure was six figures:

So, no wonder you want to know how to become a Peloton instructor when these are the numbers!

There’s also a lot of business partnerships that instructors have established, ultimately becoming influencers and ambassadors as well as instructors.

So, if you want to know how to become a Peloton trainer, and make the most of this and other lucrative revenue streams, there’s some vital steps you’ll need to take.

The Qualifications You’ll Need for Becoming a Peloton Instructor

If you’re wondering ‘how do i become a peloton instructor?’, the most important first step is to make sure you’re qualified, and choose the highest quality course.

You’ll at least need to match the expertise and industry know-how of their existing instructors.

We’ll go through these qualifications individually. Then you’ll know exactly what you should be looking for in a course and what you’ll learn to help with how to become a Peloton trainer!

Personal Trainer Qualifications

The fundamental foundation is a combination of a Level 2 fitness instructor course and a Level 3 personal trainer course.

The first qualification you should complete is a Level 2 Fitness Instructor course. This provides a foundation for any career in fitness, and is an absolute minimum requirement for working in any gym or studio, including in a virtual environment like Peloton.

Then you’ll complete a Level 3 PT course to become a fully qualified personal trainer and design bespoke training programmes for clients.

You’re able to do these courses individually, or as part of a combined qualification called a Personal Training Diploma. Let’s break both of these qualifications down!

Level 2 Fitness Instructor Course

A Level 2 fitness instructor qualification will give you the expertise to:

• Work on the gym floor
• Correct people’s form
• Teach fitness classes

With this course, you’ll learn how to keep individuals motivated towards fitness goals and engaged in their training.

You’ll also have some foundational learning about how to cater training to individuals’ needs and specific requirements.

However, a lot of gyms and facilities want potential employees to have more qualifications and be able to show further expertise, like a Level 3 personal trainer course, which we’ll look at now.

Level 3 Personal Trainer Course

Building on this foundation with a Level 3 PT qualification is the best way to develop more professional skills and experience.

By becoming a personal trainer, rather than just a fitness instructor, you’ll be able to work with individuals, creating bespoke training programmes for them, and helping them achieve their specific goals.

Though as a Peloton instructor you’ll be teaching classes, rather than working one-to-one, you’ll need to have a well established career, full of experience, to get to this stage.

More doors will open for you the more qualifications you have. This will mean you can get a much wider range of experience and develop a strong career.

These key parts of the Level 3 Personal Training course will help you develop your career and gain vital experience, showing you’re a well-rounded fitness expert instructor:

• Personal Training Delivery – this builds on learning how to keep clients motivated in Level 2. You’ll develop skills on delivering classes and sessions, which is vital if you’re wondering ‘how do you become a Peloton instructor?’
• Demonstrating Leadership – these practical skills will help you lead by example and will help foster some of the command you’ll need when you’re on the Peloton screen!
• Learning the Business – you’ll learn some significant business skills like how to write a personal trainer business plan and some essential PT marketing strategies which will help you stand out to Peloton’s recruiters

As you can see from Emma Lovewell’s own impressive roster of qualifications, you’ll at least need a personal trainer qualification if you want to know how to be a Peloton instructor:

Level 3 Yoga Teacher Training

 

If you want to know how to become a Peloton yoga instructor, this is naturally a completely different avenue and you will have to complete a yoga teacher training course.

Firstly you’ll need to complete a Level 3 yoga teacher training course to ensure you’re provided with the foundational knowledge for becoming a yoga teacher.

Most positions, whether that’s in a gym or a studio, will want you to have completed a certain level of learning and amount of hours.

This essentially equates to the amount of hours of learning involved in a particular course. This is why you’ll see job adverts ask for an “accredited 200 hour” yoga teacher qualification, as pictured below:

Becoming a Peloton yoga teacher will require the same level of experience and expertise as other fitness avenues. This means you should ensure you have the highest quality course, so that you can get the best jobs and grow your business and reputation!

Our own Level 3 yoga course has 400 accredited hours, so you’re already at a huge advantage when looking for positions, and seeking to stand out to Peloton.

All of our yoga courses are also blended learning, meaning you’ve got the convenience of learning materials on our online platform whilst also gaining vital practical experience.

We’ll go into more detail in our section ‘5 Expert Tips on How to Become a Peloton Instructor’, but you’ll be expected to have experience and knowledge in several different areas to teach a range of classes.

This is why it’s important to complete your Level 3 in both personal training and yoga, to ensure you’ve got a range of skills to showcase for Peloton!

Can You Apply to Be a Peloton Instructor?

So, is it hard to become a Peloton instructor? The short answer is: yes, depending on where you are in your career and how established you are.

This is because you can’t necessarily apply to Peloton trainer jobs – they use talent recruitment as part of their business model to scout out people who are a good fit.

Peloton discovers its instructors in a similar way to other industries (like football, for example) via talent recruitment. People build up their reputation and, either through word of mouth or networking, they will be scouted by Peloton representatives.

Once people are discovered, they’re invited to audition, rather than applying to be a Peloton instructor.

If you’re wondering how to audition to be a Peloton instructor, you need to make sure you have plenty of experience teaching classes and feel confident in front of a camera.

You’ll try out, on camera, showcasing how you would teach a class, and demonstrate that you can talk and instruct on the bike or other machines at the same time.

However, the most important thing first and foremost is nurturing your career and experience as a PT so that you’re more likely to be discovered by one of these recruiters, and invited for an interview.

On their careers page on their website they often advertise for these positions rather than for instructors themselves:

This role is for somebody who works in the ‘acquisitions’ team to keep attracting and supplying high quality talent for the Peloton company.

If you’re wondering “how can i become a peloton instructor” considering this set back, don’t worry! There are things you can do to make your brand and services stick out.

We’ll run through some of these in more detail in our next section of ‘how to become a Peloton instructor’ tips.

– – – –

If this an informative read, check out our other articles below!

• How to Become a Spin Instructor: Ultimate Guide
• How To Become a Group Fitness Instructor
• Peloton Instructor Salary: Explained

5 Expert Tips on How to Become a Peloton Instructor

Despite this difficulty, you can still learn how to become a Peloton instructor by boosting your career and becoming discoverable.

We’ll run through some of these now so that you can choose which classes to teach and how to grow your social media presence!

#1 – Know How to Become a Peloton Instructor by Teaching Similar Classes

First up on our list of tips for how to become a Peloton instructor is to make sure you teach the classes that Peloton does.

The benefit of investing your time into these classes (like boxing, or indoor cycling) is that you’re developing skills for a particular type of training and deepening your expertise in that area.

For example, if you use your expertise in indoor cycling to run a boxercise class that mixes biking with punches and swings, or specialise in weaving boxing into your training, then you can promote yourself as an expert and specialist.

This is what Kendal Toole did – through specialising in boxing, and mixing it with other athletic specialities, she was discovered and teaches boxing classes with Peloton:

She also continues to do this outside of Peloton growing her personal fitness brand:

Not only will this make your personal training stand out to clients, helping you to make more money as a personal trainer, but you’ll be curating a career that’s attractive to Peloton recruiters.

When you look at some of the top instructors, it’s often through teaching a wide variety of classes and showcasing their personalities that they got discovered.

#2 – You Should Have a Unique Niche if You Want to Know How to Become a Peloton Instructor

If you’re wondering how to get a job as a Peloton instructor you’ll need to develop your own USP so that you stand out as a PT!

Though available Peloton instructor jobs won’t be advertised in the usual way, this is another thing you can do to boost your chances of being discovered by recruiters.

By showing yourself to have unique and diverse experience, as well as just focusing on the classes taught by Peloton, you’ll be matching the high quality experience of its existing instructors.

Peloton instructor jobs usually go to those who’ve excelled in their field and have mastered a particular activity, winning awards and competitions in that arena.

Some of the best ways you can do this include:

• Try out jobs in sport alongside your training
• Include a sport, fitness activity, or dancing style in your training and classes
• Do sports or athletics coaching
• Complete competitions in a particular sport or athletic activity

Maybe you’ve got a passion for running and you’re starting to rack up marathon running experience? This is one of the ways Becs Gentry got discovered:

She excelled in distance running, especially trail running, and has the marathon personal best time to show for it.

You could start your own virtual running challenges, train for a marathon, or run running groups in order to get noticed.

One of the best things you can do is to get involved in coaching a sports team or individuals. Whereas Becs has excelled in her own right, plenty of Peloton instructors have experience coaching a team or individuals through competitions.

Jess Sims is a great example of this:

It’s her experience as a basketball coach, and how she used that in her previous work as a teacher, that got her noticed by Peloton.

So, the best professional moves you can make if you want to know how to become a Peloton instructor are to gain your own success as well as helping others achieve their own!

#3 Work for Boutique & High End Gyms if You Want to Become a Peloton Instructor

Another one of the best ways to make sure your experience could get you noticed by Peloton is to work at some of the best gyms in the UK.

If you’re working for a boutique or high end gym or health club, you’re much more likely to have high profile or celebrity clients.

Not only does this mean you’ll make more money, from wealthier clients, but you’ll also have more opportunity to branch out and develop your niche and expertise.

This is because having more money will mean a wider, and more state of the art, mix of facilities including:

• Tennis courts
• Boxing rings
• Pools

This will mean that there’s a wider range of classes available too, and more opportunity to develop a unique roster of experience teaching them! Some of these include:

• Outdoor boxing inspired classes
• Mixed martial arts classes
• Barre classes

These higher end gyms and boutique health clubs usually demand more experience from prospective employees so this is something to work towards.

However, once you’ve got more experience as a PT you can start looking to work for these gyms and health clubs to boost your chances of getting discovered!

This is how Jess Sims got discovered, developing her fitness brand in luxury and boutique studios in New York City:

As you can see, she’s made the most of the classes on offer and diversified her skills and experience whilst she’s built up her brand.

She also became involved with, and got noticed by, fitness media outlets, which we’ll touch on a little more shortly.

These facilities can be quite exclusive and sometimes, especially with the really high end places, it can be a question of having professional connections with existing members of staff.

This is why it’s important to also focus on personal trainer networking, which we’ll cover in our next tip for how to become a Peloton instructor.

#4 – Do Plenty of Networking to Secure Peloton Instructor Jobs

As we mentioned earlier, if you want to know how to become a Peloton instructor, one of the best things to do is to network with other fitness professionals.

Networking is the process of meeting and interacting with other people in your industry to swap information and make professional connections.

Because you can’t necessarily apply for Peloton trainer jobs, you need to make sure you’re making connections with people who are already involved with Peloton, or people higher up in the fitness industry.

Not only might you meet a Peloton representative at one of these events, but you could also make other valuable connections to help you grow your brand.

This, in turn, will increase your chances of being discovered. These people include:

• Potential clients
• Potential investors
• People with prominent brands interested in collaborating
• Brand you could become an ambassador for

This is why it’s an advantage working at a high end or boutique gym because you’re much more likely to meet these influential people!

You can keep your eyes open and register for events such as Sweat if there aren’t ones hosted by your gym specifically:

#5 To Be a Peloton Instructor, You Should Develop Your Online Brand

Though there’s no direct way to apply to be a Peloton instructor, building your online brand is a big way you can boost your chances of getting discovered.

As well as building a personal trainer landing page and other PT marketing strategies, one of the most important things you can do is grow your social media presence.

This means utilising some key personal training social media ideas and strategies to grow a following and build yourself as a brand, rather than just as a PT!

This is how you can capitalise on the connections you make through networking. If you’re meeting other brands, influencers, and prominent figures in the fitness industry, you can use this to produce engaging content.

You only have to have 1,000 followers to have a chance of earning money from your platform and, looking at the top instructors at Peloton, you can see how lucrative this revenue stream becomes!

In terms of the type of content you should be posting, we’ll run through some of the key features now so you know how to become a Peloton instructor using your socials!

Have Consistent Branding on Your Social Media Page

You want to make sure that your fitness brand is instantly recognisable and your posts are consistent in terms of:

• Font
• Filters
• Colour scheme

This will help to actually develop your services into a brand and make your Instagram grid more aesthetically pleasing!

We do this with our own posts as you can see below:

As you can see, we’ve got a consistent colour scheme and our name is on everything we post, as well as having a similar font and structure to the posts.

Create Content People Want to Save

‘Saving’ the post is when people bookmark your particular post on Instagram in order to save it for later, and revisit it.

If you make content on Instagram that encourages people to ‘save’ the post rather than just like it, this is much better for the algorithm and better for growing your brand.

One of the best ways to do this is to create content that gives people advice or a resource they’ll want to use again. This includes:

• Fitness regimes
• Healthy recipes
• Training tips
• Tips related to key goals of clients

We do this with our own content with things like recipes and tips for personal trainers:

As you can see from the stats, we get huge engagement from these posts and plenty of saves:

This in turn generates traffic to our page and reaches plenty of people who aren’t already followers. This means we gain more followers in the process:

As shown below, the current Peloton instructors have got huge following on social media and have utilised these platforms to become ambassadors for brands and their other businesses:

Before You Go!

So, if you’re interested in becoming a Peloton instructor hopefully we’ve given you plenty of tips to help you boost your chances!

Don’t forget, the most important thing you can do is to ensure you get the best diploma in personal training and boost your expertise with CPD fitness courses. Remember, you can also download and browse our free course prospectus for all the necessary information!

If you’re just starting out, or looking to freshen up your practice, we’ve got plenty of tips for how to instruct a spin class, so you and your class members get as much out of them as possible!

If you’re not qualified yet, you should make sure you choose one of the best personal trainer courses. By getting started with our Personal Trainer Diploma, you can be qualified in as little as 4 weeks and start earning!

Alternatively, check out our free downloadable course prospectus for more details and information on all of our courses.

13 Tips on How to Run a Spin Class

We’ll now run through 13 tips to show you how to teach a great spin class and get the most out of your class members!

#1 How to Teach a Good Spin Class: Practice Your Classes First

It can be nerve wracking, especially when you’re just starting out, to teach a class and maintain engagement for the full session.

This is why you don’t want the first time you’re performing a class to be the real thing! It’s likely that the way you imagine the pacing, or even the music, will be different to what it looks like in real time.

Practising will mean that you feel more prepared and confident as well as making sure that the timing and structure of the class is right. 

This will also mean that you’re not just prepared in terms of the music and the drills you use, you’ll also be able to practice what to say when you’re teaching a spin class. 

This will obviously benefit class members too as your class will be a well-oiled machine, leaving more room for you to focus on motivating everybody there and keeping them engaged!

If you want to know how to become a spin instructor with the best classes, practice in front of an empty studio, with a mirror, and have an idea of what you’re going to say as well as how you’ll structure the class.

#2 Bring Plenty of Changes of Clothes When You’re Teaching a Spin Class

 

When you’re teaching a spin class, some of the tips you’ll need will be for preparing a class as well as how to conduct the class itself!

That’s why it’s important to remember: this is a super sweaty class! Depending on how many you teach, and how you work, you may not have time to shower between classes.

This means you need to make sure you bring plenty of outfit changes so that at the very least you’re wearing dry clothes and feeling as fresh as possible for each one!

This won’t just contribute to your own comfort and confidence when teaching people, but will also make you more presentable and professional.

As we said, how many changes of outfits you bring will depend on how many classes you’re teaching and how long there is between each.

However, you should make sure you have enough of everything to allow changes between classes. This might include:

• Cycling shorts or leggings
• Sweat wicking fabric tops
• Sports bra
• Socks
• Headband or bandana (a running headband works well for this as a lot of these will also be available in sweat wicking fabrics)

#3 How to Teach a Great Spin Class: Vary the Styles of Music  

One of the most important things you’ll need to remember for how to teach a spin class is the music you use.

Anyone with an exercise to music qualification will tell you how important music can be for the sequencing and pacing of a class. 

However, it’s important to remember that not everybody will have the same tastes in music and will like working out to different genres and styles. 

So, when you’re teaching a fitness class like spin you need to consider what you can experiment with, such as:

• Tempos
• Rhythms 
• Sequences 

Whatever you choose as the music can influence the structure of the class and vice versa.

For instance, if a song reduces in tempo at one point you can use this to bring the class’s speed down as well as use it as a marker for reducing intensity.

In order to meet the requirements and speeds of each section of your class, you should make sure to include both slower rhythms and faster songs to get everybody going and maintain intensity!

YouTube is a great, free option and will include plenty of videos for you to choose from and start with for some inspiration.

For example, you could start with a video like below, and use it as a framework for your own playlist if you’re just starting out!

 Once you’re familiar with the tempos, rhythms and structure, you can build your own from scratch.

#4 How to Lead a Spin Class: Use a Timer on a Tablet to Manage Drills

 

One of the best tips for teaching a good spin class is investing in some visual aids to help with the sequencing.

Getting a timer app, on an iPad or tablet, especially if you can connect it to a screen for the whole class to see, will let people know how long is left of each drill.

Having this visual aid at the front will also provide some fitness motivation for class members, and help you with what to say when you’re teaching a spin class. 

We’ll cover this a little more in a later section, when we discuss cues, but you can use the timer to encourage people. For example: 

30 seconds left everybody! One last push in this drill!

You need to make sure you pay attention to the features of the app that you decide to use as some of them may not be suitable for use in class.

For example, some indoor cycling apps have a voice feature for people to use individually. If possible, this will need to be disabled so it doesn’t interrupt the class! 

If you’re working with Android, a great and simple app to use is Time Rise:

 

This is a simple but powerful visual to have at the front of your class. You could even colour code different drills based on intensity! 

If you’re using Apple, a good alternative is Interval Timer:

Though designed as a HIIT app, the timer feature is ideal and the simple design works in the same way as the one for Android.

 

#5 Be Spontaneous and Adaptable to Include Everybody in Class When You Teach a spin Class 

Knowing how to instruct a spin class doesn’t just mean having a set routine. You also need to make sure you’re prepared to adapt the sequencing based on the energy in the room and the kind of people in the class. 

Not only will this keep the class fresh and exciting for you, keeping you on your toes, it will be fresh for class members too!

This is also a great way of establishing trust with your class members by showing that you’re willing to adapt based on their abilities and needs.

This might look like adapting the actual drills or might just be an attitudinal thing where you’re more instructional or more explicit with the language that you use. 

For example, complete beginners may not be familiar with some of the terminology or language used throughout a class including: 

• Cadence (the speed of your legs whilst pedalling)
• Tap back (hovering over the seat to activate the glutes)
• Gear up/gear down (increasing the difficulty of pedalling with the attached dial)

So, when you’re teaching a spin class, tips will sometimes be about the terminology for beginners as well as form. You can check how many beginners there are in your class to determine whether this clarification is needed.

You can also include more flat terrain in the sequence if people seem to be struggling and need the pacing to be a little more manageable.

– – – –

If you’re finding this article helpful, check out some of our others for tips, tools, and trends in the fitness industry! 

• How to Become a Group Fitness Instructor
• How To Become a Spin Instructor: Ultimate Guide
• Spin Instructor Salary Explained

#6 Plan and Mix Up Your Cues When You Teach a Spin Class

 

Cueing is essentially how you communicate with people throughout a class. If you can master the right cues you’ll know exactly what to say when teaching a spin class.

There’s several different kinds of cues including:

• Action cues (instructions about form and movements in the class)
• Encouragement cues (how you verbally motivate people throughout class)

• Safety cues (this will be alerting people to form, or correcting, and reminding them of the safest way to do things) 

Another reason this is important when you’re learning how to run a spin class is that it will signpost upcoming drills.  

You can use this to alert people to some harder or more intense drills that are coming so that they can rehydrate or take a breather if they need to! 

However, you should be aware and mindful of speaking too much! You don’t want to talk so much that you distract people and take them out of the zone.

If you want to know how to teach a great spin class and encourage class members as much as possible, telling them they’re doing well and using positive reinforcement can be much more powerful than shaming them.

Avoid using “don’t” and use affirmative statements instead. For example, instead of saying “don’t tense up your arms and shoulders” say instead:

 Relax those shoulders everyone!

 You should also try to be as inclusive as possible and speak in a way that encourages cohesion in the class. This could mean simply changing your language to discuss the class as a whole. For example:

 Okay now let’s all climb that hill together!

 

#7 Teaching a Spin Class Tips: Seek Help and Inspiration from Others

 

When you’re just starting out as a group fitness instructor don’t be afraid to ask a more experienced tutor for help and advice on teaching a spin class.

Tips from them will help you to develop your practice and will promote connection between you and other instructors in the facility where you’re working.  

Generally, people will be more than happy to share their experiences and help you to develop your skills because they’ve been in exactly the same position as you when they first became a group fitness instructor!

Whilst you’re learning how to teach a great spin class, you don’t want to ask people for their drills or sequences, or ask them to come up with ones for you. You can be collaborative without copying or taking from your colleagues! 

Another great way to take inspiration from others and keep your practice fresh is to attend a spin class yourself. 

You can compare your classes to other people’s paying close attention to:

• Their speech and cues will help you with what to say when teaching a spin class
• Watching how they move around the class will give you tips for teaching a good spin class
• The intensity level of the class and whether it differs in the same class on different days

Focusing on all of these things will teach you how to teach a spin class with variety, excitement, and engagement!

#8 Teaching a Spin Class Tips: Focus on Individuals as Well as the Whole Class

 

When you teach a spin class you want to make sure that you’re correcting people’s form and that you’re aware of individuals as well as just the energy of the group.

Therefore, if you want to know how to instruct a spin class where people feel both included and important, make sure your attention moves between individuals and the class as a whole. 

Providing specific advice for class members will help them get the most out of the class by making sure they perform properly. 

This will also help to hold people accountable and ensure that they’re working as hard as possible which, in turn, will get the best results! 

One way you can do this when you teach a spin class is to make sure you don’t stay on the bike the entire time. 

You should:

• Move around the room
• Pay attention to individuals 
• Offer motivation specific to them 

You can also use this time to correct their form and check on anybody who looks like they may be struggling.

 

#9 Tips for Teaching a Good Spin Class: Get to Know Your Class Members! 

So, now you know how to instruct a spin class with this variety of attention, you can also get to know people individually to better instruct them.

If you develop an appropriate level of friendliness and familiarity with your class members, you’ll be able to use their specific goals when you’re motivating them, as well as promoting all the social benefits of exercise as a whole! 

This isn’t only one of our tips for teaching a great spin class, but a general career tip to help boost your confidence and your potential professional development.

There’s a reason that people keep returning to the same plumber or hairdresser – it’s because they know them and trust them!  

If you want to know how to teach a good spin class, you need to build rapport with clients so they keep returning to your class, maybe encouraging others to join them. 

At the very least you’ll be ensuring there’s a great atmosphere in your classes and that everybody feels welcome with this personal edge to your teaching.

Part of your rapport building can be to learn people’s names and learn their goals. When you go over to them, you can use these goals for tailored motivation. For example:

You can do it! Just think about how great you’ll feel in your wedding dress having shed those last few pounds!”

Feel that burn in your calves? That’s you building those muscles!

 

#10 How to Lead a Spin Class: Prepare Everyone With the Right Stretches

If you want to know how to teach a good spin class, another important thing to remember is how you prepare people for the more rigorous parts of the class.

This is why you need to make sure you stretch with them in the right way, so that you’re focusing on the muscles that are being worked as well as the ones we naturally fall back on. 

For instance, despite telling class members repeatedly to not put pressure on the wrists and arms, they lock into position which can strain the wrists and shoulders.

Some of the areas that are targeted the most, and need stretching significantly, include: 

• Shoulders
• Neck
• Wrists
• Lower back

Stretching properly will help your class members avoid injury and help to prevent the risk of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) the next day.

There’s benefits of dynamic stretching as well as static stretches for spin class members and you can’t be sure what people will have done before getting on the bike.

For this reason, you should try to do a mixture with people including some of the following examples:

 This, combined with the stretch below, will help prepare the shoulders and back:

 

 

#11 How to Instruct a Spin Class: Vary the Intention to Keep Things Fresh!

Last on our list of tips on how to lead a spin class, is varying the aim of the class to keep members engaged!

You don’t want to be teaching the same class in exactly the same format week in week out: this will be boring for you as well as the members. 

Without variety you’ll also be limiting how much people can improve because they will increasingly tolerate certain routines and their bodies won’t have to work as hard.

If you make sure you vary the kind of class you design you’ll keep things fresh and help people to achieve their goals quicker and in a more fun way! 

Below are some of the things that you could vary in order to do this:

• Focus of the class
• Length of the class

Some potential additions to the class, or alterations you make to its format, include:

• Interval workouts – you can mix hill climbs with longer, endurance drills to mix things up in the session. You can promote the class as having all the benefits of HIIT but on the bike.

• Progressive workouts – this is where things get steadily harder whether that’s the cadence or gradually reducing rest breaks. This is equally great for burning fat!

• Recovery workouts – just as everyone should have at least a day of complete rest in the week, you can have an active recovery workout, aimed at low intensity, gentle movements to help with blood flow and recovery time 

• Time – you could have a 30 minute class and a 60 minute class to add variety and encourage people to challenge themselves and move from one class to another!

 

Before You Go!

That concludes our list of tips on how to run a spin class. Hopefully you’re feeling more prepared now to create classes that are engaging and exciting for everyone involved!

Remember, if you’re not qualified yet or are looking to boost your career with another fitness qualification, check out our CIMSPA-endorsed Personal Trainer Diploma where you can qualify with a Level 2 Gym Instructor & Level 3 Personal Trainer in as little as 4 weeks!

You can also download and browse our free course prospectus to read more about everything we have to offer, and details of our post-course support available to every graduate!

Wondering how to become a Spin instructor, and how this compares to the role of a regular indoor cycling instructor here in the UK? You’re in the right place!

We’re about to dive into the exact process you need to follow to become an instructor under the Spin trademark, as well as how things are different when it comes to other popular indoor cycling brands.

Before you go rushing into spending your hard-earned cash on the first qualification you stumble upon, there are a few things you need to know. Which leads us straight into our first section…

But first, if you’re looking to begin your career in fitness, get started in the best way with our Personal Training Diploma by gaining a Level 2 Fitness Instructor & Level 3 Personal Trainer in as little as 4 weeks!

Contact us today to find out more and download our free course prospectus to see the rest of our health & fitness qualifications.

Understanding Trademarks

If you didn’t already know, Spinning is a trademarked term coined by Mad Dogg Athletics to protect their indoor cycling brand. While the term is sometimes mistaken as a holistic name for indoor cycling here in the UK, this is not the case.

In fact, there are a few different indoor cycling companies that certify instructors under their own brand, one of the most popular being Les Mills (their version of indoor cycling is called RPM).

It’s easy to see how things can get confusing, but the important thing to remember is that while Spinning, RPM and each of the other companies appear to be fundamentally the same, they are NOT.

What we aim to do in this article is explain how you can become a licensed Spin instructor, as well as exploring whether this specific qualification is beneficial to your career as opposed to a generic indoor cycling qualification.

It’s important to remember that indoor cycling as an activity is not trademarked, so you do not require a Spinning qualification from Athleticum under Mad Dogg Athletics to instruct an indoor cycling class, providing that it isn’t a trademarked Spin class.

To make this easier to understand, think of Tannoy Ltd. If you’re a PT or work with any form of public address system, you’ll know what we mean by this.

The company who were the first to produce a public address system are called Tannoy Ltd., and were founded in 1926. However, due to the mass production of ‘Tannoy Systems’ for the armed forces in WWII, their brand became a general term, or ‘genericised trademark’, at the same time as being a valid and registered trademark.

People frequently refer to other branded public address systems incorrectly, and dub them as ‘tannoy systems’, when this is technically incorrect.

However, the term public address system or PA system is not trademarked, nor is the activity itself.

It’s the same with indoor cycling and the Spinning franchise, so do keep this in mind!

How Popular is Spin?

The demand for indoor cycling instructors is on the rise as this kind of workout soars in popularity here in the UK, making it a great time to become a group fitness instructor!

However, how does the popularity of the Spinning trademark weigh up against their competition? This is what we’re here to uncover, so that you can make an informed decision when it comes to selecting which route to go down.

While the Spinning website doesn’t declare how many studios there are across the UK, there is an option to perform location-based searches. We’ll look at London since it’s pretty much the UK’s hub for indoor cycling studios!

As you can see here, Spinning studios seem pretty non-existent across London despite the big name. We were a little shocked by this in truth, but this is probably down to the fact that the Spinning trademark began in the U.S. and hasn’t quite reached the volume it has in the U.S. globally.

To get a better idea of how many other branded indoor cycling studios exist in London we jumped onto the Les Mills website, knowing that their RPM workout was a direct competitor to Spinning, and another big name in the industry.

This time we were pleasantly surprised to see the number of studios that were hosting this version of indoor cycling, mainly because this is a great opportunity for those of you looking to qualify as an indoor cycling instructor in the UK.

Not only this, but it’s also an eye-opener concerning the popularity of the Spin trademark itself over here in the UK.

If Spinning isn’t prevalent in the area that you’re looking to work in, then it may not be a safe investment to qualify under their trademark. This is something to keep in mind!

What you Need to Become an Indoor Cycling Instructor

If you’ve landed on this post, then it’s clear that you have a passion for indoor cycling and want to learn more about the career possibilities within this sector.

Let’s start with the personality traits and skills that you would need to possess in order to become a Spin or indoor cycling instructor:

If the answer is a resounding YES to all these questions, then that’s certainly a good sign.

Most of these traits are applicable to a career in fitness instructing and personal training, so if you’re already qualified in this area then it’s safe to say that you would also do well with instructing an indoor cycling class!

Qualifications

Perhaps the most important thing to be aware of when learning how to become a Spin instructor is that you will need to get certified as a Level 2 Gym Instructor at minimum before you can obtain the Spinning Instructor qualification, or teach under their trademark.

The specific indoor cycling qualification you choose will determine which kind of indoor cycling classes you will be able to teach, so this is something to consider before parting with your money and completing the first certification course that you find.

To make your choice easier when you’re reading the next section on how to get certified, keep in mind that all indoor cycling courses are CPDs.

A CPD is a ‘Continuous Professional Development’ course, and they are usually completed in 1-2 days. They are added modules of either your Level 2 fitness instructing or level 2 exercise to music qualifications.

How to Get Certified: Different Routes!

Within the fitness industry, there exists a world of trademarks as well as governing and developmental bodies, but don’t let this scare you away. We’re going to break everything down for you so that you can easily consider your options.

Become a Spin Instructor

Firstly, we’re going to talk you through exactly how to become a Spin instructor in the UK through Athleticum, the Spinning Education partner in the UK (Mad Dogg Athletics being the overall licensed holder), since that’s undoubtedly why you’re here in the first place.

With Spinning, there is a hierarchy scale of instructors (that can seem intimidating at first), but here’s what it boils down to:

If you want to progress to Level 3 (Elite), then you need to complete the course you didn’t pick. This means that you need both ‘Becoming a Rockstar’ and ‘SPINPower’ to progress to Level 3 (Elite).

So, how do you gain your Spinning Instructor Certification in the first place?

If you navigate to the become an instructor page, then click on ‘Live Training’, you’ll be able to search for instructor training courses local to you.

After selecting ‘UK’, we found courses in Manchester, London, Oxford, Edinburgh, Egham, Bristol, Sheffield, amongst other locations for over the next few months, but the courses do vary in locations and the times of the year that they operate.

It’s as simple as that really. Once you’ve completed your live training, then you can take your online examination and become Spin instructor, ready to practice under the trademark!

There is also now the option to complete the Spinning trademarked ‘Bridge Program’, which allows you to bridge over to their version of the indoor cycling qualification from one that you’ve completed previously, all through an online course.

NOTE: the one catch to keep in mind when learning how to become a Spin instructor is that once you become certified you need to receive 14 SPIN CECs (Continuing Education Credits) every two years to maintain your qualification.

This does cost to upkeep, whereas a CPD in indoor cycling from another training provider could belong to you for life, and require no re-certification, depending on where you choose to study.

You should ask yourself; how much am I looking to spend? Am I prepared to pay to keep my qualifications?   

How Much Does a Spin Instructor Certification Cost?

As of February 2023, the prices stated on the Spinning website are as follows:

It’s difficult to get an exact price for the Bridge education program, as you are supposed to apply to it beforehand (likely so the company can check over your qualifications to ensure that they are relevant).

However, it is listed as costing 199€, which is around £169.38 (but this price could be completely different).

Still, it’s great to know that you can potentially save money when becoming a Spin instructor if you are already qualified in indoor cycling!

Become an RPM Instructor with Les Mills

Les Mills International is an internationally accredited company that has taken the fitness world by storm since 1997. They specialise in exercise to music workouts and deliver them across the globe.

As you can probably tell from this guide, they also distribute various training programmes to those wishing to develop their career in the fitness industry.

What do they provide?

Their indoor cycling class is named RPM and claims to be ‘easier than riding a bike’.

To gain a group exercise (GroupEX) qualification from Les Mills, you need your Level 2 Fitness Instructor qualification, and an Exercise to Music qualification.

Les Mills qualifications are also pretty sought after and desired by employers because of the course’s good reputation and popularity across the UK, so this is one thing to remember when making your decision if you’re set on training with a trademarked company.

Time to complete:

• 3-4 months

Teaching method:

• Classroom & Online

Prices:

• GroupEx Award + 1 Les Mills module: £800
• GroupEx Award + 2 Les Mills modules: £1,016

These prices can seem intimidating, so do keep this in mind when browsing. They are determined by Les Mills as a trademarked company and are significantly higher than a regular indoor cycling qualification.

You should weigh up whether you want to pay out for the trademarked qualification, just as you would with the Spinning qualification.

Become an Indoor Cycling Instructor Without Trademark

Feeling confused over which road to take? We understand how the difference between Les Mills and the Spinning trademark can seem confusing when you’re not familiar with their courses.

Don’t give up yet; we’re going to show you the benefits of Spin VS each of the different routes to certification, right after we breeze through our final pathway, which is to become qualified in indoor cycling without a trademark.

A qualification like this would be awarded from one of the governing bodies based here in the UK. You complete your qualification at a course provider, but it is the actual awarding body that is shown on your certificate that you will show to prospective employers!

To get a better idea of what we mean by this, check out our examples below:

The courses completed under these bodies are marginally different in the material that they cover, but fundamentally similar as they must all follow the Ofqual government guidelines and criteria for qualifications.

This makes the qualifications equal in the eyes of the employer, no matter which training provider they are completed with, and creates standardisation of qualifications across the fitness industry.

Another important thing to remember is that accreditations are different to qualifications. The qualification is what we mentioned earlier, who your certificate is approved via, and an accreditation is a stamp of approval to that training provider that delivers your qualifications to say your certificate has met and surpassed industry standards.

Therefore, some training providers (although delivering the same qualification) can have different accreditations to their certificates. This depends on whether they have met REPs or CIMSPA’s approval process. You should always double check!

CIMSPA (The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) and REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals) are the accreditation bodies who work for the benefit of exercise professionals and their clients by recognising fitness qualifications.

They exist to ensure that only those who hold appropriate qualifications can practise as fitness professionals.

If your course provider does hold these badges, then you should be in safe hands.

However, if you want to double check then we suggest looking up reviews of the courses, as well as the providers. You can find reliable reviews on sites like Feefo and Trustpilot.com.

What Will You Learn on an Indoor Cycling Instructor course?

Using data from different accredited courses in indoor cycling, we’ve compiled the following list:

As you can see from this list, the courses typically cover both the practical and more technical qualities of the role. You can rest assured that if you follow our advice when selecting a course and pick one that is properly recognised, then you’ll start your new role armed with all the skills you need.

If you want to know about specific routines that you will learn, they are usually vigorous and involve sitting and standing up whilst pedalling, varying levels of resistance, a good mixture of intense and slow speed, and different tensions.

The experience should be challenging like biking outdoors, but with steep hills, climbs, sprints, reverse climbs, and warmups and cooldowns.

Many instructors view indoor cycling routines as a dance and develop their own narratives for workouts. Be sure to take a leaf out of their book and have a think about how you can become an instructor that creates killer routines. Ideally, you want to knock your rider’s socks off!

Spinning Certification VS Competitor: Which is Better?

To give a fair overview of what we’ve covered so far, we’re going to take a quick look at the benefits of Spin qualifications VS those of competitors, including regular indoor cycling qualifications that aren’t associated with a specific organisation.

It is clear that there are alternative routes to becoming an indoor cycling instructor that you won’t want to overlook when making the decision of which course to take.

For comparison purposes, let’s take a look at the benefits and downsides of each!

#1 – What Are the Benefits of Spin Qualifications?

While we’re technically unable to comment accurately on the quality of their courses (since we haven’t completed them ourselves), it’s clear to see that there are benefits to completing a Spin qualification depending on where your priorities lie.

If you’ve clicked on this article to specifically find out how to become a Spin instructor, then it’s likely that you are interested in becoming an instructor with the Spinning organisation.

In this case, the benefits for you would include:

• Being able to instruct classes in licensed Spinning facilities
• Networking with other Spin instructors
• The incentive to move to a different location for work (if this something you’re passionate about)

If you’re extremely passionate about the Spinning franchise and have the spare cash to spend on obtaining and upkeeping the qualifications, then you should go for it!

However, if you’re starting to doubt whether you want to work for this specific organisation and you’re open to other options, then you should explore those before deciding.

While there are obvious benefits to completing a qualification with Spin, they are matched with drawbacks that potentially damage the purpose of doing so here in the UK. But who knows, maybe moving to L.A. is on the cards for you!

– – – –

Before we move onto our next point, why not check out these articles below:

• How To Become A SoulCycle Instructor: 5 Simple Steps
• How to Become a Peloton Instructor: Complete Guide
• How to Instruct a Spin Class: 11 Tips to Help You Stand Out

#2 – Les Mills Qualifications

As we stated in our earlier section on the popularity of Spin here in the UK, Les Mills RPM classes stole the trophy…

This is one of the more obvious benefits of taking an RPM instructor course over competitors, as Les Mills are stealing the show down in London and in other locations across the country (which we can see when using the studio tracker on their website).

To support this view, we took a look at Owler, a U.S. internet company that provides company profiles and insights, which you can check out here. They estimated Les Mills U.S. revenue at $8.1M, and Mad Dogg Athletics at $3.3M on their platform.

It’s clear here that Les Mills’ revenue is close to triple that of Mad Dogg Athletics, so proportionately they are a larger company. Pair this with the fact that they have many studios here in the UK, and it’s clear that you would be more likely to obtain a role under their trademark. It could ultimately mean greater job security too!

Les Mills also give an option to learn more about careers with them as a ‘Tribe Coach’. This is something to consider if you’re set on them as a provider but remember your budget and weigh up the pros and cons.

#3 – Indoor Cycling Qualifications (with No Trademark)

Right off the bat, a main benefit to giving non-trademarked qualifications some thought is that being qualified under a governing body such as Active IQ, YMCA Awards, NCFE, or Focus Awards can broaden your horizons when it comes to working as an indoor cycling class instructor.

Why is this?

In the UK, gyms tend to prefer courses that aren’t specific to a certain indoor cycling trademark or organization, as they value the governing bodies and have their own guidelines and preferences when it comes to the way they like their classes to be instructed.

This doesn’t mean that other qualifications can’t get you to where you want to be, but it all boils down to what you have in mind when it comes to selecting a venue to instruct at.

Perhaps you’re already working at a gym as a personal trainer and want to become an instructor at their venue?

This could mean that an indoor cycling CPD other than Spinning or Les Mills would be best for you, as you could grab your qualifications quickly, rather than waiting for the next available training session. You could maximize your earnings twice as fast this way!

Maybe you’re working in another industry, or in another setting in the fitness world, and you’re looking to teach indoor cycling classes alongside this?

This also points to other courses rather than a large trademarked organisation, unless you have a studio local to you, or you want to work for a specific company and you’re willing to move.

Ultimately, the main benefits of obtaining an indoor cycling qualification from a UK based course provider are:

• Greater employability
• Nationally recognised qualifications
• Less demanding on time & money

Now that we’ve looked at becoming a Spin instructor vs each of the alternative options, it’s time to find out about the career options out there for all indoor cycling instructors in the UK!

Spin Instructor Careers

As this is an ultimate guide on how to become a Spin instructor, how could we miss out the career options?

We’ve done all the hard work for you, so that you can see exactly how indoor cycling careers work here in the UK without having to worry about performing endless research.

Who hires indoor cycling instructors?

• Gyms
• Spa & Leisure Centres
• Independent indoor cycling studios/boutiques
• Organisations such as Spinning and Les Mills (only those who hold their trademarked qualifications)

How many jobs are there?

This is where things look a little complicated at a first glance, but not to worry. We’re going to break it down for you nice and easy.

Let’s start with indoor cycling instructor jobs here in the UK. Using the keywords ‘cycling instructor’ and ‘indoor cycling instructor’, this is what we got from each of the following job websites:

While it looks as though the job market in this sector is a little bare, there’s a good reason for this.

When you qualify as an indoor cycling instructor with a UK based provider, you’re essentially adding to your list of existing fitness qualifications (as you will need to be qualified to at least Level 2 in Gym Instructing).

Essentially, this means that if you wish to instruct indoor cycling classes it will most likely work as a part-time role either alongside working as a PT or your existing commitments.

If you’re already a personal trainer or you’re interested in becoming one, you’ll be glad to know that there are usually opportunities to branch out into teaching group classes at your gym. All you need to do is check that your gym provides indoor cycling classes, get yourself qualified, and you’re pretty much set to start teaching!

To put this into context in terms of how many job opportunities there are, a quick search on Indeed told us that there are currently 14,061 personal training jobs in the UK (as of January 2023). Many of these will come with the opportunity to instruct indoor cycling, so be sure to keep an eye out.

Now that we’ve looked at the indoor cycling keywords across job sites, we’ll take a quick look at the Les Mills opportunities for the sake of comparison to Spinning!

While there aren’t exactly hundreds of Les Mills RPM specific roles across the country, it’s good to see that there are opportunities out there.

At the end of the day, indoor cycling is a niche career (especially if you qualify with one organisation in particular), so you must keep your eyes peeled for positions! It works to your advantage to already be working in a gym when it comes to instructing Les Mills RPM group sessions too, and to be sure that the gym you apply to/are working for runs this version of indoor cycling.

Finally, it’s time to look at the trademarked Spin instructor career options that exist in the UK.

This is where things get a little murky. We did some serious digging across every job website that we could think of, and couldn’t get hold of any job postings for trademark Spinning instructors…

After this we reverted to the studio tracker on the Spinning website, and manually searched for the websites of the affiliated gyms that were listed on there to see if they had any Spin instructor jobs listed.

These included Easygym, Pedal Studio and Egham Orbit, which are the only affiliated gyms close to central London that appear on the map.

Easygym had a Personal Training role listed, which supports our view that working in this remit would aid you in landing a role (as full-time instructor roles don’t seem to exist here in the UK, or are few and far between).

Pedal Studio didn’t seem to have any vacancies for Spin instructors listed, but they do have a list of instructors that you could potentially contact if you wanted to find out more: https://www.pedalstudio.co.uk/instructors

The Egham Orbit website had a holistic list of roles that the gym is currently recruiting for, the most relevant being ‘Fitness Instructors’, which we’re guessing could lean into teaching the Spinning classes at this particular gym if the instructor in question was qualified under the organisation.

What we can conclude from this is that when it comes to Spin instructor careers, they’re incredibly niche here in the UK. If you currently work for a gym that runs trademark Spinning classes, then you will be much more likely to land a role in this area (and therefore the qualifications could be beneficial to you).

However, you might find that the lack of career opportunities is enough to put you off getting qualified under one specific trademark, and that a more holistic indoor cycling qualification would increase your chances of getting hired once you complete it.

Before making your decision, you should do a job search yourself and question; are any of these jobs local to me? Are they with companies that I would specifically like to work for?

What Salary Can You Expect?

When starting a new career, one of the most important things to find out before diving in headfirst is your earning potential.

If you’re set on qualifying as a Spin instructor with Athleticum (under Mad Dogg Athletics), then you should know that it’s difficult to check how much you would be earning in a role under their franchise.

It’s unfortunate but there is limited information available online. After searching tirelessly to find out more for the purpose of this article, we concluded that this figure can depend on a few different factors.

If you live in L.A. for example, or you have the cash to move there and pursue this kind of career, you may be able to land a full-time role and earn a decent salary under the franchise.

However, this is the UK and opportunities with Spin are scarce compared to those in other countries.

As this is the case, the only thing that we can do is take a holistic view of indoor cycling instructor salaries across the country, which will be inevitably similar to those at gyms and studios that run trademarked Spinning classes here.

The best way to calculate salary estimates for any job in the UK is to hop onto your favourite job website. We used Indeed since it’s one of the most frequently used sites, so there are likely more salary declarations available.

After a quick search, we found that the roles advertising for indoor cycling instructors alone were paid hourly, rather than a solid salary. Since many of these roles are part-time, and one instructor many only give a couple of classes per week, this is understandable.

The estimated hourly pay is as stated below:

This may not sound like much when you could only be teaching a limited number of classes per week, but don’t worry; there are a few options to maximise your earnings.

You can either use indoor cycling instructing to supplement your current income or double up as a PT and work in fitness full-time!

Leading on from this point, one thing we noticed when conducting our search was that the highest paying roles were looking for fitness professionals qualified up to Level 3 PT to teach indoor cycling alongside their usual duties.

The salary declarations range from £21,500 all the way up to £100,000 on Indeed when indoor cycling is taught in conjunction with one-to-one PT sessions, which really says something about this area of fitness instructing.

Those who are making a killing with indoor cycling are also working as PTs, which is a valid point to consider if you’re thinking about earning a considerable amount from your qualification.

Freelancing

If you’re already a PT or you’re looking to supplement your current job role with your earnings from indoor cycling, then freelancing from gym to gym is a great option.

You can work for multiple gyms at once and teach more indoor cycling classes for a good hourly rate, rather than just a couple a week for one gym.

This works similarly to how supply teachers work for schools; you can work for a collection of different gyms at a time, and even gain your own slot at each gym, which would be a viable choice in the world of indoor cycling and Spin instructor careers.

You could even freelance at a couple of licensed Spinning facilities if you live near to some!

This is a great way to increase your earnings, as gyms usually employ instructors on a part-time basis anyway due to the sheer volume of classes, and they always require class cover due to risk of injury or illness to employed trainers.

It’s also a brilliant option if you wish to become an instructor alongside other commitments, as it provides you with flexibility and autonomy when it comes to how many hours you wish to work. This is one of the strongpoints of working in the fitness sector!

Spin Instructor Insurance

If you’re becoming an instructor with the Spin franchise, it’s important to have everything in place to cover your back in case you run into any difficulties along the way.

We know what you’re thinking when you see the word insurance. Another hurdle to jump or cost to factor in when you become a Spin instructor, as if the course costs weren’t enough…

But fear not, we’re going to make finding your Spin instructor insurance as hassle-free as possible and cost effective. Here’s our list of trusty insurers that can offer you reasonable prices (and good quality insurance):

AND if you do investigate them and wish to look elsewhere for whatever reason, just be sure to check out reviews and what you’re covered for with other providers. You want to be sure that there aren’t any loopholes that you could fall into when finding your insurance.

Having insurance is a must in your industry, whether you qualify with the Spinning franchise, under a different brand name, or with a qualification that isn’t trademarked, it all works the same.

So, be sure to get covered before you start running indoor cycling classes of any kind!

Become a Spin or Indoor Cycling Instructor in 2023: what’s new?

So, now you pretty much know everything that you need to know about how to become a Spin instructor, from gaining your qualifications through the franchise, through to how much you can earn.

You’re also clued up on the route to becoming an instructor in indoor cycling away from a ‘big name’ brand, and the advantages of doing so if the former method isn’t right for you.

We like to go the extra mile before we reach the end of our article, so here’s what you need to know before you step into the studio and take your first class.

We highly recommend checking these out before reading our next section, as not only will they give you a great insight into where the world of indoor cycling is heading, but they could also be classed as your competitors.

Become an Indoor Cycling Instructor on YouTube

We’ve shown you how to become an instructor in the real-world, and how to land your first role in a gym or studio. However, we haven’t shown you how you can potentially monetize your skills in your spare time.

In the online fitness world, one platform snares thousands of viewers every day. That platform is YouTube.

Online users love video content. If they’re looking for a workout, they want the whole lot from start to finish, not just a rushed explanation. Why don’t you make use of this, and put some time aside each week to make some quality content?

You could wipe out your poor-quality competitors easily with your expert knowledge, and rake in the subscribers.

Here’s an example of a successful YouTube fitness channel, Blogilates (owned by Cassey Ho). Her videos range from around 50K-200K views, and she has around 4,400,000 subscribers.

Her content is around 10 minutes long on average, and she uploads 2-3 times a week.

That’s 20-30 minutes of filming each week, and you don’t need perfectly edited videos for workouts if they’re high-res and engaging. Throw a good playlist on as background music. What’s stopping you?

According to SocialBlade (which is irritating with its ranges, but is technically accurate), Cassey earns £1.3K-£20.5K a month. With £1.3K being her lowest measure of revenue for the month, this is impressive.

We’re not saying it’s easy to make it to this point but if you’re thorough in your competitor research and follow the steps below, then you’re off to a good start.

Once you’ve created your channel and began experimenting with content, you should check out YouTube Creators. Head over to ‘Learn and Connect’, ‘Academy’, and then search ‘Health and Fitness’.

This gives you some invaluable pointers, including demographics (who is viewing your videos, so that you can tailor them towards them), and tips on what you can experiment with. Google Trends is one example, which gives you popular seasonal topics to target.

Why not put together a couple of exclusive routines that showcase your talent and energy? This could be invaluable to your career.

Not only will you be able to monetize your videos as your subscribers grow, but you’ll also have a portfolio of your best work to produce to prospective employers. Or even better, you might get discovered on the platform.

Before You Go!

You’ve reached the end of our ultimate guide on how to become a Spin instructor with Athleticum (under Mad Dogg Athletics), as well as how to follow the alternative route of becoming an indoor cycling instructor if this doesn’t work for you as an individual.

Hopefully, now you feel like you have a much better idea about what the job entails, and what sort of options there are out there for you.

So, what’s your plan of action?

Whether it’s contacting some different course providers or ordering a new indoor bike and making some killer content for your YouTube channel, you should make a start today!

If you don’t have any fitness qualifications but are looking to supplement your indoor cycling instructor wage, you can gain both a Level 2 Gym Instructor & Level 3 Personal Trainer with our Personal Trainer Diploma.

Download our FREE prospectus to find out more about what else you can study.