You`re Gonna Go Far Spin Mix (35 minutes),From Paris to Berlin

You're Gonna Go Far Spin Mix
(35 minutes)
Here’s the playlist for my lunch class today. I’m in an
alternative rock mood – this mix showcases several American
alt-rock bands, and includes one loooonnnnngggggg climb.
a toughie.
It’s
Mother We Just Can’t Get Enough – New
Radicals (5:48): From the opening
bars, you know you’re in for a
challenging ride today. Warm up your
legs with 3:30 – 4:00 minutes of easy
spinning, gradually increasing the
tension from 2/10 to 3/10, then 4/10.
Around 4:00 come out of the saddle and climb, but keep the
tension where it is – we’re still warming up. This 1999 song
by 90’s alt-rock New Radicals was never released to retail,
but you can find it on iTunes. I hear a definite Rolling
Stones influence. I learned of the song from J.R. Atwood over
at www.spinningmixes.wordpress.com. He used it as the warmup
for his latest spin mix. (Thanks, J.R.!) J.R. is a virtual
fount of alt-rock goodies, so be sure to check out his blog
for music ideas.
You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid – The Offspring (2:58): Since we did
a longish warmup, we’re ready to sprint!
I have mixed
feelings about this song, which features the use of the word
f**ker in the chorus. I downloaded the bleeped version, but
it’s still pretty obvious what the bleeped word is. Start the
sprints from the, “dance [bleep]er dance,” line. They run
40/55/35 at 0:15 – 0:55, 1:12 – 2:06, and
Offspring is an American alt-rock/punk band.
2:22 – 2:58. The
Disturbia (Craig C and N***e’s Tribal Mayhem Mix) – Rihanna
(8:22): Rihanna, of course, is all pop, and this is one of
her best – it hit #1 in the U.S.A., Belgium, New Zealand,
Portugal, Sweden, and Turkey (who knew?) but didn’t impress
the Italians or the Russians,since it failed to crack the top
10 in both countries. The songwriting credit for Disturbia
goes to Chris Brown, who chose not to record it himself,
because (according to Wikipedia) he felt that the song needed
female vocals. Disturbia gets a lot of airplay in cycling
classes because it’s such an energetic song.
To keep it
fresh, I’ve used a pounding remix that challenges riders with
an 8:00+ minute climb.
Take the first 30-60 seconds for
recovery. Beginning riders and riders looking to leave with
some gas in the tank should take another 30-60 seconds for
recovery in the middle. Everybody else, get up off the saddle
and dig in. Lots of time for varying tension and position and
cadence here – mix it up every 20-60 seconds, and the time
will fly.
Beautiful U R – Deborah Cox (3:52): High tension lifts – 7/10
or higher, first 8 counts, then 4, then 2 counts. Riders are
going to be tempted to slack off on the tension after such a
long climb, but encourage them to keep going and get what they
came for. They can rest in 10 minutes when we hit the cool
down. Cox is a hard-working Canadian R&B singer who started
singing for TV commercials at age 12. This is her most recent
single.
So far it’s only charted in Canada but given the
positive message and can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head beat, I
expect it to take off internationally, too.
Shake It – Metro Station (3:00): This American pop-rock band
is co-fronted by Trace Cyrus, half-brother to Miley Cyrus and
son of Billy Ray, but there’s nothing achy breaky about it.
We’re going to balance our long climb with the first of two
final songs for sprints: three of them here, at each chorus:
25/25/45 (0:45 – 1:10, 1:36 – 2:01, 2:17 – 3:00), with only a
brief respite for recovery between them.
How Far We’ve Come – Matchbox Twenty (3:31): Let’s finish the
ride strong, with some final kick-ass sprints: 25/25/60
seconds. Take 45 seconds for some much needed recovery, then
go! at 0:45 – 1:10, 1:30 – 1:55, and 2:30 – 3:31 (ride out the
end of the song). Cool down is gonna feel so good. Another
hat-tip to J.R. Atwood for reminding me of this great
sprinting tune. Matchbox Twenty is another American alt-rock
band. This song is from their most recent CD.
Sorry – Buckcherry (3:48): I don’t know why I’m so apologetic
all of a sudden, but let’s cool down with two songs about male
contrition, first wildly-tattooed bad boy Josh Todd’s
relationship mea culpa, “I’m sorry I’m bad/I’m sorry you’re
blue/I’m sorry about all things I said to you/And I know I
can’t take it back/I love how you kiss/I love all your
sounds/and baby the way you make my world go round/And I just
wanted to say I’m sorry.” Slow your legs, ease off on the
tension, and do some stretching.
Sorry – Gordie Sampson (3:37): Nova Scotia songwriter Gordie
Sampson is “sorry for everything” (even the song!) in this
charming tongue-in-cheek ditty.
Sampson won a Grammy for
writing Carrie Underwood’s, Jesus, Take the Wheel.
song for stretching and cleaning off the bikes.
A final
How to help riders get what they came for?
I got up early on Sunday to attend another instructor’s ride
with some friends. Drove to the gym (about 15 minutes from my
house by car), signed in for the class, which was almost full,
and did some easy spinning to warm up before it started. This
instructor had lots of great music and varied drills, but the
ride left me still searching for that pleasantly thrashed
feeling we’re all chasing.
My heart rate monitor backed up the feeling: my peak and
average heart rates were both lower than usual. One of the
friends I rode with remarked to me that she felt “really
disappointed” that the ride didn’t scratch the itch for her,
either. It felt like a lot of effort – getting up early,
driving, signing in – for not much payout.
This got me thinking.
What went wrong?
Was she a bad instructor? Not at all – she was enthusiastic
and she’d obviously put attention into the music and the
drills she used.
She had to instruct a class that varied
widely in ability, from a senior citizen taking her first
cycling class (awesome!) to a yoga instructor who is one of
the most fit individuals I know. (I would love to have this
woman’s biceps.)
Were our expectations too high? Everyone knows the Spinning
prima donnas at their gym – they’re the ones wearing high end
gear who must have their usual bike and will stalk out in a
huff if the workout doesn’t feel like a Tour de France stage.
Were we orbiting dangerously close to prima donna territory?
I don’t think so. I’ve been riding for years, but I’m still
relatively new as an instructor.
I enjoy going to other
instructor’s classes, and I almost always learn something – a
new way to cue, or describe proper form, a creative twist on a
drill, a great new song, a way to make riders of all abilities
feel comfortable and welcome.
So what was it? After thinking about it for a while, here’s
what I came to: yes, everybody does their own ride, and you
can go as hard, or as easy as you want, but I think even
committed riders can use a push from the instructor.
I try to strike the balance by offering lots of opportunities
to turn it up to 11 (as it were). I’ll often ask, “is your
tension where you want it?” to prevent people from coasting,
and encourage them to turn it up if they have more to give.
I also try to make riders feel comfortable with not going allout-leave-nothing-in-the-tank. We need recovery rides, too.
I try to cue regular and advanced options and make sure riders
see me choosing both, so they feel comfortable choosing both.
(Though today on the last 60 second sprint in How Far We’ve
Come one of my riders shouted, “I’ll do it standing if you
will!” So we did.)
What do you do to encourage your riders to push, while keeping
the class accessible to everyone?
From Paris to Berlin Spin Mix
(35 minutes)
I noticed two consequences to teaching all those cycling
classes last week – a burst of creativity (and another new mix
today), plus, was I ever hungry! I just couldn’t fill myself
up. This mix is 100% brand new – none of the songs have ever
appeared on the blog, though I will admit that a couple of fun
remixes snuck in.
Ready to ride?
100% Pure Love – Crystal Waters (4:39): This
1994 tune hit #1 on the U.S. Dance charts.
It’s got a nice steady beat to warm up to,
and it bookends the other 90’s dance hit in
this mix, a cover of Ce Ce Peniston’s chirpy
Finally.
From Paris to Berlin (Radio Edit) – Infernal (3:29): Thanks to
S., a spinning instructor from Denmark and blog reader, for
suggesting this Danish band. What a great, relentless beat.
Take the tension to 5/10 and climb. At each chorus, stairclimb (as erect as possible, light, quick feet on the
pedals). Easy? Take the pace to double-time. You need to
have sufficient tension on the bike to keep yourself up here.
Keep both hands touching the handlebars for balance.
This is How a Heart Breaks – Rob Thomas (3:51): Picked up this
wicked sprinting tune from the Top 20 Spinning Songs List at
the Spinning website and it’s been on heavy rotation on my
iPod ever since. (They post weekly playlists there, too –
check them out.)
Two quick, out of the saddle sprints 15
seconds (0:44 – 1:00) and 20 seconds (1:32 – 1:52), then
recovery until 2:20 and a final seated push for 1:15 (2:20 –
3:35).
Mr. Hurricane – Beast (3:26): This is the first single from
Beast’s debut CD – it was the free download of the week on
iTunes a couple of weeks ago. Great new Montreal band! I
love it when the gospel singers come in about 2/3 of the way
through. It’s a high tension, seated climb. Start at 8/10
and give it a couple more cranks, find the beat, and start
pushing up the hill.
Throw in a couple more tension
increases. The goal is to have the class cursing at you by
the time you reach the top.
Finally (Classic Radio Mix) – Love to Infinity (4:09): We’ve
got to balance out that grind of a climb with some quick legs,
so take the tension back to 5/10 and get up out of the
saddle. From :00 to 2:35 we’re going to alternate 15 seconds
of standing sprints with 15 seconds of recovery.
Just to
prove I have a heart, we’ll take a longer recovery period from
2:35 – 3:20 before the last 60 second push from 3:20 – 4:20.
Don’t need no stinking recovery? Okay, do 4 count lifts from
2:35 – 3:20 before the last sprint. Ce Ce Peniston’s original
hit #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart in 1991.
Somebody’s Watching Me (Freakmatique Cut) – DJ Brian Howe
(3:23): I don’t know a lot about this tune or the DJ – he’s
not even on Wikipedia.
It’s just a good song to do some
lifts: 8/4/2 counts, but with a twist: follow the beat and do
them double-time. I know, I’m mean.
Just Dance (RedOne Remix) – Lady GaGa and Kardinal Offishall
(4:19): How excited was I when I realized Toronto hip hop
artist Kardinal Offishall collaborated with Lady GaGa on a
remix of her best song? Listen closely – it’s got a lot of
Offishall’s own hit Dangerous in the background. As the Lady
would say, “This beat is sick!” This is the last climb of the
day. Take the tension up high enough to support you, but not
so high you’ve got difficulty keeping the beat. 5/10 is about
right for me. Close your eyes and really concentrate on your
pedal strokes – see if you can zone out so it’s just the ride
and the music. If the lyrics make it hard to do this, an
alternate song is Busy Child by Crystal Method (7:25).
If I Were a Boy – Beyonce (4:09): New Beyonce, from her CD I
am… Sasha Fierce, just released today. This single has been
out for about a month, and it’s going to be a huge hit.
Beyonce says Sasha Fierce is the alter ego she adopts when she
performs. I get that. We worked hard today, so take the time
for an easy spin to cool down, tension around 3/10.
through, take it to 2/10.
Mid-way
It’s a New Day – will.i.am (3:39): Will.i.am’s delighted
response to Barack Obama’s election as the next American
President.
A little extra time to cool down and stretch.
The Truth about Stretching
According to a New York Times report on October 31, 2008,
static stretching (holding a pose for 20-30 seconds) before a
workout decreases muscle strength by up to 30% for as long as
half an hour, and is of little or no benefit.
A better warmup includes dynamic stretching (stretching
muscles while moving), which has been shown to increase power,
flexibility, and range of motion. Guide a proper warmup by
getting riders to increase their body heat and blood flow with
light aerobic activity at about 40% of their maximum heart
rate, slowly increasing to 60% of their maximum heart rate
over 5-10 minutes. The best warmup for a sport activates all
of the joints and connective tissue needed for the task ahead
– for us, some easy spinning at light tension, slowly
increasing tension or cadence, or both, until the riders reach
60% of their maximum heart rate. I also include some dynamic
upper body stretches. The New York Times report suggests 5
minutes of recovery before the workout begins and a longer
warmup before sprinting.
I address this in my classes by
easing into the first drill, generally a climb, never a
sprint.
Thanks for all the comments and support – this little blog is
now well over 22,000 page views and getting more than 225
views a day. Keep the music suggestions coming!
Chinese Democracy Spin Mix
(44 minutes)
Lots of new music in this mix: Creature, Lady GaGa, Wyclef
Jean, P!nk, and the first single from the long-awaited (and I
do mean long, it’s been 17 years) Guns ‘n Roses CD, Chinese
Democracy. Turns out, Axl can still rock.
This mix is three rolling hills in rhythmic sequence:
Climb/Sprint/Lift, Climb/Sprint/Lift, Climb/Sprint, Cool down.
My spouse and I visited China in
2005. We spent a few days in Beijing,
where we slurped noodles and hiked
10km along the Simitai section of the
Great Wall. We flew south to Guilin,
then travelled by bus to a small
village called Yangshuo, where we
biked through the Karst peaks with a
local guide, stopping to watch giggling school children pass a
wizened farmer walking with his water buffalo. The photo on
the left looks very much like the Guilin area of China, which
is famous for its Karst peaks.
China is a country of extreme juxtapositions: a Beijing of
skyscrapers and luxury cars, while only a few hours away,
rural folk live without electricity or indoor plumbing. I was
left with this image of modern China: a guy in a tattered
sports jacket riding a rickety bicycle and talking on a cell
phone.
In and Out of Love (feat. Sharon den Adel) – Armin van Buuren
(6:01): A longer class needs a longer warmup.
Take a few
minutes to really focus on your pedal stroke here – knees
pointed straight ahead, nice round pedal strokes, pushing down
and pulling up.
Back is straight, shoulders, elbows, and
wrists relaxed.
It’s just you and the ride, today.
Pop Culture (GYR8 Mix) – Creature (3:38): Take a drink and
jack the tension to 5/10 for this fast, light-footed climb.
At 1:30, increase the tension to 6/10; at 2:30, take it to
7/10, while keeping the beat.
Stoned in Love (Radio Edit) (feat. Tom Jones) – Chicane
(3:41): Best sprinting song, ever. 30/30/30 seconds, one at
each chorus. I want your tension at 4/10 or 5/10 and when you
hear the chorus, I want you to GO LIKE STINK. Advanced riders
looking for that pleasantly thrashed feeling can do them as
standing sprints.
LoveGame – Lady GaGa (3:32): Lifts to the latest dance tune
from NewYork’s Lady GaGa, who doesn’t believe in spaces
between words. I hear a definite Britney influence on this
tune. To make it more challenging, call out for change at
random intervals: 8! 2! 4! Make riders spend a little more
time at 2 beats than 8 beats.
Or do free-style lifts –
everybody can go to their own beat.
That would be
interesting.
I’m Ready – Wyclef Jean (3:55): The first hill is behind us.
We’re starting up the second hill here.
Bad Girlfriend – Theory of a Deadman (3:26): Great view from
the top – now let’s sprint back down.
Three sprints here
20/15/60 at 0:57 – 1:17, 1:39 – 1:54 and a last, sustained
push from 2:18 – 3:18. Any riders who aren’t looking like
they’re thinking curse words should do these standing as
well. New riders should do the last sustained sprint as a
simple push by increasing their cadence by 10-20%.
Sober – P!nk (4:12): I am consistently in awe of P!nk’s
talent. So What? started grating on me pretty fast (I think
it’s the na na na) but I’m loving this contemplative tune from
her new CD, Funhouse. More lifts, high tension this time at
7/10 or 8/10, with 8 counts for the first verse, 4 for the
chorus, back to 8 for the second verse, quick – up to 2 for
the second chorus, back to 4 for the verse, 2 counts for the
chorus, staying with 4/2 until the end of the song.
Chinese Democracy – Guns ‘n Roses (4:42): The third hill
starts here. If you’re feeling charitable, give riders the
first 60 seconds for recovery, pushing them to climb when the
guitars come out at 1:00. If you’re not feeling charitable,
fast forward to 1:00 and start climbing now. This is a fast,
hard, climb.
Mix up the tension, but never take it below
4/10. The jury’s out on this song – it’s not Paradise City,
but I’m still keen to hear the rest of the CD.
Are You Gonna Be My Girl? – Jet (3:37): Last drill of the day
and we’re sprinting 30 seconds on, 15 off. Start the first
sprint at 0:22 when you hear, “Go!”
Old School – Hedley (3:41): It’s true, I’m pulling out all of
my favourite songs today. Slow your pace to a nice, easy spin
at low tension as your heart rate decreases. Take five deep
breaths, sweeping your arms over your head on each inhale, and
lowering them for the exhale. Careful dismount, take all the
tension off the bike (this significantly prolongs the life of
the brake) and do some stretching off the bike: quads, glutes,
hamstrings.
Free Fallin’ (Live) – John Mayer (4:24): Are Mayer and
Jennifer Aniston back together? Is she really expecting his
baby? Why do I even wonder about this stuff?
fall into nothing.
Cynthia's
available
iTunes!
Come on, free
Spin Mixes
as
iMixes
now
on
I uploaded all of my posted Spin mixes to iTunes today.
You can find them by clicking on Nike Sport
Music, then iMixes. All of them have the words
Cynthia’s Spin Mix in the title.
Otherwise,
they’re titled the same as they are on this
blog. Publishing my playlists as iMixes allows
you to listen to a 30 second snippet of each
track, and purchase single tracks or the whole mix at the
usual iTunes price. (No, I don’t get any money for this – the
blog and the iMixes are strictly a volunteer effort.)
There’s a bit of a technical glitch – iTunes only lists songs
from iTunes, but even with this limitation, it looks like some
of the iMixes are missing songs. I will try to address this.
I’m teaching four classes next week – a 30-minute lunch class,
two 40-minute after work classes, and a 60-minute Saturday
morning class, so there will be a new mix or two next week for
sure.
Happy cycling!
I'm
Alive
minutes)
Spin
Mix
(37
Sorry readers, I know it’s been a while since I posted a new
playlist. Work has been all-consuming lately, so I’ve been
recycling older playlists in my classes for the last month. I
always keep an eye on iTunes for new music though, and I’ve
got some stuff I think you’ll like.
This ride veers from
dance to alternative to pop and even folk music.
After I put the playlist together and tested it, it occurred
to me that many of the songs relate to stages of life: Alive
makes the point that you’re never too old to party; Bohemian
Like You is about the pre-career days of one’s early 20s;
Closer to Fine deals with university angst, while Old School
reflects back on the journey to adulthood with more than a
little amazement.
Sing for You is also contemplative – I
don’t know if Tracy Chapman has children, but I imagine the
song as a mother’s wistful look back to when her children were
small.
Speaking of small children, I couldn’t resist adding a pic of
my niece, Macy as the bicycle photo for this post.
Her
parents are both avid cyclists, and judging from her interest
in the magazine, it looks like Macy might be, too.
Unforgivable (First State Remix) [feat. Jaren] – Armin van
Buuren (6:22): Warm up with the latest from lawyer-turned-DJ
van Buuren. After 1:00 of easy spinning, find enough tension
to match your cadence to the music – 4/10 or 5/10. This is a
lengthy song, so for a 30 minute class, I start the music
around 2:28, which is where the singing starts.
Alive – Creature (4:02): What a fun song from this Montreal
band! Just because you’re 65 doesn’t mean you don’t know how
to party. This is a fast climb. Find the beat. Start with
your tension at a challenging 6/10 and take it up a notch
to 7/10 later.
I Don’t Care – Fall Out Boy (3:39): High tension sprints to
the latest song from FOB. There are three of them 30/30/35
seconds in duration, at 0:45 – 1:15, 1:45 – 2:15, and 3:00 –
3:35. I want your tension at 5/10. Advanced riders, do one
or more as standing sprints. Why? Because we can.
Poker Face – Lady GaGa (3:57): This song and the next one work
equally well as climbs or lifts.
We’re climbing for this
one. Leave the tension where it is at 5/10.
tension right before each chorus.
Turn up the
Beautiful U R – Deborah Cox (3:52): Time for some high tension
lifts. The beat of this song is slower so I want that tension
cranked – 7/10 or higher, or you’ll just cruise through this
drill. Nice controlled movements up and down, palms on the
handlebars for balance, but being sure not to use your arms to
pull yourself up. This drill is all about legs. We’re going
to start with 8 counts for the verse, and 4 counts for the
first two choruses. For the last chorus, take it to 2 counts
and finish out the song on 2 counts.
Bohemian Like You – The Dandy Warhols (3:34): We’re going to
speed things up with this 90s West Coast alternative band.
There’s a definite Rolling Stones influence to this tune,
which is on the soundtracks for TV”s Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and Six Feet Under. Take the tension down to 5/10. We’re
going to work on endurance with two push periods of 1:12 and
1:23 with a 15 second rest in between. What’s a push? Speed
up your cadence by about 20% – not an all out sprint, but a
pace you can sustain for 60-90 seconds, with some difficulty.
The pushes are at 0:36 – 1:48 and 2:04 – 3:27.
Old School – Hedley (3:41): This Canadian band is fronted by
Jacob Hoggard, who was 3rd runner up in Canadian Idol in
2004.
Hoggard muses about growing up on this gorgeous
anthemic track that could surely be the soundtrack for
anyone’s 20-something years. It’s been on heavy rotation on
my iPod since I discovered it in September. The drill is a
grind of a seated climb. Start easy, with the tension around
5/10, but increase the tension every 30 seconds: 6/10, 7/10,
8/10, 9/10. Wherever you’re at, when you get to the crescendo
at 2:40, take it all the way to 10/10 and push through to the
top. The music will take you there. Remember not to let your
cadence fall below 60 rpm – your max is the highest tension
you can manage at that cadence.
Closer to Fine – Indigo Girls (4:02): This 1989 folk-rock hit
was the soundtrack to my law school years.
A student two
years ahead of me scrawled the stanza about going to see a
doctor of philosophy on the bathroom wall at Domus Legis, the
law students’ ramshackle, wildly illegal, 24-hour pub. Fast
forward 17 years: Domus is gone, victim of the wreckers’ ball,
and the student who wrote the lyrics on the wall is gone, too,
to cancer far too young. This song always reminds me of her,
and of the need to make every day count.
Sing for You – Tracy Chapman (4:25): Her latest track. If
you’re unfamiliar with this talented folk singer’s work, check
out her self-titled debut CD, full of haunting songs like Fast
Car and Talkin’ Bout a Revolution. Cool down and stretch.