What’s Wrong With Your Pants? or I Deserve A Big Mac!

What’s wrong with your pants?

What do you mean?  There’s nothing wrong with them.

I don’t know, it’s weird…all that white…

White?   These pants are black.

At the bottom.

The bottom?  My legs?!?  They’re capri pants!  It’s almost spring, I’m getting a head start.

Hmm…

And so, much like Punxsutawney Phil my legs retreat for the rest of winter.  Oh capri pants…and shorts…and outside rides…so close, yet so far away.  If you look closely, even the bikes appear a little impatient for warmer weather. 

And can we just take a moment to comment how the bikes naturally occupy a place in the living room next to our chair and ottoman just like any other unassuming piece of furniture.  Couch…check.  End table…check.  Reading lamp…check.  2 Giant bikes…um, yeah, we’ve got that too.  Great, the living room is complete!  Bikes…functioning objet d’art!  (Don’t get any ideas Pottery Barn.)

Now that’s out of the way, let’s try to get back on track.  As you may remember, I taught both the 9 and 10am classes today.  It was a lot of fun, I worked hard to channel George Hood!  You can find the 9am playlist at iTunes iMixes under Spincycles 2.28.09 (9am class). 

Here’s the 10am rundown:

1. Cherub Rock by Smashing Pumpkins  Warm up your legs with a seated flat & a few upper body stretches

2. Little Dawn by Pharmacists & Ted Leo  Cadence changes in all 3 positions: sitting/standing/climbing.  End the song in a standing climb for the last 2 minutes when the lyrics  It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright  is repeated about 150 times.  Question: are they trying to convince me or themselves that it is alright?

3. Sugarbaby by Morningwood  Once again we can thank Heather for this song suggestion.  Yeah, I agree, she does have great taste in music.  Jumps on a hill alternating with a standing run during the chorus.  Check out the video for this song too…puppets…genius!

4. Don’t Leave Me Hanging by Jet Lag Gemini  Start seated, alternating between a jog and a run, add resistance to stand & repeat, add more resistance to climb and repeat tempo changes.

5. White People for Peace by Against Me!  I find this song very moving motivating during a work out.  It pushes me just a bit farther than I thought I could go.  Stay in a standing climb, add resistance until it feels thick and heavy, then hold it steady for the rest of the song.

Protest Songs in response to military aggression.
Protest songs to try and stop the soldier’s gun.
But the battle raged on.

6. Laid by Better Than Ezra  Lighten up on the resistance, grab a drink & then jump right back up into another standing climb.  This time is a little heavier and a little slower pedal stroke than the song before.

7. Far Behind by Social Distortion  We’ll take a break from the climbing for a while.  Reward yourself with a 1 minute recovery.  Then, when you are ready, find a racing speed in the saddle for 1 minute.  Stand and jog to recover, sit and let your legs fly for the last minute of the song.

8. Stumble and Fall by Razorlight  This is the part of the ride where I felt like I was starting to fade a little.  If I had a “re-do” I’d probably replace this song with something a little faster.  Either way, find a challenging resistance.  Find a good rhythm with your legs and don’t slow down.  Alternate between sitting and standing keeping the same beat the entire time.

9. The Comeback by Shout Out Louds  Jumps on the chorus, climb in-between the jumping intervals.

10. Lifeline by Papa Roach  Make the resistance feel hard, then harder…do this in a seated, standing & finally climbing position.

11. Honestly by Zwan  Hey Billy Corgan, thanks for making dual appearances on the the playlist this morning!  Seated climb with rolling hills  (adding and subtracting resistance to simulate an uneven ride.)

12. Happiness Is Overrated by The Airborne Toxic Event  Short recovery for the intro of this song.  Pick up the pace on a seated flat.  Add resistance for a short standing run, finish in a standing climb for the last part of the song.

13. You Look Like I Need a Drink by Against Me!  Yes, I do need a drink…thanks for noticing…how considerate.   This is our last working song (smile).  Catch your breath then find a fast racing speed and burn it out for 1 minute.  Another quick catch of your breath…then race faster and faster until the flywheel catches fire &  you are forced to douse the inferno with what is left in your water bottle.  Phew!

14. The Wrestler by Bruce Springsteen  Cool it down and blow out the last dying embers.

15. 1, 2, 3, 4 by Plain White T’s  Stretches off the bike.

Yeah, we made it!  I’m hungry & I think teaching two spinning classes in a row entitles me to a Big Mac.  Yum!

Bonus!!!  It’s Shamrock Shake time too.

 P.S. Didn’t they used to be greener?

P.S.S. This reminds me of my friend’s blog Mostly Martha  She makes fabulous meals and features the recipes and photos of her work on her website.  Hmmmm, she photographs extraordinary culinary works and I photograph my Big Mac.  I’ll leave you to mull over that one. 

Find this playlist on iTunes iMixes under Spincycles 2.28.09!  (I couldn’t find all of the songs on Amazon, so if the link is missing you’ll have to get it from iTunes.)

“Thank you, sir! May I have another?”

Bonus points if you recognize that quote!

So, what’s the special occasion you may ask?  Why are you posting on a Wednesday?  No, I am not pledging Omega Theta Pi (see title)…I wanted to let my 10am spinners know that they have TWO opportunities to see my bright and shiny face this Saturday. In addition to my regular 10am class….drumroll….I’m substituting for the 9am class as well! 

I’ve been a little busy this week, so I will probably pick and choose some of my favorite past spinning songs to make up the 9am playlist (I’ll still try to make it mostly “original” songs for the 10am playlist).  I am not 100% committed, but this is what I’m thinking:

1. Ring of Fire by Social Distortion

2. Cochise by Audioslave

3. Bossman by Lucky Boys Confusion

4. My Name is Jonas by Weezer

5. Ballroom Blitz by Sweet

6. Mr. Hurricane by Beast

7. Dragula by Rob Zombie

8. Blister In the Sun by Violent Femmes

9. Comes and Goes (In Waves) by Greg Laswell

10. I Fought the Law by Green Day–I can’t find this song on Amazon, that’s why the link is missing.  Sorry!

11. Jesus Of Suburbia/City of The Damned/I Don’t Care/Dearly Beloved/Tales Of Another Broken Home by Green Day

12. I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie

13. Hard Sun by Eddie Vedder

It’s a little heavy on Green Day at the end, but who doesn’t love an extra serving of Billie Joe & the boys on a Saturday morning?  “Thank you Sir!  May I have another [Green Day Song]?”  ….*hits drums* ba-dum-ch! and we come full circle….

See you this weekend!

Spinning On Speed (not to be confused with spinning while on speed)

Whew, today’s ride flew by so fast that I was thinking, if spinning was a person, today he was hopped-up on amphetamines! (though later he would come to his senses & return to his Narconon program**)  In all seriousness though, the class really did feel like it was over in the blink of an eye, before I knew it there was a considerable puddle of sweat under my bike and we only had 3 more working songs left…then it was 10:45am and it was all over. 

Here’s the pulse pounding playlist:

1. No You Girls by Franz Ferdinand Warm up with a seated flat.    

2. Here It Goes by Ok Go  We kick off the ride strong by jumping during the chorus.  It goes like this: seated flat, jump on the chorus, increase resistance to a standing run, jump on the chorus, increase resistance & move to hand position 3/climb.

3. Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge (Clean Version)  Start in a seated climb, progressively adding resistance until you cannot…move…the…pedals…anymore…unless….you…stand up.  Finish in a standing climb.

4. Whoa Oh! By Forever the Sickest Kids Keep the resistance heavy from the previous song, it’s time for jumps on a hill.  I used the chorus as the vocal cue to start jumping. 

5. All The Small Things by Blink 182  According to the band’s website, it looks like the rumors of a reunion are true (excuse me while I wipe away the small tear of joy I shed while confirming that little piece of gossip.)

 Medium resistance, bring it to a standing jog.  Sit & speed up your cadence during “na na na na” (the chorus.)

6. Spaceman by The Killers  I love this song!  Who am I kidding, I love this entire album…but the video for Spaceman is a little odd.  Really Brandon, did you really think a red spandex unitard with football shoulder pads and feathers attached would be a good look for you?  Really?   

Hands in position 3, start at the top of the hill, drop the resistance a bit to stand (hands in position 2) and run on the chorus.

7. Say Aha by Santogold  Try to maintain a steady cadence throughout the entire song.  Alternate between heavy seated flat, to light standing run, to heavy standing run, and back to heavy seated flat.  I think I used 15 to 30 second intervals for this drill.

8. Counting Down the Hours by Pharmacists & Ted Leo  Super song suggestion from Heather…thank you!!  Take a 45 second recovery, and then start to pick up the pace.  We have another set of jumps to knock out.  Jump on the chorus and really pick up the pace in-between. 

9. Tomorrow by Ladytron  This is the first of two climbing songs.  Stay seated for the entire song, increasing resistance every 30 seconds.  When your legs start to burn, hold the resistance & the pace for the rest of the song….move right into the next one.

10. Lights and Sounds by Yellowcard  Stand up!  Your legs are probably screaming at you…let them scream.  Hands in position 3, maintain good form and have your cadence follow the speed of the music. 

11. The ’59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem  Time for the fast-faster drill.  Progressively add resistance & drill this in all 3 body & hand positions.

12. Bouncing Off the Walls by Sugarcult  Jump for the entire song.  (What?!?!?  The whole song?  Don’t worry by the time you get into it there’s less than 2 minutes to go).  Rider’s choice of resistance, but there must be enough on the bike to have control of the flywheel.  Vary the speed of the jumps to match the music. 

13. Helena (So Long & Goodnight) by My Chemical Romance  The last working song;  it’s finally here.  Start with a standing run, about ½ way through the song the tempo slows.  Intensify the resistance and stay in a nice heavy climb until the end. 

14. Wait by Go Set Go Cool down in a seated flat with light resistance.

15. Say by John Mayer Stretch your legs off the bike. 

 Find this playlist on iTunes iMixes under Spincycles 2.21.09!

**By the way, I don’t condone, nor am I mocking drug use.  I am merely personifying the frenzied pace of today’s ride.  Enjoy the metaphor!

Music Of The Past…1.24.09

Woooo, doesn’t that sound spooky?  It’s the Music of the Past (like the Ghost of Christmas Past) coming to haunt you.  Wooooooo (that’s supposed to be the literal translation of some scary Scooby-Doo inspired music.)

I don’t remember much about this ride…I remember more about the night preceding it.  No, it’s not what you think.  PJK and I ordered delivery from one of our favorite restaurants.  All in all, it was a typical Friday evening:  we caught up on TiVo’d programs, ate dinner, PJK said “I ate too much”, and I said “I ate too much too, ugh.”  Little did I know what was in store for me later that evening. I will spare you the details, the highlights are (1) me in my “dog-walking coat”,  striped Old Navy pajamas and stocking cap at 2am in 7-Eleven buying Maalox and (2) me grasping the true definition of “being an adult” by scouring the bathroom with Lysol around 4am.  By that time, it was too late too early to find a substitute for my 10am class, so I toughed it out.  It probably wasn’t my most energetic ride, but as far as I know I kept it together and didn’t fall off the bike. 

1. This Is Your Life by The Killers This is your warm-up!

2. Hey Driver by Lucky Boys Confusion  Standing flat run, pick up the pace and add more tension.  Resist the urge to slow down.  For a little extra fun, add more tension every 30 seconds. 

 3. Dashboard by Modest Mouse  Start this song by making sure you have a solid medium resistance on the flywheel…and jump on the chorus (“would’ve been” is your vocal cue).  The cadence is a little slower than some other jumping songs we have done in the past so focus on maintaining great form! 

 4. Untouched by The Veronicas  Have a seat, adjust the resistance to feel medium- light in the saddle…however, if you find yourself bouncing during the seated portions, add more tension.   

• Pick up the pace to race speed
• 1 minute into the song stand and run
• Sit at the chorus and add resistance
• 2 minutes into the song stand and run
• Alternate just like this through the end

 5. Crawling by Linkin Park  Begin this climb in the saddle adding resistance every 15 seconds until you can’t stay seated anymore…then stand with hands in position 3.  Once standing, continue to climb and add little bursts of speed with the music when it picks up the pace.

 6. Twelve by ¡Forward, Russia!  You should be out of breath and in need of a little recovery.  Take the first minute as a seated recovery.  Then bump the resistance up a bit and hit it hard and fast for the last minute. 

 7. Bossman by Lucky Boys Confusion  Where did this band come from?  (Chicago ‘burbs)  This is a really fun song!  Medium resistance seated, jump when you hear “here come…” seated fast flats in-between jumping intervals.  Bonus for advanced riders=instead of jumping on the flat, jump on a HILL!

8. Sober by Pink  Slow down your cadence, load up on the resistance to start at the TOP of a hill.  Bust your quads for this drill.  Add a couple of 15 second “sit downs” while maintaining climbing resistance.

9. Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm  Perfect song for the “fast-faster” drill!  Medium resistance, pick up the pace on the chorus.  Michael Jackson covers are the best, aren’t they?

10. Boom by P.O.D.  Hard resistance, stand and run.  Jumps on “boom”

 11. Chaos by Mute Math  My goal is for your legs to feel like jell-o at the end of this song.   

• Start with a light to medium resistance in the saddle & pick up the pedal pace
• Add more resistance to stand & pick up the pace again
• Add even more resistance & come to a climbing stance…and move those pedals

 12. Lovers in Japan by Coldplay  Rolling hills!  Stay in your climbing position (hands in 3)….

• Hard resistance for 30 seconds
• Drop to medium resistance for 30
• Easy resistance for 30
• Back up to medium for 30
• And all the way up to hard resistance to repeat

The song starts to fade around minute 4, I just skip the instrumental & move to the next song.

 13. Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts by Maritime  This is our active recovery  to prepare for our last butt kicking song! 

 14. Dragula by Rob Zombie  Killer song to end the workout (download the clean version.)  Start with medium resistance, stand and run…sit and pump the legs when the beat of the music starts to pound.  Stand up, add resistance and run…sit when the music tells you to.  Continue like this for the entire song, keep adding resistance until you have reached your personal limit.

 15. All The Young Dudes by Mott The Hoople  Cool down in the saddle

 16. Know by Nick Drake  Move it to the floor for some final stretches.  Check out this song, it’s incredible!

Find this playlist on iTunes iMixes under Spincycles 1.24.09!

Ouch!

You know that feeling you get about ¾ of the way through spin class?  When you’re covered in the sheen of sweat, breathing hard, legs feeling like wet noodles & you swear if the instructor (with her smile and cheerful voice) shouts out that we have 3 more working songs to go that you are just going to lighten up the resistance and fake it till the end, and then you start to question why you even put yourself through this…yeah, that feeling, familiar?  Well, I would like to introduce you to George Hood. 

On Saturday, February 16, 2008 this man started an 18 hour long ride at 2:00PM and finished on Sunday, February 17 at 8:00AM. His ride was conducted non-stop, with no breaks. 

Impressive, huh?  That pales in comparison to his Guinness World Record of 178 hours spinning set May 4-12, 2008 in Naperville, IL.  That’s right:  one hundred seventy-eight hours of spinning! 

 My butt hurts just thinking about it!

Playing the Numbers or Can I Burn Enough Calories to Make Up for the Extra Valentine’s Day Candy I Am Going to Eat

So, Steel Dragon didn’t quite work out the way I planned.  You see, my laptop is the computer equivalent of a cantankerous old lady, and this week she decided she did not want to convert my Rock Star soundtrack (stop laughing) into MP3’s and no matter my pleading she held firm.  Regardless, today’s playlist is a little heavy on the guitar riffs.  That, and a lot of numbers…1 minute of this, 30 seconds of that, 15 seconds of something different…it’s all about the numbers

1. Swing, Swing by The All-American Rejects  Start to warm up your legs with an easy seated flat and prepare to burn some extra calories today.

2. Storm In A Teacup by Red Hot Chili Peppers  Stay seated with your hands in either position 1 or 2, add resistance until it feels moderate or medium…pick up the pace and hold it for about 1 minute.  Give the resistance knob another bump up, bring yourself to a standing jog…pick up the pace and…yep you guessed it…hold it for another minute.  Last position, add resistance, hands in position 3 & start climbing with an increase in cadence & hold it there for the rest of the song

3. Does This Mean You’re Moving On by The Airborne Toxic Event This group is going to be in DC at the Black Cat Thursday March 12^th.  I haven’t bought tickets yet, but I would love to see them live.  Let me know if you are going!

Medium resistance, have a seat and get your legs moving!  Stay here for one minute, add more resistance, and a little more to come up & stand.  Hang out here and use this position to transition into the next song….

4. The Rake’s Song by The Decemberists  Although this song completely freaks me out…check out the lyrics if you dare (on second thought, they really are disturbing, just take my word for it)…the beat is amazing.  I can’t get it out of my head for hours after I listen to it…I had entered into a marriage, in the summer of my twenty-first year…

 Since you are already up out of the saddle, make the resistance thicker and keep climbing.  Your legs should be fresh at this point, so take it advantage of that & tough it out.  Once you’ve found that uncomfortable resistance vary your cadence to match the music.

5. Highroyds by Kaiser Chiefs Breathe!  Drop the resistance and sit down.  Find a comfortable seated flat and recover for a minute or so.  Stretch your legs and start jumping for 45 seconds.  Alternate that with a standing flat run for 30 seconds, go into jumps for 30 seconds after that.

6. Rock Star by Everclear This song is on the Rock Star soundtrack, lucky for you I was also able to find it on iTunes and didn’t have to rely on my petulant computer.

Medium resistance sit and spin fast x 30 seconds; Stand and run fast x 30 seconds; Sit and spin x 15 seconds; Stand and run x 15 seconds; Add resistance & make it a little hard; Sit for 30seconds, stand for 30 seconds, sit for 15 seconds, and finally stand for your last 15 seconds

 7. The Red by Chevelle  I find this to be another somewhat haunting song.  So, are you ready for another climb?  Start seated & add resistance every 15 seconds for a minute or so.  Bump the resistance knob to find the hill, then stand with hands in position 3 and keep pumping your legs.  Once there add a little more resistance & hold it for 30 seconds alternating with subtracting a little resistance & holding that for 30 seconds.

 8. My Turn by Hoobastank Make it feel thick and heavy and hold it in the saddle for 1 minute.  Make it thicker and bring it to a standing run for 1 minute.  Can you make it even thicker….finish the song in a climbing stance

 9. New Noise by Refused 

This song gets a gold star!  It’s one of those songs that has mad-cadence changes which force your legs to follow.   We are going to stop thinking and let our body just follow the speed of the music.  Start with medium resistance and stand to run…when the beat hardens have a seat & sprint…do this for the first 3 minutes of the song.  At that point the music will slow, add more resistance & let your legs recover a bit while in a climbing position.  Of course the music picks up again…drop off a small amount of resistance, sit down and sprint it out for the last minute of the song.

 10. You Better Pray by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus  Whew, slow it down, drop the resistance to easy and recover for about 1 minute.  When you are ready add a tad bit more resistance back and find a fast seated spin.  The words “you better…” is our cue to add more resistance and come back up into a climb.  Drop back to the saddle after the chorus. 

 11. Zero by Smashing Pumpkins  I remember my first Smashing Pumpkins concert. It was at the Rosemont Horizon(although now it’s called Allstate Area) and I rocked out all night to Billy, James, D’arcy (nice name), and Jimmy’s angst-filled lyrics. Good times!

 I love this drill:

• Easy sit x 30 seconds, then make it hard x 30 seconds
• Add more resistance to stand x 30 seconds, make it harder for another 30 seconds
• KEEP THE RESISTANCE
• Sit x 15 seconds, stand x 15 seconds, sit x 15 seconds

 12. Talk to Me, Dance with Me by Hot Hot Heat  Your choice of resistance (make it harder if you are an advanced rider) and jump on the chorus!  Recover with a standing run between the jumps.

 13. Fall is Just Something Grownups Invented by The Hives  I believe this song was actually written for, and used to promote Cartoon Network’s fall line-up a few years ago.  Its lyrics are very clever, but it had slipped mind until I recently re-discovered it.  This is a fun song to end the workout, though it’s short (2:40) so you have to be ready for it. 

Alternate between fast and a faster pace.  Moderately heavy, seated flat for the first 45 seconds, make it a little harder then stand up & run alternating your pace.  Keep the resistance where it is, sit and burn it out for the last 24 seconds of the song…and then you are finished!

 14. Our Swords by Band of Horses  Drop the resistance for a seated cool down.  Make sure your heart rate has slowed a bit before you dismount the bike

 15. We All Die Young by Steelheart  It’s not Steel Dragon, but its close.  Come off the bike, stretch your legs, you deserve it!

 Happy Valentine’s Day!

 Find this playlist on iTunes iMixes under Spincycles 2.14.09!

Welcome 10am Saturday Spinners!

Welcome to my new blog!  Thank you for coming to class and for working so hard.  I hope you enjoyed the Valentine’s Day treats….along with my shameless self-promotion of course.

Please check back later to view today’s playlist.  I like to wait until after class to post in case I change anything on the fly.  In the meantime, feel free to look around the site.  It’s still a work in progress, but it looks much better than it did 2 weeks ago, trust me!  I promise there will be grammatical errors mixed in with a few spelling errors as well…just ignore them, that’s what I do. 

Thanks for visiting.  Leave a comment, come back often and I will see you next week!

Stand Up And Shout!

Will a Steel Dragon Song make an appearance on this week’s playlist?

Yes…I watched Rock Star on E! this weekend.  I feel I must defend myself…please let it be known that it is never my intention to watch this movie, it somehow just happens, and before I know it I am sitting on the couch watching Izzy nose-dive down the stairs at his first Steel Dragon performance.  I blame you Marky Mark, you and your fetching kohl-rimmed eyes. 

Thank you Red Bull!

What a great class Saturday morning!  I felt awesome afterward.  Some of that may have had to do with the giant Red Bull I drank before class, but I like to think it was the energy of the ride.  Here’s the playlist:

1. Original Fire by Audioslave  This is your warm up, make it count!

2. The Resolution by Jack’s Mannequin I did not like this song the first few times I heard it.  Maybe because I had only seen the video & I find the lead singer a bit creepy looking (sorry Andrew McMahon….okay, so I just googled to verify the lead singer’s name & saw all kinds of information about his leukemia diagnosis in 2005….now I feel bad for saying he looks creepy…but he really does, at least in the video he does).  Back to my original thought, after I got away from the video & really listened to the lyrics I quickly changed my original opinion of the song.  And so it shows up here. 

Find a medium resistance while standing to job.  Pick it up to a run.  Keep the resistance, have a seat & pick up the pace on the chorus (“I’m Alive” is the vocal cue.)  Stand to run in-between.

3. Oh Yeah by The Subways  I pulled this song off of the Charlie Bartlett soundtrack.  What a great movie & a fun song!  Keep your medium resistance and say seated until about 55 seconds into the song.  Increase the resistance, stand and run until the song hits the 2 minute mark.  Increase the resistance again, move to hand position three & climb until the end of the song.

4. Salute Your Solution by The Raconteurs  Easy jumps for 30 second intervals alternating with standing run.  For an extra challenge increase the resistance after each interval.  P.S. I love you Jack White

5. Goodnight Goodnight by Hot Hot Heat  Light to medium resistance for a fast seated spin.  Crank the resistance & come up to a climbing stance whenever you hear “so goodnight” and hold it there for the chorus.  Go back to the flat spin & pick up the pace. 

6. Starlight by Muse  This is one of the handful of bands I absolutely adore.  I could create an entire playlist of songs by Muse.  Hmmmm, that’s an interesting thought!  This will be our first true climb of the day.  Start in the saddle, add resistance every 15 seconds until you cannot stay seated any longer, then come to hand position 3 & a climbing stance.  Stay in the climb for the entire song with cadence changes based on the beat of the music.  Add a little more resistance as a bonus challenge.

7. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by Artic Monkeys  Don’t sit down yet!  Stay in the climb, but decrease the resistance & pick up the pace….feel your legs fly down the other side of the hill.  After a minute or so come out of the climb to stand and run.  Keep a nice fast pace, this should feel great after that long climb!

8. One Week by Barenaked Ladies  I really have to show some self control not to sing along with the lyrics on this one.  Have a seat & drop the resistance for a 1 minute (much needed) recovery.  Let your breathing slow & your heart rate drop a bit.  Then add resistance back on the flywheel and…start jumping on the chorus with a nice seated recovery in between jumps. 

9. Come Sail Away by Styx  Oh how this song triggers flashbacks from camping at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois during college!  Grab a nice drink before you join me because this song is going to be a long climb (6 minutes) meant to challenge your endurance.  Once you are ready, heap on the resistance & tackle this mountain.  Slow and steady at first, picking up the pace to match the beat of the music.  Climb for the whole song!  Stay focused, and resist the urge to slow down…

10. When your Heart Stops Beating by +44  1 minute, or more if you need it, of recovery in the saddle with a light resistance.  While in the saddle, add more resistance so that it feels moderate and start running, short sprint on the chorus.

11. House of Wolves by My Chemical Romance  Bring it to a standing run, make it heavy and challenging.  Hold it there for about 30 seconds.  You know this drill….don’t touch the resistance, have a seat & hammer the legs for 30 seconds.  Alternate these two drills, added or subtracting resistance to keep it physically demanding throughout.

12. Kiss Off by Violent Femmes  It’s almost over!  This is our last true climb of the day.  Find your climb, add resistance to make it a little tougher.  Focus on perfect form: feet flat, butt over the saddle, upper body relaxed, ears away from the shoulders, and give yourself a little sideways sway.  Alternate the cadence to match the song. 

13. Atari by Lucky Boys Confusion  Last working song!  Smile and try to enjoy this Chicago based band’s tunes (second Illinois reference if you are counting).  I mean, really, how can a song with the lyric : I just want to drink beer and play Atari  be anything other than awesome!?!  We are going to apply our “fast… now faster” drill to this.  Have a seat with medium resistance & pick up the pace…now faster on the chorus.  Slow down, add resistance & bring it to a standing run…now faster!  Slow down again, of course add more resistance (make it really difficult) & climb fast…(you guessed it) now faster!  Finish strong!

14. Confines of Gravity by PlayRadioPlay!  Stay on the bike for a couple of minutes to catch your breath and slow your pounding heart.

15. Romeo and Juliet by The Killers Take some time for stretches on the floor during this sweet Dire Straits cover.

Find this playlist on iTunes iMixes under Spincycles 2.7.09!

 

What? It’s Thursday? Are you sure?

I usually have a majority of my music for Saturday’s class collected by now.  Unfortunately that’s not the case today, I find I’m lacking inspiration this week.  I may need to dip into past playlists.  Speaking of music of the past, my goal is to post all previous playlists.  Be patient though, it may take me some time!