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(You’ll have to pretend there’s a great photo here to top off the page as I have officially run out of personal bike-themed photos to feature on this blog.  My photography hobby hasn’t quite taken off like I thought it would.)

 

I have two new website resources to pass along to you.  The first one may be of greater consequence to fellow Spinning instructors:   http://www.indoorcycleinstructor.com/ This website is chock-full of valuable spinning instructor tips!   You have the option of becoming a member or simply enjoying the free articles and podcasts.  It will change the way you teach!  I swear!

As you may, or may not know, I’ve started to become much more interested in nutrition and how the food I consume affects my body.  Case in point, I was teaching a Body Pump class a few weeks ago.  I love Body Pump and am usually, well, pumped to teach.  But not that night, I felt like I was forcing the energy and by the 8^th track I was dead in my Nikes.  Driving home from class I realized that I had not had anything to eat since lunch (the class I teach is at 6pm)…so yeah, food has a huge impact on energy levels, mood, and of course weight loss or gain.

And so I give you the second new website resource.  About a month or so ago I stumbled upon The Fitnessista    At first I found the extra fizzle wizzle schizzile confusing (the Fitnessista has her own vernacular), but now I find it endearing….and she has impressive food and recipe suggestions (complete with photos).  In fact, I’m going to make my very own Breakfast Cookie as soon as I finish my blog post.  In the words of The Fitnessista herself:  foodgasm!

Saturday’s class goal was to use the first 3-4 songs to slowly elevate our heart rate to 80-85% MHR…and then hold it there for the remainder of the class.  This ride should be a test of your training over the past few months.  Heart rate should be steady, mind focused and uncomfortable areas handled with ease.  The mind must stay calm and supple in order to be successful at combating the difficult of this task.

Find Saturday’s playlist on iTunes at Spinning Spincycles 11.21.09

1. Swing, Swing–The All-American Rejects (3:36)  Start to warm up your legs with an easy seated flat and prepare to burn some extra calories today.

2. Storm In A Teacup–Red Hot Chili Peppers (3:44)  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–The Airborne Toxic Event (2:12) 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–The Decemberists (3:15)  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–Kaiser Chiefs (3:18) Breathe!  Drop the resistance and sit down.  Find a comfortable seated flat and recover for no more than 1 minute.  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—Everclear (3:30) 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—Chevelle (3:58)  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. Percussion Gun—White Rabbits (3:08) Make it feel thick 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 all the while keeping your cadence up. 

 9. New Noise—Refused (5:12)  This 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–The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (3:35) 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—Yeah Yeah Yeahs (4:25)

• 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 and so on….

 12. Talk to Me, Dance with Me– Hot Hot Heat (2:47)  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. Know Your Enemy—Green Day (3:10)  Love this song, love this drill.  30 second stair stepping uphill.  Find a seated flat tension and alternate 30 seconds in the saddle 30 seconds out.  Power through the resistance by keeping your breathing steady and using a strong pedal stroke. 

14.  Alphabet Soup—Bell X1 (4:50)  Cool down in the saddle.  Finally let your heart rate slowly come back down. 

15.  Maybe—Ingrid Michaelson (3:12)  Stretches off the bike. 

Nice work!!

Hmmmm, it feels like I’m forgetting something.  What could that be, oh what could that be? 

Oh yeah, New Moon opened this weekend!!!!!!  SQUEE! Oh Edward, I’ve missed you so much….(thank you everglow….http://www.edwardandbella.net/)       

And I would be remiss if I did not mention Jenn Lancaster’s fantastically accurate portrayal of the New Moon story via Twilight action figures:   New New Moon.

Have a Happy (and healthy) Thanksgiving everyone!