facebook

The inevitable has happened.  I have officially entered the Facebook universe.   I can’t believe I caved into the peer pressure.  But I did.  And look (you are going to have to imagine me pointing down at the lower right-hand corner of the page)…I even added a link so we can all be friends. 

But I have to warn you.  I’m a horrible Facebook friend.  My page is very barren, no good pictures to look at and not much else going on either.  Also, I have no idea what to write on my wall and am coming to conclusion that other people lead way more exciting lives than I do.  Yesterday I contemplated writing about my overwhelming desire for a disgusting, chemical-laden 2-beef patties/special sauce kind-of a burger…and when my willpower was at its weakest how I sheepishly entered a drive thru only to be told there wasn’t any electricity at the un-named establishment & that my craving would go unmet.  Then I was going to prattle on about something like the universe was sending me a message loud and clear (Darcy, do not eat that crap) and about how I had to obey.  I mean, it was the Universe!  And because it really is crap, but like 10% of the time you’ve got to give yourself permission to fall off (or on….can’t ever remember the correct analogy) the wagon.  ‘Cause a 90-10 ratio is pretty darn good…

 But really, really do you want to read silly stuff like that on my FB page?  At least when I post brainless stories like that here you have to option of scrolling down & getting to the good stuff (i.e. stuff that is actually relevant to spinning and/or fitness.)  So how about that for an endorsement?   Ta da!

And on to the good stuff.   On Saturday we rode Spinning Profile #62:  Out and Back 

10 songs, 46.1 minutes, find the iTunes playlist here. 

We did an Endurance ride last week (which I loved), but we are back to the Interval Energy Zone for this one.  We will start on a flat road, move into a few climbs, back to a flat—then (figuratively) turn around and head back over the climbs to the start, where a final stair step awaits us. 

Surin (Unmixed)—Quivver (6:21)   warm up

Switchback [2001] INSTRUMENTAL—Celldweller (3:58)  Fast flat.  Get your heart rate up to 80-85% max.  It should be a hard effort

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) [The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Song] {feat. Freshlyground}—Shakira (3:23)  Moderately steep climb.  Heart rate 85%.  3 tweaks to the top…one every minute. 

All My Friends—LCD Soundsystem (7:42)

• 0-2:00 Fast seated flat (80-85%)
• 2:00-3:00  Fast steep standing climb (85-90%)
• 3:00-4:00  Fast seated flat.  
• 4:00-5:00 Fast steep standing climb.
• 5:00-6:00  Fast seated flat. 
• 6:00-7:42  Standing run.

The Line (Bonus Track)—Battles (5:06)

• 0-1:00  Grab a drink.  Turn around, & we’ll do it in reverse (for the most part)
• 1:00-2:00  Standing climb
• 2:00-3:00 Fast seated flat 
• 3:00-4:00 Steep standing climb 
• 4:00-5:06  Fast seated flat   

Punks—Niels Bye Nielsen (1:22)  standing flat.  Jog if you need recovery, run if you don’t. 

Crossfire—Brandon Flowers (4:18)  Moderate climb.  In or out of the saddle, your choice.  Let the music dictate your pace. 

Cutdown—Matt & Kim (2:52)  Fast seated flat.  The finish is right around the corner.

Vox Populi—30 Seconds to Mars (5:43)  Our big dramatic finish.  Let your intensity match the drama of the song.  30 second stair steps.  Heavy resistance, like a climb in the saddle.    

What You Thought You Need—Jack Johnson (5:27)  Cool down and stretch. 

With the summer right on top of us there will be some changes coming to WSC-Alexandria Group Exercise schedule.  I’ll post my part as soon as I get confirmation.  In the meantime, and despite the upcoming Independence Day holiday,  I plan to teach Saturday at 10am (unless I can find a sub, then I will be headed down to VA Beach for some sun.)

So, I guess maybe I’ll see you on Saturday….until then…

 

Training Like An Athlete

My Friday started out with bang.  Well, more like a groan when my alarm went off at 4:30am.  Despite my perky appearance at my Tuesday morning Spinning classes, I am not really a morning person.  At all.  Especially at 4:30am.  Why the early morning wake-up call?  I had an Active Metabolic Test (also known as VO2 Test) at Tidal EPC up in Tenleytown in DC Friday morning.  And since you can’t eat within in 3-4 hours of the test….I thought a first-thing-in-the-morning assessment would be best. 

Here’s quick description of the test from Tidal’s website:  http://www.tidalepc.com/node/13

Active Metabolic Testing tells us how many calories you’re burning, and how efficiently you are burning them, while in an aerobic state. This is also referred to as a “VO2 test”. We then design a two-step cardiovascular program:
Step One – training in heart-rate zones where you burning calories most efficiently.
Step Two – design the plan to progress your ability to burn calories while increasing the amount of cardiovascular work you can do.

 

(I just showed PJK my photo…his response:  you look just like Cobra Commander!)

Despite some serious performance anxiety I didn’t fall off the treadmill or pass out or get tangled in the chords.  What I did find out was that I have been training at a very high intensity/heart rate for way too many of my work-outs (read: all of them).  The positive side of this is that I burn a lot of calories when I workout like that…but since I’m anaerobic during that time what I’m really doing is burning up glycogen and sugar.  Which explains my overwhelming need desire to eat ½ a pizza, some cookies and take a nap after some of my spinning classes.  And also possibly explains why I haven’t been seeing the changes in my body appearance that I would like to see. 

If you live in the DC area and have been thinking about Metabolic Testing…call J!  First of all, he’s a super chill and secondly, he knows his stuff & really has his act together.  Here’s the Tidal EPC website:  www.tidalepc.om    I was really impressed with the information and the practical applications to kick up my metabolism & start burning off my excess fat.  I go back for re-assessment in 4-5 weeks to see what kind of progress I’ve made.

Conveniently, I had already planning on teaching an endurance ride for Saturday’s classs….it just so happened to suit my heart rate needs as well.  Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve ever taught an Endurance ride, so it’s a little different.   You’re in the saddle for basically the entire ride…training like an athlete. 

This is Spinning profile #61.  Find the iTunes playlist by clicking here.    

 The object of this ride is to stay within your aerobic training zone.  We will never feel out of breath.  You will never feel the need to back off or slow down (translation:  no recoveries…because you won’t need them.)  We will work in Zone 2 heart rate zone…65-75% MHR.  If you don’t have a heart rate monitor (shame on you)… perceived exertion would be moderate (conversation requires some effort) to moderately hard (conversation requires quite a bit of effort….but never out of breath). 

We need oxygen to burn fat, so breathing will be of utmost importance for today’s ride. 

Here’s your playlist, 10 songs, 48.2 minutes: 

Over the Line—The Crystal Method (6:55)  Warm Up.  As I mentioned, this morning’s training is going to be an Endurance ride.  You are going to train like an athlete

Read My Mind (Pet Shop Boys Stars Are Blazing Mix)—The Killers (7:20)  Resistance is moderate…breathable.  Focus on your breath keeping the inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.  Maintain this pattern the entire ride.  Cadence 90 rpm

• At 4min:  Focus on your pedal strokes.  Focus on your right leg…let the left go for a ride. 

American Slang—The Gaslight Anthem (3:41)  We now need to go over to the left leg.  Cadence 90 rpm Shift your attention to your left leg as we incorporate the same drill.

• At 3:10—bring the right leg in to join the effort of the left, notice your pedaling rhythm

Heavy In Your Arms—Florence + The Machine (4:44)  Mild, gentle climb. Guide your heart rate up to 75% of max (or  moderately hard, conversation would require effort.)  Cadence 80 rpms

Quiet Dog—Mos Def (2:57)  Stay in the seated climb.  Where is your perceived exertion?  Where is your heart rate?  Where is your head? 

Resonator (Cor Fijneman Remix)—Modena (3:32)  Back to the flat.  Cadence 100 rpm— Heart rate no higher than 75% max. 

• Feeling antsy?  Its okay to take a 15-30 second stretch.  Watch your breathing and heart rate. 

Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever)—Muse (3:50)  Flat with two 30 second standing flats—cadence 90-100rpms.  This is a challenge of self control!  Standing flats are definitely a jog…not a run. 

• 1:30 first out of the saddle.  May need to add a tiny bit of resistance
• 2:07 back in the saddle
• 2:39 2^nd out of the saddle…check your exertion and heart rate
• 3:07 have a seat

Kids—MGMT (5:03)  You should have a nice sheen of sweat by now.  Enduring training  will allow your body to be able to tolerate a bigger gear and push faster while remaining aerobic and burning serious fat. 

Cadence is 90-100rmps

We’ve talked about cadence, pedal stroke, breathing, heart rate management….put it all together.  You have 5 minutes to perfect it.  Just ride! 

Game On—Pitbull, Tkzee & Dario G (3:20)  Flat road—cadence 100rmps–never out of breath!  We’re not done yet.  Last challenge—I want to see if you are able to manage a bit more resistance (very tiny bit) with same control.  This song is only 3:20…again I don’t want you to blow the objective of this training.  

Track 4—Sigu Ros (6:57) cool down and stretch.  You should feel really good and energetic after this ride.  You trained like an athlete today!

Here are some of the benefits of training in the Endurance Energy Zone: 

Increased stroke volume of your heart

Increased ability to use oxygen efficiently

Development of awesome fat burning system

Stronger immune system

Increased mental focus

More energy

You goal should be to do 2-3 sessions per week.  Cool, right?

–Have a great week guys!

Post WSSC Glow

Happy Monday!  I can, with confidence, say that I have fully recovered from WSSC…it took sleeping in until 10am on Sunday morning (scandalous), but I feel totally back to normal.  Oh, and a trip to our neighborhood pool helped a little with my recovery as well…which I think may need to be a weekly occurrence.  With the proper amount of sun block, of course. 

(can you guess who’s head is peaking over the side?)

Saturday’s class was the first profile I have created and taught since WSSC; those of you who were there may have noticed some differences, namely the music.  Little more trance/techno than typical for me. 

Of the many realizations I had at WSSC, one of them was the ability to really lose yourself on the bike and find your zone when the music was right.  I found that during the rides where there were a lot of lyrics competing for my thoughts I couldn’t as easily get into the zone, but when you just had a beat to move to (i.e. Taiko drumming) my mind shut down & I was able to focus… which is part of the reason I moved away from my typical music selections for this playlist.  Besides, it’s a good thing to mix it up a little every now and then….keeps them guessing!

Another WSSC conclusion I came to was remembering and appreciating how much fun it is to ride as a participant.  Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching…I would be happy as a clam if I could teach spinning 8 hours a day…but there’s a different perspective and energy when you are part of the audience.  No pressure, no thinking, just riding.  And so, on Saturday for our final working song I decided to jump off my stage bike and join the group.  And turn my mic off.  It was fantastic!  What a different outlook.  But what I liked best was the feeling of riding with a group, really hearing the pedals and the breathing.  Awesome.   

You will not find an iTunes playlist for Saturday’s ride.  A lot of the songs came from this CD (you can buy it here)

A little WSSC gift I picked up in Miami. 

Spinning #60:  11 songs, 48.4 minutes.  It’s all about choices…you get to choose your workout effort, your cadence, you tension, and even your riding position. 

Ego Trip (cirrus Remix)—Keoki (5:46)  Warm up.  Seated or standing, your choice.  At 4:07 pick up the pace.   

Gearbox—Todd Haberman (2:11)  Add resistance, stand at 0:27 find a comfortable pace.   At 1:00 drive it faster.

Eclipse (All Yours)—Metric (3:45)  Same resistance.   Steady pace at this resistance…be honest.  Fine tune your pedal stroke.  Accelerate with the music (seated or standing, your choice.)  Quick drink at the end if you need it. 

Superstylin’—Groove Armada (6:01)  Big hill…3 tweaks to the top, start right away with the first resistance change.   At 2 min dial in 2^nd resistance change.   At 4min give me that 3^rd and final resistance change.  If you need power—do your thing out of the saddle. 

Jonathan Low—Vampire Weekend (3:33)  Roll down that hill.  Grab a drink.  Game face on at 2:00…bring your bike back to life.  Seated or standing….your choice.    

Pizza Huh (Das Racist vs. The Rapture)—dj lobsterdust (3:18)  30 second jumps, alternating with standing run.  Make your feet dance.  Jump at your own pace.  Smile!  Hungry?

Lay It Down—Catalyst (5:27)  Melt into the saddle…seated climb.  Add resistance to force your feet to slow.  We will keep this resistance the whole climb so choose wisely.  It’s all about endurance….physically and mentally.  

Rollin’ Tumblin’ (Remix)—R.L. Burnside (4:13)  Standing climb.  Heavier…same rules…pick your tension & hold it.  Tackle this hill. 

Praan—Garry Schyman (4:29)  Final working song.  This is yours…take it for what it is.  Your ride, your choice, do whatever feels right.  Fall into the rhythm.   

Free Fallin’ (Live)—John Mayer (4:24)  Cool Down.

Guru Ram Das Chant—GuruGanesha Singh (5:26)  Stretch & good bye.

So what do you think?  Love it?  Hate it?  Somewhere in-between?   Who knows what we’ll do next week……………

Happy Memorial Day!

Take a look at my neighbor’s giant flag!  Way to represent, yo!

How has your 3-day weekend been?  Sad it’s over?  Me too…hands down this has been a fantastic weekend! 

There was gardening/flower planting/mulching:

And outlet shopping:

And spinning…just to name a few of the highlights. 

Saturday’s class featured Spinning profile #59  13 songs, 46.6 minutes  Strength intervals to challenge the body.  Bring focus and awareness to breathing and form in spite of challenges and fatigue.  (Inspired by Christina Tait’s Drown In the Now ride)

Find the playlist on iTunes here.

Drown In the Now (Radio Edit)—The Crystal Method feat. Matisyahu (3:33)  Begin warming up and focusing on the ride ahead.  65% MHR

Lessons Learned—Matt & Kim (3:34)  Continue warming up.  Shift your focus to your breathing.  Drop your shoulders, open your chest, and maintain smooth pedal strokes 65-70% MHR

Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)—Florence + The Machine (3:52)  Bring up your heart rate.  Standing flats on the chorus.  70-75% MHR

Parallel Universe—Red Hot Chili Peppers (4:29)  Seated climb, standing climb on the chorus.  Feel the music, which will carry through.  Breathe deep with control and try to relax during the climb. 75-80% MHR

Take You On—Peaches (3:44)  Head up a steep hill with jumps.  Every 30-45 seconds, add half a turn of tension so that by the end you’re riding straight-up Mt. Everest. Steady pace, hard climb.  Gain momentum by bringing yourself out of the saddle in had position 3.  Take a seat for the remainder of the climb.  Feel strong, feel empowered.  75-85% MHR

Breathe Out—St. Leonards (2:58)  Recover.  Catch your breath and grab some water.  65-75% MHR

Nobody Gets Me But You—Spoon (4:57)  Back up the hill with jumps.  Seated climb for back ½ of climb.   75-80% MHR

Dashboard—Modest Mouse (4:06)  Take 3 minutes to recover with seated flat.  Last minute, jumps on a hill begin again…it’s all about guts and grit today. Muscle through!

Like I Do—Live (4:15)  Seated climb, standing climb on the chorus.   We’re going to push past otherwise assumed physical limits today.  Come down the hill fast at 3minutes.  Quick pedal stroke, keep control, let your legs fly.  75-80% MHR

Serenity—Fireflight (3:31)  Take a 2 minute recovery.  Imagine hitting a head wind.  Maintain resistance and pedal with more intent.  Bring heart rate up a maximum sustainable effort that does not leave you breathless.  65-80% MHR

For What It’s Worth—Placebo (2:48)  Standing flat, seated speed on the chorus 75-85% MHR.  Really push to finish for the last 27 seconds.  Slow and deep breathing will help your quick feet carry you to the finish.  All the way baby!

Do You Know Me—John Mayer (2:30)  Recover, bring your heart rate back down.  

Do You Remember—Jack Johnson (2:24)  Stretch. 

Beth will be teaching for me this coming weekend as I’m going to be rockin’ it out at WSSC in Miami!  Who’s joining me this weekend? 

 

I’m super psyched for this conference for a few reasons. 

 #1 I get to see one of my very best friends in the whole wide world, Erika:

#2 I’m rooming with fellow Awesome Foursome Body Pumper Roxane

#3 I’m finally completing my Mat Pilates certification and

#4 I know I’m going to return home totally exhausted, but completely inspired & can’t wait to pass along all of the knowledge and ideas to you!

–‘Till then, spin on!

Time to get Lost

I’m going to make this post quick (I’m on a commercial break .)  I’ll have Saturday’s playlist and profile up in the next day or two.  Can’t do it tonight, ‘cause I have some serious TV watching to do:  it’s the LOST finale!  (not counting the  2 hour recap + the finale + the Jimmy Kimmel aftermath.  Thank goodness I don’t have anything better to do on a Sunday evening).  If you are in need of a Spincycles fix, head over to Cynthia’s blog:   http://spinningmusic.wordpress.com/ as I was the featured guest blogger this week.  Pretty cool, huh?  

Okay, its time to get Lost one last time…

Hitting a Wall

Happy Monday!  Whoa!  It’s Monday, already?  Um, Sunday kind of got away from me, which is why my post for this week is a little late.  Sorry!  You know how I love consistency. 

I have an update for you…our Body Pump 73 launch was a success!  We had a great turn out last Monday evening & and an even greater one on Thursday.  Thanks to everyone who participated!  Check it out, it’s the awesome-foursome (doing their best to look tough.)

I hit a major musical road block last week when assembling our playlist for Saturday.  I didn’t like anything I heard, wanted more new music, and in general, just felt blah about every music suggestion iTunes was making.  I had to call in reinforcements:  my sister!  She had some great ideas, so if you like Saturday’s playlist I owe it all to her. 

Spinning #56:  Dueling Intervals  15 songs 47.2 minutes.  Find the playlist on iTunes by clicking here. 

Who Do You Love?—Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (4:15)  Warm Up.  Use the final 45 seconds to loosen up the upper body

Zero—Yeah Yeah Yeahs (4:26)  Begin to build the intensity.  30 second in the saddle, 30 second out. 

Marchin On (feat. One Republic)[Timbo Version]—Timbaland (4:12)  Climb—mostly seated with occasional standing surges. 

Heartbeat Song—The Futureheads (2:29)  Fast Flat, mostly seated, can stand as needed.  Keep your heart rate elevated

Battery Run—Thomas Newman (1:14) 1 minute to recharge your legs.  Grab a drink, towel off.  Back to work….

Bleed It Out—Linkin Park (2:44)  Short, steep climb.  Out of the saddle the whole time

Kill Me Carolyne—The Whigs (3:36)  Flat with cadence surges, elevate intensity by simulating a headwind

Laid—Better Than Ezra (2:28)  Easy flat road, recover. 

Talk to Me—Peaches (3:05)  Climb in the saddle, stand and climb on the chorus

Lights and Sounds—Yellowcard (3:28)  Standing run, sit and pick up the pace on the chorus

Bouncing Off the Walls—Sugarcult (2:21)  Easy Flat, catch your breath.  One more interval left

Well Thought Out Twinkles—Sliversun Pickups (4:02)  Last climb.  Increase every 30 seconds, stand when you need to.  

Ruby Soho—Rancid (2:38)  Keep just shy of heavy in the saddle, stand and run on the chorus

Song for the Waiting—Aron Wright (3:21)  Cool Down

It’s Because We’ve Got Hair—Tunng (3:03)  Stretch

I have some bad news and some good news.  Bad news first? Okay…I have another wedding to attend this weekend (no, that’s not the bad news) but I won’t be in town to teach 10am Spinning on Saturday morning.  Not to worry, I have arranged to have Beth cover the class again.  She’s such a great instructor! 

Good news time…as a part of WSC’s week-long “Get Active America”, I am teaching a little something special on Wednesday morning:  6:15am Cycle Circuit Master Class.  Sounds fancy, huh?  It’s 25minues of spinning followed by 30 minutes of resistance training.  We’ll be focusing on upper body/core work , but there may be some lunges and squats thrown in for fun.  Don’t forget….Cinco de Mayo, 6:15am get your cardio and strength training in early so you can celebrate with a margarita later. 

Want to hear the best part?  All guests of members may attend any Group Exercise class (including the regularly scheduled ones) for FREE during the week.  Yay!  Bring your friends and family!    

Houston, we have a problem…

I decided last week that I was more-than overdue for a new heart rate monitor.  I have an old one, but all it does is literally register your heart rate…and your neighbors next to you on the treadmill or the person walking anywhere near you.  It was time to upgrade. 

Isn’t it pretty?    It’s the Polar F6, just like the one the Fitnessista used to use.  It’s a fairly basic model, but it has a feature to record number of calories burned, which is really what I have been most concerned about lately (you know, the whole calories in vs. calories out).  I feel like I’m enough in-touch with my body that I can come close to predicting my HR based on rate of perceived of exertion…but number of calories?  Not a clue.  I love it, but have to re-read the directions today to figure out how to turn off the volume.  During its inaugural ride on Saturday, beep, beep, beep, beep was all I could hear.  I eventually turned it off the calorie count feature (which stopped the beeping), but am looking forward to using it tomorrow night at Body Pump…or maybe later today if I get my act together and go running.   

Here is our playlist and profile from Saturday:  Spinning #48 (11 Songs, 50.1 minutes).  Find all the songs except the DJ Earworm song on iTunes at Spinning Spincycles #48

This is a profile based on Gina Ferrara’s ride titled Sunday Morning Decompressions from Spinning.com.  We will incorporate four hills with flats in-between keeping our focus on maintaining a heart rate between 70%-80%MHR.  Big thanks to Mel for 2 awesome song suggestions:  Adagio for Strings and Ali In the Jungle…which will totally rock your face (and legs) off!

Adagio for Strings—Tiesto (5:58)   Seated flat warm up. 

Deep Space—John Stanford (8:09)   Increase resistance for a slow and steady climb.  Focus on breathing, cadence and stay seated the entire song.  Increase resistance every 2 minutes to increase heart rate.  Lighten up on resistance for last 1 minute to decrease heart rate. 

Electrify—Mute Math (3:49) Seated Flat.  Utilize breathing techniques to control and maintain heart rate. 

Burn—The Cure (6:36) Time for another climb.  Maintain an aerobic heart rate (75-80% MHR).  Riders’ choice of seated, standing or combo of both. 

Collide—Dishwalla (4:48) Back to the flats.  Smooth pedal strokes, breathe.  Let HR drop to 70% MHR.

Ali In the Jungle—The Hours (4:37)   Seated climb.  The whole time.  Add resistance every 1 minute. 

Liar (It Takes One to Know One)—Taking Back Sunday (3:10) Flat road, speed surges with the music. 

Love and Wonder (Club Edit)—DJ Earworm (4:29) 4th and final climb of the day…make it count.  Standing climb.  Advanced riders:  Increase resistance every 1 minute…sit down x15 seconds every 45 seconds (before adding resistance.)  You won’t find this song on iTunes…click on the link & it will take you to DJ Earworm’s site. 

Friendly Fire—The Federalists (2:37) Take a couple of minutes to slow down and cool down on an easy seated flat

My Own Two Hands—Ben Harper & Jack Johnson (3:00) Stretches off the bike

Who Says—John Mayer (3:00) Extra stretching time if you need it.  Don’t you just luve this song?  You realize since the concert last weekend I might have to go a little heavy on the JM until I get him out of my system. 

Now that I think about it, Saturday was full of little technical quirks that I’m not sure if anyone else was even aware of.  First of all, my beeping heart rate monitor.  Secondly, I’m now wearing a microphone a la Britney and Madonna…

(source) 

Yeah, I feel just like a rock star (not)…I’m such a dork!  Who even says that anymore? (Me!)  Anyway, it’s weird, I love using the mic during Body Pump.  But there’s something about spinning with it that makes me feel really awkward.  Like there’s a barrier between me and everyone else in the class…as if I’m wearing a helmet or welding mask.  Or maybe I’m just getting distracted by the sound of my own voice.  It’s bizarre, like when you hear yourself recorded and think is that really how I sound, I had no idea! 

The third technical snafu was with my iPod.  Specifically, my iPod Touch… who also made its inaugural Spinning debut on Saturday.  I forgot to sync my nano before I left for the gym so I was forced to use my touch.  Which is fine, I’ve used it in Body Pump before, but in Spinning I need to be able the screen on and unlocked the whole time.  Of course on Saturday I couldn’t figure out how to keep the backlight lit on the screen, so I wasn’t really ever sure how much time was left in our climb or sprint interval.  There’s got to be a way to keep the light on the whole time…if you know, please enlighten me (ha ha, enlighten, yes I’m a dork, that has been well established)  On Saturday, while everyone was sweating it out on the bike this is what my internal dialog sounded like:

Beep, beep, beep….is that my heart rate?  Can anyone else hear that?  Or does it sound like its part of the music?  Will it get faster when my heart rate accelerates?  I remember reading about turning off the volume, but I don’t know if I can figure it out right now, I’ll just have to turn off the calorie counting feature. Add a little more resistance as we begin our first climb of the day!  Do I seriously sound like that?  What if I lower my voice is that better?  Maintain a perfect pedal stroke!  Now I sound breathy, like a damn sex operator.  How much time is left in this song?  I think it’s eight minutes in length, we’ve probably ridden for 4 so maybe we’re half-way up the hill…okay, I’ll go with that but I’m going to keep track of the minutes on my fingers so I don’t forget.   

Argh!  Conclusion:   I live in my head waaaaay too much.

Speaking of learning new features of my iPod, thanks to Cynthia over at Spinning Music I recently learned how to eliminate the break between songs so one flows right into the next.  Its super simple:  go to iTunes/Preferences/Playback. You’ll see a check box for crossfade. Check it and set it to the minimum – 1 second.  I can’t believe I never knew I could do that, it makes a HUGE difference in the flow of class. 

Speaking of Cynthia (what a nice transition)…huge congratulations are in order as she is expecting a little girl this April!  While she is on maternity leave preparing to welcome her little spinner into the world she is planning to have guest bloggers post on Spinning Music.  Isn’t that nice of her not to abandon her blog?  I will be a guest poster on May 22^nd…I have no idea what I’m going to post about (well, other than Spinning)…but the pressure is on, and it’s going to have to be good.  I’ll remind you as we get closer to the date

 Okay, one last little story that is not at all related to Spinning, but interesting nonetheless.  I spent part of Friday night at Zaytinya in DC celebrating a good friend’s birthday…our waitress, though very nice, responded by enthusiastically stating “Absolutely!” after every order or request was placed.  Every single time! No joke.   

Could I get the mushrooms and scallops? 

Absolutely! 

And I’ll take the lamb bahar and the eggplant. 

Absolutely!

Could I have another Aphrodite’s Pear?

Absolutely!

By the way, would you take this fork and jab it in my eye? 

Absolutely!

Thanks.

Absolutely!

What is this deal with this?  Has anyone else noticed their waiter and waitresses doing this?  Take note the next time you are out to dinner.  I found it highly annoying…almost as annoying as hearing my own voice during spinning, but not quite. 

–Spin On! 

(Absolutely!)

I Heart You!

Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Birthday blog!  I cannot believe it has been a year since I officially (and somewhat tentatively) started this little blog.  And my how it has grown…. 

As of this evening I have had a grand total of 19,564 hits (I love you, thank you for visiting, and come back again).  And to think, I was worried no one was going to visit.   

A GIANT thank you to my top three referrer (is that even a word?) websites:  Spinning Music, Leave It On the Bike, and Spinning Mixes (click on the names to visit their individual sites, ‘cause they rock!)

A little reflection:  Since starting this blog I have picked up another Spinning Class (Tuesdays 6:15am WSC-Alexandria)…Participated (and successfully completed) Body Pump training…

…now teach 2 Body Pump classes (Monday 6:30pm WSC-Alexandria & Wednesday 6pm WSC-West Springfield)…finished my Fitness Nutrition Course…and as of this evening completed an AFAA Group Exercise course (the verdict is still out on whether I passed this or not…have to wait a whole 6 weeks for test results).    

I owe it all to you, thank you for checking out my blog and leaving comments and inspiring me to be a better instructor.  Thank you for all of your music suggestions.  Thank you for putting up with my prattling about all things vampire (but seriously, how amazing was Thursday’s Vamp Dairies?!?!).  Thank you….okay, okay, before I get all mushy let’s get to Saturday’s playlist.  Find the complete playlist on iTunes at Spinning Spincycles #46 .

The goal of this profile is to mix up some cardio-inspired intervals with some heavy muscle-building strength work.  You know what that means…speed surges and climbs.  Gotta love it! 

Bohemian Like You—The Dandy Warhols (3:32)  Warm up with an easy spin

Murder City—Green Day (2:54)  Bump up the intensity.  Strong, consistent out-of the saddle jog.  Medium resistance, medium speed.

Kiss With a Fist—Florence + The Machine (2:04)  More resistance.  Fast climb to scamper up our first hill.  At 1:30 (instrumental) drop a little of the resistance, have a seat and spin fast downhill.

Major Tom—Shiny Toy Guns (4:22)  Warm-up resistance in the saddle for 1 minute.  Progressively add resistance every 1 min.  Stay strong in the saddle and climb.  Slower cadence this time. 

Day ‘n’ Nite (Crookers Remix)—Kid Cudi (4:41)  Flat road.  Start to pick up the pace.  Medium resistance.  Bored?  1 minute in the saddle, 1 minute standing run. 

No Sleep Tonight—The Faders (2:59)  Add another gear.  3 Speed surges at: 0:33—in the saddle, surge at 1:20—in the saddle, surge 2:19—out of the saddle and hold the speed until the end of the song

Floating Vibes—Surfer Blood (4:00)  Another hill.  Add a big gear and stand with hands in 3.  Slow and steady.  Find your groove and settle in.  Advanced riders:  add a gear at 2:00. 

We Used to Be Friends—The Dandy Warhols (3:20) Medium resistance.  Speed at: 0:45—out of the saddle (sit after the surge is over), 1:23—out of the saddle, and 2:44—in the saddle and hold the speed until the end of the song

When You’re Ready—Kate Earl (4:10)  Heavy resistance in the saddle, slow down your pace.  Progressively add resistance every 1 minute….stand and climb on the chorus. 

Top of the World—The All-American Rejects (3:24)  More speed work.  Drop off the resistance a little (just a little) and have a seat.  Fast spin.  Advanced riders:  add resistance after each speed surge…0:45 surge—in the saddle, 1:45 surge—out of the saddle, and 2:54 surge—in the saddle all the way to the end of the song

Ten Million Slaves—Otis Taylor (4:10)  Last push to the top.  Heavy gear, find your inspiration.  1 minute out of the saddle, alternating with 1 minute in the saddle to really burn your quads.    Can you handle it?  Add another gear each minute. 

Love—Matt White (2:50)  Cool down

Glitter In the Air—P!nk (3:48)  Stretch off the bike. 

Next on my radar– WSSC 2010!  Woo-hoo!  I am so excited, despite the fact it isn’t until June.  Let me know if you are going and we’ll make plans to meet up.  It’s going to be so great, I just know it!  Watch out Miami, here I come!

–Spin on!

Here Comes the Sun

As much as I miss Vegas, there’s something to be said about having a nice quiet weekend at home.  I was a little lazy yesterday trying desperately to kick this cold out of my body the best way I know how:   power napping for about 3 hours smack-dab in the middle of the day….ah, it was glorious! (cold is still lingering, but I feel much better)  Today was a little more active, namely I completed a project that has been nagging me for some time now:  organizing my Spinning profiles/playlists.  (yeah, my life is just bursting at the seams with excitement)    

I’m so old-school with organization techniques (seriously, I still use a paper Franklin Covey planner) that I really wanted all profiles printed out and in one place I can easily reference.  I have all of the documents saved on my computer, actually that should read computers…no, I still haven’t moved all of my files off my dinosaur Dell to my fancy new one….but there is something to be said about having paper copies you can scan quickly.  So this is what I decided to do:

Step1:  Print out all of my Spinning profiles

Step 2:  Organize and assign a number in chronological order to each playlist (I have a hunch that there are one or two missing, but I’m trying to ignore my OCD-tendencies and just go with what I have)

Step 3:  Identify the playlists that I have used in my Tuesday 6:15am class and sticker those for easy recognition (I really try hard not to repeat playlists too often)

Step 4: File them all in a binder (like I said, soooo old-fashioned….but hey, at least I’m not using a Trapper Keeper) arranged by the months during which they were played.

Ta-Da!  Done! 

(in case you were wondering what my binder is sitting on…it’s the arm of my couch.  What, your couch isn’t used as an extension of your desk like mine?)

 **If you have a better/more efficient/easier way of organizing your playlists, please let me know!  I doubt this was the best use of my time tonight, but it’s all done! 

On to Saturday’s playlist (#44 if I counted correctly); I don’t know if it was my cold or my week-long recovery from Vegas, but I struggled with creating a new profile for this weekend’s class.  Yes, I could have used an old one, but I wanted new music (cue my whiney voice right now)…without having to do the work.  I wanted to have my cake and eat it too!  So I did the next best thing and visited J.R. Atwood–Power 10 Spinning at http://spinningmixes.wordpress.com.  Saturday’s playlist was modified from a profile J.R. posted way back on April 6, 2007 (thanks J.R.!)

Find this playlist on iTunes iMixes at Spinning Spincycles 1.23.10

Soul Meets Body–Death Cab for Cutie (3:50) Warm-up.

Dead Disco–Metric (3:25) Quick spin. Start hard and fast this morning. Focus on pulling up your knees.

Little Thoughts–Bloc Party (3:25) Speedy out-of-seat climb. Think of charging to the top of a hill with fast leg-turnover. Increase tension every 30 seconds but maintain the same quick leg turnover.

My Delirium—Ladyhawke (4:16) Back to the flats. Settle into your seat and spin at race-pace speed and effort. Increase tension every 30 seconds. Think of riding hard into a mildly increasing headwind.

Turn Me Loose—Madcon (3:40) Stair-climbing. Fast and quick. Focus on breathing.

Police and the Private–Metric (3:44) Immediately from last song’s stair-climb, go into a high-tension out-of-seat climb.  Power through it. 

Smash My Bitch Up (Smashing Pumpkins vs. Prodigy)—DJ lobsterdust (5:10) Long climb! Leave the tension where it was from the last set/out-of-seat climb. Settle into your saddle. Slide back a bit. Hurt those quads! Focus on high knees for a slow, grinding, in-seat climb. Dig deep.   You won’t find this song on iTunes or Amazon.  See DJ Lobsterdust’s website instead.  I told you I was going to use more of these mash-ups.  This certainly won’t be the last!

Luminol–Ryan Adams (3:25) Sprints at the chorus. Three total for 15, 25, & 40 seconds each.

Sympathy for the Devil (Fatboy Slim Remix)—The Rolling Stones (8:22)  More quad work! Slow climb—your choice seated or standing or mix of both. Increase tension every 60 seconds.  Climb to the top!

Mr. Brightside–The Killers (3:43) Final song, baby. Hit it hard. Race-pace speed and effort. At chorus, all-out sprints! The first is done in-the-saddle (20 seconds). The second is an out-of-seat uphill sprint (30 seconds). The last one is back in-the-saddle — all out as hard as possible for the final 45 seconds.

We Will Become Silhouettes–The Postal Service (5:00) Cool down.

Here Comes the Sun/The Inner Light (Transition)—The Beatles (4:18)  Final stretches..because I cannot stop listening to The LOVE CD.  What can I say…I LOVE LOVE!  This isn’t on iTunes either, you’ve got to get the CD to the LOVE show. 

Join me this week: 

TOMORROW (Monday) at 6:30pm WSC-Alexandria for BodyPump!  This is going to be my new BP class.  I am so excited!  Come help me make my inaugural Alexandria BodyPump class a success!

(the rest of the week is the same as usual)

Tuesday 6:15am WSC-Alexandria Spinning (45minutes)

Wednesday 6:00pm WSC- West Springfield BodyPump

Saturday 10:00am WSC-Alexandria Spinning (45minutes)  As always, I’m more than happy to take requests for Saturday’s class…songs or profiles or both!  Email me:  darcy_vance@yahoo.com 

–Spin on!

 

It’s gonna get harder still, before it gets easy

(photo source)

I don’t know about you, but I have a couple of servings of Thanksgiving stuffing (and maybe some pumpkin pie) I need to burn off my thighs.  And what better way to do that than a high intensity, no holds barred, balls to the walls spinning class?!  Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

Find this playlist on iTunes iMixes at Spinning Spincycles 11.28.09

Always Be—Jimmy Eat World (3:05)  Warm up and be prepared to say buh-bye to that extra helping of  Thanksgiving leftovers

Hurry Up Let’s Go—Shout Out Louds (2:19)  Add more tension and pick up the pace in the saddle.  Let’s keep our heart rate on the up and up.  Add another twist of tension around 1:20 because it’s time to run.  Go!

Shine a Light—Wolf Parade (3:47)  Climb #1 of the day.  No messing around, crank the resistance so it feels difficult and heavy in the saddle.  Hold a strong seated climb for 1 minute 45 seconds.  Increase the resistance and finish the song in a standing steep narrow climb.

Molly’s Chambers—Kings of Leon (2:17)  Hold hands in position 3 but lighten the tension for 1 minute.  Coming down the hill…finish the song with hands in 2 and find a jogging cadence.  Advanced riders give me a little speed surge to match the music

Brick By Boring Brick—Paramore (4:14)  Heavy resistance in the saddle again.  Stand and run with resistance on the chorus alternating with a seated climb.  Oh yeah, it’s supposed to hurt a little.

Give It All—Rise Against (2:51)  Light resistance in the saddle.  Quick 45 second recovery only to add resistance back on to a moderate feel.  Picture a wide open road.  Seated flat….advanced riders: speed surges on the chorus

Back It Up—Colette Carr (3:09)  Climb #2…in the saddle for 1min 30seconds.  Finish the hill out of the saddle.  Check your resistance, can you go heavier than climb #1?  Of course you can! (I can’t find the MP3 on Amazon.com, but you can watch the video here or find it on iTunes)

Ring of Fire—Social Distortion (3:51)  Back to your seated climb.  Pick up the pace it’s time to alternate 30 seconds seated 30 seconds standing run.  Hold it steady. 

Fire Away—The Swellers (3:52)  1 minute opportunity to lighten up the resistance and recover.  Start to pick up the pace again.  Seated flat or standing jog…riders’ choice. 

Jars—Chevell (3:20)  Climb #3.  Heavier than last time.  Start seated for 1 ½ minutes, finish strong and solid out of the saddle. 

Photograph—Weezer (2:19)  Quick downhill, recharge your legs.  Jog—sit—jog

Piranha—The Prodigy (4:05)  Last push, ask your legs for a little more power…we are almost finished.  30 seconds in the saddle 30 seconds running with resistance.  Resistance should be on the heavier side, but we need to keep the cadence up

This Is Beautiful—Tyrone Wells (4:36)  We are finished, what’s more beautiful than that?  Take a nice long cool down in the saddle. 

Come Back When You Can—Barcelona (3:44)  Stretch, give yourself props for finishing with gusto…now relax…

Self magazine’s December issue (the one with Amanda Peet on the cover) has a short one-page feature on Spinning.  You can check out the article and corresponding video here.  It’s mostly the basics that are covered, though I love one of phrases they used and will probably start incorporating it into cueing my classes. Here it is:

• During a standing run…use your core to hold your body over the tip of the seat to avoid knee strain.

Oh, and by the way, please ignore the advice they give about pulling your abs in tight.  According to Mad Dogg Athletics (whom I hold my certification with) in order to properly perform deep breathing, the abdominals should NOT be pulled in or kept tight…as this practice will hamper optimal breathing. 

You’ll serve yourself best by performing ab exercises off the bike….or taking my Body Pump class on Wednesday evenings where you’ll get strength training and killer ab exercises!  (you know I can’t pass up  even the smallest opportunity for self-promotion)

 Have a great week spinners!