Back to the Basics

this is my first attempt to link my spotify account with the Jollyspins blog.  if all goes well, you’ll be able to subscribe to my new playlists and link directly to my account if you are trying any of these rides on your own.  if you aren’t familiar with spotify, i highly recommend the app.  as an instructor, it is has given me the ability to create a new playlist each week, which is a huge treat for both me and my classes.  whether or not you’re an aerobics instructor, i highly recommend that you check it out!  this week’s playlist is a fairly simple profile: hill, flat road endurance and then sprint.  here is the spotify link : cycle tunes 5.25.12

• kris allen – live like we’re dying (3:33) : warm up/stretch
• shinedown – the crow and the butterfly (4:14) : steady, in the saddle climb.  one min quick seated, one min push speed 10%, one min out of the saddle.  increasing resistance every 30 seconds.  my classes love shinedown, so this is always a hit.
• young and the giant – my body (4:04) : flat road, steady push for the entire 4 minutes.  you can switch up by adding a little gear and holding for a minute, backing off, etc.
• FNA – take me home tonight (gregory ferguson remix) (3:25) : 3 sprints.  0:47 – 1:09 (20 sec); 1:48 – 2:17 (30 sec); 2:50 – 3:20 (30 sec).
• the beatards – don’t step on my sneakers (3:13) : back to the climb.  this one is in and out of the saddle.
• maroon 5 – moves like jagger (3:21) : flat road endurance work.
• elton john – saturday night’s alright for fighting (4:55) : sprints.  i usually go for longer sprints here.
• whitney houston – i wanna dance with somebody (junior’s happy handbag remix) (4:25) : this is a bit of recovery, finishing with an in and out of the saddle jog.
• thousand foot crutch – move (3:29) : i love this jam.  back to the climb.  heavy load and quicken speed uphill on the “move” command.
• john o’callaghan – find yourself (2:32) : quick, flat road endurance work.
• hinder – born to be wild (3:59) : sprints.
• florence + the machine – the dog days are over (4:13) : cool down and stretch.

You Keep Me Spinning On

apologies for the cheesy title, but i tried to incorporate “spin” into the title of each song on this playlist and that was the best i came up with.  if the title doesn’t give it away, this is an 80’s themed ride.  it was so fun, a great success!  i had participants debating with me that certain songs weren’t actually recorded in the 1980’s (there is one on this playlist, take a guess in the comments– no googling!)  such a fun ride and with so many great songs from the 80s, i already have a volume 2 going.  here is the spotify link: 80s tunes.

• kim wilde – you keep me hanging on (4:15) : i played this one before class started, folks setting up their bikes.  this is the warning that the next 45 minutes are all 80s music, here’s your last chance to hit up the zumba class.
• michael jackson – rock with you (3:40) : stretch and warm/up.
• queen – we will rock you (2:02) : this is a short, first climb.  adding 2 gears every 20-30 seconds.  out of the saddle for the last 30 seconds.
• fine young cannibals – she drives me crazy (3:36) and hall & oates – you make my dreams (3:11) : pyramid work for the next 8 minutes.  adding 2 gears, hold for 30 seconds, and then add 5 rpms every 30 seconds.  last minute, slowly reduce resistance to initial flat road.
• eurythmics – sweet dreams (steve angello remix) (5:31) : this one is sort of a cop out because i have played it before and it’s actually a remix of the original song.  but it’s a good remix and a much needed faster paced song for our only set of flat road sprints.  get that resistance ready for the quick pace.  4, 30 second sprints at 0:55, 2:27, 3:27 and 4:30.
• huey lewis & the news – power of love (3:54) : quick, cool down from the sprints.  flat road, steadily adding on.  quick jumps out of the saddle.
• pat benatar – heartbreaker (3:27) : heavier sprints, uphill.  they are short, so don’t be afraid to add heavy gear.  0:39 – 1:01, 1:24 – 1:45, 2:20 – 2:50.
• j. geils band – centerfold (3:37) and the romantics – what i like about you (2:55) : here are lifts in and out of the saddle.  for the first song, we are getting in the groove.  6 count on first chorus, 4 count on second chorus and 6 count on third chorus.  holding gear in the saddle during the lyrics.  for the second song, 6 count for the first minute, 4 count for the second minute and 6 count for the final third minute.  so important to protect your knees on this and keep that resistance at a slightly uncomfortable level.
• billy ocean – get outta dreams (5:37) : i didn’t play this entire song (although, it is probably one of my favorite songs ever) but used as a recovery from the sprints for the first 2 minutes and then out of the saddle run for another 1-2 minutes.  just a chance to catch your breath before the final climb.
• joan jett – i hate myself for loving you (4:07) : final climb.  make this one as heavy as possible.  sprints uphill are heavy.  start at moderate incline, on my cue add several gears, enough to make it heavy and uncomfortable.  then break into 20 sec sprint.  0:50 – add gear, sprint at 1:02 – 1:32.  back gear off for break.  2:05 – add gear, sprint at 2:11 – 2:22ish.  break.  2:50 – add gear, sprint at 2:56 – 3:26.  break.  final push at 3:44 – 4:00.
• john mellancamp – jack & diane (4:16) : seriously, this really could be my favorite song ever.  time for cool down and stretch.

enjoy this playlist!  i got a lot of great feedback, so an inspiration to do more themed rides!  any suggestions?

Sprint, Climb and Repeat

this is one of my favorite, most random playlists.  the profile of the ride is simple, and one that i will using frequently in the summer months: sprint, climb, sprint, climb, etc.  very easy to remember as the warm weather seems to fog our mental abilities, but more importantly, a great calorie burner and easy for each class participant to make as hard (yay!) or as easy as they would like.

• robyn – show me love (3:39) : i will say this several times over the course of this playlist, but this song makes me smile.  great one for warm up/stretch.
• chris brown/benny benassi – beautiful people (3:46) : starting up with some “pick-ups.”  not quite sprints, but just picking up the pace 5 rpms.  quick run.  at 1:03, 20 sec at +5 rpms, 20 sec at additional 5 rpms.  slow and back to beginning speed at 1:45.  2:23 – 2:39, quick pick up to make sure no one is taking it too easy.  at 3:08, 20 sec +5 rpm, 20 sec at add’l 5 rpm.
• muse – uprising (5:05) : this starts approx 10 min of climbing.  starting quick, this climb is focused on speed.  adding 1-2 gears every 45 sec.  maintain speed until relatively heavy.  toward end, in and out of saddle.
• big gigantic – high and rising (5:52) : this is an interesting song.  play once all the way through and you’ll get what’s going on here.  you have backed the resistance down a bit from the prior hill, however this is a heavier climb to the top.  i added in out of saddle jumps at the end.
• katy perry – E.T. (benny benassi remix) (3:21) : clearly, i’m on a slight techno kick.  here is our first real set of sprints.  at 0:50, 45 sec sprint.  recovery, moving into quick speed until 2:33 – 45 sec sprint.
• steve miller band – rock’n me (3:07) : this playlist is officially all over the place.  we are back into climbing.  heavy climb here.  adding at least 1-2 gears every 30 seconds.
• florence + the machine – shake it out (4:35) : back that resistance down a bit from prior climb, starting slow up this next mountain, bringing in and out of saddle on chorus at the end.
• lady gaga – marry the night (4:25) : next set of sprints.  0:42 – 1:12 (30 sec sprint), 1:50 – 2:20 (30 sec), 3:00 – 3:30 (30 sec).  if the class seems able and ready, there is room for a final 15 sec push at the end.
• billy squier – the stroke (3:38) : final climb!  heavy, in and out of the saddle.
• eva simons – i don’t like you (4:12) : final set of sprints!  1:03-1:33 – 30 sec, 2:18 – 2:48 (30 sec), 3:30 – 4:12 (45 sec).
• bon iver – skinny love (3:59) : you made it!  great work.  cool down/stretch.

hope you enjoy this eclectic music selection!  i’m working on an 80’s themed ride for this week.  stay tuned!

 

Don’t Stop Blending: Avocado Banana Smoothie

my latest smoothie adventure combines a few of my favorite ingredients: avocado, bananas and almonds.  avocado may seem like an interesting choice for a smoothie ingredient, but the flavor is subtle and is a great complement to the banana and almonds.  in addition to a yummy source of fiber, potassium, vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid, avocados are also a “nutrient booster” as they enable the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein.  you could easily add spinach to this recipe and benefit from a more complete absorption of the leafy green’s beta-carotenes.

• 1/2 – 3/4 cup of almond milk  (this depends on how thick you like your smoothies)
• 1 scoop whey protein powder
• 1 heaping tablespoon of ground flax seed
• 1/4 of a regular sized avocado
• 1/2 of a banana
• 1 heaping tablespoon of sliced almonds

the first three ingredients are pretty much the base of every smoothie i make.  this smoothie didn’t incorporate frozen ingredients or ice, so the almonds were great to give a slight crunchy texture.  to mix it up in the future, i may add a frozen banana or a few cubes of ice.

enjoy this healthy treat!

 

10/10/10 – Climbs / Sprints / Lifts

apologies for the delay in posting this week!  things have been a little busy and i have been working on some other fun features for the blog, so please stay tuned!

this ride is 45 minutes, but the bulk of the work is roughly 10 minutes of climbing, followed by 10 minutes of sprinting and ends with 10 minutes of lifts in and out of the saddle.  here it is:

• whitney houston – how will i know? (junior vasquez club version) (4:10) :  warm up/stretch
• gavin degraw – in love with a girl (3:26) : here is the start of our climbing work.  this is a seated climb, starting at a PRE 6 (6/10 – moderately heavy resistance).  standing, picking up speed on the chorus.  increase tension one or two gears when seated.
• avett brothers – kick drum heart (2:54) : quick seated climb.  this hill is not as steep, but quick speed.  not dropping below 85 rpms, even through peak.  slight increases every 20-30 seconds.
• wyclef jean – i’m ready (3:55) : out of the saddle climb.  this is the steepest climb.  you’ll need to start at approx PRE 5/6 to protect knees out of the saddle.
• kelly clarkson – stronger (3:42) : let the sprinting begin!  sprinting on chorus, recovery in between
• the veronicas – untouched (4:15) : 4 rounds of 10-20 second standing sprints followed by 30 seconds of recovery.
• good charlotte – i don’t wanna be in love (dance floor anthem) (4:04) : final set of sprints. 3, 30 second sprints. 30 seconds of recovery in between.  these will fall in line with chorus.
• whitney houston – it’s not right but it’s ok (dance mix) (4:16) : this starts lifts in and out of the saddle.  for this first 4 minutes, i gave breaks during verses, and went for 6 count during the chorus.
• the beatards – don’t step on my sneakers (3:13) & outkast – hey ya! (3:59) : here we moved into 6 count for 2 minutes, break for 30 seconds, 4 count for 2 minutes, break for 30 seconds and 6 count for 2 minutes.
• cake – the distance (3:00) : this is one of my favorite songs for a strong finish.  there will be 2, 30 second pushes UPHILL.  i challenge the class to make this the most difficult hill of the ride.
• kid rock – all summer long (4:58) : cool down / stretch