HAPPY NEW YEAR

Yall, I’ve been promising new content forever and a day, and enough with the talk– here it is!  Playlist here is pretty random, so hopefully something for everyone!

Hope y’all continue to check the site for new playlists.  Last year was a DOOZY (baby, move, etc.) so with things slowing down a bit, I’ll be on my A-game this year.

Enjoy the ride and as always, here is the spotify playlist (spotify playlist 1.22.18)

• Tom Petty – American Girl (3:34) : warm up, stretch it out
• John Mellancamp – Small Town (3:41) : let’s get it going with a few rolling hills.  Quick beat, so not crazy heavy…. yet.  Steadily add resistance and pick up the pace with each chorus.
• Imagine Dragons – Thunder (3:07) : MAN I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH.  It gets me so pumped up.  I like this one for heavier sprints.  Not all out on speed– you’ve got plenty of resistance to slow you a bit, but it’s not a heavy climb.  Sprints at 0:23 and 1:14 (20 sec each) and then last one at 2:05 is about 50 sec.
• Katy Perry and Kanye West – E.T. (3:49) : sprints, each on the chorus about 30 sec
• Fall Out Boy – Centuries (3:48) : I really wanted this to be a sprint song, but it’s just not there.  The pick ups in speed are too short for flat road sprints.  Steady increases in resistance, picking up out of the saddle when beat picks up.
• Free – All Right Now (5:34) : here is your steady, uphill climb.  Lots of variations in the music throughly the 5min+ song and opportunities to take it out of the saddle, speed up, etc.
• Hardwell – Power (2:28) : let’s flush that lactic acid out of your legs with a quick flat road.  Two sprints, each 30 sec long at 0:30 and 1:39.
• Mi Gente – J Balvin, et al feat Beyonce (3:29) : interesting beat here.  I like it for in and out of the saddle climb.
• NF – Let You Down (3:32) : back to climbing, this song has several slow bits, take the resistance up here and make it a heavy climb.  kind of like a reverse sprint.  Take the heavy bits in the saddle and give a little break on resistance and lift out of the saddle when beat picks up.
• Coldplay – Every Teardrop is a Waterfall (4:00) : endurance work.  This song is 4 minutes.  Aim for 2, 90sec pushes in the saddle with about 75-80% resistance.
• B.o.B – Paper Route (3:32) : lifts in and out of the saddle
• Fleetwood Mac – Everywhere (3:46) : cool down and stretch

 

Hills, Hills and More Hills

Happy (almost) New Year!  Couldn’t let 2013 end without one final blog post.  I really loved this ride, but just to warn you– it’s 45 minutes of climbing.  I tried to keep it interesting with some lifts in and out of the saddle, short sprints uphill and some longer, in the saddle climbing, but regardless, no flat roads on this ride.

Each climb is rated by a PE level (Perceived Exertion).  This makes it a little easier to gauge the difficulty of each hill.  A PE 10 would be an absolute killer hill, either pushing yourself on speed at the peak of the climb, or a really heavy climb.  As a reminder, no hill should be so heavy that you can’t maintain at least a 60 rpm pace.  Enjoy!  Here is the spotify link:  climbing playlist

• duffy – mercy (3:39) : warm-up/stretching
• pitbull/t-pain – hey baby (3:56) :  seated, standing climb.  seated for one min, standing for one minute.  increase tension.  seated for one minute, increase gear.  finish out of the saddle. PE 4-5
• the clash – train in vain (3:09) :  steady climb, beginning in the saddle.  steadily increase gear, reaching PE 5.
• metallica – no leaf clover (5:44) : okay, i know metallica is a little out of the ordinary, but i really like this version.  starting in the saddle, speeding up on each pickup in the chorus.  this one starts out slow, so start moderately heavy.  PE 5-7.
• needtobreathe – let us love (3:42) : i know i promised no flat road, but this is a little break in the climbing.  keeping it active, around a PE 5-6, but workout is not from climbing.  moderate resistance, keep the pace quick.
• the white stripes – seven army nation (3:51) :  seated climb, increase speed during chorus.  there are three surges, 20-30 sec each.  add tension after each surge.  PE 7-8 (this is as heavy as we get).
• katy perry – birthday (3:35) : yes, katy perry talks about her birthday suit on this one.  i apologize in advance.  lifts in and out of the saddle.  keep it quick, 10 sec in the saddle/10 seconds out.  repeat throughout song.  enough resistance to keep your body stable out of the saddle.
• the rolling stones – gimme shelter (4:32) : slightly uncomfortable, seated for one minute, standing for one minute.  maintain cadence.  PE 7.
• police – every little thing she does is magic (4:20) :  seated/standing, surging in speed with every pickup in chorus.  PE 6-8
• the killers – human (4:05) :  seated in the saddle, standing push out of the saddle.  PE 5-6
• tim mcgraw – just to see you smile (3:35) : cool down, stretch

Summer’s Almost Over

new playlist to celebrate the approaching end of summer.  have a lot of new tunes from some artists you may not recognize– support new bands!  here is the link to spotify : cycle tunes 8.23.12  enjoy, please post in comments if you have suggestions!

• kenny chesney – feel like a rock star (3:28) : warm up/stretch
• of monsters and men – mountain sound (3:31) : rolling hills
• calvin harris ft. ne-yo – let’s go (radio edit) (3:46) : sprints
• dragonette – let it go (3:32) : climb
• madonna – turn up the radio – r3hab remix (5:42) : climb, lifts in and out of the saddle
• capital cities – safe and sound (3:13) : continue climb, lifts
• angels and airwaves – the adventure (5:13) : endurance word, lifts
• the wanted – chasing the sun (3:19) : sprints
• nero – promises (skrillex remix) (4:29) : climb, lifts
• florence + the machine – dog days are over (4:12) : recovery, endurance
• kelly clarkson – whyyawannabringmedown (2:43) : last set of sprints!
• sia – breathe me (4:35) : cool down/stretch

Something For Everyone

hope everyone is enjoying the olympics!  as of today, official USA medal count — 29 gold, 15 silver and 19 bronze.  woohoo!  i have definitely noticed an increase in my class size since the olympics started– so awesome.  i love that people are inspired by world class athletes, and jollyspins is a great place to start.  🙂

i found a playlist i had not yet posted.  just to warn you, it has a tiny cheese factor, but always fun to ride along to the songs that love to get stuck in your head.  enjoy:

• montell jordan – this is how we do it (3:59) : warm up / stretch.  blast from the past, i know
• minimalistix – struggle for pleasure (3:56) : seated sprints with standing recovery
• train – drive by (3:17) : flat road, endurance ride.  uncomfortable resistance.
• selena gomez – love you like a love song (3:08) : jumps out of the saddle.  this starts the beginning of 12 min of out of the saddle/climbing work.
• nina simone – sinnerman remixed (4:35) : out of the saddle, ladder climb
• steppenwolf – magic carpet ride (4:20) : heavy climb, increasing for first 2 minutes.  middle 2 min, climbing out of the saddle.  drop down and push last 20 seconds.
• republica – ready to go (5:02) : sprints
• christopher cross – ride like the wind (3:57) : flat road, endurance ride.  approx 5/10 PRE.
• nikka costa – everybody got their something (4:21) : seated at the start, moving out of saddle at end.  focus on speed.
• britney spears – i wanna go (3:30) : i have a love/hate relationship with this song.  but it has great energy, so a good one for jumps.
• dave matthews band – why i am (3:54) : last climb, steady up  hill.  in and out of the saddle at end.
• the doobie brothers – listen to the music (3:47) : cool down / stretch

 

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!

 

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

rock and roll hills

i have been on a hill kick lately and have also been mixing things up with some rock n roll favorites.  enjoy this ride!

• taylor swift – eyes open (4:05) : warm up, stretch
• black crowes – hard to handle (3:07) : quick pace, continue warm up.  rolling hills
• marty casey & lovehammers – call of distress (2:59) : three surges uphill or out of the saddle – 0:24- 0:45, 1:09 – 1:30, and 2:14 – 2:59
• enur – calabria 2008 (3:54) : quick recovery and then move into lifts in and out of saddle – 1 min (6 count), 1 min (4 count), 1 min (6 count)
• flux pavilion – i can’t stop (5:04) : get ready for a tough climb!  first of two steep peaks in the ride.  start at slight incline (4-5 out of 10 for resistance) and then gradually add resistance every 30-45 seconds.  with 2 minutes to go, hit steepest point you can handle in the saddle.  last minute, bring out of saddle and add steepest gear.  this one will make your legs burn!
• van halen – she’s the woman (2:57) : i had originally planned on this one being surges uphill, but it ended up being a very quick flat road.  legs are engaged, but we’re not climbing here.  add one or two increases, but maintain speed.
• john o’callaghan – find yourself (radio edit) (2:32) : i had a music malfunction and added this one at the last minute.  turned out to be a great addition – out of the saddle surges during chorus.
• black crowes – heavy (4:43) : second steep peak of the ride.  steadily add resistance.  with two minutes to go, add steepest resistance you can handle in saddle, last minute hit the peak out of the saddle.
• busta rhymes – c’mon (catch ’em by surprise) (3:33) : another round of lifts in and out of the saddle.  1 min – 6 count, 1 min – 4 count, 1 min – 6 count.
• motley crue – kickstart my heart (4:43) & duff mckagan’s island – we win (4:04) : final 9 minutes, surge uphill.  moderately heavy resistance, but still light enough that you can maintain quick pace and have enough energy to surge during chorus.  kickstart my heart is quick enough for a faster pace.  i backed off resistance about halfway through, but add back in before you get too comfortable!
• maroon 5 – misery (acoustic) (3:46) : stretch & cool down