Spinning Routine - BATTLEGROUND

Love the fighting movies, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, 300, I love the warrior movies, and I grew on on the Beastmaster with Marc Singer, was great at the time. Anyway another class was born, Battleground, fun to teach definitely a high threshold ride, with people working the high end of the continuum. Love this ride! But be ready for it

Gladiator 3:40 (Techno Mix)

Warm up prepare for battle, you are about to be immersing yourself into a fight to the death, it is you and only you. You will start out as a group but it is every man for himself, NO ONE will wait for you, you need to move or get killed. Now I want you to picture your battle gear, your weapons and your time period... You can be fighting org es, goblins, men, zombies, wild dogs, amazons women ( usually gets a few laughs) Feel the tension, grow the sweat. It is up to you to take control of your day, accept the challenge, OWN IT. Flat road then add tension, work the legs, move and breathe!

Menothis 3:56 E.S. Posthumus

Stand up, strong legs, you are headed into the battle, army crawl of the the ranks, strong, steady, legs...fight for room, do or die! Still warming up, use the energy and power of the song, Breathe! I don't care what comes at you, what you mind can visualize to get your worst nightmare, you can't hide, you have to fight or die on the field, fast sitting, add some gear,

Sadness 4:43 Nine Inch Nails & Enigmna

Song starts say "Say your prayers!" as the chanting is going on, then a nice big yell, when the yell is on. Four minute climb out of the saddle moving foxhole to foxhole, fighting your way to the next one, pull and work, push the body upright, butt is hitting the saddle, if it hurts your back TOO BAD (no just kidding sit down and release tension)

Lose Yourself 5:22 Emimen

5 minute climb Breathe, move and breath, get the heart rate up into 70-80% and MOVE, Strong, dodging arrows, sun in your eyes, sweat running down your back, having to move up and over people, bodies, monster,etc. Use the visualization, think of your movie, but don't talk too much, let them fill the silence, let them fight their own war!

Head Like A Hole 6:26 Nine Inch Nails

Six minute climb, add some more gear if you want, you can alternate sitting and standing here, but make a challenge, make the sweat, you are nearing the edge of the field with the last fox hole for awhile, you need to breathe and work, keep moving, every man for himself, NO ONE is waiting for you, last 26 seconds say that this is the last fox hole and if you don't move out, you will be bumped out, or run over!! The next two songs I used together for one set, tell them the music will die out and they better not stop to look around, just pure sweat!

Gear Box 2:11 the sounds of Nascar Todd Haberman & Gunfight Music 4:01Propellerheads from the Matrix
11 seconds, remove gear, one minute race pace to get to the next fox hole, DODGE people, Move!!!! 1-2 minute race pace, 2-3 rest, made it to the first fox hole, rest and breathe, farther now to the grove of trees, 3-4:15 race pace, down for the first two minutes of the next song YA YA from Molin Rogue 3:30 minute 2-3:30 you got it race pace, strong, fast legs, still with tension, NO bouncing, dodge those bullets, jump over the losers who fell, you are on your own, keep crossing that battlefield, it is getting darker out you are getting to a base of a hill, and you will need to get up it!! Hold on! Grenade, or Lightning strike, or Mountain TROLL!!

Fighter 4:06 Christina Aguilera

Base of the hill, add tension 4 minute climb, stand or sit, no breaks, keep going, on the strong make it to the end, ARe you a strong one? It is darker now, you are in the shadow of the mountain, war behind you and in front of you! Follow your General or push them out of the WAY! GRRRRR!!!

Stronger 5:12 Kanye West

5 minute climb seated, make it up this hill, work harder then the next person, or you will be left behind, how strong are you?

Sabatoge 2:58 Beastie Boys

Add more tension keep climbing, pure chaos, focus through it, breathe!!

We will be Strong 4:00(Alternative Mix) DJ Antoine

Add more tension, keep up the visualization, pure power push for the last two songs, stand up every 30 seconds or so, or every minute, your choice

Unstoppable 3:05 E.S. Posthmus

Great song! You can see the top of the mountain, and there is your way home be it your choice, helicopter, Gandolf the White, Teleport, just see it and GET THERE

Now we are Free 4:14 Enya-Gladiator Theme

You made it your are on your way home, alive, but a mess, congrats! Now if you can do that, you can do anything today! Monsters, Zombies, Trolls, what can get in your way?
Breathe, stretch! I know this is not enough time to cool down, so hopefully people will take it outside and move around talk, stretch together. Have a great ride!

Indoor Cylcle Routine - The Underdog

I thought about a new concept for a ride. I am always building play list with a purpose and you can't have a class without a purpose, well you can, but it will suck. Believe me I have taught those too, but I had two good classes, here is the first:
The underdog, I want you to make your riders feel like they CANNOT win, no matter what the effort they expend. Sometimes we are just not meant to win, to excel, it is not our time, and that is o.k. Hard to accept? Yes! Sucks? Sometimes, depends on your attitude, and that is what you are trying to convey. It IS all about attitude and your attitude about yourself " You are what you think about all day long" Too many of us don't consciously think about what we THINK about. Think about it (HA) We go along our day with a robot type of attitude, and you know you need to do that when the situation calls for it, but WE do it, too often, day after day, night after night. How many opportunities can and do you pass up, by going on autopilot? The list could be endless, so think about your cycle class. It is at the same time, same club, same people, same room, same instructor, same water bottle, same shoes, and sometimes even the same bike and the same place. (Tomorrow I am going to have everyone switch after the warm up, I will tell you how that goes!) Anyway back to the Underdog
Talk it up, walk in the room with attitude, a BIG attitude, this will get their attention and say something like "You are NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Watch the head whip around, priceless... and go on " This is your Worst Day ever, Worst ride Ever. You ARE the LOSER, You are the WEAKEST LINK" You are the ONE that Drags, Weighs the Team down, Nobody wants to be paired with you, you are not Strong enough, you have the worst bike, the oldest rangiest clothes, a water bottle with duct tape on it. Your Nervous, you can feel the anxiety building up in your stomach, your nervous, the tension is palpable in the air when you approach the riding group, riders look away, laugh, ride further up the path to avoid you. You are uncertain and it is your turn to be paired with one of the Leaders! One of the Fastest, most efficient, superior skill, pure light on a bike, untouchable! Your confidence has been beat down over and over. This is just not your Ride, NOT YOUR DAY, This is not YOUR GAME! Your "buddy" comes over and kind of gives you a shrug, a irritate nod, time to ride

Barely Breathing 4:15
Warm up, enough tension to feel "flat road"
Give them the speech above, they can barely breath

Walk this way 5:10
Add tension to feel the legs kick in the glutes adhere to the seat, it feels like taffy all the way around the peddle, still warming up

Played ALive 6:46
Decrease tension to flat road (5 out of 10) Leader takes off and you have to keep up, strong fast smooth legs, no bouncing, and you can't keep it! You are falling behind, your partner is getting upset.

I want Candy 2:46
Slow down pace, breath, stand if you have too, but know that only losers do!

Obsidian 8:58
Increasing hills, add tension and stand for 1 minute then in the saddle for 2 minutes decrease tension, strong hard ride. You are still behind, beat them up here, still negative words, look at the faces of your riders, they are very confused and getting mad, good that is what you want them to do, they are the Underdog

Just say Yes 4:41 Snow Patrol
Back off on the tension make it easy, water break in the ride, partner rides away, uneasiness returns and more so. You are being talked about, avoided

Infinity 6:25
Standing run in intervals, time depends on your class, make it challenging. You have to catch the pack and you are falling farther and farther behind

Sorry 7:13
You are sorry that you came out today, should have stayed in bed, seated climb slow the pace, move the legs, big deep breathes, use the belly, shoulders relaxed, mouth open, angry building

Anything is Possible 6:29
Fast Race Pace road to find the pack and your leader, catch up, you are NOT GOOD ENOUGH!! You are the MAN! Song goes down at 2:33, you can use this as a break, I usually do 1:33 of holding back on the pace, and one minute race pace, until 2:33, listen to the words (got to love, the Matrix!)You are on your own, you have already failed, now WHAT?!? Build your confidence, it is o.k. not to be the first, but are you going to give up, or what! Sometimes I say they are racing the leader and fall at 2:33, so are you going to sit down in the dust, or are you going to GET UP!! You Are what you tell yourself all day long" You will either find a way or make one! Believe you are the most capable rider, you will not be last, You will get up, you are good enough. Dig deeper, breath deeper, Where is your spark? Are you the weakest? WHO ARE YOU?!! NOW or never get up or Stay down!!!

Sanctuary 9:17
Nine minutes one pace, the "75%" song, build yourself, move, strong and steady, you can do it, finish the race with them in the middle of the pack, not the first, just moving up.

Down 4:05
Keep building them up and slowing the legs. If you can do this today by 9AM, just think of what you can do with the rest of the day!! You are Awesome!
Stretches and Breathing

Long live the Underdogs of the World!!!
I didn't have time to post all the songs and artists if you need them just shoot me an email.

Spin Routine - High Intensity

New Year, yes everyone gets a new slate, an excuse to start over, "this year will be different, this will be the year I ......," you fill in the blank. I did my first ever endurance ride on January 2, 2010, I had to SELL it to my regulars and I still think some of them didn't get it. I call the long steady one pace, light to medium tension(flat road)the 75% song. I don't know if they bought into the whole selling pitch that I was slowing dropping into their heads class after class.."this is it, this is where you change your body"......"You are now burning fat, dumping those fat cells into your blood stream, whittling away at your waist, love handles, etc" "Breathe" you can't burn fat without oxygen.... It didn't go as well as I planned, I had a hard time grabbing their attention and keeping it. I talked too much, didn't trust myself or them, but I DID it and so DID they, it was a success.. but that will be another ride to post.
Today it was all about HIGH intensity, throwing the heart rate up and bringing it down, burning lots of calories (not all from fat, which is where you want to burn them from, but again another day)

Warm up
Horse with No Name 4:09 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Explain the profile of the class, the goal is to reach your High intensity 9 out of 10 on the RPE(rate of perceived exhaustion scale) or 85% and higher for the Heart rate monitor gang. Think about surges of confidence, bringing the heart rate up, being able to push it and then control the heart back down. and of course BREATHE

It Wasn't Me (edit) 3:47 Shaggy
Standing Flat add a bit of tension, work the legs, push all the way through the hip, explain the next song, the first push up....

Blood is Pumping Club Mix 7:43 Voodoo & Serano
Increase tension to a 8 out of ten, you should feel like you are in the sand, efficient smooth pedal strokes, lots of power, now you are going to push out of the saddle for a 15 second standing run, you won't be going very fast, but you will be exerting a lot of effort, 45 second recovery. You can stay seated for these and if at any time you feel pressure or pain in your knees, you have TOO MUCH TENSION on, don't do it, this is suppose to help you, not hurt you. Never let a rider feel like they can not do a drill you are instructing, everyone needs to work at their own level. Repeat for 3 total 15 second surges, 45 second recoveries, then increase to 30 second surges, 30 second recoveries, up to 1 minute surge, 1 minute recovery, add or subtract as necessary. UGH!

Short Skirt/Long Jacket 3:24 Cake
Keep the tension, seated climb, breathe! Recover the heart rate after 2 minutes decrease the tension to your flat road ( 5 out of ten for tension) get some water and get ready for an interval song, the next high intensity push

C'mon N' Ride It(1996) Quad City DJ's
30 second standing run, 30 second standing climb with a bump up in tension, decrease tension down to flat road and in the saddle for 30 seconds nice steady pace, your cadence or pace should remain the same regardless of your position, that is where the challenge is. Smooth steady breathing, that is the only way you will survive this song, if again at any time you lose control of your breathing just remain in the saddle and recover, then STAY in the saddle and only increase your cadence during the change in positions, it is more important to concentrate on your heart rate and breathing then to try to do positions with incorrect form, this is for your heart..repeat interval as above

Sympathy for the Devil 6:28 The Rolling Stones
Back to the flat road one minute to bring heart rate down to 75 or lower, water, stretch the back and neck, now in the saddle, rolling hills, increase tension just a bit to a 6 for 1 minute, same pace and move, decrease for one minute, etc..

A little less Conversation(JXL Remix)O 6:22 Elvis Presley
5 minute standing fast jog at a tension where you need to push and pull those legs, endurance here people, keep moving, this is your last hard high intensity area, Happy New Year!!

The Boys are Back in Town 4:30 Thin Lizzy
Have a seat, breathe, recover, get the heart rate back under 75%, you may stand or sit as needed, but watch your form, don't get sloppy

New Year's Day(Vocal Extended Mix - Ferry Corsten Remix)9:42 my favorite song, you guessed it the 75% song 9 minute ride, close your eyes and just breathe, enjoy the control you just exhibited over your body and heart rate, nice flat road, almost home

The Captain of Her Heart 4:34 Double
Cool down and stretches.. Boo YAH!!