December Spin Profiles (#48-51)

It's the end of the semester (ok it was--over a month ago now)! Time to get intense and see how far we've come. Read: these profiles are crazy hard. Stress burners! Why are they so hard? Very little rest; lots of fast-paced jumps that require you to use your core strength; lots of sprints with resistance. Max R, Max V!

Spin Profile #48: 90's Memories (Parte Dos) (51.2 min)
Like part 1, I brought up a memory with each song. For instance, when "Fly" comes on, I always think back to sophomore year of high school at the Topsfield Fair and going on the upside-down-ride with Alex Rich (this track was playing on the loud speaker as we were waiting in line). Very soon after that fright, we started going out. This song always reminds me of those magical moments during that Fall. "Say It Ain't Say So" also brings up great memories as I've covered it in three separate bands (as well as "Laid"). Also, Joan Osborne had a well-known, one-hit-wonder song, "One of Us", but I always preferred her song, "St. Teresa" because of the cool visuals in her music video (goldfish coming out of the toilet). And, who hasn't done the Macarena (yes I did it on the bike)? Lastly, I belted out a good deal of the lyrics to "Gangsta's Paradise" and thought of Michelle Pfeifer. This profile was pretty popular and thus used it in several classes.

1. Wannabe by the Spice Girls (2:53)/WU
2. Fly by Sugar Ray (4:53)/WU mix, seated to standing HP2 to HP3 @1
3. Push by Matchbox 20 (3:58)/Standing cadence with chorus surges plus climb @1-2.5
4. St. Teresa by Joan Osborne (5:22)/Verse: seated cadence; Chorus: standing pickup
5. Say It Ain't So by Weezer (4:21)/Climb with chorus pickups @1-3
6. We Trying to Stay Alive by Wyclef Jean (3:12)
7. Come To My Window by Melissa Etheridge (3:56)/Climb with chorus pickups @2-3
8. Ironic by Alanis Morissette (3:49)/Chorus sprints @2
9. Zombie by The Cranberries (5:06)/Isolation Intervals @ 3
10. Macarena by Los del Rio (4:12)/stamina test, cadence @1-2 Do the dance!
11. Laid by James (2:37)/Fast Jumps @1.5
12. Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio (4:01)/Climb and cadence! As fast and as heavy as you can.
13. Stay (I Missed You) by Lisa Loeb (3:04)/CD

#49: Fight For Your Woman, Baby (53.9 min)
1. The Rhythm of the Night by Corona (4:24)/WU
2. Here Comes My Baby by Cat Stevens (2:54)/Run @1
3. Say My Name by Destiny's Child (4:31)/Fast Jumps @ 1
4. It Wasn't Me by Shaggy (3:48)/Jump Mix @2
5. I Can See Clearly Now by Jimmy Cliff (3:16)/Mod Jumps @2-2.5
6. If Looks Could Kill by Camera Obscura (3:30)/Run @1 with pickups
7. (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right by Beastie Boys (3:29)/Chorus sprints with resistance @2
8. American Girl by Tom Petty (3:32)/Stamina Test, Cadence @FR-2
9. Mercy by Duffy (3:40)/Alternating Fast Jumps @1.5 and Slower Mod Jumps @2.5
10. Man! I Feel Like A Woman! by Shania Twain (3:54)/Cadence standing HP3 @2.5-3 with pickups
11. Loser by Beck (3:55)/Climb Mix 2-Max
12. Can't Stop The Rock (4:35)/Sprint intervals, @FR-1
13. Scream by Michael & Janet Jackson (4:38)/Sprints w/resistance, switching seated + standing HP3 @2-1
14. I'll Make Love To You by Boyz II Men (3:56)/CD

#50: Lapdances, Tigers, Sex, & Love In Da Club (50.3 min)
Two sets of six songs. Only one "break"!
1. Survivor by Destiny's Child (4:00)/WU
2. Walk Like An Egyptian by The Bangles (3:23)/ Speed Bumps: Cadence. 20 secs "up" + 20 secs "down".
3. In Da Club by 50 Cent (3:13)/Fast Jump Mix @1
4. Bruised by The Bens (4:40)/Seated climb with standing pickups @FR-2.5
5. Heartbreaker by MSTRKRFT (3:13)/Jumps @2-2.5
6. Sex On Fire by Kings of Leon (3:23)/Standing HP3 with pickups @2.5
7. Faint Toxic Mashup, Linkin Park v. Britney (2:29)/cadence @2

8. Alive With The Glory Of Love by Say Anything (4:15)/30sec break; alternate run + HP3 @1
9. Lapdance by N.E.R.D. (3:30)/HP3 @2, mod jumps with holds
10. Crazy In Love by Beyonce (3:56)/Cadence HP3 @2.5-3, alternate fast and slow
11. Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor (4:09)/Climb n Cadence @2.5-max
12. How Far We've Come by Matchbox 20 (3:30)/Verse: Run @1, Chorus HP3 pickup
13. Footloose by Kenny Loggins (3:46)/Verse: HP3 cadence @1, Chorus seated sprint @1-FR
14. We Are The Champions by Queen (3:01)/CD

#51: The Final Countdown (52.7 min)
Last profile of the semester! Watch out!
Profile: 3 sets of four songs (plus CD).
First Song: lowest R; Second Song: Medium R; Third Song: Highest R; Forth Song: increasing R
1. Hey Ya! by Outkast (3:55)/WU
2. Tessie by Dropkick Murphys (4:16)/Jump Mix @1
3. Secret Crowds by Angels & Airways (5:03)/Standing Climb @1-3
4. Wonder Woman by Super Heroes Invasion (1:38)/Sprint

5. Golden Years by David Bowie (4:01)/short FR cadence, jumps @1
6. We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister (3:40)/Run @1.5
7. Evacuate The Dancefloor by Cascada (3:30)/Mod Jumps @3
8. Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi (4:09)/Sprints w/resistance @2

9. YMCA by Village People (4:44)/active recovery, shorter; jumps @1 (dance optional ;) )
10. Morning After Dark by Timbaland (3:53)/light surges out to HP3 @2
11. The Final Countdown by Europe (5:10)/Top of the hill! @2-max
12. My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson (3:32)/Aww, corny finish! Sprints with decreasing resistance. First chorus: standing HP3 sprint @2, second: HP2 standing sprint @1; finish seated @1-FR
13. We Will Rock You by Queen (2:02)/CD
14. Lean On Me by Club Nouveau (4:01)/CD

Happy [belated] Holidays!

November Spin Profiles (42-47)

Spin Profile #42: Requests
I continue to use the email list to get song suggestions from my Spinners--even better, they sometimes send me the mp3 file. Emailing specific people and saying, "I'm playing your song tonight!" is a great tool for getting people to show up and be excited. Several Regulars have said that they've worked much harder (without even realizing it) because they got so pumped up when their song came on.

1. No More Gas by Earworm (5:02)/WU
2. Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen (4:00)/Jump Mix @1
3. The Way You Move by Outkast (3:54)/Speed Bumps; 20sec on/off
4. Here It Goes Again by Ok Go (3:00)/Chorus surges up & out to HP3
5. Paper Planes REMIX by M.I.A. (3:27)/Heavy Jumps and Mod Jumps @2.5-3
6. In The Shadows by The Rasmus (4:06)/Chorus Surges @1
7. Get Over It by Ok Go (3:17)/Start heavy + slow, pick up with music
8. Hip Hop Saved My Life by Lupe Fiasco (4:03)/Jump mix @2.5, alternating slow/fast pace
9. Time Is Running Out by Muse (3:58)/Rolling Hills
10. Rock In Black Mashup by Go Home Productions (3:58)/Isolation intervals @3+
11. One More Bright Side Mashup by DJ MikeA (3:57)/Cadence ==> Sprint; start @1, end @FR
12. Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (3:40)/CD

SP #43: Barbie's So Bloody High (44.3 min)
1. Groove Is In The Heart by Deee-lite (3:52)/WU
2. Every Bleeding Breath Mashup by Divide & Kreate (3:53)/Climb Mix, Inc ever 30
3. A Girl Like You by Edwyn Collins (4:00)/Jump Mix @1.5-2
4. She's So High by Tal Bachman (3:45)/Seated verse cadence @1, standing chorus pickup @2
5. I Got A Man by Positive K (3:48)/Fast Jumps @1
6. Take On Me by A-Ha (3:49)/Run + chorus pickups @1.5
7. Inside Out by Eve 6 (3:39)/Sprint mix with resistance @2
8. Vogue by Madonna (5:19)/Stamina test; FR @1+, pick a pace, stay with it
9. Down with all the sober freaks Mashup by Mashup-Germany (4:10)/Mod jumps @3+
10. Barbie Girl by Aqua (3:18)/1st chorus, standing sprint, all others, seated chorus sprints
11. What's Up? by 4 Non Blondes (4:55)

SP #44: Back From JTree (47.3 min)
1. My Hero by Foo Fighters (4:20)/WU
2. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga (4:55)/Standing HP3-HP2 mix; @1, add in a few easy surges
3. L.E.S. Artistes by Santigold (3:25)/Jump Mix @2
4. Escape by Enrique Iglesias (3:28)/Verse Standing HP3 @2; Chorus seated pickup @FR-1
5. Lithium by Nirvana (4:15)/Climb standing HP3; 1-3+; Option add in seated pickups chorus
6. No Sleep Tonight by The Faders (2:59); Chorus Run @1.5; Verse Standing HP3 @1.5-2
7. Sea Lion Woman by Feist (3:40)/Cadence @1
8. Whatever You Like by Anya Marina (3:49)/Isolation Intervals @>3
9. Run This Town by Jay-Z (4:35)/Alternate fast/slow pace jump mix @1.5-2.5
10. I Can Transform Ya by Chris Brown (3:49)/Heavy Cadence @2+
11. Ain't Nothing Wrong With That by Robert Randolf (3:30)/Run with Pickups @1
12. Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson (4:42)

SP #45: Reused Sprints (48 min)
Every other song = progressively longer sprint (ALL OUT). In between rolling revocery hills. As sprint gets longer, hill portion gets easier.
1. Ain't Nothing Wrong With That by Robert Randolf (3:30)/WU
2. Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1:02)/90% max speed--still warming up, not all out!
3. Ching-a-ling by Missy Elliott (3:39)/Standing HP3 @2==>3
4. It's My Life/Confessions by Glee Cast (1:51)
5. Down With All The Sober Freaks by Mashup-Germany (4:10)/HP3 @3, Mod Jumps
6. Halo/Walking On Sunshine by Glee Cast (2:05)/All out, 1 min FR, 30sec @1 seated, 30 sec @1 Standing HP3
7. Paper Planes Remix by M.I.A. (3:27)/Standing HP3 @2
8. Bleed It Out by Linkin Park (2:45)/1:45 seated sprint FR, 60sec standing sprint @1
9. Take My Hand by Dido/First half easy recovery, beat picks up, standing HP3 @2
10. Take My Hand by Simple Plan (3:51)/All out FR sprint
11. Whatever You Like by Anya Marina (3:49)/Easy Cadence Standing HP3 @2-3
12. It's The End of The World As We Know It by R.E.M. (4:07)/All out, short water break when beat cuts out, then continute sprint pace (ALL THE WAY THRU TO NEXT, LAST song)
13. One More Bright Side by DJ MikeA (3:57)/All out, finish strong
14. Maybe by Ingrid Michaelson (3:14)/CD

SP #46: D N G (47.5 min)
1. Did It Again by Shakira (3:23)/WU
2. Paint It, Black by The Rolling Stones (3:22)/1min cadence intervals seated, standing @1
3. All Falls Down by Kanye West (3:44)/Jumps @1, alternate fast/slow pace
4. Daylight by Matt and Kim (4:35)/Climb, Standing HP3,1==>3 adding isolation drills @3
5. If by Janet Jackson (4:31)/Seated, standing chorus sprints @2
6. Country Basket Mashup (2:50)/Seated Cadence @1
7. Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart by Alicia Keys (4:09)/Mod Jumps @3
8. Morning After Dark by Timbaland (3:53)/Standing chorus surges @1, verse cadence @2
9. Make It Hot by Missy Elliot (4:27)/Isolation Intervals @3+
10. Hard by Rihanna (4:11)/Standing HP3 Verse, Standing HP2 chorus pickups @1.5
11. All Over You by Live (3:58)/Start @3, Standing HP3, half turn down after each chorus
chorus= sprint, end on FR all out
12. Dance With You by Live (4:36)

SP #47 Beware My Louboutins (51.9 min)
1. Beware of the Boys by Panjabi MC (4:00)/WU
2. My Band by D12 (4:59)/Jump Mix @1
3. I Feel The Earth Move/Standing HP3 @ 1 with chorus pickups
4. Louboutins by Jennifer Lopez (3:39)/Mod Jumps @3
5. Deja Vu by Beyonce (4:00)/Seated cadence @1==>2
6. Guantanamera by Wyclef (4:40)/Climb w modified jumps @2==>3
7. U + Ur Hand by P!nk (3:34)/Seated verse cadence @1; standing chorus sprint @1-1.5
8. Telephone by Lady Gaga (3:34)/Seated cadence @FR-1; active recovery
9. Smooth by Santana (4:56)/Jumps @1; chorus, sit and ride out
10. That's not my name by The Ting Tings (5:11)/Standing HP3 verse cadence @2; Run chorus @2==>3
11. I'm Shipping Up to Boston by Dropkick Murpheys (2:34)/Seated cadence @1==>2
12. Shots by LMFAO (3:42)/Sprints with Resistance @2==>1 or FR
13. High and Dry by Radiohead (4:17)/CD

RACE DAY Musings

Forgot to mention in my last post how RACE DAY actually turned out. My cryptic email messages and in-class announcements did their job: Spinners got really excited about the day. There was a buzz around Pottruck Gym which reached new participants and my rather surprised boss. One of my Regulars even said that she'd been talking about it to her parents and was bursting with anticipation all week long. Said Regular and two others also decided to make 'costumes' for the occasion. I was completely tickled to see their "NINA IS MY HERO" jerseys. I myself bought a racing outfit (NB: I bought a triathlon outfit that would help motivate me to sign up for my first triathlon in August...I mean, if I have the duds, I HAVE to sign up, right?). My race attire matched my neon green sweatband, which I wore 80's style across my forehead. In block letters, you could easily see my "TEAM" and "MIND/BODY" catch phrases. Did I mention that I stayed up until 2AM the night before making those bands? Crafts take so much longer than you think... It was just as well the bands took me so long, I was so excited I couldn't sleep.

The hours leading up to class passed in a whirl wind. Greg had agreed to meet me an hour before class to help me set up the bikes, etc...however, the day before he had a huge exam and slept through his alarm. He did make it in time for the event, but this left me alone to move all the bikes into a square, hang streamers, and set up the cards and photos. Fortunately Cecilia and others arrived 35 minutes early to claim their spots and I was able to delegate the duties. By T-30 minutes, there was already a bulging line out the door. It was up to me to take charge, make sure people stayed outside and then pass out the right bands to the right people.

Slight difficulties arose because this wasn't a separate, official event. It was first come, first serve; so a complete Newbie could have show up and come into this situation. For my Regulars, I had specific bands that I wanted to give them. For instance, I wanted Dorsey to have the "SexyBack" band because we had worked on posture technique together. To Linds, the "Endure" band because a) she's made so much improvement since she started last year and b) she said it was her favorite of my catch phrases. Cecilia: "Breathe" because she's really into yoga...Hope: "Faith", obviously you can't have Faith (the second song) without Hope (made connection and joke during the track). Anyways, the list goes on. I had made up a list of all the people that I knew, and hoped, would come to class and what power words I associated with them. The tricky part was that I didn't know for certain who was coming. And I was hoping that no one new showed up that day and took the spot of a Regular.

I, myself, felt the same feelings and anticipatory-nerves that I'd feel before any race (and I was a little nervous about whether people would show up)--which is exactly what I was going for! The Race went off without a hitch and I made my usual corny jokes. For instance, during "Sex Bomb," which was popular during my first semester in France, I told the story of how this French guy commented, "Nina, normally you are like ice, but tonight you are on fire!" I then followed with a "Fire it up, Team!" Also, I had a real blast beating on the cowbell during "Phantom of The Opera" to signify pace changes.

*The feedback to me personally and to my boss, Katie, was so positive that Katie has agreed to make TWO OFFICIAL RACE DAYS this next semester! Now we can have a sign up sheet and a separate time just for this event! I have so many ideas already on how to make it better and run more smoothly.

In any case, the goal of this class was two-fold. A) To test how your training is going & B) To keep people excited about working out. Definitely accomplished both of those tasks. Success!

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you to all the Regulars who make planning spin classes such a delight!

RACE DAY (Spin Profile #41)

Over the course of the last semester, I pondered what makes a good spin class. And more importantly, what makes my spin class awesome?

1. Music. Connecting me and the participants to the music.

2. Well thought-out and organized profile that fits with the music.

3. Challenging. My classes are hard. I push us to only take breaks at the end of a set.

4. Sense of team. We're in this together. For me, it's not just about showing up to class, playing the profile, and then leaving. I care about the Team and if we all meet our goals (and whether or not we all make it through and feel good about ourselves afterwards).

5. Innovation leads to motivation. I keep myself and the team excited about coming to class with new ideas: new music, themes, race day, spin list serve

6. Belief in my Team. I believe that everyone can do more than they think. Sometimes we all need just one person to believe in us and push us to that next level.

Notice how I mention 'Team' several times. Last January, I was taught in my Body Pump training to think of myself more as a coach than an instructor; to think of my class as my Team. The number one aspect of college that I miss the most is my Track Team: people with whom I share common goals and who support me to achieve those goals. In following this train of thought, I realized that perhaps the students who come to my class are looking for those same things. A sense of belonging to a team that will help them feel good and challenge to the next level.

This is when I thought about doing a Race Day. As a runner, I've had many opportunities to experience the adrenaline rush and re-motivating euphoria of a race. This is what we need our spin team to experience as well! You may wonder, "Nina, you're on an indoor-stationary bike, how can you have a race?" With a little planning, creativity, competition, and just the right spin profile, you can simulate the feeling of showing up to that starting line, racing through an 'out and back' race course, and challenging yourself to your edge.

What does that mean for the indoor cyclist? Racing means (at least to me), picking a pace that is not comfortable and holding it (more or less steady). On our bikes, there is neither a heart monitor nor a pedometer...so the only way to gauge effort level is by manually checking your HR and the less-scientific approach of "How do I feel." Either way, the goal is to keep your heart rate above 80% for most of the ride (just a slight break in the middle on the "turn around").

To hype the event and add on mystery, I organized a spinning list serve with the regulars (this actually has turned out to be a great tool to connect with regulars and get song suggestions). I made sure that people knew this was coming and to mark their calendars, but I didn't really say what it meant. Unbeknownst to my spinners, I started preparing them for Race Day two months in advance with Endurance and Strength Profiles and also by slowly decreasing the number of breaks allowed. For example, we started out the semester doing sets of two songs--can take a water break at this point. Then it became after three, then four and so on. We slowly increased our overall endurance so by the time Race Day came around, we had the endurance to last through 6 (regular length) songs without a break.

It took me three weeks to narrow down the profile. I at first thought of doing only longer-than-seven-minute songs to encourage the endurance aspect...but there are not many songs that everyone can stand for seven minutes. And many of them start out with slow, guitar anthems...

I decided on five songs to take us out, one middle song to transition us for the turnaround, and then four songs (more intense pace) to take us back.

Instead of a usual profile filled with different drills, I kept it simple. It's a race after all, we want it simple and you wouldn't be doing drills or intervals in a race. So, I had two commands: Rolling and Flats. Rolling means we turn the resistance up to a 2 (aka your challenge resistance) and go out to standing-position 3. Flats means we sit down, turn the resistance down, and get on the FR cadence. That "rolling" was meant as a sprint up a hill. In terms of how fast you should be going, mostly the cadence/tempo of the song is a good indicator. For instance, Take My Hand by Simple Plan is FAST and it's near the end, so just keep up with the song.

But remember, this is a race. Every moment should be at your edge. There are only three speeds today: FAST, FASTER, and FASTEST!

Additional Surprises:

1. Set the bikes up in a square. Everyone had a partner/competitor across from them

2. Decorated with Penn-colored streamers

3. Made sweatbands for each participant. Each had one of my favorite motivational words on it (Endure, Fire It Up, SexyBack...)

4. Each bike had card on it with one of the words from the sweatband with an inspirational quote on it or technique. Participants were given sweatband upon entering and had to find their matching bike

5. Each bike also had a post card of (what I thought) was a good visualization (mountains, beach, sunsets...)

6. I brought out my cowbell (what race isn't complete without one) and used it in the second half to signify bursts of speed (Fast, Faster, Fastest)

The List:
1. I'll Be There For You by The Rembrandts (3:08)

2. Faith by George Michael (3:13)

3. Sex Bomb by Tom Jones (6:05)

4. I'd Do Anything For Love by Meatloaf (7:41)

5. Like A Prayer by Madonna (5:41)/treat this song like it's the last one. FASTEST! Break is coming in next song.

6. Take My Hand by Dido (6:43)/take the first minute to get control of breath and form...as the song picks up, so do you with some easy rolling.

7. Phantom of the Opera by Harajuku (6:21)/Back to our max intensity! (brought the cowbell out for this...bursts of all out sprints)

8. Hey Girl by O.A.R. (8:14)

9. Take My Hand by Simple Plan (3:51)/Coach ppl to go all out for the last two songs by moving at cadence or faster. This is RACE DAY! ENDURANCE AND STAMINA CHALLENGE TO THE MAX!

10. Halo/Walking On Sunshine by Glee Cast (2:05)

11. Symphony No. 9 Choral: IV. Ode To Joy by London Symphony Orchestra (3:19)