Week's BEST OF

We've had some great times this week!  And in the spirit of the mash-ups that have defined many music choices, this class profile is a mash-up of our favorite cycling training moments over the past seven days:  Power Techniques, Sprints, Climbing Walls.



Playlist (and Class Profile)
1. Beast And We All Feed It - Jake Bugg [Warm-Up]
2.  Come With Me Now - Kongos [Warm-Up]
3.  Lighting Bolt - Jake Bugg [Warm-Up/Openers]
4.   Betty Got Jacked Mashup - Loo, Placido [Power Technique and your Zeitgeist Moment Of The Day:  the strangers-kissing-for-the-first-time stills that have been all over social media the past few days? Here's the video!]
5.  Sharp-Dressed Man - Nickelback [Sprinter Hell Ya!]
6.  Barracuda (DFuse Hiratzka Mix) - Heart [Climbing Wall]
7.  Heads Will Roll (ATrak Remix/Project X Movie Music) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs [Power Technique]
8.  One For the Money - Escape the Fate [Sprinter Hell Ya!]
9.  Enjoy The Ride - Krewella [Climbing Wall]
10.  Shoot To Thrill (Iron Man) - AC/DC [Power Technique]
11.  Trouble - Neon Jungle [Sprinter Hell Ya!]
12.  Bring Me The New Little Sickness - Evanescence vs Disturbed vs Marilyn Manson [Climbing Wall]
Cooldown
13.  Happiness Has a Hole - Marie Louise, Michael Fragstein
14.  Take Me To You (Social Butterfly Soundtrack) - Rim Laurens feat. Daisy Stoloff

Fun Thought
Today is a finger-snapping kind of day!

Sprinter Hell...Ya!

I started with this name for the class:  Sprinter Hell.  Because a class focused on speed training to develop quickness and explosive power is hellish.   But in an effort to embrace it... to cultivate the craving for it... I opted for Sprinter Hell Ya! 

This is a full-gas, high velocity-level workout.  The challenge is to do various sprint-level efforts with minimal recovery, calling again and again on your anaerobic energy supply until your body is shaken to the core. I expect that after the first set you'll be feeling pretty great. And you should! But the thing about anaerobic training is that you feel it the most after the work is done.

There are three energy systems in the body (ATP-CP, Anaerobic Glycolysis and Aerobic Glycolysis), and two of them are anaerobic energy pathways (ATP-CP and Anaerobic Glycolysis). That means they function without oxygen. These are the two that we're tapping into with this workout in a major way. 

It helps to understand how the body converts energy in order to understand what's happening in your body and to improve athletic performance.

ATP-CP:  Sometimes called the V8 of the energy systems, ATP-CP stands for Adenosine Triphosphate - Creatine Phosphate.  Both ATP and CP are stored in muscle cells.  There isn't much stored, but that's okay because the importance of this energy system comes from how fast the energy is available (immediately!) not how much.  This system gives you the ability for maximum intensity over a short (10-15 second) duration before fatiguing. Our Sprinter Hell Ya! training will help develop this energy  system.

Anaerobic Glycolysis:  If ATP-CP is the V8 engine of the energy system, then consider anaerobic glycoloysis as the V6.  This system produces a lot of power, but not quite as much or as quickly as the ATP-PC system.  And because the fuel supply from this system is bigger, it doesn't conk out as quickly as the ATP-PC system.  This energy system uses carbohydrates to create ATP for energy.  Glucose is broken down to make ATP and lactic acid. Training this system is aimed at increasing tolerance to lactate, the removal of lactate and improving the rate at which glycolysis produces ATP.  Developing it is going to increase anaerobic power, local muscular endurance, speed and muscular power.


Playlist
We Will Rock You - Britney Spears, Beyonce, Pink
House vs Rock 2012
Gorky Park Electro House Rock Agosto 2012 - Nivana, Red Hot Chili Peppers
House Electro Mix 2013 (April)
Cooldown
I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones
Tous Les Même - Stromae

Class Profile
Warm-Up
:30 Sprint / 1:00 Recovery x5 [Z5/Z6 Power - that's 5-25% above Threshold (Z4) Power, 95/100 RPMs in Sprint, whatever you want in Recovery]
Full Recovery
:20 Sprint / 1:00 Recovery x5 [Z6/Z7 Power]
Full Recovery
3:00 Lead Out [Z4] / :30 Sprint [Z6/7] / 2:00 Recovery x4
Cooldown

Great Quote
...to those of you who have ever felt injustice because of who you are or who you love, tonight I stand here in front of the world with with you and for you.  - Jared Leto, Oscar Speech

Joy, Bras and Post-It Notes

Do anything, but let it produce joy.

(Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass)

Our joy today comes from knowing we're getting stronger - and, ultimately faster - with a high tension, moderate power ride.  Adding to the joy?  A hot model in a $10 million dollar bra and fun tracks from Jake Bugg, Nico Vega and Neon Jungle! 

It's a purpose-driven workout with the goal of time under tension.  And to do it, we have a progressive workout that keeps continuous tension on the legs, core and back - something that builds muscular strength and translates into future speed.  

After the warm-up, muscular endurance sets are 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 minutes (with 1-2 minute standing recoveries between).  Each minute progression in the sets is accompanied by gear progression (an additional gear with each set). RPMs are low - 65-70 RPMs throughout.  Posture is low, aerodynamic.

Whether you're using this playlist to cycle, run or lift, it's a good time to consider pushing a little harder, taking the risks that lead to bigger rewards.  Think you can't handle one more gear?  Try it.  Don't assume failure. Risk bringing yourself to the point of failure to know how much strength and endurance you really have.  Only then can you train in a way in which you'll experience improvement.

Playlist:

There’s a Beast and We All Feed It – Jake Bugg

Slumville Sunrise – Jake Bugg

My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark – Fallout Boy (feat. Taylor Swift)

The Phoenix – Fallout Boy

Going To Hell – The Pretty Reckless

Make Me Wanna Die – The Pretty Reckless

Flagpole Sitta – Harvey Danger

So So Fresh (Outlaw Country Version) – Nico Vega

Fury Oh Fury – Nico Vega

Afterlife -  Arcade Fire

FU – Miley Cyrus

NoNoNo – Pumpin Blood

Contact - ATB

Shot Me Down (Extended) – David Guetta ft. Skylar Grey

Trouble – Neon Jungle

 Cooldown

 I Know It’s Wrong – Hurray For The Riff Raff

3am (Acoustic) – Rob Thomas

From Pedal to Palate

The latest snow storm have you dreaming about summer BBQ?  Even the most culinary-challenged among us can handle two ingredients:  Salmon, BBQ Sauce.  Don't be stingy with the sauce!  Marinating is nice, but not necessary.  And if you're looking to elevate your status from chef to hero - whip up some mango salsa to go with it (mango, red pepper, onion, cilantro, jalapeno chili pepper, lemon juice, lime juice). 

Arts Highlight
"Witness Uganda" at the A.R.T. in Cambridge is one of the most stunning shows I've seen.  It's the true, honest and thought-provoking story of a young man who goes to Uganda to make a difference and then struggles with whether he's doing more harm than good.  What happens to him and how he grapples with his own ignorance about humanitarian aid work and the corruption he sees would be compelling enough, but it is accompanied by music and dancing that reaches the soul.  Broadway-bound, no doubt!

A post-it wall in the A.R.T. lobby asks theater-goers to finish this sentence:  "I Witness..."  My 6-year-old daughter Isbabelle wrote this after finding "hope, love and friends" in the performance.  That says it all.  

Unleash Your Inner Olympian

I am building a fire, and everyday I train I add more fuel.  At just the right moment, I light the match.  

Get the gas can! We're adding fuel!

This quote from two-time Olympic champion Mia Hamm is one of two favorites I’ve encountered this week.  The other is by Voltaire:  The most important decision you can make is to be in a good mood. 

Together, they’ve inspired this workout by reminding me that everyday we have a chance to internalize the most enduring qualities of an Olympian:  passion and commitment (because passion alone can't fuel a dream).  This “Sochi Sprinters” playlist/profile is designed to tap into your will to commit and desire to win...and to spark some smiles.  And although there is much to criticize socially and politically in Russia, I would like to thank the Sochi Olympics for one musical victory:  reuniting T.A.T.U.

Video highlights to the playlist include "Best Of" Winter Olympics clips, the 1980 Miracle on Ice, record-breaking ice skating performances and a skydiving Queen!

Playlist:

1.  Welcome to Sochi
2.  You are Made of Love (Original Extended) – Ferry Corsten
3.    James Bond Theme – Moby’s Extended Mix

4.   Not Gonna Get Us – T.A.T.U.
5.  Faster, Harder – Scooter
6.   Nessaja (Original and Ultimate Club Mix) - Scooter
7.   Sweet Child of Mine vs Mr. Brightside – Guns 'n Roses vs The Killers - DJs From Mars Bootleg Remix
8.  You Are the One – Shiny Toy Guns
9.  Titan - Blasterjaxx and Badd Dimes
10.   Pyres of Varanasi – Thirty Seconds to Mars
11.  Do Or Die – Thirty Seconds to Mars (followed by a little more Pyres of Varanasi)
12.  The Kids Aren’t Alright – The Offspring
Cooldown:
13.   Lyudi Invalidy (Piano Version) – T.A.T.U.
14.   Everything Will Change – Gavin DeGaw (Official Song of Team USA 2014)

Class Profile:

~10 minute Warm Up
:30 x 5 -  Zone 5/6
1 minute recovery between each of the :30 sprints
3 minute recovery following the full set
:20 x 5 – Zone 6/7
1 minute recovery between each of the :20 sprints
3 minute recovery following the full set
Lead Outs followed by Sprint 
3:00 Lead Out (Zone 4) and :30 Sprint (Zone 7) x 3
2 minute recover between each 3:30
Cooldown

This is a class designed to (1) activate the Type 2 muscle fibers; (2) teach the body how to keep calling on the anaerobic energy system; (3) train the body to better recover from anaerobic energy use.  The workout is a killer (at least it should be if you're doing it right!), and can break us during class, but it’s a challenge like this that takes us to the next level of performance. 

Keep in mind, Zone 4 is your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) - the maximum average power you can sustain for one full hour - so all of the sprints are happening above threshold.  (For example, Zone 5/6 is 5%-25% above threshold, so if your FTP is 200 watts, you’re aiming for 210-250 watts during your sprints.) There is no tension release during recovery.  Tension stays high, and your power output during recovery is decreased to below threshold by decreasing RPMs.  Sprints are done seated, standing and as a combo – I provide cues for each sprint, but also provide opportunities for participants to choose whether they’d prefer to be in or out of the saddle.  Sprint RPMs range 90-110.  Recovery RPMs range 55-70.

My dish didn't really look like this,
but since I downloaded this
random Crabmeat/Avocado Salad
pic, I thought I'd share it with you!

 Pedals to Palate:

On my way to Chicago today to speak at ABA’s Mid-year Conference, I found this superb dish at Legal Sea Foods.  Home recreation is a must!

Crabmeat lightly mixed with whole ground mustard plopped on top of half an avocado and surrounded by olive oil-drizzled cukes, tomatoes, scallions and egg.  Simple, light, healthy, delicious! 

  

Happy Birthday, Facebook

From Bono and the Brooklyn Bridge to butt-kicking Openers and Tabata training, we're finding lots of reasons to get out of bed and trek through the snow to get pedaling!  After a quick Happy Birthday to Facebook (without which we oldies would have a much harder time feeling cool), we dig in with a little two-for-Tuesday with back-to-back U2 and Depeche Mode and a head-clearing climb.



And the Playlist/Class Profile is...

Warm Up
Invisible - U2
I Will Follow - U2 (Live under Brooklyn Bridge) [One-legged drills]
Workout
Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode (Mike Shinoda Remix) [Steady Climb]
Personal Jesus - Marilyn Manson (DM Cover) [Steady Climb continues]
To Lose My Life - White Lies [Steady Climb continues]
Bring Me To Life - Evanescence [1 min Steady Climb con't then Recovery]
Zapatou Best of Web 4 [8 x :30 Openers @ RPE7]
Sail Into the Sun - Gentlemen Hall [Recovery]
Work Hard Play Hard - David Guetta (feat. Ne-Yo and Akon) [5 x :30 Openers @RPE8]
Michael Jordan - Carnage and Tony Junior [Continuation of above]
Background - Barcelona [Recovery]
Boys of  Summer - Ataris [Tabata]
Cooldown:
Say Something - A Great Big World (feat. Christina Aguillera)
Miss Mood - Novika (Satin Jackets Remix)

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. (T.S. Eliot)

Giving Thanks

Every morning my mother goes to church and prays to all nine choirs of angels. Organized in three groups of three angels each, the choirs have a hierarchy you might expect in order to get from her heart to the Big Man himself.  First are the Angels of the World that hang around us.  The Angels of the Cosmos inhabit the space between us and Heaven.  Finally, the Angels of Pure Goodness (the archangel variety) hold the highest rank and sit right next to God.

Together, they may just have worked a miracle this week with a car crash in our family that could have been devastating. Instead, we are giving enormous thanks.  And this video is all about the things I'm feeling grateful for… from family and random acts of kindness to men in skirts and a little boy's imagination.

What are you feeling grateful for today?



Playlist:
Best Day of My Life - American Authors
For The Girl - The Fratellis (video: Prancercise)
Wanna Mashup - Highway (video:  Wellfleet's Twerking Snow Bears)
Where I Belong - Nine Lashes (video:  Random Acts of Kindness)
I'm Your Sacrifice - Ozark Henry feat. Amaryllis Uitterlinden
Hope - New Politics
Wake Me Up (Avicii Cover) - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Bagpipes!!)
Holding Out for a Hero - Euro Dance Mix (video:  Luka's Imagination)
Love Me Again - John Newman (video:  Being Present for Family)
Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons
Poseidon - Sean Tyas Remix (video:  JFK's Most Inspiring Speeches)
Loud and Proud - Blasterjaxx and Billy the Kit
Cooldown:
God's Counting On Me, God's Counting on You - Pete Seeger
This Is Water - David Foster Wallace (The. Best. Speech. Ever.)

I structured the ride as a countdown... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

First 10 minutes:  Warm-Up and Standing Climb
9 minutes:  Running on Hill (15, 30, 45, 60, 45, 30, 15 second runs w/breaks in between)
8 minutes:  Seated Climb
7 minutes:  Seated Spin Ups that begin out of the saddle (again, 15, 30, 45, 60 seconds and descend)
6 minutes:  Standing Climb
5 minutes:  Running on Hill
4 minutes:  Seated Climb
3 minutes:  Spin Ups (10, 20, 30 seconds)
2 minutes:  Standing Climb
1 minute:   Running on Hill for full minute

I feel that my whole life is a contribution. 
- A quote from Pete Seeger who taught us about the power of song through his incredible music and activism.  Seeger passed away this week at the age of 94.

I Have a Dream Ride

There's a Tabata-esque quality to this I Have a Dream Ride.  Max effort happens for 3 minutes - 5 times.  Recovery in between each of the 3 minutes with a longer recovery at the end of the 5 sets.  Next effort - sustain maximum power output for 6 minutes - just once.  Final max efforts are 1 minute each - 3 times.  This is great training for the body to understand maximum efforts for varying lengths of time - knowing when you're giving too much, and appreciating when and how you can give more.   We can take some lessons from our experiences with short and long-term relationships:  Only with longevity do we understand what we are truly capable of and how much we're willing to both give and sacrifice. Only once we see the truth of ourselves today can we determine how to behave tomorrow.  If being yourself feels like a gift - keep doing what you're doing.  If being yourself feels like the greatest burden on earth - change.   If there's something else there in the middle - screw it.  Being the best we can be cannot possibly involve something as inherently mediocre as the middle. 

Lots of evidence throughout this music video of people believing in their dreams and making them come true.



PLAYLIST
Warm-Up and Workout:
1.  MLK I Have a Dream (Mix House 2011)
2.  MLK I've Been to The Mountaintop (also set to I Have a Dream Mix House 2011)
3. Bring You to Life (Transcend feat. RAS) - Steve Aoki
4.  James Bond Theme - Moby
5.  2000 - Merzo
6.  Wizard - Martin Garrix and Jay Hardway
7.  Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions
8.  Thanks for the Memories - Fallout Boy
9.  Up in the Air (Live NYC) -  Thirty Seconds to Mars
10.  Reload - Sebastian Ingrosso, Tommy Trash, John Martin
11. Castle of Glass - Linkin' Park
12. Harlem - New Politics
13.  Sweet Hell (Live) - Gin Wigmore
14.  My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark - Fallout Boy
Cooldown:
15.   We Are Going to Be Friends (Live Acoustic) - The White Stripes
16.  O Mio Babbino Caro - Holland's Got Talent's superstar 9-year-old
17.  And the Boys - Angus and Julia Stone

Have a great workout!

Zeitgeist Ride

I had a blast making this.



Warm-Up / Workout:
1.  Gov. Christie Traffic Jam (Born to Run Parody) - Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springstein
2.  James Bond Theme - Moby (set to the newst People Are Awesome vid)
3.  2000 - Merzo
4.  Wizard - Martin Garrix and Jay Hardway
5.  I Hold On - Dierks Bentley
6.   Time To Dance (Live) - The Shoes (feat. Pats comeback)
7.  I Want It (Lyric Video) - Viv and The Revival
8.  Want Dem All - Sean Paul (feat. Konshens and GoPro Drone Surfing footage)
9.  Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys
10.  American Woman - Lenny Kravitz (feat. sick snowboarding)
11. Teenage Crime - Axwell and Henrik B Remode (feat. Dubai's New Year's fireworks that took the Guinness Book record)
12.  Blow- Martin Solveig
13.  Best Day Of My Life - American Authors
Cooldown:
14.  Frozen Medley - Penatonix

Have fun!