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

Party With Me

There are all kinds of ways to motivate yourself when you've set fitness goals.  One of my favorites is to participate in group fitness classes because of the the human connections that are formed, and the shared experience of pain and triumph. In the group fitness environment, you're not only learning new techniques that will increase your fitness level, you're also meeting like-minded friends, staying accountable to yourself (and others), and working harder than you might flying solo.  And with lots of people exuding energy and enthusiasm, you're bound to have more fun.

That's why I'm dubbing this workout video "Ain't A Party Without You!"  Together - we instructors and all of us fitness seekers - are on this incredible journey together, to support one another and to believe that tomorrow we will be even better than we are today.

As is often the case with my videos, there are many zeitgeist moments here thanks to Tonight Show clips (isn't Jimmy Fallon rocking it?!), the latest baby-pandas-caught-on-tape-acting-adorable video, and just-released music from Kid Cudi, Bayside, Markus Schulz and Grouch&Eligh.



Playlist
Jimmy Kimmel, Paul Rudd Lip Sync Battle (Warm-Up)
Never Gonna Wake Up (Mashup) - Avicii and Rick Astley
Pigsty - Bayside
Love Don't Die - The Fray
Hit It - American Authors
Laila - Blue System
Turn Me On - David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj
All These Lights - The Grouch and Eligh
Return of the Moon Man - Kid Cudi
Ain't a Party Without Me - David Guetta
The Race - Thirty Seconds to Mars
Mango (Sunburn Afterparty in Goa) - Markus Schulz
Invisible (Live on Tonight Show) - U2
Cooldown
Siren's Call - Cat on Trees
Best Day of My Life (Acoustic) - American Authors

Class Profile
I used this video/playlist for an Optimized Speed Workout.  5 Sets.
First Set:  4-min at threshold (Zone 4, RPE 7, ~90RPM), 1-min power increase of 20-30 Watts (accomplish this spike in power output by going faster, increasing your tension - or both)
Second Set:  4-min at threshold (Zone 4, RPE 7, ~90RPM), 1-min power increase of 20-30 Watts
And on and on...follow this pattern throughout the class.  The 20-30 Watt increase every 5th minute will push you into Zone 5 (RPE 8).  It's a lot like a time trial workout as we do our best to have high power output throughout the class.  stay at threshold or above for the entire If you've done Functional Threshold Power Training to determine your threshold number (also referred to as Zone 4), this is where you'll start and where you'll recover. Yes, recover. It is incredibly difficult, and it can only be done with training.   There are 3 Goals for this class:  (1)  Stay Low and Narrow: Aerodynamic.  (2)  Optimize Your Leg Speed.  (3)  Train To Recover in Zone 4 (RPE 7).

This workout combines the tension and low RPMs from our muscular endurance classes with neuromuscular coordination and strength that will eventually turn into greater power production and efficiency at your goal speed.  Also important to this workout is that Zone 4/5 (RPE 7/8) training is near your Lactate Threshold.  The Lactate Threshold is the point in a workout where your aerobic respiration is replaced by anaerobic respiration - a change that is defined by an increase in lactic acid.  When you train near LT, you improve your body's ability to process lactate (i.e. get rid of the garbage that's accumulating in your body), and you teach your muscles to conserve glycogen and glucose fuel sources.  Upshot?  It'll take you longer to poop out, and you'll get faster at higher power outputs.  Now that sounds like a plan!

Thought of the Day
That's something that I think is growing on me as I get older:  happy endings.  - Alice Munro, Pulitzer Prize Winner in Literature (2013)

Cycling Sans Frontieres

I scoured the music charts from around the globe to share sounds and sights that will make you feel no boundaries!



Playlist

Unbelievers - Vampire Weekend (#1 BethMurphyLand)
Sirens Call - Cat on Trees (#2 France)
Come Back to Me - HollySiz (#131 France)
Zorun Ne Sevgilim - Irem Derici (#9 Turkey)
Red Lights - Tiesto (#10 Norway)
Black Pearl (He's a Pirate) - Rebel feat. Sidney Housen (#5 Belgium)
Shot Me Down - David Guetta ft. Skylar Grey (#6 Luxembourg)
Jubel - Klingadne (#3 Italy)
Alpha - Kollegah (#3 Germany)
King - Ahzee (#2 Belgium)
Black Angels - Blutengel (#10 BethMurphyLand All Time Spin Fave)
Sacala - Daddy Yanke (#15 BethMurphyLand All Time Spin Fave)
Engel - Divamee (#11 BethMurphyLand All Time Spin Fave)
Cooldown
Formidable - Stromae (#7 France)
Stolen Dance - Milky Chance (#7 Switzerland)

This is a Climbing Wall Progressive Profile Class:

10-min Warm-Up
3-min Climb (Z3, 5% Gradient, RPE 7, RPM 80-90)
1-min Wall - ADD 3 Gears (:30 standing, :30 seated)
4-min Climb - 1 Gear higher than 3-min climb - (Z3+, RPE 8, RPM 80-90)
1:30 Wall - ADD 3 Gears (:45 standing, :45 seated)
5-min Climb (1 Gear higher than 4-min climb)
2-min Wall - ADD 3 Gears (1:00 standing, 1:00 seated)
Recovery
3 Sprints @ :30 each with :30 Recovery
4-min Climb (if possible, 1 Gear higher than 5-min Climb)
1:30 Wall - ADD 1, 2 or 3 Gears (:45 standing, :45 seated)
3-min Climb (highest gear can handle without dipping below 60RPMs)
1-min Wall - ADD if you can (:30 standing, :30 seated)
Recovery
2 Sprints @:30 each with :30 Recovery
Cooldown

Bikes to Books
My February Vacation reading list was dominated by some phenomenal memoirs!  I'll rate the reads here:

1.  Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  I can't imagine my life without having read this book. An absolutely astonishing story of triumph against all odds.  A ten.

2.  Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  Exceptional.  I laughed, I cried, I loved Strayed's story and the physical and emotional journey she takes us on after her mother dies. A ten plus.

3.  The Splendid Things We Planned by Blake Bailey.  Excellent.  I loved Bailey as a biographer before, and even more so here as he turns his attention to his own dysfunctional family. An eight.

4.  Low Down:  Junk, Jazz and Other Fairy Tales From Childhood by A.J. Albany.  Decent read, but not high on the recommendation list.  I just have a fundamental problem with someone claiming to vividly recall events - and the nuances of those events - at the age of 3. Maybe that's why the word "fairytale" is in the title - and it is as disturbing as a gruesome Grimms'.  It also suffered from having been read after Glass Castle which was exquisitely written. A five.

5.  One non-memoir read:  The Moons of Jupiter by Alice Munro. I hadn't read any Munro before this year, but was inspired to because of her 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature win.  Her short stories are beautifully thought-provoking. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.  A seven.

Thought For The Day
Even a toad has four ounces of strength. (Chinese Proverb)

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.  

FTP Test Day!

It’s supposed to be hard. If it weren’t hard, everyone would do it.  The hard is what makes it great.   - Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own

I love FTP Test Day!    

*Note: We are using Keiser Bikes with power meters

Testing Functional Threshold Power (FTP)  on a regular basis - once every 6 weeks or so - is the ideal way to see how your passion for cycling  is translating into progress.  Knowing your FPT – and improving it -  is hands down one of the most important things you can incorporate into your training. 

During an FTP Test Day, the question you are trying to answer is this:  How much power can I exert for a full hour without reaching fatigue?   To get the answer we don’t do a 60-minute time trial (you could, but it doesn’t rate high on the fun scale!).  Instead, during our hour-long class we do two proxy tests of 10 minutes each and then subtract 5-8% to approximate FTP.  (There are lots of different profiles, and another favorite of mine is a 20-minute test.)  

While RPMs and gear will vary person-to-person, there are some guidelines to consider:  pace of 90 RPMs, gear somewhere between 15 and 21.  What should not vary person-to-person is your Rate of Perceived Exertion.  On a scale of 1-10, you should feel an exertion level of 8 or 9.  For. The. Entire. Time.  Anything more, you’ll conk out too quickly; anything less, and you’re not working hard enough. As with most things in life, it's tough to find balance, but by about 3 minutes into the test, you should have a good sense of whether you’ve come out too strong or not strong enough.  This is a good timetable for judging most things because it yields that perfect mix of adrenaline and angst. 

FTP is also sometimes called Lactate Threshold Power (LTP), because it’s the most power – watts – we can throw out without the muscles succumbing to the exhaustion that happens when lactate builds up during high intensity efforts.  The more fit you are, the better you’re able to clear the toxins (lactates), and, therefore, the better able you are to match your energy supply to your energy demands.

There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to determining your FTP.  The key is to know yours, so you have a baseline for improving your fitness level. You’re working hard, and this is a concrete number that says, “Hell ya! All this pain is worth it!”  Even gains that seem modest (an FTP increase of 3-5 Watts from one test to another) is excellent because that seemingly small watt increase gives us incredible gains over time.

This FTP Test Day Playlist pulls from trending YouTube videos and 80s Rock to an Olympic Science Lesson and Hollywood Blockbuster.

• 1 Mother Son Epic Wedding Dance (Warm Up)
• 2.     Get Lucky – Russian Army Choir (Warm Up)
• 3.     In My Dreams – Dokken (Warm Up)
• 4.     Paradise City – Guns ‘n Roses (Openers 3 x :30 with 1:00 recovery between each)
• 5.     Dreams – Van Halen (10 minute FTP Time Trial begins)
• 6.     Run To The Hills (Live in Rio) – Iron Maiden (TT continues)
• 7.     Blame It On The Boom Boom – Cherry Stone (TT ends during)
• 8.     If I Ever Leave This World Alive – Flogging Molly (Recovery)
• 9.     Wake Me Up (Avicii Cover) – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Recovery)
• 10. ASAP Science “Can Music Improve Athletic Performance” (Recovery)
• 11. Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) – Scatman John (2^nd 10 minute FTP TT Begins)
• 12. Panic Switch – Silversun Pickups (TT continues)
• 13.  Palladio – Escala (TT ends during)
• 14.   Hotel California – TQ (Cooldown)
• 15.   Happy – Pharrell Williams (Cooldown)
  
  You rock.

Up, Down, Uppandown

Say hello to this morning's Uppandown Climb Profile! After the Warm-Up, we head right into our climbs.  Bastille starts us off with a standing climb (RPE 4) followed by alternating seated and standing climbs for the remainder of the workout.  Rate of Perceived Exertion and Watts climb consistently, as we increase our gears with every standing climb and don't back off when we drop back into the saddle.   Song #14 is the final standing climb, and I encourage you to have a standing-only resistance level going for this one.  At various points during the workout, we rev up our power with some timed short speed bursts. 

Lots of new-and-never-before-played-in-class on this list...



Warm-Up
1. When It Ends It Starts Again - ATB feat. Sean Ryan
Workout
2.  The Silence - Bastille (RPE 4)
3.  Background - Barcelona (RPE 5)
4.  All the Way - Timeflies (RPE 5)
5.  Land of Opportunity - A Great Big World (Day 19 Performance) (RPE 6)
6.  Surrender - Nine Lashes (RPE 6)
7.  Hot For Teacher - Van Halen (RPE 7)
8.  Don't Stop Levels - Avicii feat. Journey (Levels Bangers Max-Mix) (RPE 7)
9.  Shakin' - Eddy Money (RPE 8)
10.  Alibi - Thirty Seconds to Mars (RPE 8)
11.  Do or Die - Thirty Seconds to Mars (RPE 9)
12.  Loud and Proud - Blasterjaxx and Billy the Kit (RPE 9)
13.  House of Gold - Twenty One Pilots (RPE 10)
14.  Everyone is Gay - A Great Big World (RPE 10)
Cooldown
15.  Love is to Die - Warpaint
16.  Remurdered - Mogwai

If you imagine it, you can achieve it.  If you can dream it, you can become it. (William Arthur Ward)

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!