What Hit Me?!

Workout
1.  There's a Beast and We All Feed It - Jake Bugg
2.  Slumville Sunrise - Jake Bugg
3.  My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark - Fall Out Boy (Live Victoria Secret)
4.  The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy (Live Victoria Secret)
5.  Rebel Yell - Scooter
6.  Hotel California - Eagles (Nextasy Remix)
7.   And We Run -  Within Temptation
8.  Dangerous - Within Temptation
9.  Pumpin Blood - NONONO
10. So So Fresh - Nico Vega
11.  Going to Hell - Pretty Reckless
12.  Give Me Hope - New Politics
13.  Make Me Wanna Die - Pretty Reckless
14.  I Am Electric - Heaven's Basement
15.  Trouble - Neon Jungle
16.  All The Boulevard Storytime She Said - Nightwish vs Greenday vs Katy Perry vs TATU
Cooldown
17.  Word Crimes - Weird Al
18  Billie Jean (Live) - Aloe Blacc

The Heart in Heartbreak Hill

A workout in honor of the upcoming Boston Marathon.  To all those who lost their lives...all those who survived... and all those who are stronger today than they were yesterday.  It's about reflection and motivation.  As filmmaker J.J. Miller reminded the nation in #WeWillRun, Boston is "a city built by rebels."  And, today, at our core, this is still who we are.

The workout is Heartbreak Hill after Heartbreak Hill - with some particularly heartbreaking and heroic video hitting at minute 20 as marathon victims return to the finish line.




Love you, Boston!

Mash-Up Madness

Oh this is a fun one!  In all my 25 years of teaching and training, this is one of the playlists I've enjoyed the most.  So much so that I used it twice in as many weeks - with two different class profiles. Every song is a mash-up and It. Is. Madness!

Playlist
1.  Stayin' Hot - Nelly vs Bee Gees
2.  Timber Counting Stars - Ke$sha vs One Republic
3.  Where Have You Been Judas - Rihanna vs Lady Gaga
4.  Careless Rebel - George Michael vs Billy Idol
5.  Can't Hold The Fire Starters - Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Prodigy, Talking Heads
6.  Sweet Dreams Without Me - Eminem vs Eurythmics
7.  Livin'  La Vida - Coldplay vs Bon Jovi
8.  Time For Our Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men vs Imagine Dragons
9.  The Gang Bang Theory - Madoona vs Nancy Sinatra Kill Bill
10  Lady Judas - Lady Gaga vs Judas Priest
11. Germany The Rock Harmony - Avicii, Awolnation, System of a Down, Fifth Harmony
12.  All the Boulevard Storytime She Said - Nightwish, Greenday, Katy Perry, TATU
Cooldown:
13.  Fat Bottomed Girls Come Together - Beatles vs Queen
14.  Shake The Scientist - Florence & The Machine vs Coldplay

Class Profile
My favorite profile with this playlist is a Power Technique Class.   This workout gets progressively harder, and challenges us to maximize our power while pedaling as efficiently as possible.  Knowing how to activate different muscles at different times is a helpful and powerful skill that this class will help you refine.


Five Sets of Five Techniques: 
1.  Shoe Scraper.  This pedal stroke activates the butt cheeks, glutes and hamstrings for more climbing power and cycling speed.
2.  Knee Thruster (or Thurster as I saw fit to spell it in the video open).  Unlike the Shoe Scraper that activates the back side of the body, the Knee Thruster does the opposite.  This pedal stroke is all about putting the front of the body to the test - the hip flexors, quads and tibialis muscles.
3.  Scissor Kick. Combo of Shoe Scraper and Knee Thruster. While one leg does one pedal stroke, the other leg does the other.  Then switch.
4.  Wagon Wheel.  Big Daddy of the pedal techniques.  Full stimulation of all the muscles simultaneously.
5.  Hover.   Standing version of the Wagon Wheel.  Ouch!

Techniques are done in order for one minute each.  Each set is 6 minutes (because the Scissor Kick is done for two minutes - one minute with L Shoe Scraper, R Knee Thruster, one minute with R Shoe Scraper, L Knee Thruster). After the 5 sets, I cherry pick my favorite techniques for varying amounts of time with varying tension/speed.  Sets progress in power output by adding tension (1 gear for each set) while maintaining a cadence range of 85-95RPMs.

Pedal to Palate
One of my favorite things about class is our healthy recipe swapping!  Ever tried Greek yogurt french toast?, William asks innocently on his way out of class.  Stop right there! Couldn't be easier:  For the egg/milk dip, just replace some milk with Greek yogurt.  On the plate you've got a creamier, sweeter breakfast - that gives you a little protein boost to boot! 

Great Quote!
Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.
- H.G. Wells

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.

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.

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)

Seeking Redemption

This is the Redeemer Ride.  It's inspired by two of my favorite news stories of the week:  lighting striking the middle finger of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, and a nun giving birth to a baby boy in Italy. Catholic guilt followed the laughs these stories provided, and seeking redemption seemed the right way to go! 

The workout consists of doing a series of 3 challenging things (Spin Ups, Steep Climb, Attacks).  This series is repeated 4 times with the goal of increasing Watts (power output) each step in the series. Workout begins with a 2 song warm-up lasting about 7 minutes.   The opening video - the brilliant and newest Bad Lip Reading video - helps get the smiles going!  I use body weight as an indicator for tracking Watts.  Having the goal of reaching, maintaining, and exceeding your body weight in Watts works well for most intermediate indoor riders. 



The playlist is...

Warm-Up
1.  Bad Lip Reading NFL (hilarious) Set to Armin Van Buuren's Save My Night (Seated Flat)
2.  I Hold On - Dierks Bentley (Standing Flat)
Workout
3.  Big City Nights - Scorpions (Spin Ups)
4.  Pompeii - Bastille (Big Climb)
5.  Yo No Se - Pajama Party (Attacks)
First Set Complete
6.  We Will Rock You - Queen/Tiesto Remix (Spin Ups)
7.  There Goes Our Love Again - White Lies (Big Climb)
8.  Papaoutai - Stromae (Attacks)
Second Set Complete
9.  Ways to Go - Grouplove (Spin Ups)
10.  Lady - Chromatics (Big Climb)
11.  Stronger - Kayne West (Attacks)
Third Set Complete
12.  Hope - New Politics (Spin Ups)
13.  Black Betty - Ram Jam (Big Climb)
14.  My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark - Fallout Boy (Attacks)
Final Set Done
Cooldown
15.  Your Bones - Of Monsters and Men
16.  My Head is a Jungle - Wankelmut





An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head. (Emil Zatopek)

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!

Blood Sweat and Beards

After 3 weeks on the road, it is FUN to be back!  There was so much new material I wanted to pack into the new video playlist this morning, and I think we managed to prove the indestructibility of music and motivation.

Workout:

1. City of Angels - 30 Seconds to Mars

2. Daft Punk Medley - Pentatonix

3. Get Loose - Showtek Noiscontrollers (Tiesto Remix)

4. Cross the Line - Superchick

5. Bring You To Life (w/Richard Simmons) - Steve Aoki

6. Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men

7. Hopeless Wanderer - Mumford and Sons

8. In Your Eyes - Inna feat. Yadl

9. Hey Brother - Avicii

10. Papaoutai - Stromae

11. Daydreaming - Paramore

12. 2013 Red Sox Blood Sweat and Beards

Cooldown:

13. Stonehenge - Ylvis (because it's hilarious)

14. Do You Remember - Ane Brun

For Instructors:

Because City of Angels is such a long song it serves as both the warm-up and the first seated climb in a profile that is 4 sets of Seated, Standing, Standing.  We track Watts throughout with varying goals for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders.

1. Warm-up and Seated Climb

2. Standing Climb

3. Standing Climb

4. Seated Sprints

5. Standing Flat into hill

6. Standing Run

7.  Seated speed bursts (not full sprints)

8.  Standing Climb (alter intensity)

9.  Standing Climb (alter intensity)

10.  Seated (consistent 120rpm)

11. Standing Climb 

12. Standing Run (10, 20, 30, 20, 10 second bursts)

Hopeless Wanderer

I'm not scared of climbing mountains. I'm scared I can't make them move. - Lucy Spraggan

Warm Up / Workout:

Wrecking Ball - Mumford and Sons / Miley Cyrus

James Brown Is Dead - L.A. Style (as someone once told me - every playlist can be spiced up with this one)

Kiss With A Fist - Florence and the Machine (live on KEXP)

Thunderstruck - AC/DC

I Miss The Misery - Halestorm

Rods and Cones - Blue Man Group

Count on Me - Chase and Status

Because the Night - Bruce Springfield (Live in London)

That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings (Live)

Hopeless Wanderer - Mumford and Sons (Most amazing video as Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Ed Helms and Wll Forte play the parts of Mumford and Sons for this spoof video - LOVE)

Cooldown:

Fire In The Water - Feist

Gimme Your Love - Morcheeba

Mountains - Lucy Spraggan

For Instructors:

Sequence of:  Climb (seated and standing), Jumps, Seated Speed Bursts culminating with full sprints for Hopeless Wanderer). First climb on James Brown Is Dead.

Get Motivated With A New Playlist

I don't normally use playlists twice, but couldn't help myself with this one!  High energy, high intensity for turbo classes at Fitness Company and Rocky's!  We kept it "simple"(!):    Climb, Sprint, Climb, Sprint...until a double climb through tracks 9 and 10.  It's nearly 7 hours later, and the endorphins are still flying!

Workout:
Rest of My Life (feat. Usher & David Guetta) - Ludacris
Amazing Grace - Dropkick Murphys
Sin Ti (I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (feat. Pitbull & Beatriz Luengo)
Run Boy Run - Woodkid
Smile?  - The Crystal Method
Seven Bridges - Scooter
Galvanize - The Chemical Brothers
The Boys of Summer - The Ataris
Reagan's Skeleton - Yeasayer (my new favorite song!)
Ridin' (Explicit Version, of course) - Chamillionaire, Krayzie Bone
Eye of the Tiger - Eye of the Tiger

Cooldown/Stretch:
How - Regina Spektor
All I Want Is You - U2
Sunday Afternoon - Rachel Yamagata