TGIF and a spin ride!

Happy Friday!

This has felt like the longest week ever!  Work wise I have a few things to take care of today but I need to get them done ASAP since I'm spent.  My motivation is gone for the week!

Here's a neat little spin related video
It's a commercial for something but it's in French so I have no clue what it's for.

After all my comments the other day about my Thursday night class, I was very pleased to have a great turn out and some decent energy.  The guy who teaches the class before me (happens to be a friend of mine) but he said "this place is dead, I only had 13 people, your class is going to be empty".  Is it bad that I got some satisfaction out of him being wrong?

I threw together a new spin ride, going in to class a bit unsure as to how it would fare.  It was very straightforward and I was worried that the riders would be bored.  Well, I can't speak exactly for the riders, but I loved it!  It was go-go-go for the entire hour.

I found this ride on pedal-on but like to think my execution made it a bit more "Jessica-style".

Without further ado....here it is...

Having just typed this up, I realize that it looks pretty confusing and complex.  It's not that bad, but it does require a timer or stopwatch of some sort.

It's essentially a pyramid or a ladder.  You do the same movements every time, but the length of each movement changes.  The first round is :30 seconds.  There are 6 "moves" so that comes out to 3 minutes.  The end of every segment has a :30 surge (pick up) which stays at :30 regardless of the segment time.

I tried to match the music to the duration as best as possible but sometimes it didn't work, therefore you have to adjust a bit.  If the song was longer than the segment I let them use the extra as a brief recovery before hitting the next hill.  In all cases I coached them that the first part of each segment (on the flat) could be used as a recovery if needed.

Resistance is added for each movement (except the surge).  I played around with the variations here and just how heavy the hill ended up being.

I'm teaching my 45 minute class on Saturday and am going to try to shorten it a bit. I will let you know the modifications that I make.

Enjoy and happy riding!

Monday and a spin ride

Happy Monday!

I can't speak for everyone, but it's HOT here.  Tomorrow is supposed to be even worse, so I'm quite content in my air conditioned office in an office building with covered parking. :)

Since I'm sure you were on the edge of your seat about what I wore to the wedding, I'll tell you that I went with the strapless one.  While I love them both, the strapless was more timeless (and more than half the price of the other), so it seemed like a logical decision.

It was an exhausting weekend and while I'm not happy that I'm back at work, I'm OK with a new week starting.

Tonight I'm subbing a class and am excited to get a class in early in the week.  Plus, I'm hoping it can help me get more people to come to my Thursday class.  So of course I had to tweak a 45 minute ride.  I used the ride that I rode on Saturday.  It was an existing ride but I made some adjustments to the music.  I'm going to post both with the songs to cut out for a 45 in red.

I'm once again posting it as an image file.  For those of you who view my spin rides, is this better or worse than me typing out the play list?  Let me know. :)

OK, back to work, but I'll be back in a bit with a question for my spinners. 

Later gator!

Ready Steady 60

As promised, here's my latest 60 minute spin ride.
I'm pretty sure I've already posted the 45 minute version, but I'm not sure.

Since I needed to make a cuing sheet for this ride, I just took a screen shot of the file and will insert it as an image.  Hopefully you're able to read it without issue.

This is the ride I'm known for.  Or rather, my use of Ready Steady Go is what people know.

As usual, happy spinning!

Spin wit me

That's so me!  I love working out in leotards.

After two years of teaching only 45 minute spin classes, it's been a little involved to transition to a 60 minute class.  Or rather, it's been involved to transition my music to 60 minutes.

Don Juan said "just add three more songs in and you're done".  Yes.  In theory it is that simple.  In actuality, it's way more involved since my rides already flow.  Messing with a flow can get messy.

Last Wednesday (I think) I spent several hours putting together a new 60 minute ride that built on an existing ride.  Then for my Saturday class I knocked out a few songs and took it back to a 45.  I'm going to post the 60 but call out which songs I took out for the 45.

I called this a greatest hits ride as it pulled a few elements from past rides, including the lovely Hill Repeats from Annette.

So here we go....

Who Dat Girl - Flo Rida featuring Akon - 3:20
Warm up

Sweet Child of Mine - Guns N' Roses - 5:56
First set of hill repeats.  Climb for 5 minutes, then flat road/downhill for the final 0:56.  I usually do 2 minutes in the saddle, 1 in standing 2, and the final 2 in 3.  I also play around with when I add resistance making sure not to go past an 8/10.  (wow, lots of numbers in this description)

Dance Dance - Fallout Boys - 3:00
Same hill as the last song, but pick up the pace and ride it in 3 minutes.  Same movements and resistance, just faster legs.

Crazy - Gnarles Barkley - 2:59 (omit from 45 minute version)
Let's recover a bit.  Once you start to feel ready, pick up the pace and add a small amount of resistance.

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Michael Jackson - 6:02 (omit from 45 minute version)
Hill repeat #2.  Once again, climb for 5 and then flat/downhill for the final minute.  For this one I started with a 5/10, got it up to an 8/10 mid way, stayed there for a minute, and then progressed back down to 7, 6, 5.  This way they had no excuse to not pick up the pace on the 3 minute version.

Amazing - Seal - 3:02 (omit from 45 minute version)
And again, mimic the last hill but with more speed.

Animal - Neon Trees - 3:32
Short recovery right in to sprints.  if you're not ready, sit out the first one and join in when you are.  Sprints on the chorus, there are 3 of them.

Float On - Modest Mouse - 3:30
Time to jump!  We're jumping for the next two songs. Take up to a minute to get them ready, load up to a 5/10 moderate hill and then get started.  I mix it up between 8, 6, and 4 counts to keep things interesting.

Gettin' Over You - David Guetta - 3:06
Continue with the jumps.

City of Blinding Lights - U2 - 5:50
Last hill repeat.  Climb for 5, downhill/recover for :50.  I was doing this climb in the saddle, adding resistance every minute or so.

Magic - B.o.B. featuring Rivers Cuomo - 3:16
Repeat the hill above, staying in the saddle.  However for the final minute I do encourage them to get out of the saddle to really pick up the pace.

oops, don't have the song title - The Jackson 5 - 3:06 (omit from 45 minute version)
Recover.  Again, start to pick up the pace as you feel ready.

Bring Back the Funk - Krafty Kuts - 3:14
Final hill (it's not a hill repeat).  Climbing in the saddle, nice pace, 5/10, add every minute or so ending around a 7/10.

Moves Like Lady Jagger - Maroon 5 and Christina vs Modjo - 4:44
Let's finish this hill.  Transition to a standing climb.  I pick up the pace on the chorus and then have them jump (4 count) on the Lady verses.  Feel free to improvise but just end heavy and fast.  :)

For some reason, the hill repeats kill me.  Then again, every ride has been kicking my butt lately.  But this one does a great job of really bringing my heart rate way up.

Enjoy!!

Spin with me...

I've noticed that on this blog, whenever I say I'm going to do something within a certain time frame, I pretty much never do.  Sorry about that.

In an attempt to make good, here's the spin ride I used on Saturday and Monday.

In keeping with the boring and often times illogical names, this one is...

November 10-5 (i'm posting it as an image file, so hopefully this works)

The only songs i'm not loving at the moment are "Don't Stop Believin" and that might just be because I'm sick of it, and "Sexy Chick" for the same reason.  Maybe for November 10-6 I'll replace them.

Spin Ride!! Don't Back Down

This ride was taken from a ride entitled Don’t Back Off on pedal-on.com. The concept is that you load up the hill and then resist the urge to back off the resistance as you sprint and continue to climb.


It was a tough ride but it went over well. This version is 60 minutes.

I’ll fill in the song lengths later.


Tonight – Enrique Iglesias featuring Ludacris
Warm up

Rhythm Nation – Janet Jackson
Starting our climb, adding resistance every minute or so, ending the song at about an 8/10 and coming out of the saddle. A nice solid/heavy hill. Difficult but do-able.

Raise Your Glass – P!nk
Staying on this 8/10 hill, let’s do 30 second sprints. First two back in the saddle, third staying out at 3.

Monster – Lady Gaga
Still on the hill, alternate 1 minute seated with 1 minute standing

Hey Baby – Pitbull
Continue the pattern from the previous song. Make sure riders didn’t magically lose their hill. Encourage them that if at any time it feels like it got easier to add resistance back on.

You Look Better When I’m Drunk – The White Tie Affair
Silly song, but good for sprints. Last song on this hill, 3 30 second sprints. Mix up whether you take them in the saddle or out at 3.

Cantaloop – Not sure of the artist
Recover. Whole song recovery, as breathing normalizes and HR come down, play around with cadence on the flat.

Walk This Way – Aerosmith and Run DMC
Take 2 on the hill. Back to building the resistance up to an 8/10. I told my class they could try for a 9 if they wanted.

Push – Cat deLuna and Akon
30 second sprints again. In the saddle, out at 3 or at 2. Your call, but there are 3 of them.

Quixote – Bond
Back to the 1 minute seated/1 minute standing combo.

Open Your Eyes – David Guetta featuring Stereo MCs
Continue the 1 minute intervals.

If I can’t Have You – Kelly Clarkson
Final set of sprints on the hill. Usually the seated ones are the hardest so I’ll do the first two out at 3 and the last in the saddle.

The Pretender – Foo Fighters
Take it to a flat and pick up the pace. All out sprints on the chorus. Final sprint goes to the end of the song.

Congrats, you're done!

Scared spinless!



Source

 As promised, I put together a Halloween ride.  I know I'm a bit late with my timing, but without further ado, here is what I came up with.

Scared Spinless

Highway to Hell, AC/DC - 3:28
Let's warm up.

Phantom of the Opera Remix (unknown source) - 6:29
Let's hit that hill hard!  First hill, high energy.  Starting moderate/heavy, only getting heavy.  I haven't done it yet, but I might mix some jumps in there if the music dictates it.  Play around, but keep it hard!

Tales from the Crypt, Theme - 1:27
Recover

Superstitious, Stevie Wonder - 4:29
Let's find a moderate hill and then jump.  Six counts to start, maybe mixing it up at the end.

Beautiful Moster, Neyo - 4:11 and Screams (sound effects) - 0:34
Add some more resistance and stay in the saddle the whole time.  Let's really start to feel that hill as we progress.

Ghostbusters, Ray Parker Jr. - 4:00
Take it out of the saddle and let's mix up our movements.  Starting at 2 (jog), then 3, then back to the saddle, and keep repeating.

Adams Family, Theme - 1:24
Recover

Sympathy for the Devil, Rolling Stones - 6:19
Out of the saddle, let's climb.  Starting at a 6 or 7 out of 10 and then getting a bit heavier as the hill progresses.  Try to keep those legs at a nice pace.

Devil Went Down to Georgia, the Charlie Daniels Band - 3:36
Take some of that resistance off, but not all of it, and let's sprint.

Munsters, Theme - 2:54
Add some resistance and let's start that final hill.  Moderate and quick to start.

Thriller, Michael Jackson - 5:57
How could a Halloween ride not have this song?  Let's finish up our hill, playing around with resistance (always getting heavier) as well as positions.  Ending heavy and hard!

Monster, Lady Gaga - 4:10
Cool down.

Great work!  Have a happy and safe halloween!

Gimme some spin music! OK, here it is

I desperately need some new rides.  What I have been doing is modifying older rides by just mixing some new music in, but I'm realizing I need some completely brand new rides.  My goal is to bang out at least one this week.  Fingers crossed!

That said, here's another ride.  As usual, creatively named Jessica 1 (you can see my numbers are definitely not used in order).

Ray of Light - Madonna - 5:21
Warm up.  This is a longer warm up so towards the end I'll try to get the heart rate up a bit more than usual.

Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin - 8:00
Climb, climb, climb.  The beginning of this song is a bit slower than I'd like, but it seems to work anyway.  Come out of the saddle right at the beginning and stay there for the whole 8 minutes.  Starting at about a 6/10 to be sure that your hill warrants being out of the saddle.  Add as desired, ending heavy.

Animal - Neon Trees - 3:32
Love this song!  Recover/sprint.  Sprint on the chorus', 3 times.

Gettin' Over You - David Guetta - 3:06
Time to climb again.  Mix up in the saddle with running.  Play off the song.

Breathe In (or maybe Machinehead) - Bush - 4:16
Keep climbing, take it to the top.  Out of the saddle, ending heavy.

Tainted Love - Soft Cell - 2:39
Recover

Do It - Nelly Furtado - 3:29
Climb, 5/10 to start, adding every minute.  On the rap, jump for counts of 4 or 6.

One More Time - Daft Punk - 5:21
Still climbing, let's take this whole song out of the saddle ending heavy.
My original thought with this song was that I'd have them add resistance every time he says "one more time".  I told this idea to my class, but also told them I realized it would be cruel.  One "show-off" decided she'd try it anyway, she must have added resistance at least 15 times. :)

The Way I Are - Timbaland - 2:59
Let's back the resistance off to moderate and jump!  Jump for the whole song, 6 counts.

Here it Goes Again - OK Go - 3:00
Straight from the jumps to climbing.  Keep the resistance where it's at and add every minute, in the saddle.  Get that hill nice and heavy.  Make those legs want out.  One more song to go.

Requiem - Metallica - 2:59
Nice heavy instrumental to end our heavy hill with.  Out of the saddle, add add add.

Seasons of Love - Rent - 3:05
And recover!  Nice work.

Saturday spin sesh (on Monday)

I really did have the intent to post this on Saturday, so without further ado, here it is.

Special thanks to Annette for her hill repeats.  Love them!  This ride is a mix of a few different things, but the hill repeats do play a prominent role.

A few things about this and most of my rides. My classes are typically 45 minutes long. If you do a 60 minute class, in this case you can just add another hill.  But unless otherwise specified, my classes are 45 minutes including the warm up (not including the cool down). 

Also, I ventured into some unknown territory here, the world of Glee.  So far I haven't gotten much of a response about it, so I say that that's a good thing and I'll keep them in the ride for now.  They're just recovery songs so in my opinion they're not quite as important as some of the other songs.




Get What You Give - New Radicals - 3:54
Warm up

Sweet Child of Mine - Guns N' Roses - 5:56
First hill, 5 minute version.
2 minutes seated, 1 minute standing, 2 minutes seated, followed by 1 minute flat/downhill.
Adding resistance every minute or so, starting with a moderate hill (about a 5 out of 10).

Dance Dance - Fall Our Boy - 3:00
First hill, 3 minute version.  This is the same hill we just climbed but we have to do it in (considerably) less time.  Go go go!
1 minute seated, 1 minute standing, 1 minute seated.  Adding resistance every 45 seconds or so, with the goal of keeping the resistance the same as it was on the 5 minute version.

Halo/Walking On Sunshine - Glee - 2:06
Recover and get ready for hill #2

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Michael Jackson - 6:02
Second hill, 5 minutes up.
I use this as my spur of the moment hill, meaning that I don't plan out what I'll do until class starts.  This morning I did 2 standing, 1 seated, 2 standing.  Then back to the flat road for 1 minute downhill.

Amazing - Seal - 3:02
Second hill, 3 minute version.
Once again, mimic the 5 minute version, but pick up the pace and squeeze it in in 3 minutes.

Sweet Caroline - Glee - 2:00
Recover before our last repeat

City of Blinding Lights - U2 - 5:50
Third (and final) hill.  Seated 2 minutes, run 1 minute, standing climb 2 minutes.  Again, starting at 5/10 and adding resistance as desired.

Magic - B.o.B. (feat Rivers Cuomo) - 3:16
Final 3 minute version.  Seated 1 minute, running 1 minute, standing 1 minute.  Keep that pace up!  We should be nice and out of breath by the end.

Animal - Neon Trees - 3:32
Short (I said short) recovery on the flat and then right in to sprints.  First one is at :45, second at 1:38, third from 2:36 to the end of the song.  Use the chorus as your guide for when to sprint.

Take It Off - Ke$ha - 3:35
Love Is Gone - David Guetta and Chris Willis - 3:21
Final two songs are tough.  Let's do some jumps.  Counts of 8-4-2.  Recover quickly, add moderate resistance and start with one minute of 8 counts, followed by one minute of 4, then one minute of 2.  You may need to adjust the duration a bit, but the plan is to jump for at least 6 minutes.  Good news is, once this is done, the work is over.

Crazy - K-Ci & JoJo - 3:40
Cool down!!!!


Thoughts?  Comments?  Questions?  If you have any good ride ideas or just songs you'd like to see added (or are currently loving), drop me a comment.

Happy Spinning!!!

Spin Ride Saturday

Since I initially started this blog with the intent of posting spin rides and have been slacking, I'm going to work on fixing that.

The plan...Spin Ride Saturdays.

This one is called Summer Spin...me and my creative names.  Ha!  I have both a 45 and 60 minute version for this one so I'll include both. 

45 Minute

Beautiful Day, U2 - 4:08
Warm up

Hot in Here, Nelly - 3:50
Seated climb, the fun begins.  Don't let it get too heavy, there's still a bunch of climbing to come.

California Gurlz, Katie Perry feat. Snoop - 3:54
Come out to standing 2 for a run.  On the chorus come out to three for speed bursts.  Then back to the run, and so on.

Summertime - Will Smith - 4:30
Back to a seated climb.  At this point we're starting to feel that hill getting a little heavy.  Don't max out, still 2 more songs to go.

Summerlove - Justin Timberlake - 4:13
Alternate 30 seconds in the saddle with 30 seconds out in 3.  Add resistance as you wish but remember there's still one more climbing song to go, so let's not try to kill our riders. :)

Heat of the Moment, Asia - 3:52
Standing climb, let's finish up this hill.  Picking up the pace on the chorus, very heavy in the end.

I Get Around, Beach Boys - 2:15
Recover

Sweat (A La La La La Long), Inner Circle - 3:45
Light climb, jumping (6 or 4 counts) on the chorus.  Add a little resistance throughout to be sure that everyone feels a moderate hill by the end of the song.

Sandstorm, Darude - 3:45
There are two one minute sprints on a hill on this song.  The first starts at :29 the second is 2:29 (i think).  It's nearly impossible to go slow to this song, it just breeds energy.  Remember, it's a sprint, but it's seated on a hill so the legs shouldn't look out of control.

Cruel Summer, Bananarama - 3:26
Don't touch the resistance from the previous song.  Climbing, your choice as to the saddle/standing mix up.

Panama, Van Halen - 3:32
Final song.  Big hill.  Out in 3, adding resistance to get to a heavy hill.  If I'm sensing good energy I'll make them go from standing 3 to the saddle for 5 counts each.  Mix it up, have fun, but make them work as it's the last song.

Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffett - 4:10
Cool down

Now here's the 60 minute version, use the same beginning including Cruel Summer, then skip Panama and use the following songs.

Summer Rain, ATB - 4:23
Heavy climb, ideally out of the saddle.  Play with pace and resistance.

All Summer Long, Kid Rock - 4:59
Recover.  This is a long song so I usually have those that feel up for it put a light road on and pick up their pace to a slightly uncomfortable level.

Good Vibrations, Marky Mark - 4:30
Seated climb, moderate hill.  Adding some resistance throughout but try to keep it moderate/heavy.

Boys of Summer, the Ataris - 4:18
Moderate hill still, sprinting against the resistance on the chorus.  Feel free to add as the song progresses, thus challenging them further on each sprint.

Panama, Van Halen - 3:32
Heavy hill, just like in the 45 minute version.  Last effort.

Margaritaville
Cool down

While the summer is definitely on it's way out, it might be fun to do a themed ride in February or March, maybe even buying some leis or something silly like that.  Just an idea.

Happy spinning!

Spin Ride ☺

As a side note, if you're looking for other spin rides, just click on the spin related labels on the right.

I made this one last week, I like it because it's a good mix of some newer songs with some remixes of older songs.  I might make some minor tweaks going forward, but here it is as it stands right now.

Let's Get It Started - Black Eyed Peas - 3:48
Warm up song - get the blood flowing, heart rate up a bit.  Moving from seated flat to standing run with light resistance, out to three, back to two.  Mix it up a bit.

Waiting For Tonight - Jennifer Lopez - 4:04
Let's start out climb.  Starting out moderate, in the saddle.  Adding some resistance every minute.  Aiming to maintain the pace even as resistance gets heavier.

DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (clean) - Usher featuring Pitbull - 3:42
Still climbing that hill.  In the saddle, come out to three on the chorus.  Each time we return to the saddle let's add a bit more resistance.

Riders on the Storm - Creed - 6:19
This is a longer song so let's start it in the saddle.  The hill is heavy so I remind the class that this song is about endurance, it's not a race.  Slow and steady.  Still adding every minute or so.  About 2-3 minutes in I'll transition them out to a standing climb in 3 to finish the hill.  It's gets HEAVY.

If I Had You - Adam Lambert - 3:48
Take it to the saddle and back the resistance off half way, leaving a moderate hill.  We're going to sprint.  Three 30 second sprints.  First sprint is on a moderate hill.  Second is on a light hill.  Third is anywhere between a light hill and a flat road.  The first two chorus breaks are each 30 seconds, the last is about 45 and goes to the end of the song.

Bootylicious - Destiny's Child - 3:28
Start off recovering.  Mandatory 1-2 minute recovery then an active recovery as we start up our hill.  The next few songs follow the same pattern as the first four.
Moderate resistance, in the saddle climbing.

Naturally - Selena Gomez & the Scene - 3:07
Hill is moderate to heavy.  Coming out of the saddle on the chorus, picking up the pace and energy for 30 seconds, then back to the saddle, add some more resistance and repeat on the next chorus.

Bad Company - Five Finger Death Punch - 4:23
Let's make that hill heavy and take the whole song out of the saddle.  Adding resistance as desired.

Don't Trust Me (Clean) - 3OH!3 - 3:14
Once again, back to a moderate hill and three sprints.  First on a moderate hill, then light hill, then flat.  Taking off on the chorus, 30,30, then about 45, to the end of the song.

Breakeven - The Script - 4:21
Recover about 2 minutes and then climbing in the saddle.
Moderate hill to start, add as desired.

I Made It (Cash Money Heroes) (Clean) - Kevin Rudolf, Birdman,  Jay Sean & Lil Wayne - 4:10
Final song.  I tell the class that they've almost "made it".  Hill gets heavier fast.  I usually have them add on every 30s-1min, for the final minute I ask them to dig deep and pick up the pace.  For the final 30 I ask them to hold on to that pace and add a little resistance.

Amazing - Seal - 3:02
Cool down!!  Well deserved.


Enjoy this one, I think it's fun.

Happy Friday! (and a spin ride)

HAPPY FRIDAY!  So glad the weekend is almost here.  I have two friends coming in to town tomorrow for a little pool party.  Should be great!

On the To Do list for today...
Clean!
Supermarket (maybe)
Gym

The emphasis is on the cleaning.  I am pretty much the farthest thing from Mr. Clean that you'll ever meet.  An ex of mine said that the cleaning gene is something you either have or you don't...let's just say I DON'T.  When this same ex moved in to his own place (ages ago) he asked me what kind of vacuum he should get and I told him I didn't understand why he even needed a vacuum.  Oops!  Just so you know, I do now own a vacuum and have for years.

Any tricks for making cleaning more bearable?  I'm thinking music and maybe open windows (although it's probably hot as hell here).

As promised, here's a better late than never Spin ride that I was rocking last week.  It has some more recent music so I'm not sure how it will age, but we'll see.

Ride Like the Wind - Remix - 4:00 (not sure of artist)
Warm up

Dynamite - Taio Cruz - 3:23
Seated climb, starting out moderate, let's get the party started.  Add resistance every minute or so.

Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran - 3:26
Let's take that same hill out of the saddle and get it heavy.

Na de Na - Angel y Kriz - 3:22
Back to the saddle, back off half of the resistance, settling somewhere moderate and get ready for jumps.  6 counts and then 4 counts for the last minute.

If I Can't Have You - Kelly Clarkson - 3:40
Flat road, recover and then do sprints on the chorus.

Nothing on You - B.O.B. - 3:41
Seated climb, going back up.

Holiday - Green Day - 3:53
Standing climb, getting heavy.  Picking up the pace on the chorus.

Beds Are Burning - Novaspace - 3:23
Nice fast remix.  Once again, back the resistance down to moderate and jump. 

Love Sex Magic - Justin Timberlake and Cierra - 3:42
Flat road, recover.  If/when riders are ready, they can pick up their pace.  As the song nears the end, let's start to add resistance a little at a time to prepare for our next hill.

Runaway - Bon Jovi - 3:53
Run/climb combo.  Start out in a run (standing 2), transition between there and standing 3.  Adding resistance after the completion of a set.

Shut Up and Drive - Rihanna - 3:33
Sprints!  On the chorus, there are 3 of them, each about 30 seconds.
First sprint is on the same hill we just came off of, second sprint at half resistance, third is on the flat.  So each time those legs are able to move faster.

Ready Steady Go - Paul Oakenfeld (I think) - 4:15
This is my KILLER song.  Take it out to a climb in 3, starting moderate.  Every time they say "ready steady go" I instruct the class to pick up their pace (as close to a sprint as possible) and do a 10 second breakaway.  I count and tell them when to slow down.  There are a couple of natural breaks in the song during which I prompt the class to add resistance.  By the end of this song we are spent and out of breath but feeling great!

Cool down!! (not sure of my music)

Please do me a favor and have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!  Thanks :)

Spin Ride - Waterfall

Happy Tuesday!

Today I thought i'd share my Waterfall ride with you.  As I've mentioned before, this ride is based upon an actual bike ride that I took in Costa Rica.  It has a lot of consistent climbing with an occasional break.  I don't plan out every minute/second, so my ride description may be a bit more vague, but I will give you an idea of what I usually do.

This is a picture of me at the top of the long climb up, looking sweaty and as unphotogenic as possible, but I was so happy to have made it to the top.

This is what we were riding towards.  Of course, in order to be able to see the waterfall up close, we then had to climb down about 400+ steps, which meant once we were done playing in the water we had to climb back up those same steps to get to our bikes.  Quite the leg work out!

Enough of the background information, here's the ride.

Jessica Costa Rica Waterfall Ride

Bootylicious - Destiny's Child - 3:27

Warm up, mix it up, get the blood flowing, heart rate up a bit.

Tamacun - Rodrigo y Gabriel - 3:26

Fast flat, this is the easy part of the ride.  We're excited to be on the bike, quick pace, low resistance.  Riding on local, paved roads.  Adding a little resistance on towards the end of the song.

Floor on Fire - Lil' Jon featuring Pitbull - 4:18

Jumps, either 6 or 4 counts, or a mix of the two.  We hit some really uneven terrain here, the road wasn't paved and there were lots of holes, bumps, and mud.  I try to do almost the whole song with the jumps.

Foreplay - Boston - 7:47

Oye Como Va - Carlos Santana - 4:18

The Look - Roxette - 3:57

Climbing.  Foreplay is a nice long song, perfect for the start of the climb. The next few songs are all climbing, I instruct the class to start at about a 5/10 (moderate hill) and tell them that that is as light as we'll go.

I vary the resistance with 1 minute of heavy climbing mixed in every now and then.  The terrain was a consistent climb, with the incline varying, but always climbing.  Mix up in the saddle and out.

Sun is Shining - Bob Marley vs. Funkstar - 3:54

Quick flat.  It was cloudy most of the trip, but the sun just came out, we're happy to be on a flat and so we're picking up our pace and flying.  Start to add resistance towards the end.

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy - (artist unknown) - 3:25

I Like It - Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull - 3:52

Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand - 3:57

Back to the climbing, similar to the first set, minimum of a moderate hill with heavy spurts mixed in.  Play around with cadence and seated/standing.  End heavy.

Rock That Body - Black Eyed Peas - 4:29

Have them take off some of the resistance, keeping the hill around moderate and it's time for jumps.  These jumps are in honor of the 400 steps down/up.  Go right to the end of the song, possibly changing from 6 counts to 4 at the end.  Work those legs!

Faena - Gipsy Kings - 3:27

Cooldown!!

This ride got some good reviews, lots of climbing and really trusting the class to work.  Hope it's helpful!

Happy Spinning!