by Christine Hawthorne | May 27, 2017 | Instructor Training, Music
Here are two new songs that will have your riders sprinting like they mean it. Sprinting songs are sometimes the hardest to find, so you will definitely want to tuck these away and keep them to use time after time.
If you're looking for a shorter original or a faster, longer remix, Scooter has you covered with their new release Bora! Bora! Bora! Try the original or the extended version.
Bora! Bora! Bora! by Scooter iTunes link
Sprints at :47 (25 seconds); 1:42 (25 seconds) and 2:37 (30 seconds)
Bora! Bora! Bora! Extended Mix by Scooter iTunes Link
Sprints at 1:08 (25 seconds); 2:03 (25 seconds) and 3:25 (30 seconds)
Or try this new release from Goldfinger called Put The Knife Away. It's fast paced and perfect for intense efforts.
Put The Knife Away by Goldfinger iTunes link
Sprints are 30 seconds on/ 30 seconds off.
by Christine Hawthorne | May 20, 2017 | Instructor Training, Music
Your class will love these two new releases for climbing. The first is a seated, heavy climb and the second is more of a fun standing climb. Try them both out and treat your riders to some great new music!
Dig Down is Muse's newest release. Tune into the lyrics here. I love what lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy had to say about them:
“When I was writing this song, I was looking to counteract the current negativity in the world and give inspiration, optimism and hope to people to fight for the causes they believe in; that as individuals we can choose to change the world if we want to.”
Your riders will definitely want to Dig Down deep to find the power to make it to the top of this steep seated climb at 67 rpm.
Dig Down by Muse iTunes link
If you like to use house music in your classes, you'll dig Katy Perry's new single Swish Swish. (62 rpm) *Lyrics are explicit on this one, so you may need to edit at :06, 2:32 and 3:08.
Swish Swish by Katy Perry-Nicky Minaj iTunes link
by Christine Hawthorne | May 16, 2017 | Instructor Training
This week I’m sharing two songs with you. The first is an older tune that I use every year to mark the end of summer. Well, not officially the end of summer, but the time when those of us that are teachers or have kids in school get back into the swing of things. It’s always a bittersweet time of year for me because I do enjoy having my summers off, but I also see this time of year as a new start, much like January first is to some people.
This is actually a cover of the very popular song by Don Henley, Boys of Summer. This version is by The Ataris and is a bit more ‘cycle friendly’ than the original. It lends itself very well to what I call ‘accelerations’. You may call them ‘sprints’ or ‘surges’. Here’s how I use it:
Seated flat road with accelerations on the chorus @ :45 (for 20 seconds); 1:45 (20 seconds) and 3:17 (20 seconds).
Here it is in iTunes!
*Fun Fact: The Ataris version replaced the ‘Deadhead sticker’ reference with a ‘Black Flag’ sticker in honor of the 80’s punk band.
*You may also want to check out the DJ Sammy version, available on both Spotify and iTunes.
The second song I’m sharing with you in hopes that someone is able to use it in their club, gym or studio. I recently saw this one performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and fell in love with the sound, but because I teach at a YMCA, I’m not sure that the lyrics are entirely appropriate. Here’s hoping some of you can use it in your classes because it’s just a great tune! Leave a comment and let me know if or how you’ve used it!
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats — S.O.B.
Here it is in iTunes!
Originally posted 2015-08-28 06:00:21.
by Christine Hawthorne | May 13, 2017 | Instructor Training, Music
Check out the new remixes of Cake by Flo-Rida and 99 Percent if you're looking for a faster-than-the-original version of the feel-good track that will rock your next class. The original version is fun, but pretty slow. Luckily, these new remixes have been released recently and both of them come with a beat that won't quit.
Cake Tokyo Mo Remix iTunes link (62 rpm)
Cake (Jay Mac & Kameo Remix) iTunes link (63 rpm)
by Christine Hawthorne | May 10, 2017 | Instructor Training
Here I am with the newest member of our family, Quincy.
For those of you that don’t know me already, I’m an indoor cycling instructor, a music enthusiast, and I blog about my cycling music finds and profiles over at Chrispins. I’ve been teaching cycling (and blogging) for over 7 years and I love sharing music and playlists with other instructors.
I know that sometimes you’re just looking for that one song that will fit into your profile. Or maybe you’re in a music rut and you need something fresh and fun to motivate you and your riders. Well, I’m here to help with that. Every Friday, I’ll be posting at least one great tune that you can incorporate into your next ride along with a description of how I’ve used it. I’ll even occasionally be sharing some of my latest playlists here too along with links to both Spotify and Apple Music. So check back each week for some inspiration to add to your next playlist!
This week I’m sharing with you something old, and something new.
I love it when I hear a song that I haven’t heard in a while and I remember just how much I loved it. This is one I haven’t used in a few years, but as soon as I heard it again, I knew it needed to make a comeback. And it just goes to show you that you can find music inspiration just about anywhere. I was listening to an orchestra play in a local park on a beautiful summer evening with my family and this is one of the tunes they played. I immediately picked up my phone and typed in a reminder to find a way to use it in my next playlist. If you haven’t used instrumental music in your playlists before, you must try it out. I promise that you and your riders will not be disappointed. Many great instrumental tracks can be found on movie soundtracks. This one comes from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Click here for the iTunes link.
Here’s how we rode to it:
:00-:42 Seated flat (we kept it easy here because we needed a little recovery from the previous song, but if you’d rather use the :42 seconds as a climb, that would work too).
:42-seated fast flat road 1:47-standing climb 2:30-standing acceleration
2:48-seated climb
4:20-standing heavy climb
5:10-standing acceleration to the finish
*The instrumentals end at 6:05 and then there is about 40 seconds of applause following. You can cut that part out, but I like to tell my riders to revel in the well deserved applause and take a short recovery.
I’m always looking for a mix of different genres for my classes so I try to add in at least one newer song into each playlist. One of my favorite new artists is George Ezra and I love his song Budapest, but I wanted to explore his music a little more and I found that this one is great to use for a seated flat road at around 94 RPM’s. (Sorry, this one does not seem to be available on iTunes.)
I hope you enjoy both of these songs and find a way to use them in your classes! Feel free to comment on how you used these songs or share your current favorites!
Originally posted 2015-08-07 05:00:14.
