New year, still killin' the playlist game!

So many great songs played throughout this month.  And since I knew I would be getting new riders (hey you, New Years Resolutioners!), I really wanted to ensure the classes were really on point with the playlists.

I have tons of regular clients now and several of them are opening up by giving suggestions + feedback on what they like + what gets them motivated.  Which is really helping me become consistent with the music selection.

Theme rides for January included: Drake Vs. Future (finally!! I felt like I talked about it forEVER), Justin Vs Selena, New Years Ride (cuz duh), Best of 2017, some FitRadio rides (do you want to see/read about those?) and finished it off with a Grammy's Ride.

I have some great themes planned for February that includes Calvin Harris Ride, Ricky Martin Vs Enrique, + a Bollywood theme.  Stay tuned for more on those later!

Say Something - Zack Samuel Remix - Karen Harding

Keeping the Sunday Funday rides in full effect.  I really love this song!

I used this as jumps but easily could be used for a Rolling hill or tap backs.

We kept it on a nice, flat road 3 or 4 out of 10 RPE (rate of perceived exertion) with a little bit of resistance at a comfortable pace (talk test - able to hold that conversation with your neighbor).

We changed positions from the saddle (position 1) up to position 2 to out to position 3 while picking up the pace a bit.  We added on resistance for the second half of the song while picking up the pace.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5QifrqmnjHzdOuBAheeeNU?si=H95nrN2qRbuLFaMlnyYRDg

Don't Stop Dancing with EDX  - Kascade

Time for Jumps!

Get that nice moderate resistance with a little bit faster than a comfortable pace on the bike, 4, 5, or 6 out of 10 RPE.

First round, 1-2 jumps (standing up to position 2 and then back to the saddle) followed by a 15-second push on the flat road.

Second round, jumping out to position 3 then back to the saddle followed by another 20-second push.

The third round of jumps, switching position 2 to position 3 followed by the final 20-second push to finish the song off strong!

https://open.spotify.com/track/0AgvrK7bAN573Q7KHswdbN?si=pJmPnD-XRQCjyXqykTBOBA

Slick Watts - Blue Scholars

Final flat road sprint to the finish line.

This is for all the marbles. The whole class was just a warm-up for this final song.  It is time to give everything you have left.

You are on that flat road at a 3 or 4 out of 10 on your resistance.  Comfortable pace to recover before the sprint starts.  Building up the sprint duration in a pyramid style with a 1:1 work to rest ratio.

The first sprint is for 20 seconds followed by a 20-second recovery at the comfortable pace.  I challenged the riders to play with resistance by adding on for each sprint set, but totally up to how they were feeling.

The second sprint was the longest of the day at 40 seconds on and 40 seconds off.  I remind the class to "stay focused".

The third and final sprint is back down to the 20-second full-out sprint to the finish line.  The class felt accomplished by the end!

https://open.spotify.com/track/7MvhTLaPfX8Bzj4AF8Zu8F?si=ihw8GQE6R6mOhzT-9g0KQQ

Don't Want It (feat Sayyi) - Brenmar, Sayyi

I used this as the first climb of the ride.  Just a great beat that really sets the tone for the rest of the ride.

We are still warming everything up with this first hill climb, so I always start the first climb off easy at a 6 or 7 out of 10 RPE.

I usually alternate from the saddle to out in third position for 30 seconds and add-on resistance after 60-90 seconds.  The key here is to keep the class focusing on that good form to really get everything ready for the rest of the ride.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5P07XTC4J9MEyUmffxKc4y?si=VtyP4tMGS9Wfdjip12aR1A

Original Don - Major Lazer, The Partysquad

Such a cool song that has a great beat to get you up that hill.  A little heavier climb, starting off at a 7 or 8 out of 10 RPE.

When the beat changed (about 60 seconds into the climb), we went out to position 3 for about 40 seconds then picked up the pace out in position 3 for 15 seconds before slowing down the pace while saying in position 3.

We began to climb again in position 3 before hitting that saddle about 30 seconds while maintaining that resistance.  We dropped that resistance to a flat road (3 or 4 RPE) to recover for 30 seconds before adding that resistance back on (and maybe 1 higher than before) and holding it until the end of the song.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0xzK5pRGE41sZyRcMESzTO?si=bFS4jC1IRISn5XoJaPDhzQ

Make It Reign - Original Mix - Halograms

Flat road fun alternating push/sprint times with that 1:1 work to rest ratio at a 4, 5, or 6 RPE, using that pyramid idea again.

First sprint up is for a 15-second push.  Short and sweet. Followed by 15-second recovery.

The second one up is for 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off.

Dropping it back down to that 15 second before finishing it off with a 45-second sprint.

You earned that nice recovery after this one!

https://open.spotify.com/track/1M7ojZPMj1hoZfILxc9ttf?si=2XsgzceEQjyJojQ9uge4Zw

Cold Water - Afrojack Remix - Major Lazer, Justin Bieber, M∅

This was from the Justin Vs Selena Ride.  I love a good Afrojack remix!

I used this as the second part of a back to back hill.  This second hill started off a little heavier than the first Rolling hill climb.  I had the riders bring up their resistance to a 7 out of 10 on their RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and to meet me out in 3 (third position).

We alternated out in 3 for 30 seconds then dropped it to the saddle (position 1) for 60 seconds.  Then added on resistance before going back out to 3.

You were fighting to get to the top of the hill by the end (being at a 9 out 10 RPE) before dropping to the saddle back to the flat road to recover before the next song.  The key is focusing on that good form while maintaining the heavier resistance build.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2cZLzOZgVEv0YXXwOmh54A?si=yUwmDMn7QquQ9meymLrjMg

I'm LIVING for my playlists from January, still.  Many of the songs were my JAMS back in the day + it probably why I still can't get enough!

Are you loving this post?  Check out my other song favorites here.

What were you jamming out to in January?  Leave me a comment below!

See ya in the saddle,

Hallie