Hello Music fans...
So, I gave in and just started using Ping on iTunes. I will be posting playlists there much more regularly than I write here, but that doesn't mean I will stop rambling or talking profiles. Look for me: jennifer ellwood.
Happy Spinning!!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Music Gods (and Goddesses)
 |
| Old Bikes, New Year |
It's been that kind of New Year...the good kind...fresh new energy, I'm starting a new job at a new studio and the music has been raining down on me. It's funny how that happens. Finding new, inspiring music can be very time consuming, especially when life is as busy as mine. But, once I open the gate and start looking around, it seems to roll my way. So, today's post is just a list...some are songs (new and old) that I've been using in class lately and some I just like, but am not sure if I'll ride to them. I'm hopping off the bike and posting those anyway, because I believe a song might not be something you or I would use in class, but another one on the album might be, or it might just lead into something else...The rest are great (also "Off the Bike") albums that are on personal rotation on my iPod. Oh, and I have to give credit for some of these to fellow bloggers, Facebook friends, real-life friends, and my sister, who just started teaching and is going to be a kick-ass instructor. Ride on.
Little Lion Man/Mumford & Sons (explicit version)
Albums:
The Black Keys/Brothers (thank you for putting sex(y) back into music)
Mumford & Sons/Sigh No More (thank you for being smart, deep and unique)
G. Love/Lemonade (older, but sooo my groove right now)
Ke$ha/Animal + Cannibal ("hello, my name is Jen and I am a Ke$ha fan"
...took me a long time to admit it)
...took me a long time to admit it)
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Year-End Blizzard
As I type, the East Coast is getting slammed by our first winter storm and it's a nasty one. On Long Island, we are experiencing blizzard conditions, high winds and, possibly, 20 inches of snow. The gym just cancelled my morning class and, while I'll miss the Monday Morning energy, I am grateful that I have a warm home in which to wait this one out.
As usual, my end of the year post finds me reflective and, in all honesty, I am
I also end this year with an increased awareness in how we are all connected and how we continually inspire each other. Yes, I am an instructor and bring a certain professional knowledge into the room, both through teaching and my other fitness activities. However, I wouldn't be able to do that unless someone encouraged me, showed me a new possibility, or was simply brave enough to allow me to see their vulnerabilities. I sometimes find inspiration by reading a blog post, an article or a book, taking a class with a great instructor, watching a race, or having a conversation that offers me a new perspective. However, it always arrives from simply looking out at the students in the room while I am teaching, watching them discover something about themselves that they may not know existed or they have lost along the way. It's magic.
So, while I have challenged myself, personally, in the coming year, I also challenge you to jump out of the box with me. Leave the limits you have imposed on yourself behind and lock the lid. How often do you say "no" to opportunities and why? How often do you tell yourself, "oh, that couldn't/wouldn't be me?" When my classes are full and we have turned students away (people I know who would take full advantage of a ride), I often say to those who are in the room, "you got a bike today...now use it." It's the same thing with life...take advantage of it, have an adventure! I promise you that you won't regret it and you will absolutely be an inspiration to someone else, someone who changed their life because they saw you do it.
If you've read this far, or simply scrolled down, awesome, because I'm posting 2 playlists. The first one is (kind of) a "holiday/winter" themed ride. The second one is my yearly challenge to ride to iTunes top selling songs of the year. Note...these are not necessarily the best (or my favorite...those would be Mumford & Sons and The Black Keys) songs of the year. This is just something fun to mix it up....
With that, I gladly close the blog book on this year. I wish you readers, students and instructors an amazing 2011. May your journey be full of more great experiences, fun and adventure than you though possible...all because you said "yes."
HOLIDAY 2010
Sunchyme/Dario G. (Warm-Up)
Christmas Baby/G. Love
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Rattle & Hum Version)/U2
Hazy Shade of Winter/The Bangles
Snow (Hey Oh)/Red Hot Chili Peppers
Joy to the World/Three Dog Night
Let the Sunshine/Milk & Sugar
Holiday (Faded Ending)/Green Day
Chasing Cars (Exclusive Live Acoustic Version)/Snow Patrol
Vacation/Go-Go's
New Year's Day (Vocal Extended Mix - Ferry Corsten Remix)/U2
Allegretto/Bond
Winter/Joshua Radin (Cool-down)
Song For A Winter's Night/Sarah McLachlan
COUNTDOWN 2010
(taught to intervals)
#16 Baby/Justin Bieber & Ludacris (warm-up)
#15 Billionaire (feat. Bruno Mars)/Travie McCoy
#14 Your Love Is My Drug/Ke$ha
#13 Nothin' On You (feat. Bruno Mars)/B.o.B
#12 I Like It (feat. Pitbull)/Enrique Iglesias
#11 Imma Be/Black Eyed Peas
#10 Not Afraid/Eminem
#8 Tik Tok/Ke$ha
#7 Break Your Heart (feat. Ludacris)/Taio Cruz
#6 OMG (feat. will.i.am)/Usher
#5 Dynamite/Taio Cruz
#4 Airplanes (feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore)/B.o.B
#3 Love the Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna)/Eminem
#2 California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)/Katy Perry
#1 Hey, Soul Sister/Train
#9 Need You Now/Lady Antebellum (cool-down)
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
It's Time to Burn the Turkey
Burn it off that is. Well, it's actually everything else that goes with it that we really need to work off, no? No time for guilt. My wish for you is that you get to spend the day wrapped up in love...not much else matters.
I had a blissed-out moment while teaching today. You know the kind. I was partially into my second class in a row, with sweat running off my forearms, the class was in a groove, the music was pumping in perfect rhythm and everything just flowed...easy...effortless. It was clearly an "in the zone" experience, causing a big smile to cross my face, one of those that makes the students wonder what the (bleep) is wrong with me, but that's okay, I like it that way. Today, I am grateful for experiencing that moment, not just the details, but the feeling of it, the way all of life is supposed to feel.
So, in tradition, it's my 90-minute, day after Thanksgiving playlist. Most of the mash-ups can be found here, at Bootie. Enjoy your moments.
1. Unwritten (Johnny Vicious Club Mix)/Natasha Bedingfield
2. Summertime Stylo (DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince x Gorillaz)/Mashed by Dave
Wrangler
3. The Time (Dirty Bit)/The Black Eyed Peas
4. Animal/Neon Trees
5. Straight To... Number One (Duck's Radio Mix)/Touch & Go
6. Tighten Up/The Black Keys
7. Stereo Love/Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina
8. Love Butterfly (Lady Gaga vs. Crazy Town)/ Mashed by DAW-GUN
9. Letting Go (Dutty Love) [feat. Nicki Minaj]/Sean Kingston
10.Tell Me Baby (Rhythm Scholar Club Mix)/Red Hot Chili Peppers
11. Where The Streets Can't Handle Me (Flo Rida ft. David Guetta vs. U2) /Mashed
by DJs From Mars
12. Just Say Yes/Snow Patrol
13. Raise Your Glass/P!nk
14. Celeshake (Ying Yang Twins feat. Pitbull vs. Kool & the Gang)
15. Little Lion Man/Mumford & Sons
16. Love The Way You Lie in Paradise City (Eminem ft. Rihanna vs. Guns N'
Roses)/Mashed by DJs From Mars
17. American Pie/Don Maclean
18. Peaceful Easy Feeling/The Eagles
19. Love, Peace and Freedom / Sita Ram/David Newman
p.s. It's a really long profile to write out. I'll say, briefly, that I am teaching #3, 14 and 16 as stand-alone climbs, #6-8 is a 3-part climb, and #10-11 are 3 rolling hills (my term for short hills, with short sections and short flats in-between them). Everything else is varied flats, including some steady. #12 is definitely recovery, at the hour mark. #17 is all flat, building to the finish line.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Buzz
Okay, so I'll admit that there is a small piece of me that hates fitness trends. As in other areas of my life, I kind of stay on the outskirts and observe before I jump headfirst on to the newest "bandwagon." I guess I'm a minimalist, but I just can't see myself swinging from straps in the ceiling...at least not in the Spin room. I also have a hard time imagining interrupting the flow of a ride, to which I am so addicted, to pink up tiny pink hand weights and do some upper-body work. My intention, here, is not to stir up this debate and I fully understand the reasons these things are done. I just can't shake that little voice inside that keeps saying, "Just get on the bike and RIDE, already."
Then again, if it wasn't for jumping into this trend called "Spinning®," taking my first class sometime in 1996 (and, more importantly, giving it a second chance), I would not be writing this right now. I would not have had the opportunity to watch myself and student after student grow in body, mind and spirit, just by hopping on a stationary bike and taking a class with that "crazy/scary girl with the bandanna" (that would be me). Some people mistake (in a good way) my smile while they are struggling as a sick joy I get from people's pain. It is quite the opposite. I don't enjoy seeing someone suffer. What I enjoy is that I know I am about to witness them break through a personal barrier and learn something brand new about themselves. It is a beautiful thing. Seriously.
So, when the Real Ryder® (moving) bikes started rolling into the area, I kind of held back and waited to see where the trend was headed. It would take some effort for me to get to a class and I was happy in my own comfort zone. Yes, I said it. Those of you who know me know I speak and write often about comfort zones and the importance of pushing beyond them. We, instructors, also get stuck in our little boxes and sometimes need a little help for those edges to be blurred. But, it was inevitable...Real Ryders® came to me. A studio is going to open in the same building as a (mostly) personal training gym where I have been teaching for years, barely holding on to a skeletal schedule. The owners took my class and I was soon offered a spot on their schedule.
I figured I'd better get my butt on one of these bikes if I was going to teach on them, so I took a class. Admittedly, I was worried. I really, really, really did not want to suck at it and be frustrated. I had heard strong students say how hard they are. I knew I needed to take off my Spinning® "hat" and just be open to the experience. While it was slightly awkward at first, I was hooked within a few minutes. My instructor brain shifted into high gear, and I thought about all of the fun and challenging things I'd be able to add into a ride.
As with all new things, the studio, Hot Ryde, has created quite a buzz in the neighborhood. We were trained on the bikes this week and it's hard to wait to teach while the studio is completed. It feels great to have some new energy coming in and to have expanded my own boundaries a little bit more. Now I just can't wait to share it.
Today's ride is another example of my leaving a comfort zone behind. It's not the type of ride I usually teach and I can't take credit for it, but I'm going to post it anyway. Another instructor shared it with me during a drought in my creativity. We don't teach exactly the same, so, while we share music, it's the rare profile that crosses over. But, he was raving about this one and I was looking to change it up, so I gave it a shot. Admittedly, it works really well and it's sooo simple. It is my philosophy that you really don't need all the gimmicks in the room to have an effective class. Almost everyone has a love/hate relationship with it, especially while they are riding it. However, they also feel really accomplished when it is over. For many students, it will challenge them mentally more than anything else, and good coaching on the part of the instructor is key, otherwise, you're gonna' lose them....
"Crazy 8's"
1. Warm it up
2. 8 minute seated flat: 4 minutes to hold a nice strong pace (however you want to cue it). I usually use RPE and tell them to pick a number around 8/8.5. Then, 4 minutes to push the seated flat, taking the tempo up, taking the gear up, whatever it takes to get their work effort to the next level. They don't slow down, they hold this new tempo for the entire second 4 minutes.
3. 8 minute hill climb: Any position...today is about work effort. Same drill as the flat: 4 minutes to hold, 4 minutes to push, position changes as much as desired.
4. Do the above #2 and #3 2 more times, for a total of 3 flats and 3 hills. Finish line is at the top of the 3rd climb.
All of the core songs are also "about" 8 minutes long:
1. Wonderful (Dave Audé's Nu Romantic Mixshow)/Annie Lennox (warm-up)
2. The Drums (Mix 1)/Basic J
3. Hold On (BT Mix)/Sarah McLachlan
4. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Dirty South Full Mix)/U2
5. Halo (Dave Audé Club Remix)/Beyoncé
6. Beautiful Day (Quincey & Sonance Mix)/U2
7. Love Generation (Featuring Gary Pine)/Bob Sinclar & Gary Pine
8. Lullaby/Shawn Mullins
9. Wash Away (Reprise)/Joe Purdy
Monday, October 11, 2010
Dani California
I often get asked if I start planning my rides with the music or the profile first. Honestly, it's a bit of a split, but heavily weighted on the side of the profile. I really think about what and how the students have ridden lately and where our training needs to go. Only one facility where I teach requires me to do a certain type of "training" each class. Everywhere else, it's all by my planning. However, I do like to keep us on some sort of a program, even if it's loosely designed, and I keep track of every class I've taught.
Not today. Today's ride started with the music, and it was a collaboration. I wish I could take 100% credit, because it works so well. We did not use exactly the same songs or profile, and each of us brings our own personality to the ride. I would hope the same holds true for those who borrow ideas from this blog. It's great if you want to use the exact ride I put out there, but I think it's even better if you get an idea and then turn it into your own.
So, we are riding to just 3 bands: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, and the Rolling Stones. They come in blocks, and this creates a nice flow, same type of sounds and rhythms, that change before it gets boring. I love this one and plan to try it with other groups that work well together. It's obviously heavy on the rock and roll, which lends itself to using resistance and really getting down and dirty, into the legs to do the work.
1. Soul To Squeeze/The Red Hot Chili Peppers (warm-up)
Get ready...
2. Cabron/Red Hot Chili Peppers
Seated flat road. Every 30 seconds, push the pace, hold for 30 and then drop back for 30. Repeat through end of song. We should be more than warmed up, HR is up and those little drops of sweat are forming on our forearms...
3. Dani California/Red Hot Chili Peppers
First hill, out of the saddle, into a standing climb. Breakaway at the chorus (3x), add a gear when each breakaway is over, then hold steady to the top. Now we're breathing, now our bodies have gotten the message that we are here to work.
4. Snow (Hey Oh)/Red Hot Chili Peppers
Seated flat. Set the gear at a good strong flat road pace (80%), then leave it alone. This song is 5:35 minutes and each minute we are going to increase our cadence until the last minute is an all out breakaway. Anyone can "sprint" for .30 seconds, but can we hoooold on??
5. Tell Me Baby (Rhythm Scholar Club Mix)/Red Hot Chili Peppers
2.5 minutes in a seated climb, adding 1 gear at .90 seconds. Then, we start some switchbacks: 15 seconds in the seated climb and a 45 second surge out of the saddle, picking up the pace. We do this 4 times.
6. Magnificent (Dave Aude' Club Remix)/U2
Same drill as above, except it's all done on a flat road. 2.5 minute seated flat (1 gear). Then, 15 sec. seated flat followed by 45 second standing flat run or breakaway in the seat (4x). Finish with about 60 seconds on the flat road.
7. Angel of Harlem/U2
Seated climb, 3 gears (after the hill starts), keeping pace steady. Gear #1 takes us out of our comfort zone. Gear #2 leaves the comfort zone way behind. Gear #3 makes us want to come out of the saddle. Now.
8. Walk On/U2
Continuing the longest hill of the day...add a turn of resistance and come up to a standing climb, adding 2 gears, approx. 1 each minute. Then, when there are 2.5 minutes to go, we pick up the pace and hold that new pace until the top of the hill. Gear does not change, we don't slow down.
9. Honky Tonk Women/The Rolling Stones
Seated flat. 3 minutes. Nothing changes.
10. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction/The Rolling Stones
Seated flat with 20 second breakaways, 10 seconds off, you'll do about 7 or 8 total.
11. Gimme Shelter/The Rolling Stones
Final hill, push to the finish line. I let the class choose what climbing position(s) they want. We will add 3 gears here, approx. 1 a minute, without slowing down.
12. Paint It Black/The Rolling Stones
Now, all the gear is on and we are going to race it to the top. Very simple, pick up the pace a little bit every .60 seconds (2x for this song), in your climbing position, without reducing the resistance, until legs are screaming. Finish line is at the top of this hill.
13. Tear/Red Hot Chili Peppers (cool-down)
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Balance. The 9/22/10 playlist.
So, this go-to ride is archived here sometime back in 2008, but I had a request for the playlist from today, so I'm posting it again. The playlist is slightly different, the profile is slightly different, I am slightly different. Everything grows and changes, as is evidenced by the trees changing colors, the leaves floating to the ground and the fact that I can make eye contact with my oldest son without looking down. Today is the equinox, a time of perfect balance, day and night, dark and light. I've been super busy and have only had a glimpse of where my balance is today....time to check-in, assess, and, yes, grow. p.s. As it has been lately, there are some mash-ups that made their way into this playlist. If you want them directly, drop me an email.
Roller Coaster Ride Playlist:
1. I Feel the Way Love Goes/Mash-up
2. Everybody Got Their Something/Nikka Costa
3. Disturbia/Rihanna
4. Do It!/Von Iva
5. So Fine in the Sun/Mash-up of Weezer (Island in the Sun) and Mary J. Blige (Just Fine)
6. Beethoven's Fifth Gold Digger/Mash-up of Kanye West (Gold Digger) and Beethoven
7. Until it Talks/Mash Up of Coldplay and Metallica
8. Love Revolution/Lenny Kravitz
9. Shook Me all Night Long Freak On/Mash-up of AC/DC
10. Relax (New York Mix Version)/Frankie Goes to Hollywood
11. Watch the Tapes/LCD Soundsystem
12. Round & Round/Bodyrockers
13. Little Wonders/Rob Thomas
14. Naked As We Came/Iron & Wine
Profile:
There are 10 hills on this road, 3 sets of 3 and 1 to the finish line. The sets are broken up by 5 minute flats.
After a 5 minute warm-up we start the first set of 3 rollers:
Hill # 1. 30 second seated climb, add 1 gear to a 1 minute standing climb. Then, at the top, reduce the gear and transition to a standing flat for 30 seconds (I give a seated flat breakaway as an option here).
Settle in to a comfortable seated flat for 1 minute.
Hill # 2. Same as above, but everything is double in time: 1 minute seated climb (add a gear 1/2 way through), 2 minute standing climb (add a gear at 1 minute) and a 1 minute standing/seated flat.
Settle into a comfortable seated flat for 1 minute.
Hill #3. Same as hill #1 (back to a short one)
5 minutes on a flat road:
1 Minute seated flat, reduce HR
3 minutes of flat road work...I vary this. Sometimes it's endurance, sometimes we push the pace, sometimes "sprints." Either way, it's 85-90% MHR.
1 Minute seated flat, reduce HR
Hills #4-6: Same drill as the first 3 hills.
Flat #2, same as above.
Hills #7-9: Same as the other 2 sets of hills. I usually challenge the class a bit more here, having them pick up the pace at times, etc.
Depending on length of music, I usually end up with a flat road here before hill #10, whatever moves me is how I teach it.
Hill #10, to the finish line: on this playlist, it's the last song. I let the class choose position, we add 1 gear at the 1 minute mark and pick up the pace every minute thereafter. Sometimes I teach it adding gear every minute. Man, guess I'm moody in the Spin room, sometimes, too!
Enjoy! And for more personal ramblings and running, don't forget to visit my other blog: Running 40 for 40.
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