Spinning class

11 tracks on Spotify + 1 track on Soundcloud

This is a ±1 hour long musical workout: all intervals are timed for drops and changes of intensity in the music. It is a mixture of drum’n’bass (moderate speed), psytrance (climbing), and metal (high speed). The overall idea is to build up the intensity bit by bit, until about a third of the workout, where we should be hitting the “threshold”; from then on, there are mostly high-intensity songs interspersed with recovery periods.

Instructions: Start with finding a “baseline” resistance, which serves as a starting point for every song, and the resistance which we use for recovery. Crucially, this baseline is subjective and should not be “all the way to the left” where there is no resistance; instead riders should find a point where they begin to feel the first hints of resistance, but so that they find it easy and manageble “for hours on end”. Adjusting the baseline is also an effective way of dialling up/down the whole workout, depending on how the riders feel. From here on, I communicate the effort levels in two ways: as a perceived effort on a scale of 1 to 6 (explained in song descriptions), and in terms of resistance knob turns (1 full, half, 3 quarters, etc.). The latter is always a suggestion, not an instruction, because it is important that riders actively experiment with resistance to hit the desired effort-level, while matching the cadence against music.

Table columns: start → end (dur) · ⬆ = standing · ±res = knob turns from baseline or previous value in the same interval (¼, ½, ¾, 1, 1½ …; BL means “go back to baseline”).

Table rows: intervals (annotated with numbers) and within-interval developments (under the ↳ arrow).

1. Bird of Paradise — Netsky

BPM: 87  ·  effort: 1/6  ·  Spotify

Warm-up and find your baseline.

2. I See The Future In Your Eyes — Netsky

BPM: 87  ·  effort: 2/6  ·  Spotify

Take it up a notch: 2 intervals, each ±45 seconds. Increase the resistance at the interval start, and then halfway; when halfway, you also stand up.

3. Up From the Bottom — Linkin Park

BPM: 107  ·  effort: 3/6  ·  Spotify

Again, try to hit a slightly harder effort, but keep it moderate, not hard (“below threshold”). 4 short intervals, all seated. Don’t go all the way back to baseline between intervals. Fast song, don’t overdo resistance.

4. The Emptiness Machine — Linkin Park

BPM: 92  ·  effort: 4/6  ·  Spotify

Getting to the moderately-hard to hard zone: should feel like a considerable effort but not an all-out one. Two intervals, each about 1 minute, with a very short recovery inbetween (riders should “stay on hold”). (Similar structure as song #2.)

5. The Skeleton Dance (Extended Mix) — Bliss

BPM: 75  ·  effort: 5/6  ·  Spotify

Hard climbing song. There are 3 levels of resistance: a very easy one (lvl 1), then a hard one seated, which should feel like “cycling in the sand” or climbing (lvl 2), and then an even harder one, but this time standing, which should feel like getting into a breakaway in a climb (lvl 3). The progression goes like: 1-2-3-2-3, then a little bit of recovery, and then 1-2-3.

6. Beautiful Lies — B-complex

BPM: 87  ·  effort: 4-5/6  ·  Spotify

Two long intervals; alternate between seated and standing position. The recommendation is to take it easier than the previous song and save efforts for the next one, but riders can push it more if they, for example, did not hit it hard-enough on the previous one.

7. Ani Mevushal — Infected Mushroom & Bliss

BPM: 73  ·  effort: 6/6  ·  Spotify

Similar to song #5, but with a bit more work. We go: 1-2-3-2-3-2, rest, 3, rest, 1-2-3. At the end of each lvl 2 and during lvl 3, dig in deep.

8. IX — Trivium

effort: 1/6  ·  Spotify

Recovery for ±2 minutes.

9. What The Dead Men Say — Trivium

BPM: 108  ·  effort: 5-6/6  ·  Spotify

Fast, flat breakaway song with ±5 minutes of continuous work. No proper recovery, only short “rest” sections (about 14-18 seconds each), where you dial down the resistance by a bit (quarter to half). Song is fast, dont overdo resistance. Start when the singer shouts “go!”.

10. Interlude — Blazy, Aurora Vortex

BPM: 70  ·  effort: 6/6  ·  Soundcloud

(this one is not on Spotify)

Last song: go to your limits. 3 intervals. On each one of them, increase at the start, then once more, and then once more; on the last one, make it your maximum effort, which you will sustain for 1 minute, standing.

11. Begin By Letting Go — Etherwood

effort: 1/6  ·  Spotify

Cool-down.

12. Nocturne — Keeno

Spotify

For stretching/wrapping up/cleaning the bikes.