Since April I've been going to spinning classes twice a week. Well in fact I've been going to "Indoor Cycling" as Spinning is a brand and that's probably for the best as the receptionist often confuses Spinning for Swimming. Anyway with three different instructors and many hours on the bike I've built up a list of my favourite tracks to spin to. Listen to it as a playlist or read the text below and combine it with a work out on an exercise bike. I hope you enjoy. Available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Thunderstruck - AC/DC
I'd only just discovered this track when shortly after it was introduced as our first track to start off a session. What a track! Get those legs going, get your cadence / revs per minute (RPM) above 120 and get going. The bikes we ride have a brake setting on them, it's essentially the amount of resistance, like gears at some gyms. Get in a low gear and get those legs spinning! Time to get warm.
Beat It - Fall Out Boy
Steadily increasing the resistance (quarter or half a turn at a time for us) aiming to keep your legs going at the same speed. Another turn and another verse, go, go, go. On the chorus it's great to churn out those kilometres. Just BEAT IT.
Breed - Nirvana
It would be easy to go for Smells Like Teen Spirit but I've never enjoyed this song so much as when on a (stationary) bike. "I don't care, I don't care" going up a steep hill, pounding your legs, sweat dripping off you, attacking the bike. This track is just awesome. COME ON!
Cowboy - Kid Rock
Some instructors don't believe in recovery time (Tom) while others build in a quick breather. This is your chance. Sat down, in a low gear / low resistance you can have a minute. With that minute up you'll hear the track change, time for a seated hill climb. Keep adding resistance and keep that RPM at 80. Easy to start with but keep adding resistance and stay seated. Keep it at 80 as long as you can but by the end you should feel like you're riding through treacle. Add more until it's a struggle to stay at 30 RPM.
Enter Sandman - Metallica
Time to stand up and hit the pedals. Take a small amount off so you can hit that magic 80 again. I never got this track until I exercised to it. Even now while I'm listening to it and writing the post, it's not the same. Listen to it while pedalling and you'll get it. Standing hill climb all the way. Keep that resistance on and don't forget to pull up on one foot as you push with the other (as Andy P, blog contributor is always telling us).
ABC - The Jacksons
Bit flatter now and a bit of fun. Something that made me smile. In the old days I would have played drinking games with vodka jelly to tracks like this, now I'm wearing Lycra! So each time they ABC you stand up and 123 you sit down. Pay attention now and do it with a smile.
Give Me Your Love - Sigala
While some instructors like to put on some heavy rock and just go with whatever comes next (Tom), others like a real mix of current, rock, pop and dance (Tara). Not only that but Tara plans the whole session around the tracks with notes. I'm very impressed with the preperation this must take. I'm sure on her notes for this song it probably says "Get some miles in". So with some resistance on, ride like anything and keep your cadence above 100, higher if possible.
Runnin' Wild - Airbourne
Discovered through spinning class, I love this track. From the hair rock era, it's great. Time to crack up the gears and make it hard. Get out of your saddle as it becomes tough. Time for "No Overtakes". Standing sprints up the hill, stop the other person passing you. Sprint every time you hit the chorus, keep it going, don't let anyone pass you. It should still be tough when you're not sprinting. Out of the saddle all the way.
Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
One of my suggestions that got added to the class. Back to the flat and time to get those legs spinning again. We want mileage and we want it now. We're getting near the end of the session now so get those Ks on the board and get that average cadence up.
Voodoo Child - Rogue Traders
Keep that pace up but add a bit of resistance. And again. And again. Keep your pace on the beat. How long can you hold it.
A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
Andy P enjoyed this track so much at spinning that he bought the album. When you're riding a bike at 7am there are certain songs that just work well, slap you around the face and get your legs going. By now you're feeling it. Don't stop. Time for some seated sprints. 30 second full on with 10 second rests. GO.
Paradise City - Guns N Roses
"The ultimate Spinning song" as named by one instructor and it's been used by all three instructors at one point or another. With a fair amount of resistance towards the end of the a session its great to crack on and keep those legs going. Go on the whistle (never noticed it in the track before) and get going. When you're hitting the fifth minute mark you're thinking it's near the end but as Amy would shout "PUSH, PUSH, PUSH". How much do you want Axel Rose to shut up and finish the song? Not much? Then you're not pushing hard enough.
Dance The Night Away - The Mavericks
We don't take ourselves too seriously and I always enjoy the randomness of some of the songs. A warm down song that makes you smile, half in enjoyment, half in disbelief that you're riding a stationery bike, wiping your brow with a towel first thing in a morning. Time to come to a crawl and start stretching those arms and get that lactic out of your legs. Steady as you go. No more kudos to be earned, just bring that heart rate down and dance the night away.
