The power of music...an indoor cycle workout

Since I can remember, music was always playing in my home. My Latin upbringing, enriched my life with the sounds of cumbia, merengue, and authentic Latin rhythms. I didn't get the dancing skills of my sisters -- my eldest sis with her flamenco footwork and salsa hips while my middle sister rocked the nightclubs. My love for music is more subtle; nonetheless, it connects to my soul, truly uplifts my spirits, and moves my body. To this day, I wash dishes to cumbia, fold laundry with Bob Marley, and write this blog groovin to Thievery (give me some reggaeton and it's party time!).


Putting music together for a spin class is a skill and an art -- it goes beyond finding good sounds and the right beat...it's about the experience. When I ride my mountain bike, though it is purely fun and exciting, it is intense and i'm 100% commited to my ride. My legs are burning, my heart is beating out of my chest, and my mind is focused -- the same elements that I try to achieve in each of my spinning classes. But getting to that space in a room can be a bit challenging ... in comes the power of music.


A Little Christmas Gift
Giving out a workout with music is like giving away a valuable and hard earned treasure (a lot of love and effort goes into synchronizing these workouts and choosing the music). But in the spirit of giving and knowing that my dear mountain biking friend, Craig, is freezing his ass in Idyllwild - Merry Christmas! Whether your ride got rained out (or snowed out), you are traveling and forced to go the the hotel gym, or you never tried an indoor cycling workout - here is a solid ride. With time, these workouts increase your cardiovascular endurance, lactic threshold, and increase your power output. Bottom line - makes you a strong and faster rider.



Let's do it!

• wear your heart rate monitor (if you don't own one, try to get one)
• grab some water and be sure you had a decent meal about 2-3 hours before.
• download your music on your iPod and set it the order you want.
• print out the workout below and tape it to your bike.
• there are built in breaks throughout -- stay with the workout!

1. flats/hills split (18 min) - ride flat 2 min/seated hill for 2 min (repeat) ; ride flat 1 min/climbing hill 1 min (repeat 2 more times); ride flat 30 sec/seated hill 30 sec (repeat 3 more times) HEART RATE: 80-85% BY MIN 10//Starting Over by The Crystal Method, Higher Ground by Red Hot Chill Peppers, Le Reveur (Thievery Corp Remix) by Cirque Du Soleil, Breathe Me by Sia, Drown in the Now by The Crystal Method


2. flat road - endurance (10 min) - one of my favorite trainings because it is about finding a rhythm with your breath and legs. Find a speed that you feels right for you with a mild resistance. every 2 minutes - increase your resistance like you were in a larger gear for 15-45 sec, then resume back to normal resistance; repeat 3 more times. HEART RATE IS 78-80% AT BASE LEVEL AND WILL GET UP TO 82% SO YOU ARE SLIGHTLY OUT OF BREATH. Amerimacka by Thievery Corp, Surround Me With your Love by 3-11 Porter


3. hill strength (15 min) - this part of the ride is sassy. you are a bit tired and legs will feel fatigued. Start by adding a lot of resistance and slowing the cadence to 50-60 RPMS so that you are climbing a mild-version of a gnarly hill - stay seated. Every minute, increase your resistance but keep the same cadence. Do this three times - every minute a little steeper. HEART RATE IS 80% HERE (no more, no less). After four minutes, jump out of saddle and increase your speed by 10-20 RPMS for 30 seconds; then go back to seated climb and resume your 60 RPMS for 2 minutes. Repeat 3 more times. HR AT THE JUMP WILL BE 85-87%. Penitentiary by Citizen Cope, The Time by Black Eyed Peas, Woohoo by Christina Aguilera


4. Chill out (5 min) - you are almost done. Settle back into a steady cadence on a flat road as if you are riding toward the ocean with some headwind. Relax between your shoulder blades, close your eyes and focus on your breath. Stay here as long as you want and enjoy :) One Too Many Mornings by The Chemical Brothers, Time Alone by Josh Martinez

Ride as if you were free!

Chi