Can I Kick It?

Yes you can!

Hope everyone had a great 4th–I sure did! Phish festival in Watkins Glen, NY at the international racetrack… I’m tired. Here’s another playlist to wake up and kick it to.

1. Pretty Lights, Forever Lost (5:09) – Another great PL warmup song.  Nice long instrumental pump up song with ample time for introduction, safety chat, and some stretching while warming up the legs.

2. Girl Talk, Friday Night (3:12) – Girl Talk is a mashup artist. I haven’t decided how I feel about him quite yet, but I do really enjoy this mashup.  It’s got a few different samples from all recognizable songs.  Go between position 2 and 3 during this warmup song, increasing resistance to get those legs warmed up.

3. Daft Punk v. Garbage, Paranoid Funk (3:04) – Another mashup with a Daft Punk backbeat.  The Garbage song is a nice throw back to the 90’s, and I chose to do mini sprints to the chorus down in the saddle with recovery in position 3 for this beat.

4. Ida Corr v. Britney Spears, Let Circus Think About It (Rock Your Box Murphy Mash) (7:04) – Hot, long beat right here.  One could do many different things to this song. I chose to chill for the first minute or so, and then once the music starts, let the class do freestyle jumps, until the chorus where we transitioned to mini sprints down in the saddle.  We got to repeat this a few times during the song, and it was exahusting.  Play around with it!

5. A Tribe Called Quest, Can I Kick It (4:25) – Nice, slow, catchy hip-hop beat for this mini hill.  This was considered a recovery song, but when the class felt ready, we amped it up to some moderate-heavy resistance and went between position 2 and 3 during the chorus/verses.  No need to go fast for this song, a nice slow climb works best for this beat.

6. The Temper Trap, Sweet Disposition (3:55) – Another climb here.  Position 3, while picking up the pace a little bit during the faster, louder parts of the song.  Nice break from the filthy house beats 🙂

7. Ellie Goulding, Salt Skin (Alex Metric Remix) (5:02) – Obsessed with Ellie, and this song.  Awesome tempo to this song, and a perfect buildup for some sprints in this tune.  We let it build up for a while, and then after the peak, we start some moderate resistance sprints in whatever position you feel comfortable sprinting in, with some recovery in position 3 until the buildups.  I wish I could use this for every class! I LOVE Ellie!

8. Beastie Boys, Make Some Noise (3:44) – This new Beasties track is reminiscent of the 90’s Beasties–the best kind of Beasties.  This song was used as a mini recovery from the Ellie song, so we just did some light-moderate resistance and moved from position 2 to 3 during the chorus to recover throughout the song.

9. Lady Gaga, Born This Way (LLG Vs. GLG Radio Remix) (Japan Bonus Track) (3:52) – Jumps during the chrous! Great remix to a popular Gaga song.  Always will have a soft spot for that crazy lady.

10. Lykke Li, I Follow Rivers (3:49) – Lykke Li is a sweedish babe.  She’s blowing up this year, and for all good reasons.  I used this as a “Focus” song, where you chose ONE part of your spin experience to focus on. It can be breathing, pedal stroke, keeping shoulders down and chest open, or just clearing your mind.  I think it’s nice to try to encourage the students to try to take a few minutes and just focus on how one part of the body feels.

11. Foo Fighters, Rope (4:19) – Hot new rock track from Foo.  I used this for some heavy sprints during the chorus.  How could you not?!

12. Deadmau5, Hi Friend! (5:15) – Always have to end on a high note, and you can never go wrong with a Deadmau5 song.  This one’s good for it’s background, constant beeps, and lyrics.  The lyrics are pretty elementary, but they are still fun.  I chose the chorus for some quick jumps.  It’s a longer song, and the chorus comes up fast! Lots of jumps… Go see Deadmau5 live someday–Joel Zimmerman knows how to throw a party.

13. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Home (5:02) – Great song for a cool down. Whistles, female and male vocals, and a nice southern twang.  Another fantastic band to see live.  There’s 15 or so of them in the group (no one is actually named Ed Sharpe), and they are a beautiful ensemble to listen to.

Kick it