Adrenaline packed playlist

OK, as of last night, I've finally made the mental switch to winter. I fight it all autumn, mourning the loss of longer days and warmer temps and of putting my bike away for the winter (my new pink bike that I didn't get to rid that much after I got it!), dreading every extra layer I have to put on, or the fact that I now need gloves when I go outside or that we now need to add shoveling the driveway to our list of duties to be shared (fortunately my DH does it most of the time). 

Every year the transition to winter is aided by the yearly release of the Warren Miller ski film. Once I watch the film, I walk out energized to take out my skis and get out in the snow. (It doesn't hurt that it's been dumping snow for 3 days and more is on the way).

We went to this year's movie last night in Beaver Creek. Living in a ski town, the auditorium was full of newly arrived just out of college skiers/snowboarders who plan on spending a season (or two or four or ten) living the ski-town lifestyle, waiting tables at night for their primary income, with another on-mountain job like a lift-operator (a "liftie" in ski-town jargon) to get their passes so they can ski or snowboard every day (that was kind of me 15 years ago when I began teaching skiing!) It was a rowdy crowd, with hoots and hollers with every amazing stunt, or with every crash (lots of them), or during the scenes of endless pillows of white powder to plow through. 

That white powder is our gold here in Vail, Colorado.

If you've never seen a Warren Miller ski film you might not understand. If you're not a skier, you really won't understand! But if you have, and if you are, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Warren Miller is an icon in the ski industry, making his first ski film back in 1937 I think it was! It's come a long way since then, with adrenaline filled, action packed clips of skiers and boarders hucking themselves off huge cliffs or down steep rocky couloirs in the Rockies, Alaska, Chile, Russia or Europe, double twisting flips with mute grabs in competitions, or plowing through chest deep powder in places all over this planet.

The reason for this post is that music is a huge part of these films and I want to share the soundtrack with you. It's funny, as I sat there watching the movie, my mind often wandered to, "Wow! This would be a great Race Day song!" or "I wonder if my peeps would go for this song?"

Some of the music they use in the films is way too adrenaline packed for me (more for the Gen X snowboard/skateboard crowd), but there are some fun energetic songs that I will be adding to my library.  You might find a lot of great tunes from this list depending on your tastes and your market. 

So, check out this playlist! It includes everything from Sigur Ros and the Foo Fighters, to the older rock of Cream to world music of Afro Celt Soundsystem. This year's movie is called Children of Winter, but on the left side of the page, you'll see the playlists for the past 5 years of movies. 

OK, it's time to go get my skis tuned....

It's Snowing! Help! I'm teaching too much to ski!

And more snow is on the way.  I might have to pull my skis out and take a few turns on Monday (too many people in town this holiday weekend).

Which makes me think, it's going to be time to drop a class soon.  My Spinning schedule is too intense (for me) to be able to ski much.  Tuesday 5:30 pm, then Wednesday 6:00 a.m. (less than 12 hrs later).  Then I repeat that Thursday 5:30 pm and 12 hrs later, Friday 6:oo a.m.  By Friday I am toast.

Of course, I'll be doing a lot of aerobic base building coming up soon (and I'll be sharing with you all my info on periodizing and base building so make sure to come back often).  So one would think I could handle it if I were riding at lower intensities. But this schedule really is taking its toll on my physically, and I want to be able to ski 1-2 times per week. Skiing hard wrecks my legs for Spinning, and lots of Spinning wrecks my legs for skiing.

What's a girl to do?? I moved to Vail to ski, and I haven't got that much skiing in the past couple of years (too much working on weekends).

So it's one of my goals to ski much more this year. 

By the way, if anyone reading this is anywhere in Colorado and you come up to Vail, or if you're taking a vacation out here, let me know and we'll make some turns! 

Sigh....I guess I'll be giving up a Tuesday or Thursday night sooner than later!

What I am grateful for...

Taking a little break from cooking and cleaning the house, getting ready for guests (13!) in an hour and a half....

I've been dwelling on what I am grateful for today. And I want to get it written down.

I am thankful....

• For my husband Jeff, for being understanding of my quirks and silliness (and for understanding me when I spend a lot of time on my blog!), for sharing my life, for recognizing when he's cranky and apologizing for it, for being such a sweetheart, for coming to my Spin classes 7+ years ago (where we met), for being such a good athlete himself...
• For the house that Jeff is building for us, about 20 miles away. About 2 months from being finished.
  
• For living in such a beautiful place. It's getting cold now, so the wonders of winter are awaiting me (just a little more snow though, before I'll get out and ski).
• For my good health; this is something I really cherish!
  
• For Spinning, because it's allowed me to stay in excellent cycling shape throughout the winter - bikes on trainers can be so boring!
• For my role as an instructor, because I love working with people to help them reach their goals.
• For my role as a Master Instructor, because of the wonderful people I've met from around the world who are as passionate about Spinning as I am, and because it allows me to inspire other instructors to inspire their students. I just LOVE doing this! :-)
• For my back. Despite the challenges it provides me occasionally, I could be so much worse off, and I am thankful that I can do everything I can do! Every now and then it reminds me that it has its limits, and now I can say I'm grateful for those reminders because it keep me careful. (my goal - more core training....)
  
• For the fact that I found a way to have fitness as my job. Albert Schweizer said, "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are dong, you will be successful."
• For my bicycle tour company, Viva Travels, because it not only allows me to share my love of cycling in Europe with others (and make some money in the process) but look where I get to go ride my bike (AND get a tax write off while researching it)! ;-) Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux, the Dolomites, Tuscany, the Pyrenees, etc! I am soooooooo grateful for this!
• For my friends around the world, who keep my life even more interesting.
• For the amazing opportunities that are presenting themselves in this economy - they're there if you'll look hard enough! History is FULL of stories of people who come out of recessions far better off than they were before, and I plan on being one of those people! I will not buy into this bad economy BS, I will only look for the good, how I can grow, how I can turn things around and really improve my income. (Because I'm not afraid to admit it - I want to make a lot of money some day. That's the only way I'll be able to help the world in the way I plan on doing it. And to travel and see other amazing parts of the world that are awaiting.
• For my parents and the things they gave up in order to provide excellent educations for me and my siblings. I am thankful to them to this day for their sacrifices. Everything they did was for us!
• For music and the way it makes me feel! ;-)
• For gourmet food and wine - ah, one of life's greatest joys! (That's probably from all the traveling I've done in France - it's rubbed off on me!)
• For Peace. The more we focus on being grateful for peace, the more likely we are to have it. Not being anti-war...but being pro-peace. Here's to the eventual end to the war in Iraq!
  
• I am so incredibly grateful for the outcome of our election, and the direction I believe our country will take from here on in. It won't be a quick-fix, it won't be an easy 4 years, it's not a fairy-tale that with a wave of a wand all the negativity and wrong directions will be fixed right away. It will take sacrifice on everyone's part. But I believe that Yes We Can! I am grateful for Barack Obama!
• For blogs! A year ago I never thought I'd be doing this, but what a great way to connect with people!
• For everyone who reads my blog. Thank you so much!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

My Thanksgiving class - The Gratitude Ride

I've decided to dedicate my Turkey Burner class to Gratitude.  It's a 90-minute ride tomorrow morning.  I'm teaching a 90-minute "Afterburner" class on Friday at another club and will do the same ride.

I am mentoring a new instructor, Samantha, who got certified with me a month ago.  She has already team taught two classes with me so far, and she will be serving up the "appetizer" and "apéritif" for tomorrow's ride.  I've asked her to do some surges and accelerations on the flats (see my previous profile for more explanation), for 20+ minutes after the warm-up and introduction.

When everyone arrives, I will hand them a post-it note and a pencil.  Then when class starts, I will ask them to write down 3 things that they are grateful for in their lives, and on the back of the paper, 3 things that are current challenges in their lives. They don't have to share it with anyone; it's just for them. Fold it up and put it in their pocket, or stick it on their handlebar as motivation, or whatever they want to do with it. It's more ceremonial than anything else.

Some of the song choices have something to do with the theme; some don't, and are chosen for the terrain and rhythm.

Here are the first 6 songs that Samantha will do:

1. Neil Diamond, Coming To America 4:19

Explain the format.  Samantha will serve the appetizer and apéritif for the first 30 minutes, mostly on the flats, revving up their legs, getting into some jumps, with one song of runs with resistance.  Jennifer will then come in and serve the "meat and potatoes", which will be some challenging climbs, followed by the "dessert", an easy flat to the finish.

We'll ask them to write down their challenges and the things for which they are grateful during this song.

2. Andy vs Dreamgate, Now We Are Free (Andy & the Lamboy Club Mix) 7:47

Warm-up continues.  One of the things we are grateful in our country is our freedom.  It's why many of the people came to America, as the first song described.

Start doing some accelerations, from 80-110 rpm, taking about 30-seconds, holding 110 for 30-seconds, then back down to 80 rpm.  Repeat.

3. Mike Oldfield, The Millenium Bell 7:22

A happy song.  1-minute surges.  Alternate 1-minute seated with standing flat surges, each with a 30-45 second recovery.

4. The Beloved, Ease the Pressure 4:21

4-count Jumps. Enjoy the feeling of the work on your legs. Enjoy the sensation of challenge. 

5. Djuma Soundsystem, Les Djinns (Trentmoller Mix) 6:17

Run with resistance for 8 counts, every 32 counts or so.  This song has a great beat.  After the last song of jumps, this might get a little high intensity, so caution everyone to reserve some energy for the upcoming climbs, sitting a few out if needed.

6. Joe Cocker, Feeling Alright 4:12

Feeling grateful for feeling alright! Thankful for life.  This will be an easy to moderate seated flat, preparing for the hills.

Then I will come in and begin the main course...

7. The Lounge, Free Your Mind 6:04

I've used this song a lot, anytime I want people to think about the doubts, fears and excuses that are holding them back.  It's just such an amazing song! (Available on itunes on Bonzai Worx). "You have to let it all go, fear, doubt and disbelief!" Let's be grateful for setting ourselves free of these inhibitions and obstacles.  This fast flat road will bring us to our hill, where we will encounter these obstacles that we'll overcome.

8. Dead Can Dance, Spider's Stratagem 6:41

We'll climb for 5 minutes of this song.  Resistance loading every minute.  Thinking of our first challenge during the first 3.5 minutes, and then as we near the top, think of the first thing we wrote down that we are grateful for, switching the mindset to one of gratitude. Knowing that we are grateful for the fact that we will overcome this challenge as well.

The final minute and a half of this song is a little recovery on flat roads before the next challenge.

9. The Cranberries, Zombie 5:09

How can you have a Thanksgiving meal without cranberries? 

This song however represents one of the challenges our country has faced the past 5 years. She talks about the horrors of war.  My thought on this hill is to be grateful for the end of war. By expressing gratitude for something that hasn't yet happened, we can help bring it to reality! But I am also personally grateful for a new president who will make ending this war a priority! Let's all be grateful for the positive things that are facing our country.

5 minutes of climbing. Some seated, some standing, the final 1.5 minutes will be out of the saddle.

10. Melissa Etheridge, I Run for Life 4:22

What a beautiful song about gratitude for a vibrant life! This song can't help but bring tears to your eyes. Let's follow Melissa's lead and celebrate all those woman who have overcome breast cancer (and men and women who have overcome other cancers and diseases), because as she says in the song, "they cut into my skin and they cut into my body but they will ever get a piece of my soul!"

Think about anyone you know who is faced with this challenge right now, a challenge to their health, and dedicate this next climb to them.  In the process, be grateful for your own health and fitness!  

2 minutes flat recovery for the first part of the song, then begin the next climb.

11. Delerium feat. Leigh Nash, Innocente (Deep Dish Gladiator Mix) 11:54

We're continuing the climb from the last song. We've got 12 minutes to commit to climbing, with one little rest in the middle.

This one I want you to think first of the next challenge that you wrote down. Now you can see how we can use this climb as a metaphor to overcome it. Because no matter what, we'll make it to the top of the hill. We'll do 4 minutes of jumps on a hill. After that 4 minutes, devote a minute to the next thing on your gratitude list, adding a little more emphasis to your climb, increasing your effort (a little above 85%MHR).

Then take a 2 minute break, getting ready for the next onslaught... (by this time, we are 7 minutes into the song).

The final 5 minutes of the song is the next hill.  The first focus is the third challenge you wrote down on your slip of paper. Come up with more tactics for overcoming it. Devote 3 or 4 minutes to that, then focus on the third thing you wrote down that you are grateful for. Let this gratitude overcome you as you continue to jump on this hill. Each time you rise out of the saddle is a wave of gratitude.

12. Moulin Rouge (Soundtrack from the movie Moulin Rouge, cd 2) 6:57

Our final climb.  The first 1:30 of the song is easy flat, a little recovery.  Then the song starts to get powerful.  We start on a seated climb, adding to our gratitude list. I love this song because it is such a powerful crescendo, a fitting finish to our challenges, the music take you to the top with such energy, helping you out when you thought you were fatigued; you now know that nothing can stop you!

13. Iggy Pop, Lust for Life 5:13

OK, I know he has a lust for some not so good things in his life (liquor and drugs) but I like the energy of this song, and I am grateful for my own Lust for Life! So think of what things in your life that make you so happy to be alive; your relationships, your family; your work; your energy; your fitness and health. Me? I am grateful for Spinning! I am grateful for living in such a beautiful place like Vail, where people come to take their Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays - I live here full time! Thanks for coming to my backyard (I will have visitors to my class who are on vacation here)! I am grateful for Samantha for her zest to learn and to help me with this class!

We're off the hills now, feel the open road, how good it feels to spin your legs at will.

14. Shaman, Move Any Mountain 3:29

Great words to this song. Shows how grateful we are for our choices in lfe. We can CHOOSe to have a good attitude, we can CHOOSE to move mountains and not be a passive bystander to life. 

Continue on a flat, bringing our heart rates down.

15. Huff and Herb, Feeling Good (Epic Mix) 6:57

I love this song, with jazz great Nina Simone's voice.  Great lyrics. Feeling grateful for feeling good! (Like the earlier song by Joe Cocker)

Continue on this fast flat. Working on a high cadence.

15. Carlene Davis, Thank You Mr. DJ 5:05

Cool Down. Nice Lyrics.  Nows the time to add a few more items to our gratitude list. The more we are grateful for, the more we attract those things into our lives.

16. Ray Charles, America the Beautiful

Don't we live in such a beautiful place?

Stretch.

Thank you for coming! Thank you for giving me this opportunity! Thank you for being you!

And I also want to thank all of you who read my blog and for sharing it with others. Please leave me a comment and tell me about your thanksgiving rides!

Dear Jillian Michaels, Follow up letter to the Biggest Loser

Dear Jillian Michaels,

OK, so maybe I was a little harsh in my letter of yesterday about your episode of The Biggest Loser on Tuesday night.  Please forgive me.  It's just that we work so hard to teach instructors the proper and safe way to teach Spinning (and any indoor cycling for that matter), that when something like this comes along, it sets this industry back light years.  My Master Instructor peers and I have to beat our heads against the wall when we encounter more and more students and instructors teaching unsafe moves and techniques, because they saw it on TV from a so-called fitness guru! So I hope you understand where I was coming from.

You see, you have such a visible role in our country, and if you wanted to, you could really do wonderful things for the personal training and group fitness/indoor cycling instructor industry by setting an example. So many people love that show, and love to watch you work. Think about the effect you currently have on them. Can you imagine how great it would be if you could show them how important it is to employ safe and truly effective training techniques? 

You're working with an unfit, unhealthy population, not marine recruits Jillian. They need your skill in balancing a tough workout with safe and effective methods. I understand the drill sergeant role you feel you have to keep up, or perhaps the network feels it must keep up - because hey, that's what sells, right? But does there have to be a total disregard for safety? I mean, I'm sure the network has those participants sign a liability waiver several inches thick, but a good lawyer could get right through that if someone got injured from something you had them do if it can be proven that it is unsafe, or even dangerous. Movements that are not advisable for a healthy fit person, much less an unhealthy, very overweight person who has no reason to be doing those things on a stationary bicycle! 

I have an idea. I will forego my own pay if you have me come out to teach you and Bob the correct way to teach Spinning! We could do a certification with the two of you, and then you can show the world that you truly are concerned for the health, safety and ultimate fitness of your participants. 

Maybe you can have me lead a class or two with your participants. It doesn't have to be an "easy" or wimpy class, but just a safe and relevant training session, using heart rate monitors in order to train them within their own individualized training zones, appropriate for their level of fitness. We can teach them how to set up the bike correctly, how to sit in the saddle properly, how not to lean on their forearms, allowing them to pedal in an efficient and safe manner at proper and relevant cadences (and not super high crazy leg speeds). And of course, we'd never take away the saddles. On the contrary - we need to teach them how important it is to stay in the saddle for as long as possible!

This will be something they can take with them long after they leave your show. You will be raised up in the eyes of the viewing public! You are more likely to see success with your participants! You will be even more of a fitness goddess Jillian!

How about it?

You can contact me at jennifer@vivatravels.com.

In fitness,

Jennifer Sage

An Open Letter to Jillian Michaels of the Biggest Loser Show

Dear Jillian,

My name is Jennifer Sage and I am a Master Instructor for the Spinning program, a certified personal trainer since 1992, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and I have a BS in Exercise Science. I am also a certified Ski Instructor, and I have 27 years in the fitness industry.

As an MI for Spinning since 1997 I have certified over a thousand instructors, taught many continuing education courses, wrote several of the continuing education programs for Spinning, and presented at many fitness conferences, including ECA Miami and New York, Can Fit Pro in Toronto, Crunch (Atlanta), New York Sports Club Summit, and WSSC (World Spinning and Sports Conference) Miami for the past 10 years.

Our biggest challenge as Master Instructors is to teach instructors PROPER training principles so they can then teach their students how to safely and effectively accomplish their goals. Notice the word "safely". There is so much crap that is taught out there in the fitness industry, and especially in indoor cycling. Unfortunately it has become rampant and widely accepted in many parts of the country as the way it should be done.

I actually wrote the workshop for Mad Dogg Athletics and Spinning entitled Contraindications in the Spinning Program. I know you know what contraindications means - but just in case you don't, Jillian, in a nutshell, it means just don't do it! In the workshop, I analyzed many popular but unsafe moves in indoor cycling looking at biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, proper training principles, the roots of road cycling, and plain common sense reasons why they should not be a part of ANY indoor cycling program, much less the Spinning program.

What you did with your participants on the Biggest Loser last night was horrendous and very sad. It showed great disrespect for your participants, for the Spinning program, and for indoor cycling in general. You showed rampant disregard for safety, for biomechanics, for understanding of training principles, and for concern for your participants. It shows that you know nothing about riding a bike, either. I know you think you must keep up your "image" as being a hard a$$, kick butt, no-holds-barred personal trainer, but this time you went too far.

Many indoor cycling enthusiasts from around the country were watching that show. They will come away from it thinking that these are acceptable moves (“because Jillian did it”) and want their own instructors to do them. Many of those poor instructors (the ones who don't know they can stand up to their uneducated students and explain the real reasons why they don’t do stuff like that on a bike) will feel the need to offer their students what they're asking for, even though they can sense that it’s unsafe. As a result, there's going to be far more injuries and far fewer people reaching their performance goals.

Burning muscles, as I'm sure you know, is not always a good thing. It can be caused by mechanical inefficiency, and not just anaerobic work. Pain in the joints is a sign to the person that something is amiss, and is often caused by incorrect form. Good form is crucial for proper and safe indoor cycling - I'm sure your riders last night felt pain in their joints because form was never addressed. You should never, ever, EVER, take away the saddle in indoor cycling, it has high-risk and serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever. It does not make you stronger, faster or a better cyclist, indoors or out. Do you think the best cyclists in the world would ever do something as silly as that? Yet look how incredibly fit they are! And for God’s sake, one should especially never do that with someone who is carrying that much extra weight! Jillian, there is no need to risk injury in the name of fitness. You should always respect the fact that this is a bicycle, and cannot pretend that it isn't. Being a fixed-geared bicycle has huge implications on the body when pedaling. You simply can't be doing squats, girations or other crazy aerobics-on-a-bike movements without placing the rider at great risk.

Spinning is a brand, and it is based on proper and safe training. You are using Spinner bikes on your show. You should respect the brand, and show what good Spinning is! Even if you didn’t have Spinning bikes, safety, smart training and common sense should still apply, because safety is important in all indoor cycling, not just Spinning.

I have a blog devoted to safe and effective Indoor Cycling, and if you go to http://funhogspins.blogspot.com and look under the label "Contraindications" you'll see several posts, including a huge list of what NOT to do on an indoor bicycle, and the biomechanical, anatomical, physiological and common sense reasons why not. I think you should read these. Many of them were on the show last night.

And get yourself certified. Please...

In fitness,

Jennifer Sage, BS, CSCS, CPT, MI
Vail, Colorado

UPDATE: Was I harsh on Jillian? I wrote a follow-up blog post here, where I offered to certify her for free in Spinning! And another blog post after getting some "Hate-mail" from Jillian fan who thinks I'm just jealous.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: I'm no longer writing here at FHS, all of my education and training efforts for indoor cycling/Spinning instructors can now be found at www.indoorcyclingassociation.com

BPM vs RPM - a comment from the perspective of a German instructor

Dear readers,

My goal of presenting this topic of BPM vs RPM was to create a discussion of what works for different instructors when it comes to music choice. My experience and opinion, expressed in my first two posts on the subject, are just that - my experience and my opinion. You may have a different experience, and as a result, a different opinion. I've known of instructors who do use BPM, but not as many here, and only the occasional MI in the US - that I know if - focuses on it. Because I originally had a bad experience with it, I am very curious to see how good instructors use it. And I know they do, and that they have good results. (Maybe I just need some faster music)! I am already learning a lot just since my first post on Monday, and have lots more to present to you as I pay more attention to the bpm in my classes this and next week.

But first, I received an excellent email from an instructor in Germany, Anita, who shared her experience with me. I'd like to post it here in its entirety, get some comments from you, and then answer some of her questions right here on this blog. I am thrilled to have this interaction and this discussion of our different teaching styles from one corner of the earth to the other! I can't wait to go to Germany and take Anita's class one day! ;-)

So, may I present to you Anita, with some great points about teaching with BPM.  I'll respond in a couple of days...

Hi Jennifer,

There is such a lot to say about music that I really don't know where to begin. When I became an instructor, I used the mood of a song for the different techniques. "Lady in black" by Uriah Heep was a hill for me (today I find it great for standing flat!). In class, I saw that my students did not always follow me in cadence and I could not explain why. Then I met another instructor who asked me if I did not count my music first and then put it in a profile. I learned how to count and this helped me to guide my students better. In my clinic (in 2003), we got no instructions by the MI about using music.

As far as I know, things have changed and I think most of the German MI use the bpm for their profiles. It is quite common to teach bpm = rpm and it seems in the Netherlands it is the same. Music has become a part of the clinic by now and the MI explain about the bpm and how to count them.

In the German forum we discuss these things as well, but it is more like if we should use the musical bow (every musical bow consists of 32 beats and the first one is known as the "big one", this indicates a change in the song, you can use it for a technique change or for jumps for example) or not. 

This sounds more like an aerobic instructor than a spinning instructor. This is how it has developed since I've been teaching and I find it good on the one hand as it makes it easier for the students to follow the beat of the music, especially on a hill (like Robert said) and bad on the other hand as the music dictates what you should be doing next (and it stresses the instructor in finding the right beat to change!). This is a limitation and leads to less variety in putting profiles together. Many profiles sound like mathematics with all the bpm and minutes to stay on. Outside, you will never find a road like this! But it is not bad if you want to improve your skills. Once, I did a ride with only 95 bpm music and the students had to change intensity or technique to reach different heart rates.

Sometimes, I wonder if there is a difference how to teach spinning in different countries. We Germans are not very rhythmic people, so we hear the beat first and not the rhythm. 

But you are right, it is not all about the beat, but if the beat is in front of the music, it is hard to ride a flat road instead of a hill. I would like to ride with you to learn more about how you use the music. By now, "Drippy" is just a hill for me! Maybe I will come to WSSC once (if I can afford it!).   

Your experience in San Francisco is a good example how the beat can be misinterpreted and overdone. I can give you an example vice versa: I took an endurance ride during a spinning event where the instructor played only techno music with approx. 138-140 bpm. Of course, the goal was to find your own cadence and to stay there for the ride. It was pretty hard!! I saw many people bouncing in their saddles, because they wanted to go that fast and there were also a few who made a hill out of it. So what do you think - was it a stroke of a genius or just bad music choice? Music is a motivator and supports you - I found it just the opposite! Ok - you can say you need a lot of intrinsic motivation to go through such a ride - but where is the fun factor?

I wonder how you teach the different cadences in your rides when you don't use the bpm and it is the goal of your class. Do you use cadence checks for that? How often? Every time you change cadence? It is great if you have a spinning computer, but what do you do if you have not?

Another question: how important is it to teach a certain cadence at a time? What's the use of it if you are just a "normal leisure time spinner"? If a certain cadence stands for a certain heart rate, then ok, but here I would say heart rate depends more on the type of music selection. 

I agree with you: beat is not everything - but it helps a lot, especially those who are not so experienced.

Thanks for reading!

Anita

And many thanks to you Anita for writing! Like I said, I'll address some of your questions about how I do it in another post.  

Now you readers have both perspectives; what say you??