Manic Monday

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving!  It was really nice being off from work for a few days, but that didn't mean that I was going to skip my workouts also.  Its nice that Jer and I live close to both of our families, so we really didn't have much traveling to do for Turkey Day.

I thought I would post my holiday week workouts so that you can see that even though your normal routine may be thrown off a bit, you can still workout successfully. 

Also, according to my trusty scale, I didn't gain an ounce this Thanksgiving!

Monday - lifted heavy weights - bi's and back, taught 55 minute spin class and followed that up with 15 minutes of core work.

Tuesday - bodystep and bodycombat classes (fun!)

Wednesday - OFF

Thursday - ran a 5k Turkey Trot.  I was able to complete it in my fastest time yet, 31:11 thanks to a friend motivating me!

Friday - taught a 75 minute spin/core class.

Saturday - OFF

Sunday - OFF

I didn't feel so guilty for taking both Saturday and Sunday off because my hamstrings really needed a break and I worked hard all week.

Core Revolution 11/26/10

Well, hello friends!  Sorry I have been slacking on my blog posts lately.  I have been busy eating turkey, lol!

Here is my profile from my Black Friday ride.  I team taught with a wonderful instructor named George.  He suggested that we do about 30 minutes on the bike, then down to the mats for some floor work, then back on the bikes for the last 30 minutes.  It was wonderful and the crowd seemed to really enjoy it, despite our lack of microphone : (

Warm Up
Love Generation - Bob Sinclair

Running Hills
We R Who We R - Ke$ha

Climb - seated and standing
Hot Tottie - Usher

Climb - steep and fast paced!
More Human than Human - Rob Zombie

Hills
The Sex is Good - Saving Abel

Intervals - switching in between running flats, recovery and a little hill
Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas

Hills - moderate resistance, switching from seated to standing.
Lift me Up - Moby

It's almost turkey day!

Is everyone getting ready for the biggest eating holiday of the year?  Considering that I made an entire Thanksgiving Day dinner last Sunday, I am a little "turkey-ed out", but I will manage!

I have the Turkey Trot 5k in the morning, so I will have to behave tonight on the biggest drinking night of the year.  I think Jerry and I are going to go out for some cocktails and an early dinner.  Conveniently, I can pick up my Turkey Trot gear right in town before dinner.

The weather looks like it will be around 30 degrees and clear, so that is good news.  Although I am not a runner by any means, I don't find the 3.1 miles all that challenging.  What I do find difficult is breathing in that cold air first thing in the morning.  I end up coughing for two days following that run.

Good luck to all my fellow Turkey Trotters and Happy Thanksgiving!

Core Revolution 11-22-10

My friend and I took a wonderful Spinning continuing education class on Sunday that taught us all about interval training.  We learned that with proper recovery, your body is more likely to burn fat instead of carbs that we need for energy.  I worked in some intervals into my ride last night and according to my heart rate monitor, I burned almost 100 more calories than usual! 

I have also decided to tweak the way I am posting my rides.  From some great feedback, I learned that I don't really need to break down each ride so much.  If you want more information on my rides, just send me a note!

Warm Up
Unk vs. Avril Lavigne - DJ Lobsterdust

Seated Flat
Ecuador - Sash!

Climb - seated and standing
Empire State of Mind - Jay Z

Running Hills - seated and standing using lots of resistance and a quicker cadence
Cameras - Matt & Kim (I am in LOVE with this song!!!)

Seated Flat - this will turn into some seated, fast hills
The Catalyst - Linkin Park

Hills - explode out of the saddle with increased resistance and increased cadence for about 45 seconds at a time.
We R Who We R - Ke$ha

Jumps/Jumps on a Hill
Hey Baby - Pitbull, feat. TPain

Running Hills - 90 second intervals (heavy and fast out at 3), 30 second recovery - we did this 4x
Indestructible - Disturbed

Climb
What's My Name? - Rihanna & Drake

Seated and Standing Run
Circle the Drain - Katy Perry

Sprints on a Hill - super heavy - 20 seconds at time (4x), then lots of recovery in between
Everybody Wants Some!! - Van Halen

Black Friday isn't just for shopping.

When I was about 23 or so, I tried Black Friday shopping.  I had no plan, no buddy with me, not a lot of money and no clue what I was in for.  I woke up at about 4:00 am, went to Best Buy and stood in the back of a huge line in the freezing cold rain.  Once inside, I was almost trampled and was found myself just wandering around.  I left with one CD and a lot of aggravation.  Never.again.ever.

These days, I love nothing more than a good workout on Black Friday!  I am so lucky that I was asked to team teach a spin class that morning with my fellow awesome instructors.  Its going to be an absolute blast and I am sure everyone will be thankful to burn off those extra calories from the feast the day before.

Do you have a "morning after" ritual?

Core Revolution 11-15-10

My 5th week of teaching at The Revolution was last night and I thought it was time to teach a different kind of spinning profile.  I concentrated heavily on strength training for this ride, meaning, lots of mountains to climb!

Warm Up - Intensity: 50-65% mhr, Cadence: 80-110 rpm. 
Start a Fire - Ryan Star

Running Hills - Intensity: 80-85% mhr, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.
I Like It - Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull (I played this as a member request)

Climb - Intensity: 80-85% mrh, Cadence: 60-80 rpm, This is super heavy in and out of the saddle.
The Sex is Good - Saving Abel

Climb - Intensity: 80-85% mrh, Cadence: 60-80 rpm, again, super heavy, nice steady pace.
Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith

Sprints - Intensity: 85-92%, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  Super heavy resistance when you break through the gear at 3.
Day 'N' Night - Kid Cudi

Running Flats, Small Hills, Standing Run-  Intensity: 80-85%, Cadence - 75-100 rpm.  We switch up the resistance and our position during this song.
Drown in the Now - Crystal Method and Matisyahu

Climb - Intensity: 80-85% mrh, Cadence: 60-80 rpm.  Max out the resistance and maintain a steady climb.
Rich Girl

Seated and Standing Hills - Intensity: 70-80%, Cadence: 80-100 rpm.
Cascade - Deluka

Jumps/Jumps on a Hill - Intensity: 75-85%, Cadence: 70-90 rpm.  4 counts from position 1 to 2.  Then, 4 counts from position 2 to 3.  End with a fast climb.
Come on Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners

Climb - Intensity: 80-85% mrh, Cadence: 60-80 rpm.  Seated and standing while a heavy gear is under the wheel.  Push and pull using the entire leg.
Beautiful Dangerous - Fergie and Slash

Hills - Intensity: 80-85%, Cadence: 80-100rpm.  Moderate hill for resistance, constantly adding it on more and more until the end of the song.
Hot Tottie - Usher and Jay Z

Seated and Standing Flats - Intensity: 85-92%, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  A little fast work right at the end to spike heart rates.
Proper Education - Eric Prydz vs. Floyd

I am a winner!!!

Remember a few weeks ago I blogged about entering a profile contest through Spinning.com ( http://acyclepsycho.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-entered-contest-yesterday.html) ? 

Well....I won!!!!!  My profile was chosen to be featured in one of the Spin Monthly Member Profile e-mails!!  I don't know how many were entered, but its very flattering that the best of the best in my profession recognized my hard work.  I also got a little $10 off coupon for being chosen. 

If these terms are not familiar to you, a profile is basically your ride that you create.  You have to keep in mind, maximum heart rate percentages, RPM's, music, time, etc. to make a good profile. 

As soon as I get my email with my profile featured, I will post it on here for you guys so you can take a look.

Yay!

Weekend Whirlwind

My apologies for being M.I.A. all weekend, but I was super busy (what's new?). Friday my husband and I managed to get to the gym to do a Bodypump class (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Les-Mills-Body-Pump/55056212095) at 5:30 pm.  I have grown to love working out during "happy hour" because the classes are barely full and that means you have tons of space and you don't have to fight over equipment.  That night I went to my Godmother's house for a jewelry party, where I won the door prize!  It was a really pretty beaded necklace to match the earrings I had purchased.

I woke up bright an early Saturday and headed to The Revolution with a friend for Barre Revolution (myrevnow.com).  It was taught by my boss who is an excellent and fun instructor.  She did about 45 minutes of spin followed by an intense 30 minutes of barre work (it incorporates ballet barre work, pilates and yoga).  600 calories burned later, I was feeling great and ready to tackle my day.

Here comes the worst part of my weekend - CPR recertification from 1pm - 5pm.  I have to do this year after year and each time I go the instructor is more boring than the last one, but none of the material is changed or updated, so its pretty lame.  I inquired whether or not they were going to update their information and have us just do chest compressions instead of the 2 breathes than compressions and the instructor told me that the American Heart Association is doing that, but not the Red Cross.  Hmm.  Either way, I was not learning anything new.  I wish that they could give you a kind of placement test in the beginning.  If you can properly demonstrate CPR and rescue breathing, you should get your card and go.  What are your thoughts?

Saturday night Jerry and I tried out a great new restaurant in town and then headed out to watch a band play with some of our friends and family.  It was so much fun to laugh, dance and catch up with everyone.

On Sunday, we cleaned up the condo a bit and then just lounged around and watched some football.  The Buffalo Bills won their very first game of the season!!!   For the past three Sunday's, I have been trying out a new soup or dinner recipe.  I made a really good homemade chili yesterday for the first time.  I only used one jalapeno because I was scared that it would be too spicy.  Next time, I will follow the recipe and use two.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/beef-chili-recipe/index.html  It only had about 186 calories per serving also!  Yum!!

How was your weekend?

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Pay it Forward Friday - Ride 2 Recovery

I just got the confirmation from my boss at The Revolution that we will be hosting an event through Spinning Nation that raises money for Ride 2 Recovery!  I did this event last year and it was a great success raising lots of money for those in need.

http://www.ride2recovery.com/spinning_nation/

Ride 2 Recovery raises money for men and women in the armed forces who are being rehabilitated using cycling (indoor and outdoor).  They provide bikes, helmets, trainers, etc. to get injured vets back to feeling good again.

Various gyms and fitness facilities from across the nation all participate on the same day, which is February 26, 2011.  I tried to incorporate some motivational and patriotic music into my ride last year to keep up our spirits and to remind us all of who we are doing this for.  I gave my riders the option of staying either for one hour or two and they all decided to stay for the entire ride.  It was very inspiring and heart warming.

Here are some goofy pictures from my group last year. We had a blast and raised almost $4000.00 for this worthy cause!  They shipped us t-shirts so we would look more unified and they sent me a really nice jersey.

I will update you of when and how to make donations when the date gets a little closer!!

Live well,
Angela

The Biggest Loser teaches Spin!!

I get an email once a month for being a member of Spinning and this month there was a great article that featured a few of the Biggest Loser contestants!  I love watching the portions of the show when they are pedaling away!

Enjoy!

http://www.spinning.com/spinning-instructor-news/2010-11-2.asp

Core Revolution 11-8-10

Yesterday we had a wintry mix of rain, sleet, hail and snow for the first time since last Spring.  I thought for sure my class would consist of me and my husband, but to my surprise, I had a room full of die - hard's that wouldn't let a little snow stand in their way!  Here is what our workout looked like.

Endurance ride - ~50 minutes.

Warm Up - Intensity: 50-65%, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.
Dreams - Cranberries

Seated and Standing Hills - Intensity: 70-80%, Cadence: 60-80 rpm.
O.M.G. (remix) - Usher

Seated and Standing Climb - Intensity: 80-85%, Cadence: 60-70 rpm.
Nothin' On You - Bruno Mars

Seated and Standing Climb - Intensity: 80-85%, Cadence: 60-70 rpm.
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve

Running Flats - Intensity: 80-85%, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.
Flaunt It - Djfancofabi (this is my best buddies favorite spin song!!)

Running Hills - Intensity: 80-85%, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  This is heavy and fast.  Keep a consistent pace regardless of body position and resistance increase.
Eminence Front - The Who

Running Hills - Intensity: 85-92%, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  This is intense.  Heart rates come up a little higher than in a traditional "endurance" ride, but its worth it!
More Human than Human - Rob Zombie

Flats, Hills, Climb - Intensity: 80-85%, Cadence: 70-110 rpm.  All three positions on the bike, alternating resistance from flats to mountains.
Message in a Bottle - Matisyahu

Jumps on a Hill - Intensity: 75-80%, Cadence: 60-80 rpm.  Big hill under the wheel with steady, controlled jumps from 1 to 2, 2 to 3.
Kick in the Teeth - Papa Roach

Sprints - Intensity: 85-92%, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  Super heavy resistance when you break through the gear at 3.
Invincible - Adelitas Way

Recovery, Hills - Intensity: 70-80%, Cadence: 60-80 rpm.  Let the heart rates come back to the aerobic zone.
Shut Up and Let Me Go - DJ Lobsterdust Remix

Climb - Intensity: 80-85%, Cadence: 60-80 rpm.  Max out the resistance and use the entire leg for this short song.
L.O.V.E. - Ashlee Simpson

Is your "saddle" sore?

The number one biggest beginner complaint I get from new participants is that their "saddle area" is sore.  This is perfectly normal, believe it or not!  Your body takes time to adjust to the seat and the action in the class.  You will have more strength in some of those muscles and almost build up what I like to call a "tolerance" of the seat after a few classes.  Personally, it took me about 4 or so classes over the course of 2-3 weeks.

Overcoming the saddle soreness is sometimes the hardest part of class, but here are some tips to help the process along.  Heck, no one would take class if the pain didn't subside, right?

1) do not invest in a gel seat.  These are the flimsy things you can buy at any Walmart that slide over the bikes seat.  They slide all over the place actually, making it difficult for the rider to get good form while seated.  Waste of money and somewhat dangerous in my opinion.  Plus, you are not allowing your body to adjust to the actual seat. 

2) you may want to invest in some padded bike shorts if you buns just won't stop hurting.  I have been spinning for years and have even participated in a 3 hour long class without the need for these shorts, but if you have to do something, I guess these are you best options. Spinning.com and other online stores carry them.

3) concentrate on proper form.  Bouncing in the saddle is usually an indicator of a few things like, improper bike set-up, not enough resistance and/or pedaling too fast.  Sliding back and forth on the seat could also be in indicator of bad bike set-up or poor form.

4) psss- this is my favorite trick of all!!  Undies matter!  If you must wear them while working out, try to choose cotton and no thongs!  You can imagine the pain you could experience if you do not choose the right undergarments.  Most of my workout bottoms have built in protection, so no underwear is needed.  Lululemon has a great line of capri's and shorts for spinning.

Here are some links with more information from spinning.com.

http://www.spinning.com/images/Keep_it_Safe.pdf

http://www.spinning.com/spinning-shop/default.asp

Pay it Forward Friday!

I think this will be the theme of my Friday posts from now on!  As some of you know, I despise running with every fiber of my being.  Maybe its because I get bored easily, maybe its because I don't like the idea of being hit by a car, maybe its because I discovered spinning.  In any case, I avoid running unless I am being chased ; ), but I do run once a year. 

The Turkey Trot 5k in town is the one time that I run because its for a great cause and its become a tradition with me and my friends.  In preparation, I run at the gym once a week for about 4 weeks prior.  I hate every second of it, but I do it. My only goal year after year is that I run without walking and finish within 30 minutes.

Do you participate in any fundraising/charity type races or activities?  Do you have any traditions that revolve around fitness?

Ugh...whole grains!

I went to a registered dietitian back in August because I had about ten pounds lingering that I could not drop, no matter how much I worked out or ate clean/healthy.  She put together a great plan for me, which basically took the items I was already eating and just put them in different portions and in different meals.  I also was instructed to consume about 200-300 more calories a day (I now eat about 1800-2000 cals/day). 

For example, my old lunch would typically be a big veggie salad with either tuna or chicken on top and some oil and vinegar. 

My new lunch is typically a side salad (about 1c or more of veggies), a sandwich (whole grain sandwich thin, 3oz protein, maybe an 1/8 avocado) and 1/2c of low fat cottage cheese. 

Thanks to this new plan of eating less protein and more grains, I was able to go from 134.9 pounds to 126.8 and I have kept it all off!

The only issue I face day to day is getting in those portions of grains.  Mentally, I always thought that carbs were the devil, but that is not the case, you need them for energy!  I try to eat whole grain cereal like Kashi Go Lean Crunch for breakfast, a whole grain sandwich thin for lunch and either whole wheat pasta, brown rice or quinoa.

This way of eating is not appropriate for everyone, but I do suggest seeing a R.D. if you are struggling with weight loss.

What is your favorite way to get whole grains into your diet? 

Let's talk about Heart Rate Monitors

As some of you know,  I started teaching at a great new place a few weeks ago and most folks that take my class do not wear heart rate monitors.  At my old place, I was able to educate the members about HRM's and eventually, about 90% of my class had them.  I am going to start talking to my new people weekly about how great they are and how they can really maximize their workouts.  I thought I would also share it with all of you!

I got this great information from Spinning.com and my Spinning manual.

http://www.spinning.com/images/Heart_Rate_Monitor.pdf

http://www.spinning.com/images/Target_Heart.pdf

From an instructor's point of view, HRM's really outline exactly where each individual rider needs to be in terms of resistance, cadence, work effort, etc.  It kind of takes some of the guess work out of where every individual needs to be to reach their goals - which can be different for every rider.  I will shout out things like, "if you are wearing a HRM, you should be around 80-85% of your maximum HR".   That way, if they see their rates are too high or too low, they can adjust to maximize their workouts.

I usually wear my Polar F6 (can be found on spinning.com) with the chest strap.  Without the chest strap, its hard to get an accurate HR.

I hope this helped to clear up any confusion!  Happy Pedaling!

Core Revolution 11-1-10

Another great class last night!  I find it so flattering that so many folks drive all the way to my new place to spin with me.  My cousin drives about 30 miles and a few folks drive about a half an hour to spend some time sweating with me.  We had a great workout and here is what it looked like:

Interval profile, about 50 minutes from warm up to cool down.

Warm Up - Intensity: 50-65% mhr, Cadence: 60-80 rpm.
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

Hills - Intensity: 70-85% mhr, Cadence: 60-80 rpm.  Seated, 2 and 3, increasing resistance gradually.
Like a G6 - Far East Movement

Running Flats-  Intensity:  80-85%, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  Seated and 2.  Be sure to put a tiny hill under the wheel before going up to 2.
Machines Can do the Work - Fatboy Slim

Jumps - Intensity: 75-80% mhr, Cadence: 60-75 rpm.  Moderate hill, four count, from 1 to 2.  3 sets.
Living in a Dream - Finger Eleven

Sprints - Intensity: 85-92% mhr, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  Super heavy resistance.  Explode out of the saddle to 3, then down in the saddle for 15 seconds of hard work.  3 sets.
Let's Go Crazy - Prince

Recovery - Intensity: 70-80% mhr, Cadence: 80-110rpm.  Heart rates come back to the aerobic zone. 
Hawaii - Blackbird Blackbird

Climb - Intensity: 80-85% mhr, Cadence: 60-70 rpm.  Seated and at 3.  Load it up gradually until you reach the maximum resistance.  Slow and heavy going up a steep mountain.
A Little Bit More - Jamie Lidell

Running Flats - Intensity: 80-85%, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  Seated and standing.  Keep resistance under the wheel at all times.  Fast, coming down the other side of the mountain.
Dancing with Myself - The Donnas

Running Hills - Intensity: 80-90% mhr, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  We start with a moderate hill seated, then add it on and bring it up to 2.  We then add a little more on and bring it out to 3.
Check it Out - will.i.am & Nicki Minaj

Seated and Standing Climb - Intensity: 80 - 85% mhr, Cadence: 70-80 rpm.  Start in the saddle, gradually add on resistance, bring it out to 3 for some surges of power.
Baby Got Back - DJ Lobsterdust

Climb - Intensity: 80-85% mhr, Cadence: 60-70 rpm.  As heavy as you can handle.  In the saddle and out to 3
Stop for a Minute - Keane

Running Heavy Hills - Intensity: 85-92% mhr, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  Keep it heavy, keep it fast! Alternating 1 and 3.
Sound of Madness - Shinedown

Seated Flats, Standing Flats, Standing Climb - Intensity: 80-85% mhr, Cadence: 80-110 rpm.  Add on the resistance when you take it up.  Very intense!
Welcome to the Jungle  - Guns n' Roses

Cool Down - Intensity: 50-65% mhr, Cadence: 60-80 rpm.  Stretch, bring the heart rates down gradually.
Just a Ride - Jem