Spin playlist: Endurance training

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been alternating between endurance classes and interval classes.

I explained it to my class this morning as follows: Endurance classes you try to keep a steady heart rate, around 60 percent (though very few people have monitors). The intervals are longer but less intense, and the rest periods are shorter.

Interval classes have short bursts of really high-intensity followed by longer rest periods.

For today's endurance class I took them up three big (5-6 minute) climbs. After each one there's a recovery then either jumps or sprints to keep things interesting. Each climb was over two songs, so I intentionally made the second song a little faster so the last two minutes or so of the climb would be more challenging. All climbs are a combination of sitting and standing. Here's the playlist:

Rolling Stones: Start Me Up -- warmup

Yael Naim - New Soul: Start climb #1 out easy. About a 3 or 4 on a scale of 1-10. Increase the last minute of the song.

Music Monday! Wilco -Summer Teeth

I need to discover some new music, everything I have is getting kind of old. Anyway this is a great summertime song! Wilco -- Summer Teeth.

The interval class from... you know where ;)

I think I finally mastered the art of the interval cycling class today. This playlist was a doozy.

I managed this one twice in a row today! Average heart rate 153, max 192. 979 calories burned! (For that, I cracked open an Angry Orchard hard cider... one of my new favorite gluten free things!!)

Wilco - Summer Teeth -- Warmup

Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Woman -- Easy climb

Metro Station - Shake it -- Make the climb steeper, really pushing the heart rate in the second minute of the song, then take the last minute to recover