Posts from — November 2007

Race Day – Spinning Profile

I have been blessed with a great group of regulars who attend my 6:00 am Spinning classes religiously every Tuesday and Thursday morning.  After a year of seeing them twice a week and knowing without question they were ready to Race, we agreed to train and have a weekend race.  We focused on Strength and Interval rides that gradually increased their workload and ability to stay at a high intensity for extended periods of time.  Finally, this weekend we had our race.  It was an exciting event and even though I was nervous to try and teach this Energy  Zone for the first time, the riders proved to me that once again, it has less to do with the teacher and everything to do with the riders.  You guys rock!! 

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As the holiday season sets in, you’ll probably notice your class numbers fluctuating, even bottoming out.  This is as common as warm weather enticing gym-goers outdoors and is a normal part of a gym’s attendance cycle.  Take the advice salespeople use to increase sales to close your own “sale” and pack your classes throughout the holiday season.

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Here is an easy, but fun vertical step combo that I used last night.  It is simple to follow and teach, but criss-crossing the step gets the heartrate up nicely.

Combo:

Note: Start on the left side of the step, towards the back.

4 – Over the Top, R Lead

4 – Diagonal Over the Top, L Lead.  Move to the front of the step.

4 – Over the Top, R Lead.  Stay at the front of the step.

4 – One knee:  Use it to back up again.  I usually cue it as “One hop back”

6 - Two-knee Repeater

2 – Two bounces in place, like jumping rope

4 - Rocking Horse: One hamstring curl (2) One knee (2)

4 – One Jumpshot

Reverse.

 I usually teach this one by doing three of everything, then shortening it up; therefore, no fancy layering techniques.   

Have fun!

If you are like me and promise yourself on a regular basis that you will wake up earlier to get more done, but just can’t seem to shake the habit of staying in bed until the last minute, this tip is for you.  Granted, the usefulness of the tip has limited shelf life:  Today is Friday, November 2 and tomorrow night we’ll set our clocks back one hour in honor of Daylight Savings time.  Of course, you can mimic your own version of Daylight Savings time any day of the year.  However, if you are reading this on Friday or Saturday, here’s the tip:  DON’T CHANGE YOUR CLOCK.  That’s right.  If you keep operating on your current schedule, you will naturally and normally wake up one hour earlier than the rest of the DST-honoring world.    On Sunday morning, with your clock unchanged you will wake up when your clock says it is your usual wake up time.  For me, this is 5:30 am.  However, the actual time of day will be 4:30 am, and after doing my usual morning routine, I will have that one extra hour I have been desperate to obtain.  An extra hour to give my dog a bit more exercise, to start the day with prayer and meditation, to get myself organized instead of scrambling to cover my bases throughout the day…. 

Try it yourself.  See if it helps you get up earlier and get more done.  If you are reading this and missed daylight savings time, you can try to fake it by setting your clocks one hour ahead and operating on that time.  I have trouble with this one, because I can’t outsmart myself.  With the DST trick, I keep going on my natural rhythm, so I don’t anticipate needing to talk myself into the correct time.

Good luck!  Happy early rising!