Some thoughts and discussions from me.

Happy Friday! Even though I’mI’ve got a jam-packed work day today, and still have to work tomorrow morning, Fridays just put a pep in my step and a smile on my mug Open-mouthed smile

One of those work commitments today includes teaching a 45-minute noon indoor cycling class. You guys, I have been absolutely LOVING teaching spin classes. The energy, the music, the sweat – it’s all infectiously invigorating and it just gets me going.

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Oh, and it doesn’t make me bulky. If you’ve watched the news this week, you may have seen a story that the media took and ran sprinted with with attention-grabbing titles, like this one:

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Yes, Gwyneth Paltrow’s trainer, Tracy Anderson, said too much spinning will bulk up the thighs. Now, I didn’t want to dedicate an entire post to this, because I don’t think it’s worth it. However, as soon as I heard it, my jaw dropped. Blanket statement, anyone? And then when I spoke to a friend who told me she’s worried about her spin class because of what Tracy Anderson said, my blood pressure went up.

Just to clarify, indoor cycling classes will not bulk you up to the point of your jeans not fitting anymore. You may gain some muscle in your legs, but likely only if you’re new to indoor cycling, or have been spinning for strength. If your legs bulk up from taking spin classes, it’s likely not because of the actual spin class at all, but because all of the cardio is making you hungry, and you’re eating back the calories you burned in class, plus some.

I don’t recommend taking indoor cycling classes every day a week, but NOT because I think it will bulk you up. Don’t take indoor cycling classes every day because it will likely lead to muscular imbalance or worse, injury. Oh, and also, you don’t need that much cardio.

Since making this statement, Tracy Anderson has back-pedaled and said that what she meant was that doing too much of any exercise would bulk you up. Of course this is after the celebrity trainer said the head-turning statement in an interview and the media gobbled it up. And I guess, they both got what they wanted. People are talking about Tracy Anderson, and people are watching and clicking on news stories about what she said.

Moving on….

Staying on the topic of spinning, one thing about teaching spinning that I both love and don’t love is putting together my playlists for the classes. On the downside, it’s pretty time-intensive. It takes me about 30-45 minutes to put together a playlist and ride together for a class. However, on the plus-side, I’ve been listening to SO much awesome music. On my profile, it says that I like to play anything with a rockin’ beat and makes you want to dance. Think Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Avicii, One Direction, etc.

So far this year, I’ve put together about 5 playlists and subsequent rides for spinning. Of all of those playlists, I created one, big, ultimate playlist with all of my favorites on it for this blog post:

top 20

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All of these songs just make me want to DANCE, which, when working out equates to lift/run/spin/push/etc. And I get all of my music on Spotify, so if anyone else out there does, here’s the playlist:

 

What are some of your favorite workout songs right now?

What are your thoughts on what Tracy Anderson said about spinning bulking up thighs?

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