Track List - Saturday, March 28, 2015 (Special Double Back-to-Back Rides at 9:45am & 11:00am!)

9:45AM:

1. Weekend - Janet Jackson
2. All I Wanna Do - T. Mills
3. Life In A Northern Town (remix) - Dream Academy vs. Dario G
4. Melt With You - Modern English
5. We Can't Stop (remix) - Miley Cyrus
6. Molly - Cedric Gervais
7. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) - U2
8. Rocket Man (remix) - Elton John
9. Secrets (remix) - Mary Lambert
10. I Melt With You - Modern English
11. Don't Tell Me We Can't Stop (live mashup) - Madonna & Miley Cyrus
12. Life In A Northern Town - Dream Academy

11:00AM:

1. Jam - Michael Jackson
2. I Say Nothing - Voice Of The Beehive
3. Living For Love (remix) - Madonna
4. Sing (remix) - Annie Lennox
5. Stuck on A Feeling - Prince Royce featuring Snoop Dogg
6. She Knows - Ne-Yo featuring Juicy J
7. Don't Let Go - Isaac Hayes
8. Blank Space (remix) - Taylor Swift
9. When Love Takes Over - David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland
10. Wrapped Up (remix) - Olly Murs featuring Travie McCoy
11. Earned It (from the Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack) - The Weeknd
12. Divine Sorrow - Wyclef Jean featuring Avicii

Thanks to all for riding with me this morning! In either one or both of the classes! Hopefully you learned a little more about how your body reacts to changes in the workout, increases in intensity, and by being in control to make a differend! You can do it! If you didn't know that before, now you do! Have a great weekend! In good health, tommy

Track List - Sexy Spin, Thursday, March 26, 2015

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Michael Jackson
2. Numb - Linkin Park
3. I Don't Mind (remix) - Usher featuring Juicy J
4. Geronimo (remix) - Sheppard
5. Uptown Funk (remix) - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
6. Best Song Ever (remix) - One Direction
7. Don't Let Go - Isaac Hayes
8. Blank Space (remix) - Taylor Swift
9. When Love Takes Over - David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland
10. Wrapped Up (remix) - Olly Murs featuring Travie McCoy
11. Earned It (from the Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack) - The Weeknd
12. Divine Sorrow - Wyclef Jean featuring Avicii

And this morning was definitely a Sexy Spin! Thanks to all of you that participated in class and in bringing your early morning sexiness to a Ride that helped riders create change! That helped riders move closer to reaching their goals! That helped everyone get through an early morning workout while having a lot of fun pushing, moving and challenging to fun, motivational music! You all rock! You all just did it! You all are everything! Let's do it all again next week! @crunchgym Crunch Fitness - Sunset​ #sexyspin #ridewithtommy #spin #indoorcycling #fitfam

Track List - #totalrequestride, Wednesday, March 25, 2015

1. Cold Hearted - Paula Abdul
2. Get Your Freak On - Missy Elliott
3. Time Of Our Lives - Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo
4. Lips Are Movin' - Meghan Trainor
5. Time Of Our Lives (remix) - Paul Van Dyk
6. She Knows - Ne-Yo featuring Juicy J
7. I Don't Mind (remix) - Usher featuring Juicy J
8. I Really Like You - Carly Rae Jepsen
9. Right Here, Right Now (remix) - Giorgio Moroder featuring Kylie Minogue
10. I Like You (remix) - Tony Moran featuring Debby Holiday
11. Blowing Kisses In The Wind - Paula Abdul
12. Without You (cover of Usher) - Max Schneider & Kurt Schneider

Though we had technical difficulties preventing us from playing videos, we had no difficulties getting our workout on and making some positive changes by committing to the basics along with some additional fun and challenging movements all set to fun, motivating and inspirational music! Thanks to everyone who was there and worked so hard! Let's do this again with moving pictures next week. So get ready to "Sissy That Walk"...or that ride! @crunchgym @Crunch Fitness - Sunset ‪#‎ridewithtommy‬ ‪#‎spin‬ ‪#‎indoorcycling‬ ‪#‎fitfam‬ #totalrequestride

Subs for The Ride with Tommy! Wednesday, March 18 - Saturday, March 21, 2015

I will not be teaching classes the rest of this week, but I am leaving you all in the very capable hands of two amazing instructors:

Wednesday, March 18, 9:30am - Christina Fulton
Thursday, March 19, 7:00am - Dani Brian Dennison
Friday, March 20, 9:30am - Christina Fulton
Saturday, March 21, 9:45am - Christina Fulton

Thanks to these awesome instructors for helping cover these classes while I am out!

These will all be regular Rides. We will be back to the regular schedule upon my return on Monday, March 23rd with the next Threshold Ride!

I hope to see you then!

In good health,

tommy

Guy B. to sub this morning's Threshold Ride! Saturday, March 14, 2015

Sorry for the late notice, but I just found out yesterday that I have a friend's memorial service in San Diego. I was hoping to be able to leave after class, but I wouldn't make it in time. Thanks to Guy B. for subbing for me and for taking the time to learn the newest class here at Crunch! I hope everyone has a great class, and I'll see you on Monday at 9:30am for the next Threshold Ride!

Track List - Sexy Spin, Thursday, March 12, 2015

1. Booty - Jennifer Lopez featuring Iggy Azalea
2. Mo Money Mo Problems - The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Mase & Puff Daddy
3. Material Girl - Madonna
4. Time Of Our Lives - Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo
5. Womanizer - Britney Spears
6. Praise You - Fatboy Slim
7. Soakin' Wet - Steve Grand
8. One Hot Mess (remix) - Malea
9. Ready To Go - Republica
10. Praise You (Maribou State chill remix) - Fatboy Slim
11. Time - Steve Grand
12. Love Me Harder - Ariana Grande featuring The Weeknd

Track List - #totalrequestride, Wednesday, March 11, 2015

1. Booty - Jennifer Lopez featuring Iggy Azalea
2. Mo Money Mo Problems - The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Mase & Puff Daddy
3. Material Girl - Madonna
4. Animal - Neon Trees
5. Womanizer - Britney Spears
6. Time Of Our Lives - Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo
7. Praise You - Fatboy Slim
8. Soakin' Wet - Steve Grand
9. One Hot Mess (remix) - Malea
10. Praise You (Maribou State chill remix) - Fatboy Slim
11. Time - Steve Grand
12. Love Me Harder - Ariana Grande featuring The Weeknd

This morning's #totalrequestride was full of videos! We usually play just 3, but this morning we doubled our fun and played 6! So for those that LOVE the videos, "Yay!" For those that don't really care for the videos that much, "Well, I'm sorry." The 3 top requested videos submitted to @crunchgym and #totalrequestride, were Notorious B.I.G.'s "Mo Money Mo Problems", Madonna's "Material Girl", and Pitbull's "Time Of Our Lives". I also had Crunch Fitness - Sunset rider, Glenn, request Neon Trees' "Animal" and Britney Spears' "Womanizer", both great songs and videos. Crunch Fitness - Sunset rider, Jefferson, submitted several requests a couple of weeks ago for cool downs. This morning, we played the Maribou State remix of Fatboy Slim's "Praise You", which made me think of how much I love the original version as a great jog. Thus, we here the original in class as well! I also want to mention that a hot new artist, Steve Grand, is about to release his debut album. You probably know him from all the news that surrounded the release of the video for his single, "All-American Boy". Back on the July 4th weekend in 2013, Steve's video hit Youtube and became an instant sensation. He was labeled the first "out" gay country artist, though he didn't really fit into any labels at all, not really country, and like so many of us, not just "gay" but so much more! Well, after almost 2 years of work on his album, the time has finally come! For his Kickstarter backers, we were able to download his album a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't wait to play some of his amazing music. His album is available for pre-order on iTunes now! And it is already #14 on iTunes alongside Madonna, Kelly Clarkson (who has the Number 1 album on Billboard this week!), Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, etc. This is all so exciting! So check him out if you haven't already. And thanks to everyone who joined us in this morning's #totalrequestride. Be sure to tweet your requests to @crunchgym followed by the hashtag, #totalrequestride, for next weeks class! Can't wait to see you then! In good health, tommy

Track List - Sexy Spin, Thursday, March 5, 2015

1. Cold Hearted - Paula Abdul
2. Get Your Freak On - Missy Elliott
3. Time Of Our Lives - Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo
4. Lips Are Movin' - Meghan Trainor
5. Time Of Our Lives (remix) - Paul Van Dyk
6. She Knows - Ne-Yo featuring Juicy J
7. I Don't Mind (remix) - Usher featuring Juicy J
8. I Really Like You - Carly Rae Jepsen
9. Right Here, Right Now (remix) - Giorgio Moroder featuring Kylie Minogue
10. I Like You (remix) - Tony Moran featuring Debby Holiday
11. Blowing Kisses In The Wind - Paula Abdul
12. Without You (cover of Usher) - Max Schneider & Kurt Schneider

Track List - #totalrequestride, Wednesday, March 4, 2015

1. Cold Hearted - Paula Abdul
2. Get Your Freak On - Missy Elliott
3. Time Of Our Lives - Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo
4. Lips Are Movin' - Meghan Trainor
5. Time Of Our Lives (remix) - Paul Van Dyk
6. She Knows - Ne-Yo featuring Juicy J
7. I Don't Mind (remix) - Usher featuring Juicy J
8. I Really Like You - Carly Rae Jepsen
9. Right Here, Right Now (remix) - Giorgio Moroder featuring Kylie Minogue
10. I Like You (remix) - Tony Moran featuring Debby Holiday
11. Blowing Kisses In The Wind - Paula Abdul
12. Without You (cover of Usher) - Max Schneider & Kurt Schneider

Track List - CHARITY THRESHOLD RIDE, Saturday, February 28, 2015

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Michael Jackson
2. Numb - Linkin Park
3. I Don't Mind (remix) - Usher featuring Juicy J
4. Geronimo (remix) - Sheppard
5. Best Song Ever (remix) - One Direction

Today, we had one of the all too rare occasions where Crunch Fitness - Sunset had a very special class to help raise awareness and funds for an amazing cause, Augie's Quest. This is an organization that Crunch has teamed up with for several years now to raise much needed money to help fight and hopefully find a cure for ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Members were asked to visit a special website created just for this partnership, http://www.loveyourmuscles.com to reserve a spot in class. Each reservation required a $35.00 donation, 100% of which went directly to Augie's Quest! I was fortunate enough to be one of the 3 instructors that led this class as a team. I worked with the amazing Amy Rollman and Matt Conrad! We each taught for 25 minutes (hence my shortened track list above!) for a total of a very special 75-minute class! It was awesome! We had a great time putting this together, and I believe everyone who showed up and took part in such an amazing event, left feeling thoroughly exhausted from the work out and/yet uplifted and positive due to the great cause that was the reason for the occasion to begin with!

Track List - Sexy Spin, Thursday, February 26, 2015

1. Jam - Michael Jackson
2. I Say Nothing - Voice Of The Beehive
3. Living For Love (remix) - Madonna
4. Sing (remix) - Annie Lennox
5. Stuck on A Feeling - Prince Royce featuring Snoop Dogg
6. She Knows - Ne-Yo featuring Juicy J
7. Don't Let Go - Isaac Hayes
8. Blank Space (remix) - Taylor Swift
9. When Love Takes Over - David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland
10. Wrapped Up (remix) - Olly Murs featuring Travie McCoy
11. Earned It (from the Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack) - The Weeknd
12. Divine Sorrow - Wyclef Jean featuring Avicii

This morning's Sexy Spin track list was the same as yesterday's #totalrequestride's track list. Once again, there were a few pivotal choices for my track list this week that helped me shape the complete list and made me excited to share it with my riders in both classes! There's really not much cross-over between the two classes, as far as riders go, since one is at 9:30am and the other is at 7:00am. There are a few faces that do make it to both, and I am so inspired when I see those committed and dedicated faces. I am humbled and inspired and motivated and energized! So for those that do happen to take both of my classes at different times, I try to mix up the workout that goes along with these track lists. Yes, choosing the music is a big...HUGE!...part of the make up of a class, but there is also so much more that goes into it. Along with every decision to choose a particular beat, there is the choice to perform a specific challenge to that beat. That beat must provide a rhythm that is easy to follow and that allows riders to "get on the pace" and keep that pace while performing that challenge. I also feel that a good instructor has the ability to be present in the class so that an option or a different challenge can also be presented to the class if necessary. This option is most often realized in an instant as a class is surveyed and determined to need a change or that the option is better suited for that particular class. As I have been providing some "behind the scenes" information regarding track list selection the past few weeks, I feel like that today, I also want to mention that it is not the music alone that is chosen. It is the music, the beat, the rhythm, the cadence, the power, the energy that must drive the action or the challenge. When the music and the action come together and provide that power and energy, it is almost like magic. And the instructor can feel or sense when this comes together, or when this magic happens. And that is amazing! So, now back to the music. I want to thank member/rider Glenn for his request for this week's #totalrequestride, "I Say Nothing" by Voice Of The Beehive. A flashback and so much fun! I also felt it was time to play Madonna's new song, "Living For Love". In the #totalrequestride, I actually played video of her performance at this year's Grammys which was one of the highlights of the show! I recently heard Isaac Hayes' song, "Don't Let Go" and it reminded me how fun it is and how great it could be in class. I always like to provide a combination of oldies and goodies along with today's greatest hits (wow! that sounds like promotional material for a radio station!). In fact, I always try to play a variety of music so that hopefully, at least at one point in class, almost everyone will hear a song that particularly moves, inspires and motivates them. To work harder. Or just to have more fun! To go back to being current and relevant to today's pop culture, I played "Earned It" by The Weeknd from the "Fifty Shades Of Grey" soundtrack as a cooldown. Also as the second cool down song, I played another song that benefits the (RED) organization, founded by U2's Bono to help create an AIDS-free generation. Coca-Cola and (RED) are using the universal language of music to raise awareness and funds for the fight to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The “Share the Sound of an AIDS FREE GENERATION” campaign, which kicked off last November and ran through World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, 2014, aimed to help Millennials understand they can be the generation to end the AIDS pandemic. Each week for 4 weeks, a new single was released by a different artist. I have already played the special (RED) Remix of OneRepublic's hit, "I Lived" which samples the vintage Coca-Cola commercial tagline, "I'd like to teach the world to sing". Today, I played Wyclef Jean and Avicii's "Divine Sorrow". A great song for a great cause. And played in class yesterday and today full of great riders trying to do great things! Finally, and also as a way to battle the AIDS pandemic, Annie Lennox released the charity song, "Sing" back in 2007. After hearing Nelson Mandela speak of the dire situation caused by AIDS, she decided to do all that she could to help bring awareness to HIV/AIDS crisis. This song features Annie along with 23 prominent female artists including Madonna, Anastacia, Dido, Céline Dion, Melissa Etheridge, Fergie, Faith Hill, Gladys Knight, k.d. lang, Sarah McLachlan, Pink, Bonnie Raitt, and Shakira. Amazing! And it is such a fun song to run to! I am excited to include it as part of my track list! So that's a little of what went on in the making of this week's track list. I hope you all enjoyed riding to it as much as I enjoyed putting it all together! Now let's go create a little magic! See you in class!

Track List - #totalrequestride, Wednesday, February 25, 2015

1. Jam - Michael Jackson
2. I Say Nothing - Voice Of The Beehive
3. Living For Love (remix) - Madonna
4. Sing (remix) - Annie Lennox
5. Stuck on A Feeling - Prince Royce featuring Snoop Dogg
6. She Knows - Ne-Yo featuring Juicy J
7. Don't Let Go - Isaac Hayes
8. Blank Space (remix) - Taylor Swift
9. When Love Takes Over - David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland
10. Wrapped Up (remix) - Olly Murs featuring Travie McCoy
11. Earned It (from the Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack) - The Weeknd
12. Divine Sorrow - Wyclef Jean featuring Avicii

Track List - Threshold Ride, Saturday, February 21, 2015

1. Uptown Funk (remix) - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
2. Speed Demon (remix) - Michael Jackson
3. Mo Money Mo Problems - Notorious B.I.G featuring Diana Ross
4. Whitney Houston Megamix - DJ Jody Den Broeder
5. Booty - Jennifer Lopez featuring Iggy Azalea
5. Prayer In C - Lilli Wood & The Prick & Robin Schulz
6. I'm Lovin' It - Justin Timberlake
7. Partition (remix) - Beyonce'
8. Madonna Megamix - DJ Robin Skouteris
9. I Lived ([RED] remix) - OneRepublic
10. Borderline - Jody Whatley
11. When You Believe - Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey

Next Saturday at Crunch Fitness - Sunset, we will be hosting a very special 75-minute Ride. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Augie’s Quest to help find a cure for ALS. This special class will start at 12:00noon and go until 1:15pm. It will be taught by myself, the amazing Amy Rollman, and the hunky Matt Conrad. There will be special prizes, special music, special instructors, special guests and all for a great cause! Go to the special website, http://www.loveyourmuscles.com to reserve a bike for $35.00. I look forward to seeing you next week!

Track List - Friday, February 20, 2015

1. Sugar (remix) - Maroon 5
2. Mo Money Mo Problems - Notorious B.I.G featuring Diana Ross
3. Whitney Houston Megamix - DJ Jody Den Broeder
4. Booty - Jennifer Lopez featuring Iggy Azalea
5. Prayer In C - Lilli Wood & The Prick & Robin Schulz
6. The Hanging Tree (remix) - James Newton Howard featuring Jennifer Lawrence
7. I'm Lovin' It - Justin Timberlake
8. Partition (remix) - Beyonce'
9. Madonna Megamix - DJ Robin Skouteris
10. I Lived ([RED] remix) - OneRepublic
11. Borderline - Jody Whatley
12. When You Believe - Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey

This morning we celebrated the birthday of regular rider Jason! Thanks for providing requests that made up most of the track list! And thanks for starting off your special day and celebrating with the Ride with Tommy! I'm looking forward to doing it all again next year!

And it wasn't officially requested by the newlywed himself, but it was Felix's first class back after getting legally married to his partner of more than 10 years last weekend in Palm Springs! Congratulations, Felix! Welcome back!

Do you have something special to celebrate? A birthday? An anniversary? A special charity event? Let me know! I'll try to work an entire class around it by playing your requests!

I'll be here for the next Threshold Ride tomorrow/Saturday morning at 9:45am. Hope to see you then!

In good health,

tommy

Track List - Sexy Spin, Thursday, February 19, 2015

1. Chandelier (remix) - Sia
2. Sugar (remix) - Maroon 5
3. Timber - Pitbull featuring Ke$ha
4. Style (remix) - Taylor Swift
5. Right Here, Right Now (remix) - Giorgio Moroder featuring Kylie Minogue
6. Chains - Nick Jonas
7. Speed Demon (remix) - Michael Jackson
8. Uptown Funk (remix) - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
9. FourFiveSeconds (remix) - Rihanna featuring Kanye West & Paul McCartney
10. Ti Amo - Laura Brannigan
11. It's All Coming Back To Me Now - Celine Dion

Track List - #totalrequestride, Wednesday, February 18, 2015

1. Chandelier (remix) - Sia
2. Sugar (remix) - Maroon 5
3. Timber - Pitbull featuring Ke$ha
4. Style (remix) - Taylor Swift
5. Right Here, Right Now (remix) - Giorgio Moroder featuring Kylie Minogue
6. Chains - Nick Jonas
7. Speed Demon (remix) - Michael Jackson
8. Uptown Funk (remix) - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
9. FourFiveSeconds (remix) - Rihanna featuring Kanye West & Paul McCartney
10. Ti Amo - Laura Brannigan
11. It's All Coming Back To Me Now - Celine Dion

Track List - Threshold Ride, Presidents' Day, February 16, 2015

1. Heroes (remix) - Alesso featuring Tove Lo
2. Crazy In Love - Beyonce' featuring Jay-Z
3. I Lived ([RED] Remix) - OneRepublic
4. Living For Love (Dj Paulo & Jackinsky dub mix) - Madonna
5. Lips Are Movin - Meghan Trainor
6. Style - Taylor Swift
7. Heartbeat Song (Dirty Pop Deconstruction remix) - Kelly Clarkson
8. Think About You (remix) - Jade Starling
9. Good Time Gangnam Style - DJ Dan Mei featuring Psy, Alex Clare, Nicki Minaj, Ram Jam, Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
10. Voices Of Babylon - The Outfield
11. The Writing's On The Wall - OK Go
12. Who You Are - Jessie J

I hope everyone is having an amazing day off! And if you are working on this holiday, don't fret! I will be teaching at 7:00am tomorrow morning so that you can get your workout on early before work! This morning's Ride was a Threshold Ride and once again each individual rider set their own threshold and then continued to work as a percentage of their threshold! It is individual. As always, you are accountable for your own workout and just how hard you commit to the Ride, the challenges, and the intensity. But we, the instructor and Crunch's newest class technology, provide you with the format or the path to follow and a means to measure your commitment or the power with which you Ride! The Threshold Ride is also an opportunity to learn more about your workouts and about your body as it reacts to your own workout. And it is also a group workout. It is a group fitness class. So everyone must commit to their own individual Ride, but by being a part of a group, everyone can also benefit from the amazing and positive energy that is created when a group Rides together and creates and commits to challenges and opportunities to work harder and to make bigger and more positive changes...in their Rides, their workouts, in their results, and in their lives. Yes, it can all happen right here, in a Ride with Tommy! at Crunch Fitness - Sunset! Come join the group! Come make a change! Come see what all the excitement is about! I look forward to seeing you!

Track List - Threshold Ride, Saturday, February 14, 2015

1. Bye Bye Bye (Timbaland remix) - 'Nsync
2. Animals - Maroon 5
3. Out Of The Woods - Taylor Swift
4. Rolling In The Deep - Aretha Franklin
5. Love Train - IDMC Gospel Choir
6. American Dream - MKTO
7. All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor
8. Thriller 2014 (remix) - Michael Jackson
9. Secrets (remix) - Mary Lambert
10. Bang Bang (remix) - Jessie J featuring Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
11. Jealous - Nick Jonas
12. Steal My Girl - One Direction
13. Life Of The Party - Shawn Mendes

Track List - Sexy Spin, Thursday, February 12, 2015

1. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & Goon Rock
2. Crazy In Love - Beyonce' featuring Jay-Z
3. I Lived ([RED] Remix) - OneRepublic
4. Living For Love (Dj Paulo & Jackinsky dub mix) - Madonna
5. Lips Are Movin - Meghan Trainor
6. Style - Taylor Swift
7. Heartbeat Song (Dirty Pop Deconstruction remix) - Kelly Clarkson
8. Whitney Megamix - DJs Jody den Broeder and Warren Rigg
9. Would I Lie To You - Eurythmics
10. I Put A Spell On You - Annie Lennox
11. I'm Not The Only One - Sam Smith

Track List - #totalrequestride, Wednesday, February 12, 2015

1. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & Goon Rock
2. Crazy In Love - Beyonce' featuring Jay-Z
3. I Lived ([RED] Remix) - OneRepublic
4. Living For Love (Dj Paulo & Jackinsky dub mix) - Madonna
5. Lips Are Movin - Meghan Trainor
6. Style - Taylor Swift
7. Heartbeat Song (Dirty Pop Deconstruction remix) - Kelly Clarkson
8. Whitney Megamix - DJs Jody den Broeder and Warren Rigg
9. Would I Lie To You - Eurythmics
10. I Put A Spell On You - Annie Lennox
11. I'm Not The Only One - Sam Smith

After giving a little "behind the scenes" look at what goes into making a track list for one of the Ride with Tommy! classes a few weeks ago, I thought this morning's track list called for another occasion to provide a little more insight into my song choices. This morning's Ride, like my last "behind the scenes" peek, started with the requests for the #totalrequestride class. Each week, Crunch members can tweet their requests to @crunchgym followed by the hashtag, #totalrequestride. Diane in the Crunch corporate offices in New York, compiles the top 3 requests and then sends them out to the instructors across the country! This class really provides a reflection of a sign of the times. Think about it. Anyone in any city in any state where there are Crunch gyms, can use their cell phone to request their favorite song or video which, if in the top 3 of that week, can be played at any one of the Crunch gyms in the country that week! The ability to share and communicate as widely and immediately as we do now with technology and social media at our fingertips is really kind of amazing. In addition to the very cool aspect of playing the top 3 requested videos, it is so cool to consider that Crunch gyms everywhere will have a sense of consistency and continuity throughout the country. I compare this to McDonald's. If you step into a McDonald's restaurant anywhere in the world, you will expect to experience the same principles that are instilled throughout the corporation from the top management down to the hourly worker: quality, service, cleanliness and value. Crunch is actively trying to streamline and improve the Ride (indoor cycling) program, as well as the entire gym experience, throughout all of its gym locations. Crunch is founded on ideas where fitness meets entertainment. Now, much like McDonald's, anyone who steps into a Crunch gym, can expect the same opportunities for an intense workout while having a lot of fun doing it. And that person that stepped into any Crunch gym will know what to expect because of that consistency instilled in the ever and fast growing number of locations across the United States and the world! So, the first 3 songs of my track list are provided as a part of the incredible process that can start with a single member in any Crunch location anywhere. So cool! This weeks top 3 requested videos are: "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, "Crazy In Love" by Beyonce featuring Jay-Z, and "I'm Not The Only One" by Sam Smith. And these 3 videos lead into a reason for my selection of some of the other songs. I always try to tap into the current "pop culture" when a big event or happening takes place such as the Grammys this past Sunday. Therefore, I included Madonna's new song, "Living For Love", which she performed live on the broadcast, as well as the requested Sam Smith single, "I'm Not The Only One". Meghan Trainor and Taylor Swift presented at the Grammys, so I also included their new songs. But probably one of the most talked about show-stoppers of the night was (current Crunch member!) Annie Lennox! She was (and always has been!) an amazing performer! So I not only included her new single that she performed with Hozier, "I Put A Spell On You", but I also reached back to a song from her Eurythmic days, "Would I Lie To You" which provided a great run to end the challenge portion of class. I always jump at the chance to support or highlight awesome charities, so when I came across OneRepublic's new single, "I Lived" as a remix on the [RED] section of iTunes. The [RED] organization is an amazing movement trying to create an AIDS-free generation. I LOVE OneRepublic and this is another great song by them. And this remix includes a sample of the old Coca-Cola jingle, "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing". Amazing! And speaking of charities, my husband, Rich, are very active in the Family Equality Council, an organization that works for equal rights for families that are made up of parents that are part of the LGBT community. So when the awesome Kelly Clarkson included a gay couple in her most recent video for her new single, "Heartbeat Song", I just had to include it. I mean, I love the song, and I love Kelly, but the way that she included more than just your historically "typical" couples in a video about relationships without much sensationalism, I think, is truly amazing. Awesome! Finally, I felt it was just a small tribute to a huge talent that left this world way too early, but today is the third anniversary of the death of Whitney Houston. She provided us with so many incredible songs that I so often played in my Rides. So, I wanted to once again play a megamix of some of her greatest hits that provided the score to a 20-turn hill! Thank you Whitney! Thanks to everyone who gave their all on such a challenging 20-turn hill and throughout class!

Whew! See? It is not that easy putting together a cohesive, smooth-transitioning, high-energy, powerful, intense, challenging and fun track list. A lot can go into it. I hope this helps you see a little more of the passion that can exist by an instructor that cares about their responsibility as an instructor and motivator. I hope to see you in class soon so that we can share an amazing experience together!

In good health!

tommy