Blowout

One has to be conscious of what the physical limitations of the body are.  If one is of the younger set, under 50, maximum effort carries virtually no consequences other than a deeper hunger for breath and a bigger pool of water on the studio floor.  However, I am at the age where my metal and concrete are subject to stress fractures.  My internal resolve actually might have a leg up on what my body can actually sustain. And so because I have never “tin canned” it I have to keep a watchful eye and pay close attention to “blowouts”.  I experienced one today and gladly it was at the end of our ride.  As I started to flex my foot my left calf seized up like a frozen cable in the dead of winter.  Unclipping and landing foot to floor ended that consternation for me. And it put an end to any scintilla of doubt that I am not breaking my shoes trying to get fit. 

Switching gears, did you notice that this being a holiday week how the other spin classes have plenty of empty bikes?  Not in KSC however. These seats do not go on sale even at Passover and Easter time. In fact   I was sitting on the line to sign up and there actually was a cancellation at the box office this morning, which shocked me, but as I looked around at 9:45 there was not a seat to be had by the time the warm up song began. Oh and the big shots were in the club today and I wonder if they are fully cognizant of the phenomena going on in this spin class? Do they have a clue?  I suppose an inkling but how could they? I mean really. 

Whataya Want From Me?

I want something good, real good. I want a ride that tells me that I gave it my maximum effort knowing that my recovery afterwards will take its natural course. I want that each time I feel stronger in my pedal stroke. I want my RPM’s to increase with a natural acceleration that is not forced and is not strained. 

What does Kristen want?  She wants us to see that we are here for a reason and not just to pass the time and be a part of her ever changing dynamic performances. She wants to entertrain us but more importantly she wants us to see that we can expect more from ourselves. She wants us to see our lives as a vivid picture, that’s why she paints landscapes for us of the open road.  I feel the adrenaline rush with each parable because that makes it real for me.  

What do you want from me?  I want that hunger again that tells me I am alive and not simply going through the motions. This Ride is steep in allegory and that’s the way I love it.  Life’s metaphors abound in this studio like the clay I form into a sculpture worthy of exhibition to the ones I love and just as importantly to myself.

You get all that from spinning in Kristen’s Spin Class?  Yeah I do, that’s what I take away from it how about you?

Let’s Go Home, But Not to My House.

I chuckled when I heard this metaphor mixed in with a real life retort.  And I thought to myself how social-less we are even though we are a tight knit group bound by the fabric of the unspoken camaraderie we share. We often smile at each other but rarely speak to anyone outside of our social circle.  That was my intention with this blog. I thought that if I wrote about Krsiten's Spin Class  that we might start to talk to each other and share some of the intimacies we keep to ourselves about the challenges and great satisfaction Kristen’s Spin Class gives to us.  So far not so good but I know some of you are reading my short epithets and musings for which I am very thankful. However, I implore you to share your experiences and make mine and yours even richer than it already is. 

Where Are You Going?

At about 15 minutes to go I see some of our riders start to exit presumably for “Barre Burn” or Yoga or an appointment they have scheduled.  Yesterday Kristen was vociferous wanting to know where they were going. 

Too embarrassing for me to unclip and I don’t have the heart to leave early either.    I am not into Yoga yet or Barre Burn and my schedule is mostly my own. But to exit early is like walking out in the middle of the second act of the play we couldn’t wait to see. 

I wonder if we really take into account that Kristen is unique in that she is a performance artist in every sense of the word. When we walk out on her she takes it very seriously and because she takes such pride in her work and in us we need to consider not only how she feels about it but also how deep is our commitment to the training we do with her is.  This past Friday she called it “Entertrainment” and indeed it is. So let’s keep that in mind before we leave before the second act is complete.  Have a heart. Just my opinion mind you, but what do you have to say about it? Please weigh in.

Come On Tinkerbelle

She is the only one in the room that can utter those words. We are all but Tinkerbelle’s next to her, but Tinkerbelle’s lungs never looked as big as the ones we have given her courtesy of our #41. 

I needed some fairy dust today just to pull through and in the end I made it with just enough energy to unclip and limp through the short and dirty version of the stretch.  But let’s back up a bit and talk about today’s ride. 

KG has added Tabata into our training, which consists of 8 sets of 20-second intervals at maximum effort with 10-second pullbacks. These are daunting to say the least and I cannot even think about counting how many are left, as I have to stay within each one lest I fall back in the effort at hand.  There are the breakaways, and breathless intervals but Tabata takes the former two to another dimension, The Outer Limits.

I continue to be amazed how attracted I am almost magnetically to the new ritual in my life. It is of course not for the faint of heart and if it were not for the marathon training that consumed my life 30 years ago I do not know if I spin the whole hour. Desire is not enough you have to go beyond desire because desire gets tired and gives up readily when faced with being uncomfortable.  It’s a hunger because hunger can never be sated unless its satisfied.  Desire doesn’t breathe heavy enough (not in the CS anyway) but hunger is a kind of force that has to be reckoned with.

These are killer sessions because if anyone else is up in #41 we might be able to B.S. (and that is not Bachelor of Science) our way through.  But you just can’t because when you watch Kristen she is not lollygagging her way through she is kicking her own posterior.  And being witness to that we have to ask ourselves how can we have the audacity not to kick ours? That is why we are here not only to train our bodies but our minds as well and in these spinning sessions I have rediscovered myself, my energy, my drive and how I seize the day.  And when I encounter challenges that follow in the day they all seem like a paper cup ready to be crushed.    

Come on Tinkerbelle get off your buttocks and gun it. 

 Up next: "Where are you going"

The Story in Your Eyes

Sometimes we cannot see what our eyes are saying, but our minds manipulate our feelings so strongly so adeptly that the power play releases the strength to change the shape and hue of our eyes which in turn governs what the rest of our face looks like.  And that face illustrates for us as to how our body contorts.

We can tell the story that we are struggling to breathe, to accelerate and give ourselves enough reason why we shouldn’t add more ‘road’ when Kristen asks us to. These vignettes are perfectly legitimate because the excuses are justified we tell ourselves. However, they are just that, stories and they are just pure fiction, even though we swear they are gospel.

The story in our eyes is there for anyone to see but only we can change the script. So we might as well tell the story the way we want it to turn out. 

The Crest of the Hill

Wednesday ‘s class brought light to a subtlety that I have to work on.  It’s after we accelerate in position #3 and then when we “pull back” I have a tendency to let my RPM’s fall off too far.  After the intense effort I think that by slowing way down I am recovering from the climb.    The truth is that my slowing down does not help me recover I only think it does.  What to do though was my conundrum.

However, I hit on the parallel that made perfect sense to me. It was just like running up a hill in the footraces I competed in.  A champion runner gave me this tip: Run over the crest of the hill and your speed will actually increase as you hit the downhill.  Most runners he said slow down just as they reach the top because they ‘think’ they are beat from the climb.  But he said that slight extra effort will carry you right into the recovery you need you just have to give it time.  And he was right.  The same postulation holds sweat in the spinning studio I was able to duplicate the same theory and my RPM’s didn’t fall off like they had the class before.

Cary Grant

Part of me is saying drive over to Equinox and lift some weights or do some Napoleon Solo spinning. For the last 4 years I have been doing the old Jack LaLaane circuit technique with 8 or 9 machines 3x each with 15-20 reps. On the alternate day I would do 30 minutes of interval training on the elliptical or the Stairmaster.  It had up until now served it’s  purpose as I tried to keep my infrastructure from going to the dogs. It’s not all for naught mind you but I have just taken my daily exercise to a new level.  And it looks like I am here to stay.  I think what spinning and now Tabata have given me is a renewed vigor for jumping out of bed each morning and pardon the old cliché, a new lease on life.  It’s not 100 miles a week anymore for me but the feeling and satisfaction I get is about the same.

Now that I have been adding group exercise to my regimen I can’t be satisfied with the Napoleon Solo routine I have gotten accustomed to. In view of that fact I need to give my body a rest and this Sunday I am going to do just that.  However, along about 3 o’clock I might be tempted to go down in the basement and hit the weights but for now I’ve decided on a rest and maybe add to Kristen’s Spin Class blog while I watch Cary Grant in Destination Tokyo, 1943 on TCM. 

Spring has sprung. Didn’t it seem like a minute ago we were digging out from a ton of snow? 

April 3, T-13

The Watchmaker

Swing just like a pendulum she said.  About three swings into the movement my pendulum broke.  It sure looks easy when Kristen swings hers but my clock is rusty and the hinges need a whole can of WD 40. 

Back for more Tabata today and I heard from her microphone that this would not be an anaerobic workout. A sense of relief cascaded over my creaky form. But no sooner did 5 minutes elapse, and I was gasping for air like a man going down for the third time in the pool. 

Most of the class is female and I have to say they are in monster shape because I was a half beat behind each set and they seemed to move rhythmically like clockwork and if I was a watch the sweep hand would be stuck on 12. However, I did spy one male in the corner that provided me some solace as his movement hardly matched Joel Grey’s. However most of these athletes seemed not to have even broken a sweat while yours truly had a salt-water pool making my footing treacherous.

This class ended again with my hands folded in prayer but I think I might need a novena next time.

Swing like a pendulum, my watch is just a little slow.

P.S. Kristen was changing octaves today and it got my mind off my discomfort because it does have some sort of ameliorating affect on me.

Energy Flows Where My Attention Goes

And where else can this piece of modern day Zen be more applicable than in Kristen’s Spin Class?  “Breathless the Ride” is the perfect laboratory setting in how to keep runaway thoughts that vandalize our thinking locked out of our minds forever. 

If you are reading this blog you already know that we have no space or time for daydreaming in any way shape or form.  Once we clip in we have made a statement about ourselves to ourselves.  There is only this class right here right now and any wanderlust only cheats us from the premium ticket we purchase each time we companion up with our favorite exercise physiologist, Kristen Gagne. 

When I studied NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) in the 90’s Tony Robbins gave me the tenet that whatever we focus on expands.  It made sense then and in our class it hits home with higher velocity because when we spin  we are fully associated, our breathing labored, our muscles fired white-hot and only our beads of sweat cool the body electric. 

Energy Flows Where My Attention Goes is an elegant mantra and one we can rely on to bring our minds into laser beam focus in our class and the other 23 hours the clock has in store for us each day. 

P.S. April 3 approaches.

Changing Octaves

Have you noticed how Kristen changes octaves?  It immediately grabs my attention.  When she changes her pitch it feels like trance induction.  As if it places me through a portal of higher consciousness and I start to moderate the feeling that I am struggling with my pedal stroke. I can go inward and I start to relax into an even stronger effort.  Sounds incredible but it as if I can put the discomfort aside if only for a few moments.

I never thought I would experience hypnosis in an anaerobic state but voila there it was. 

How much more can I learn on a stationary bike?  There is really no telling. Today I even felt my improved fitness level for the first time.  Not something I could define outside of the fact that my pedal strokes seemed smoother and my breathing was taking on a new texture. 

Crescendo

Later today 

When the Icon Turns to Black

 Here I sit at 7:15 AM waiting for the icon to turn BLACK. But that is not until 7:45 goofy.  I heard about how quickly the early class gets booked supposedly within 7 seconds. My hand speed is going to be tested BIG time.  It’s kind of funny because it reminds me of the preparation I used to engage in the day before a race in Central Park. I paid attention to my diet as much as one did back then and sitting here  reminds me of those days.  I didn’t sleep much the night before and because I was determined today to avoid queue tomorrow I had sleep interrupted. Silly right?  Maybe but I am sure having fun with this, a lot of fun.

 Vitamin B, fish oil and calcium Kristen suggested yesterday. I asked my son if he had any of the three and the VEGAN had just the fish oil, which I gobbled down like a dutiful student hoping that I had the secret elixir to give me that edge to the dull knife I am sharpening.

When it turns to black will I get in or not?  One-way via computer or in person I will be there tomorrow.  

The Invisible Line

Today I am reminded quite succinctly as I watched the previous class exit how much our spin instructor carries humility along with her elite status as a trainer with an extraordinary difference.

It’s not just the words she says although they are important ingredients to the experience we keep coming back again and again for.  The difference from my perspective is invisible to the naked eye.  It’s all a matter of how keenly we discern what we want not only in our exercise regimen with Kristen but in our daily lives as well.  For me it reinforces the mantra that I will never give up, I may give in but I will never give up.

As I write I am observing how we are all assembling and meticulously preparing our machines for the start of our ride.  Each of us has a ritual to perform that includes making the numerous adjustments to our bike, stretching, yawning and of course some easy pedaling. All bring us seconds closer to our salt-water enchantment.

What’s invisible?  It’s her reflection of energy that we can all see in ourselves.

Coming Attractions: EFAG or Energy Flows Where My Attention Goes and The Seventh Sense

41

Why would I want to publish this post again? Because it dawned on me that I needed to remind myself why I write this blog.  The first entry is  entitled  41 and here it is again.  Why did I call this 41? (I promise I will get to that.) After all Kristen has a physiology that’s Killer.  Okay she’s beautiful too can we get past that?

Her professionalism is the top tier, and yes she works for probably the best fitness club, Equinox but anytime you have a group fitness manager in a local club that gets a line 60  minutes before her class even starts just to be put on a waiting list you have to know she must be extraordinary. And when NYC wants her then we know we have a celebrity instructor no inspirer in the making before our eyes.

During the hour class today, my concentrated gaze was on the number of KG’s bike and some might know that it’s the number 41. As I fixed my gaze on that metal decal I kept my ears open to KG’s unrehearsed soliloquy that told me I was in for it yet once more.  

I would love for you to all weigh in.

S. I. O.

Shake it out. There wasn’t much salt in my shaker to shake out.  Not enough salt to cover a saltine in fact.  And I do not have the hip carriage to make my butt seem like a rocking chair.  That said today though it was more crowded than sardines in a can, I loved it because I had no time to think even for a moment about the rest of the day, what happened yesterday or what next week holds.  And that’s that way uh huh I like it uh huh uh huh. 

Tabata gives me a few moments to actually recover between sets which is an interesting take on interval training standing in one spot. Admittedly the weights I chose were too light but I grabbed what was at hand, next time I will be more prepared.  There is no doubt I am hooked on this group exercise thing and at least two spinning classes per week. This regimen will have this old man dancing before you know it.

I felt sorry for the young woman next to me as my own self made  ‘wading pool’ was making her workout treacherous. 

I am a gamer and I will be back for more.  I feel sorry for everyone that is just going through the motions in the main room, poor things. 

And thank you Kristen for your dedication and singular talent passion  and enthusiasm.  

Breathing in the Color Blue

I love the title for today’s blog entry except for the fact that I was seeing red for 45 minutes because I was kicking my butt in class today.   Don’t get me wrong I am not complaining because I looked at myself in the mirror today and there was definitely less of me reflecting back, which is a marvelous thing. 

Kristen flowed with Zen artistry today, which is right in my zone of awareness because coming from a 12 step and philosophy acumen, the metaphors cascaded on me with visceral serenity.  What?  Okay okay it feels good. Why don’t you just say that?  Cause I am a writer, what can I say?

 Breathing in the color blue.  It made me think about not only my breath but what thoughts I allow in my head as well.  Most times we think without thinking and we have no gatekeeper to filter out the riff raff. You know those thoughts that only disempower us under the guise of trying to help us.   Those little minions of light hearted despair and negativity that hold us back from living a high-octane life.  Breathing in the color blue makes us clamor for something better something stronger and leaving words like CAN'T for those that live their lives on the periphery. 

Oh and three weeks from tomorrow, do you know what day that is April 3?

Clarity

How can I say how much I enjoy spinning with Kristen? She makes each session not only an extraordinary experience and workout but when she sprinkles in her Zen like motivation capsules it   brings me sharp clarity to how exercise is a powerful metaphor for our own performances as we balance our relationships and our success ratios in our chosen field of endeavor.

 

The Bot

I am investigating hiring a bot, you’ve heard of these aliens that can do what humans can do?  They are much more disciplined in terms of reaction time and they can press the button that gets me into Kristen’s spin class in milliseconds rather than the slow half-second that it takes me to press “Enter”. 

Just in case that doesn’t work I need a plan B.  However, it can’t be far fetched because it has to actually work.  Here is what I came up with: NOTHING.  I just have to wait in line like the rest of the poor souls. 

Kristen's Strength Class

I had a devil of a time this past Sunday in the main studio as I tried to emulate the other figures of fitness like my new friend Randi and Jason, but it was a pipe dream. I said how bad could it be I have been to KG's spinning classes and although I was exhausted I still made it through with some dignity.  Not so for this adventure, and as I lumbered down the stairs this morning I found my voicebox issuing a cacophony of unintelligible grunts and groans.  

Okay so what are my options:  Quit-NEVER, Take it easy-No Way and choice C lick your wounds and get back in 

Sunday Will Never Be the Same

Randi you lied to me. But I will forgive you because you were just trying to lessen the abject fear you saw in my face. I arrived 40 minutes early so I could claim my piece of real estate on the hardwood floor. Once I had secured my ‘spot’, I commenced walking around the big studio with nervous anticipation. I said to myself I may have bit off more than I could chew. However I was determined to find out what the hubbub surrounding Tabata was all about. After class I decided that    water boarding might be less torturous.  For me I was in anaerobic cardiac arrest for 60 minutes.  Well not really but I have never felt so unable to breathe since my last marathon.  There was no time for water breaks. Kristen did not once say: Hydrate. Frankly there wasn’t time to. Tabata was 60 minutes of extreme fitness and I realized quite clearly that I have been sleep walking through my exercise regimen these past 7 years.  Admittedly as a sexagenarian I did pretty well but there were several times during the class that I felt like quitting but my heart wouldn’t buy it. 

There was not a moment in the hour that I could think of anything except where I was. There was nary a moment to even think what I would write in today’s entry because it was a death march. I realized that my fitness level was that of a neophyte once again. Having said that I am more motivated than ever to recapture most if not my entire athletic prowess that had left with Father Time. 

As the workout drew to a close Kristen had us sitting with hands folded in prayer and I thought how appropriate I was praying that I was still alive and that the ‘event’ was over.  Spanky and Our Gang sang a song in 1967 and it hit home: Sunday Will Never Be the Same. 

Sunday's Entry: Tabata

Hey buddy put a shirt on!

Gotta Go to Mo's

I took the route of the substitute teacher via an old friend who has been at Equinox since it first opened in April of 2003. (Hey that’s when I arrived. Who cares old man) Maureen or as she is affectionately known as Mo  had seat 41 today and I was   expecting a professional and I was not disappointed. 

 When we used to be in grade school and the teacher was out sick we had this sense of relief almost like it was a snow day.  Well I wasn’t entertaining any thoughts of throwing paper airplanes across the room but I did feel I would take it just a little easier in Mo’s class, but I was WRONG! 

The studio was not jammed like KG’s renditions are but I was determined to pull my own weight and knock myself out.  I think that I am still being drawn out of bed with a purpose to work on my own version of fitness and I am happy to report it feels good, it feels very good.

I am very theatrical in my passion for my vocation and Kristen’s performances are Academy Award caliber that’s probably the reason why I am drawn so viscerally to her work.  The point is that every Equinox exercise physiologist (How can we call them trainers?) is authentic and it’s just rare to find people with a sense of purpose and genuine love for what they do.  My personal favorite of course is Kristen because she oozes this professionalism in a captivating way that delights my senses and kicks my butt as the same time.

Tomorrow I will report on Tabata!  It has something to do with short spurts of exasperated effort, which intrigues me, and guess who is teaching that class?  I will be back with a full report. 

And please leave a comment because if you speak up we can make this more than a diatribe by middle-aged bald man.  Or a MABM as I like to refer to it as. 

Angry

I am pretty upset and much more than I was willing to admit having been shut out again from Kristen’s class this morning. 2^nd on the waiting list might be good for a wedding seat but not to this party.

I listened in from the window outside in the crying room and KG was talking about how it was okay to get angry.  Too often we stifle ourselves about anger and quite frankly others can handle it much better than I.  But in anger we can draw on passion and that’s a healthy expression of anger and it may produce prodigious results.

The real truth is I actually felt depressed that I had missed the class, is that crazy or what?  Maybe so but all I know is that in the next hour which  I spent   jumping rope and lifting weights I was bummed. I even thought of taking the next class at 945 but my heart wasn’t in it.  I saw my friend Maureen outside on the floor and she consoled me as best she could and said come to the 730 class tomorrow. That seemed to ease the pain just a bit. 

Oh and I shouldn’t tell you this but remember I told you if you arrive 45 minutes before the class you have a shot at being in the ‘ten spot’? Well make that 60 minutes now my friends.  I am thinking about getting a tent.

Tomorrow’s entry will have to be entitled: Gotta go to Mo’s

Xanadu

Xanadu is a mythical fantasy city somewhere in China thought to be the capital of Kublai Khan’s empire in the 13^th century. It was also the movie musical in 1980 starring Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton John with a mesmerizing musical score by The Electric Light Orchestra.  That soundtrack sends me a rush from head to literal foot. 

Now that I have put that hat on your head what does that have to do with spinning and spinning in Kristen’s spin class?  Well when I think about legendary places I also think about altered states.  The kind of chemical reaction that takes place in my physiology when I am on each ‘ride’ I take in our studio.  We go to a place we thought only existed inside the heads of athletes and those gifted not only in body but in mind as well. 

When I am spinning and I would love to hear what you feel, I am enrolled to push myself beyond what I think I can do.  It’s almost as if and that’s key “As If” my ability rises like a tide that I have no control over.  Think about this for a moment when we workout  we can pat ourselves on the back, because we are MOTIVATED so much more so than the average Dick and Jane.  But do we really take it to the limit when it’s just us behind the wheel?  At times its possible but like running competitive running, spinning has an element that makes us feel akin to each other even though most of us do not communicate with each other except for our small circle of friends. It is in this unspoken camaraderie like a silent retreat (except for some exasperated grunts and groans) that makes us a ‘collective’ that moves to the rhythm of Kristen’s orchestrations.  

Is that Xanadu? Well for me it is because without this class my athleticism is just a memory. Now I get to go there two times a week if I don’t get shutout because my butt was in low gear.  Tickets are scarce here don't waste an opportunity to ride into Xanadu. 

Snake Eyes

Today I just couldn’t get it together even though I had plenty of time to make it earlier to the Elite 8 list. You know those that are there early enough to get the remaining crumbs because the house is full.  If this were dice I came up snake eyes today. 

Kristen is smart too because once the class is set she doesn’t glance at the crying room outside, at the ones who didn’t make it.  I was in a bad mood the rest of the day my wife said it was because I missed the class, maybe she was right.  Does this mean I am addicted now?  Oh my God. 

I took my medicine with a stiff upper lip and kicked my ass as best I could on the elliptical but I suspect it was a vain attempt much to my chagrin. Well what’s on the schedule for tomorrow?  Oh yes Mr. Mayhem Tripp Doherty I suppose I can get my fix there. I miss the KG version but in a pinch he will have to do. 

Talk To Me

I know someone is reading this blog.  So please don't be shy and say something.