If you have riders that are celebrating a graduation, this is the perfect ride to honor their big day! This indoor cycling routine has great themed songs about school, vacation, and what to be when we grow up. This is a fun one for folks in all stages of life.
Enjoy!
Reminder: I like to teach my indoor cycling classes in a series of exercises that we do 2-4 times through. I pick a couple exercises to make up the series, and we stick to it throughout the class. That way, participants know what to expect, so they can go big when they’re supposed to and not hold back for fear of another interval around the corner.
The Series (45-minute Workout)
Do the following exercises, three times through.
- Song 1: Chorus surge, +10 RPMs. Start the song by pedaling on the beat and finding a moderate intensity resistance. At the chorus, increase the speed by about 10 RPMs (or so) to find a hard intensity. Come back to the baseline afterwards.
- Song 2: M/H/VH/B, 45 seconds each. Spend 45 seconds at each intensity level: moderate, hard, very hard, and breathless. Riders can use a mix of leg speed and resistance to find the desired intensity.
- Song 3: Chorus surge, resistance. Start the song by pedaling on the beat and finding a moderate intensity. At the chorus, increase resistance to find hard intensity. Back off after the chorus ends.
- Song 4: Tabata. 20 seconds of breathless/very hard work and 10 seconds of recovery. Do this 8 times through.
The Graduation Day Indoor Cycling Routine and Playlist
| Series Song / Workout | Song |
| Warm up | “School’s Out,” Alice Cooper |
| Song 1: Chorus surge, RPMs. | “Vacation,” Thomas Rhett |
| Song 2: M,H,VH,B (45s each) | “Celebrate,” Pitbull |
| Song 3: Chorus surge, resistance. | “Hey Look Ma, I Made It,” Panic! At The Disco |
| Song 4: Tabata | “Hot for Teacher,” Van Halen (start at 00:45) |
| Song 1: Chorus surge, RPMs. | “When I Grow Up,” The Pussycat Dolls |
| Song 2: M, V, VH, B (45s each) | “Smooth Criminal,” Alien Ant Farm |
| Song 3: Chorus surge, resistance. | “Teacher,” Nick Jonas |
| Song 4: Tabata | “Dr. Feelgood,” Motley Crue |
| Song 1: Chorus surge, RPMs. | “Grow Up,” Simple Plan |
| Song 2: M, V, VH, B (45s each) | “Kids in America,” Kim Wilde |
| Song 3: Chorus surge, resistance. | “Vacation,” The Go-Go’s |
| Song 4: Tabata | “Walking On Sunshine,” Katrina & The Waves |
| Cool Down | “Celebration,” Kool & The Gang |
Want to hear the songs? Check out my Spotify playlist here or here:
Graduation Day Outfit Ideas
Encourage folks to wear gear from their college or high school of choice. 🙂
Cueing Corner
If you want to take this a step further, you can weave a fun, playful story through the playlist.
- First series: Keep it super fun and upbeat. Everyone is partying!
- Second series: When you play The Pussycat Dolls song, you can start to joke, “Oh no, now it’s time to get serious. Need to go get a job! What job will you pick?” The rest of the songs in the series explore different occupations: criminal (lol), teacher, and doctor.
- Third series: Here’s when we realize we don’t want to grow up anymore. We want to be a kid forever! I love the juxtaposition of “Grow Up,” and “Kids in America,” back to back.
Catch ya next week!
Disclaimer: Readers who rely on this information do so at their own risk. Instructors must be properly certified, insured, and have the music licensing in order to teach an indoor cycling class. GroupXFitnessTips.com is not liable for any injuries or negligence that occurs.