A part of our move to Boston that I loved was discovering a New Wave alt/indie rock radio station. Upon hearing that it had been around almost as long as I’ve been alive, I was even more ecstatic, figuring it to be a landmark part of the town that the people here wouldn’t be willing to let go. Unfortunately, that assumption turned out to be false, and no sooner had it become a fixture in my daily life than I heard that it was going to be replaced by more banal drivel. Sigh. Is it impossible to have anything other than Seacrest on the radio?
The bad news is that the drivel that replaced it is completely unfocused nonsense; the tag-line is “We play ANYTHING!,” which basically translates to “We play nothing anyone in particular likes.” A station that plays ZZ Top, The Eagles, Prince, and Poison?! Um, no thanks. The semi-good news is that WFNX is still online, so I (and you!) can listen to it when I’m at home. I usually reserve home-time for NPR, Spotify, and Pandora, so I’ve been working on squeezing in some space for WFNX. I shouldn’t complain though, since next to Pitchfork and my friend David, it’s the best way I know to find out about new music. That includes Mumford & Sons’ newest, which I heard a tune from yesterday. Verdict: good!
So in honor of my favorite station, which lives on in memory and online, I’m posting a spinning workout mix today full of hits I listened to regularly on WFNX. You can listen to it on Spotify. Hope you like it! Remember you don’t have to use it for spinning; it can accompany any exercise routine or day of house-cleaning. This workout follows the pattern set in {3}: steady state. Other workouts can be found here
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| Image credit: Morguefile.com |
1) “A-Punk” by Vampire Weekend. 2:17. Warm-up and stretch. Get your heart rate going.
2) “Gold on the Ceiling” by Black Keys. 3:44. Standing Climb.
Standing in hand position 3, start climbing out of the gate. Gradually add resistance and lower cadence.
3) “Dog Days are Over” by Florence + The Machine. 4:12. Sprints.
Recover until 0:40, then sprint until 1:45, when music suddenly slows down. Keep a steady cadence and begin sprinting again at 2:17 music change until 2:50. Begin again at 3:07 until 4:04. Recover through end.
4) “Disparate Youth” by Santigold. 4:45. Spin.
Stay hydrated.
5) “Electric Feel” by MGMT. 3:50. Jumps.
Start with longer counts between switching from standing to sitting (6 counts), then progress to faster jumps until you are moving quickly (2 counts) at 2:15. Begin recovery at 3:00.
6) “Where is My Mind?” by The Pixies. 3:49. Seated climb.
Add resistance every minute. Begin recovery at abrupt tempo change at 3:39.
7) “Tongue Tied” by Grouplove. 3:38. Hover.
Recover until 0:17. Add resistance every 30 seconds. Feel the burn. Recover starting at 3:19.
8) “Sail” by AWOLNATION. 4:19. Steady state spinning.
Let the steady state begin. Get water periodically between songs or in slow segments. Sit up when needed.
9) “Time to Pretend” by MGMT. 4:21. Steady state spinning.
10) “Tighten Up” by Black Keys. 3:31. Steady state spinning.
11) “Get it Daddy” by Sleeper Agent. 2:25. Steady state spinning.
12) “Busy Bees” by Silversun Pickups. 5:37. Steady state spinning.
13) “Kids” by MGMT. 5:03. Hover.
14) “Glad You Came” by The Wanted. 3:18. Sprints.
Short recovery in saddle until 0:20. Sprint during every hard beat chorus. Maintain high cadence at other times. Last chance, push it out!
15) “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes. 5:03. Cool down.
Release resistance and sit up in saddle. Stretch arms while you gradually lower your heart rate.