Here’s my quarterly RPM review post giving some details and thoughts about the 2018 Q3 release, RPM 79. I’ll start with my general thoughts for the release, and if you’re interested in a track-by-track breakdown, keep on reading.
General Thoughts
RPM 79 is the twenty-fourth full release of this program that I’ve coached.
As for the music, we have a good blend of new and returning artists. By a distant margin, my favorite track (musically) is the Hills Track — “Hold On” by Slushii. Some of our repeat artists… this is Illenium’s third Speed Work in the last year, and in my collection this is Walk the Moon’s fourth Mixed Terrain.
Each release brings its own challenges despite not having too many variables in the RPM format (e.g., position, resistance, pace). The highlight for RPM 79 is the new position, the Pullback Climb.
Unfortunately I didn’t seem to receive any educational videos with this release. I’ve inquired with Les Mills for the past two releases and have yet to receive a response.
The masterclass has 12 presenters, 7 of which shadowed
- Glen Ostergaard (New Zealand; Program Director for RPM, BODYPUMP, and SPRINT)
- Amanda Breen (Australia; RPM, BODYJAM, and SPRINT trainer; Director of People and Culture, Les Mills Asia Pacific)
- Brent Findlay (New Zealand; RPM, BODYPUMP, and GRIT trainer)
- Dee Tjoeng (Australia; RPM, TONE, BODYATTACK, BODYPUMP, BODYSTEP, and SPRINT trainer)
- Joshua Berrier (New York; RPM and SPRINT trainer)
- Shadows
- Adam Rigby
- Jude Larson
- Nelly Nie
- Philip Moore
- Cath Martin
- Tommi Wong
- Julien Duffour
As Les Mills doesn’t seem to provide the release overview on their website, here’s what the program directors have to say:
RPM79 is an amazing release with simple choreography matched with an awesome and diverse range of music allowing riders to get the most out of their cardio peak workout. The musical journey is amazing! Track 1, feels so good to ride, it warms you up from inside out. Track 2, is cheeky and playful with great lifts in energy. Track 3, has awesome contrast both synth and dubstep which just feels epic. Track 4, has a super cool feel and a serious kick and is harder than you think! Make sure that this track is taught with the appropriate intensity so that Track 5 can be effective. Track 5 has a more sustained intensity than other releases, which is driven by the music, it’s not so “in your face”. Track 6, one for the soul for you to feel. Track 7, is insanely cool, it pumps and the adrenaline will be surging through your body at the end!
The choreography matches the feel of the music beautifully – it is simple in nature, allowing super clear coaching, plenty of space for connection and performance. The Pullback Climb makes a comeback in tracks 3 & 7, to shift the feel of the workout slightly. This will allow us to stay standing for an entire 60 seconds!
It’s a fun, simple and challenging workout for all fitness levels
ENJOY!
See you next time for RPM 80!
Track-by-track Breakdown
Pack Ride
- Cadence: 119 bpm
- Genre: pop
- Origin: P!nk (Alecia Beth Moore) is from Pennsylvania
- Released: October 2017
- Other releases: P!nk is new to RPM, but was in JAM about 5 years ago as the warmup to release 64
- Thoughts
- Why was this song not the Ride Home / Stretch track? The feel of the song would work, and the lyrics fit better for that purpose.
- There’s not much to say about this Pack Ride track; it’s pretty standard as far as structure, purpose, and choreography is concerned.
- Musically it bugs me that the chorus has a lyric that puts the emphasis on the second syllable of “window”.
- Points of difference: None
- Good lyric cues
- So here we go
- There’s a road that takes me home
- Take me fast or take me slow
Pace
Without You – Avicii feat. Sandro Cavazza
- Cadence: 138 bpm
- Genre: electro house
- Origins:
- Avicii (Tim Bergling) is from Sweden
- Sandro Cavazza is from Sweden
- Released: August 2017
- Other releases: Cavazza is new to RPM and JAM; Avicii has been in several tracks
- BODYJAM 54 (Warmup) – The Drums (Avicii’s Mouthful Remix)
- BODYJAM 66 (Jammin’ for the Rest of My Life block) – I Could Be the One (John Christian Remix)
- BODYJAM 68 (Swedish Tango track) – Levels (Skrillex Remix)
- BODYJAM 68 (Groovedown) – Wake Me Up
- BODYJAM 76 (Bangers block) – Waiting for Love (Carnage & Headhunterz Remix)
- RPM 55 (Speed Work) – Drowning (Avicii Remix)
- RPM 61 (Mountain Climb) – I Could Be the One (John Christian Remix)
- RPM 62 (Pace) – Wake Me Up
- RPM 63 (Speed Work) – Dear Boy
- RPM 71 (Pack Ride) – Broken Arrows
- Thoughts
- The first few notes of the verse make me think of the song I Fought the Law.
- There’s not much out of the ordinary for this Pace track; climbs and races over four blocks. The energy of the song fits the tone of the track, so it makes for a solid start for the workout as the first working track.
- Points of difference: None
- Good lyric cues
- You said you’d follow me anywhere
- …done sitting home without you
- I’m going Bonny and Clyde without you
Hills
- Cadence: 73 bpm
- Genre: future house
- Origins: Slushii (Julian Scanlan) is from Los Angeles
- Released: August 2017
- Other releases: Slushii is new to RPM and JAM
- Thoughts
- For whatever reason, the music in this track pushes all the right buttons for me. This was the track I most looked forward to teaching this release. It has the right amount of build, a solid 60-second work phase, and the synths combined with the dubstep flavors make for a good ride.
- I enjoyed the change of choreography where instead of a Power Climb, we use the Pullback Climb to shift the hips back slightly (not into a full hover) which changes the recruitment pattern of the glutes and hamstrings.
- Point of difference: introduction of the Pullback Climb position
- Good lyric cues
- None really apply; however, you can work with “waiting for someone” and ask your class, “What are you waiting for in this next round?”
Mixed Terrain
- Cadence: 103 bpm
- Genre: indie rock
- Origins: Walk the Moon (Nicholas Petricca, Kevin Ray, Sean Waugaman, Eli Maiman) is from Cincinnati
- Released: September 2017
- Other releases:
- RPM 57 (Mixed Terrain) – Anna Sun
- RPM 67 (Mixed Terrain) – Shut Up and Dance
- RPM 72 (Mixed Terrain) – Work This Body
- Thoughts
- The choreography and music make this a “classic” Mixed Terrain track in my book. Climbs, attacks, and races to a song with a good energy.
- Points of difference: None
- Good lyric cues
- Taking this one step at a time
- I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine
- One foot in front of the other
Intervals
- Cadence: 87 bpm
- Genre: post-punk revival / new wave
- Origins: The Killers (Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer, and Ronnie Vannucci, Jr.) are from Las Vegas
- Released: September 2017
- Other releases:
- RPM 63 (Ride Home / Stretch) – Shot at the Night
- RPM 68 (Mixed Terrain) – Mr. Brightside
- Thoughts
- The rough energy of the music makes this a heart-pumping intervals track; grit your teeth, crank up the resistance, and go!
- Because some of the measures aren’t exact multiples of 8 counts, nailing the timing can be tricky in the last two blocks (i.e., 6.5 x 8 of recovery followed by 8.5 x 8 of Standing Attack).
- Points of difference: None
- Good lyric cues
- You know you’re not the only one
- Don’t look back, just run for cover
Speed Work
Silence (Illenium Remix) – Marshmello feat Khalid
- Cadence: 145 bpm
- Genre: future bass
- Origins:
- Illenium (Nicholas Miller) is from San Francisco
- Marshmello (Christopher Comstock) is from Philadelphia
- Khalid (Khalid Donnel Robinson) is from El Paso, TX, USA
- Released: October 2017
- Other releases:
- Illenium
- RPM 76 (Speed Work) – Say It (Illenium Remix)
- RPM 77 (Speed Work) – Fractures
- Marshmello is new to RPM and JAM
- Khalid
- BODYJAM 84 (Warmup) – 17 Rollin’
- Illenium
- Thoughts
- This is the fourth release in a row where riders are encouraged to move as fast as they can while maintaining control; in other words, the tempo of the music will likely be too fast for matching the pace.
- The text of the chorus is a little atypical: “I found peace in your violence.”
- Point of difference: races are at 3/4++ (Fast Pace) instead of 1/1
- Good lyric cues
- Can’t tell me there’s no point in trying
Mountain Climb
Pure Adrenaline – Stefan Engblom
- Cadence: 65 bpm
- Genre: progressive house
- Origins: (The song in this release is by a cover group “Lyrical Longshot”); Stefan Engblom is from Sweden
- Released: November 2017
- Other releases: Stefan is new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Thoughts
- The terrain in this track is pretty typical for a three-peak Mountain Climb; there’s a racing phase at the very end.
- Point of difference: replacing the Power Climb position with the Pullback Climb introduced in the Hills track
- Good lyric cues
- (There are some spoken lyrics at one point, but they’re difficult to discern over the instruments.)
Ride Home / Stretch
- Cadence: 110 bpm
- Genre: pop funk
- Origins: Charlie Puth is from New Jersey
- Released: October 2017
- Other releases: Charlie Puth is new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Thoughts
- I like the groove of this track; it’s a nice way to round out the workout.
- Points of difference:
- The stretching sequence is very short (about 45 seconds) and there are no hamstrings stretches
- There are two Racing phases; typically there’s only one in a Ride Home / Stretch track
- Good lyric cues
- Was it real of just for show?
Outro
Forever – Sigma feat. Quavo & Sebastian Kole
- Genre: trap
- Origins:
- Sigma (Cameron Edwards and Joseph Lenzie) is from Leeds, England
- Quavo (Quavious Keyate Marshall) is from Athens, GA, USA
- Sebastian Kole (Coleridge Gardner Tillman) is from Birmingham, AL, USA
- Released: October 2017
- Other releases: All of these artists are new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Thoughts
- Musically this is the most different from the other tracks in this release.
- This style of music is not something I would have expected from the RPM music team as an outro; this feels more like a BODYJAM recovery or groovedown.