Here’s my quarterly RPM review post giving some details and thoughts about the 2019 Q1 release, RPM 81. 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 81 is the twenty-sixth full release of this program that I’ve coached.
I’m pleased with the music selections for this release; the weakest is probably the Mountain Climb track. My favorite is the Speed Work track (“Without You My Love (Myon Extended Definitive Mix)” – Seven Lions feat. Rico & Miella). The new artists are Thirty Seconds to Mars, Demi Lovato, Post Malone, and Ty Dolla Sign. Our returning artists are George Ezra, Dash Berlin, DBSTF, DJ Snake, Matrix & Futurebound, Seven Lions, Tiesto, John Christian, and Jason Mraz. We’ve got a good global mixture this time — some from the US, UK, France, and several from The Netherlands.
Each release brings its own challenges despite not having too many variables in the RPM format (e.g., position, resistance, pace). Those familiar with RPM shouldn’t expect too much out of the ordinary for this release.
The masterclass has 4 presenters:
- Glen Ostergaard (Auckland, New Zealand; Program Director for RPM, BODYPUMP, and SPRINT)
- Dallas Blacklaw (Sunshine Coast, Australia; RPM, GRIT, and SPRINT trainer/presenter)
- Lee Smith (Edinburh, UK; RPM. SPRINT, and BODYCOMBAT trainer/presenter, GRIT presenter, BODYFLOW, BODYPUMP, and CXWORX instructor)
- Dee Tjoeng (Brisbane, Australia; RPM, TONE, BODYATTACK, BODYSTEP, and SPRINT trainer)
As Les Mills doesn’t seem to provide the release overview on their website, here’s what the program directors have to say:
RPM 81 kicks off with a soulful, fun, sing-along Track 1. Shotgun is a nice piece of music to get the workout going, preparing your body, mind and soul for the ride.
Track 2, Save Myself, is the kind of track that you could play every week and you’ll never get sick of it! It’s got great lyrics, vocals and is so uplifting! Basically, the music is the driving factor. You just need to coach the choreography, using your voice as you build in the Climb, Attack and the fast Race. Then let the music shine; don’t over-talk the instrumental in the song as that’s where the energy is.
Track 3 is Alternative Rock at its best. It creates a natural and uplifting feel; it’s not forceful – it’s more of an enticing track. There are many changes between the slow and fast Climbing paces, so clear coaching of this will be needed to make sure your riders hit those different paces.
The curve-ball of the release is Track 4. It’s busy, with many different Positions, Resistances and Paces so you’ve gotta be on your game with knowing the choreography in this track. The RPM of the track is way slower than normal, so we are riding ahead of the beat in the seated Pace phases and on the beat during the recovery. The music gives you the license to have some fun and bring out the feel of the song using your body, face and voice.
Track 5, Tell Me You Love Me, is a ‘wicked’ Drum ‘n’ Bass remix. Pre-load the legs to kick-start the muscles into gear, and slingshot into the workout!
Track 6 – this is Trance at its best: a full beat, with beautiful melodies. It creates a romantic heartfelt feel, with a big lift into the working phases. This track is about speed endurance. The RPM is slower than the norm, so that means we can ride for longer…YES?
Do You Like It Loud? Of course you do! Track 7 is a classic old-school remix in the mountain to bring us home. Play with the lyrics and have some fun if that’s your thing.
There it is…I Want You To Have it All. And you did! In Track 8 we regroup and allow our heart rate to come down and re-gather ourselves after such ‘an awesome’ workout!
RPM 81 is another ‘kicking’ release with great tunes and a workout to match. Enjoy!
See you next time for RPM 82!
Track-by-track breakdown
Pack Ride
- Cadence: 120 bpm
- Genre: folk rock
- Origin: George Ezra (George Ezra Barnett) is from Hertford, England
- Released: May 2018
- Other releases:
- RPM 80 (Pace) – Paradise
- Thoughts
- An excellent way to set the tone for the ride; cruisy, comfortable, and friendly
- Several good lyrics to sing along with
- Points of difference: None
- Good lyric cues
- Gotta hit the road
- There’s a mountain top that I’m dreaming of
- Don’t look back…
- Stick around and you’ll see what I mean
Pace
Save Myself (Extended Club Mix) – Dash Berlin & DBSTF feat. Josie Nelson
- Cadence: 128 bpm
- Genre: progressive house
- Origins:
- Dash Berlin (Eelke Kalberg and Sebastiaan Molijn) are from The Netherlands
- DBSTF are from The Netherlands
- Josie Nelson is from Minnesota, USA
- Released: February 2018
- Other releases:
- Dash Berlin
- RPM 52 (Speed Work) – Disarm Yourself (Club Mix)
- RPM 53 (Speed Work) – Wired (Extended Mix)
- RPM 56 (Mountain Climb) – Apollo Road
- RPM 57 (Alternate Speed Work) – Better Half of Me (Club Mix)
- RPM 65 (Speed Work) – Earth Meets Water (Club Mix)
- DBSTF
- BODYJAM 74 (Mash It) – Beautiful World
- BODYJAM 85 (Mash It) – Into the Light (Extended)
- Josie Nelson is new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Dash Berlin
- Thoughts
- A solid Dutch house track to set the scene for the working phase of the class
- Typical choreography with medium intensity off the seat, then finishing with 45-second races in each block
- Point of difference: Power Climb in the first block
- Good lyric cues
- Help me do the things I dreamed of but I never dared
- No I won’t hold my breath
- And I’m not staying still
Hills
Rescue Me – Thirty Seconds to Mars
- Cadence: 77 bpm
- Genre: alternative rock
- Origin: Thirty Seconds to Mars (Jared Leto and Shannon Leto) is from Los Angeles
- Released: June 2018
- Other releases: Thirty Seconds to Mars is new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Thoughts
- The musical tone is excellent for this track; you feel like there’s work to get through
- We train all the leg muscle groups here with Power Climbs, Standing Climbs, and Standing Attacks
- Point of difference: short climbs where the efforts are in the fast Attacks
- Good lyric cues
- You gotta lose it all if you wanna take control
- Better to say yes to never know
Mixed Terrain
- Cadence: 105 bpm
- Genre: reggae dubstep
- Origin: DJ Snake (William Sami Étienne Grigahcine) is from Paris
- Released: April 2018
- Other releases:
- BODYJAM 70 (Straight Up Hip Hop) – Turn Down for What
- BODYJAM 80 (Warmup) – Pigalie
- BODYJAM 80 (Recovery) – Let Me Love You
- BODYJAM 81 (Mash It) – Sahara
- BODYJAM 83 (Afro Hip Hop) – Propaganda (Dillon Francis Remix)
- BODYJAM 85 (Peep That Fire) – A Different Way
- BODYJAM 86 (Mash It) – Magenta Riddim
- RPM 72 (Outro) – Middle
- RPM 74 (Pack Ride) – Let Me Love You
- Thoughts
- (The music video is quite colorful for this track; it’s worth watching!)
- This is one of the highlights for this release, as it’s very different stylistically than typical Mixed Terrain tracks.
- When I first saw the choreography with the music, I figured this would be difficult to memorize. Once you familiarize yourself with the music, the choreo fits naturally.
- Point of difference: many quick position and pace changes
- Good lyric cues
- N/A
Intervals
Tell Me You Love Me (Matrix & Futurebound Remix) – Demi Lovato
- Cadence: 89 bpm
- Genre: drum and bass
- Origins:
- Matrix & Futurebound (Jamie Quinn and Brendan Collins) is from London
- Demi Lovato is from Los Angeles
- Released: March 2018
- Other releases:
- Matrix & Futurebound
- RPM 71 (Intervals) – Happy Alone (Extended Mix)
- RPM 75 (Intervals) – Wild Horses (Matrix & Futurebound Remix)
- RPM 78 (Intervals) – Light Us Up (Dossa & Locuzzed Remix)
- Demi Lovato
- BODYJAM 76 (Euphoric AF) – Cool for the Summer (Liam Keegan Clean Remix)
- BODYJAM 84 (Recovery) – Sorry Not Sorry
- Matrix & Futurebound
- Thoughts
- The block structure is odd in this one; the first two blocks end with a recovery and gear reduction. Those actions would typically be the start of the following block.
- Good opportunities to focus on strength in the Attacks and power in the seated climbs
- Points of difference: heavy Power Climbs before Attacks
- Good lyric cues
- I need someone on days like this, I do
- Everything I need is standing in front of me
- Through the ups and downs, baby I’ma stick around
Speed Work
Without You My Love (Myon Extended Definitive Mix) – Seven Lions feat. Rico & Miella
- Cadence: 128 bpm
- Genre: progressive house / trance
- Origins:
- Seven Lions (Jeff Montalvo) is from Woodinville, WA
- Myon (Mario Egeto) is from Hungary
- Rico & Miella are from New York City
- Released: April 2018
- Other releases:
- Seven Lions
- RPM 59 (Mountain Climb) – I Don’t Deserve You (Seven Lions Remix)
- RPM 71 (Speed Work) – Cusp
- RPM 72 (Speed Work) – Falling Away (MitiS Remix)
- RPM 73 (Intervals) – Summer of the Occult
- RPM 74 (Mountain Climb) – The Journey
- RPM 76 (Mountain Climb) – Higher Love
- Myon is new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Rico & Miella are new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Seven Lions
- Thoughts
- Musically, this is my favorite Speed Work track in my collection. The beat drop in Block 2 just as the race starts gave me goosebumps for weeks.
- Profile is three 1-minute races
- Points of difference: None
- Good lyric cues
- None really apply
Mountain Climb
I Like It Loud – Tiesto & John Christian feat. Marshall Master & The Ultimate MC
- Cadence: 64 bpm
- Genre: big room house
- Origins:
- Tiesto (Tijs Michiel Verwest) is from The Netherlands
- John Christian (John Dirne) is from Amsterdam
- Marshall Masters is from ??? (couldn’t find much info about him)
- The Ultimate MC (found even less about this one)
- Released: March 2018
- Other releases:
- Tiesto
- BODYJAM 58 (Turbulence in Paris Block) – Only You (Ken Loi Remix)
- BODYJAM 63 (Hardcore Screaming Block) – What Can We Do (A Deeper Love) (Extended Remix & Third Party Remix)
- BODYJAM 61 (Work Hard, Play Hard, Dance Hard Block) – Work Hard, Play Hard (Original Mix)
- BODYJAM 65 (Maximal Jam Crazy Block) – Sweet Nothing (Tiësto Remix)
- BODYJAM 65 (Maximal Jam Crazy Block) – Maximal Crazy (Tiësto Remix)
- BODYJAM 67 (Get Loose When the Beat Drops Block) – Get Loose (Tiësto Remix)
- BODYJAM 70 (Mash It Block) – Dare You (Tiësto vs. Twoloud Remix)
- BODYJAM 71 (Mash It Block) – E.T. (Tiësto Remix)
- BODYJAM 74 (Warmup) – Secrets
- BODYJAM 76 (Bangers) – C’Mon (Catch ’em by Surprise)
- BODYJAM 76 (Mash It) – Rock the Party
- BODYJAM 80 (Continual Momentum) – I Will Be Here (Tiesto Remix)
- BODYJAM 83 (Mash It) – Blow Your Mind
- BODYJAM 84 (Jamsterdam) – Scream (Extended)
- RPM 51 (Speed Work) – Break My Fall (Original Mix)
- RPM 54 (Speed Work) – Just Be (Antillas Club Mix)
- RPM 58 (Speed Work) – Can’t Stop Me (Tiësto Remix)
- RPM 59 (Speed Work) – Pair of Dice (Original Mix)
- RPM 62 (Mountain Climb) – Adagio for Strings (Blasterjaxx Remix)
- John Christian
- BODYJAM 66 (Jammin’ for the Rest of My Life) – I Could Be the One (John Christian Remix)
- BODYJAM 84 (Jamsterdam) – Scream (Extended)
- RPM 61 (Mountain Climb) – I Could Be the One (John Christian Remix)
- Marshall Masters and The Ultimate MC are new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Tiesto
- Thoughts
- Those of you that have been with RPM long enough will recognize something similar to the Hills track from RPM 63: Maria (I Like It Loud) (R.I.O. Remix)
- Not too much new here, but a strong way to end the ride with three steep peaks
- Point of difference: Climbing effort is slightly out of order (Standing Climb, Standing Attack, Power Climb, Standing Climb) instead of Standing/Standing/Power/Attack.
- Good lyric cues
- None really seem to fit
Ride Home / Stretch
- Cadence: 82 bpm
- Genre: pop rock
- Origin: Jason Mraz is from is from Mechanicsville, VA
- Released: August 2018
- Other releases:
- RPM 56 (Stretch) – 93 Million Miles
- RPM 56 (Alternate Intervals) – Everybody Talks
- RPM 57 (Ride Home) – The Freedom Song
- Thoughts
- The notes took some getting used to; the phrases should either be half as long (e.g., 2×8 instead of 4×8) or the BPM should be doubled. Otherwise, the counts don’t add up correctly.
- Happy, upbeat tune to celebrate the end of the ride
- Point of difference: None
- Good lyric cues
- And may the road less paved be the road that you follow
- May you have unquestionable health and less stress
Outro
Psycho – Post Malone feat. Ty Dolla Sign
- Genre: R&B
- Origins:
- Post Malone (Austin Richard Post) is from Los Angeles
- Ty Dolla Sign (Tyrone William Griffin, Jr.) is from Los Angeles
- Released: February 2018
- Other releases:
- Post Malone is new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Ty Dolla Sign
- BODYJAM 76 (Recovery) – Nobody Has to Know (Major Lazer & KickRaux Remix)
- BODYJAM 77 (Tropical Hip Hop) – Boom
- BODYJAM 79 (Old School Hip Hop) – Work from Home
- BODYJAM 85 (Groovedown) – Ex
- Thoughts
- I found the melody and harmony catchy in this track; the lyrics don’t resonate with me though, and the music video is rather odd.
- I’m guessing we get an alternate outro track because some lyrics had to be censored, and the song follows the general theme of rappers having bling and women at their sides.
Not reviewed: alternate outro track — Planetary Eclipse by Campos