TCO Weekly Top 5: Listeners’ favorite classes
We asked The Clip Out Facebook Group for their favorite classes from the last week, and the community really showed up! This week we got after some long rides and runs, worked hard lifting heavy things, and of course got a little dirty with Christina Aguilera. We’re highlighting five six! responses that just ooze motivation.
The classes
Why you loved them
There were two prominent themes in this week’s responses: People are excited about 60-min classes (can we say marathon-training season?!), and people loved the Christina Aguilera artist series. (We only highlight one of the Xtina classes below, but our listeners agree that the entire series is amazing.) Here’s what the TCO Group had to say about their favorite classes this week!
1. Simple strength with JJ
7/11/23 20 min Chest and Back Strength with Jermaine Johnson
Fellow podcaster, Monkees superfan, and past guest Sarah Clark (#OKLibrarian) loves a good dance break, but this week she really appreciated some straightforward upper body strength moves. And don’t get it twisted—a straightforward class does not equal boring!
“Just did a solid 20 minute Chest and Back with Jermaine this morning! As simple as you can get, no shenanigans or choreography (unless you count JJ’s obligatory dance breaks between sets), just picking heavy things up and putting them back down again,” said Sarah.
The class features music by—no, not the Monkees—Drake, Future, Tiësto, and A$AP Rocky. The moves are basic but packed with power. JJ starts off with a block of Supine Chest Flies, Chest Presses, and Standing Chest Flies, then a block of Bent Over Rows, Supinated Rows, and Reverse Flies. For the last block, he combines the first and second and repeats all six exercises, then finishes with Dumbbell Push Ups.
This class is no one-hit-wonder. It has Sarah thinking she’ll be coming back for more: “[JJ] suggests repeating it again for a few weeks, and I might actually take him up on that idea.” This sounds like a recipe for consistency to me!
2. A cool, calm, and collected long run
7/13/23 60 min 80s Run (Outdoor/audio only) with Susie Chan
As marathon training season hits full swing, long runs are becoming… longer. That’s why, if you listen closely, you might hear Peloton runners cheer every time a new 60-minute Run drops.
Cristina Ribeiro (#LilPowerhouse) really enjoyed the latest 60-minute Outdoor run from Susie Chan and found it the perfect companion to her Team Wilpers Run Challenge assignment. Not only was the length just right, the class program was thoughtfully aligned to the setlist, which is really helpful when you’re running outdoors and facing the many distractions of the outside world.
In Christina’s words: “I absolutely loved this run outside! I think I’m becoming a fan of Susie Chan.” She continues, “I love the 80’s and in this run I found the intervals were kind of synchronized with the music. Three great songs holding your run/pace and then a few minutes recovery on repeat. I’m doing the TeamWilpers running challenge, I had to get my 60 minutes run done, this was perfect!”
#RunBikeLift71 doesn’t even need to take the class to know she agrees: “I haven’t taken it yet (but plan to this weekend),” she said, “but the fact that it is 60 minutes is HUGE for me during marathon training!” What can we say, 60-minute runs are marathon-training gold!
The oh-so-key setlist includes hits from Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Paula Abdul, Run DMC, and Tears For Fears. Susie starts the class with a call to settle in for the long haul. Her words and soothing, confident voice somehow trick your body and mind into thinking this 60 minutes is no big deal—like you’ve got this, and you could do it in your sleep. No stress. Just good, easy work.
The class is all about steading running—using a controlled pace with three built-in recoveries, plus a pace push for the final song (because after keeping it cool for 55 minutes, you might as well see what’s left in the tank!).
We all know how much Crystal loves Susie, so it’s no surprise that our listeners are feeling the love too.
3. Getting Dirrty on a hike!
7/13/23 30 min Christina Aguilera Hike with Rebecca Kennedy
No class garnered as much enthusiasm in the Group as this one. Multiple members listed it, and even more chimed in with their resounding agreement. Rebecca Kennedy’s Christina Aguilera Hike was class perfection—the music practically moves your body for you, and that’s a good thing when you’re hiking at max incline! And Rebecca clearly has a deep connection to Christina’s music—and the dance moves to show it. All this plus the fact that hiking is such an incredible workout means that this class is sure to be a Peloton favorite for a long time to come.
That’s certainly the case for Jennifer Bentz (#JGeezy). She already loves hiking, but this class just climbed to the top of her personal favorites list.
“I love all of RK’s hikes but this one is my favorite and I will be retaking it soon! The playlist was phenomenal for anyone that grew up listening to Xtina in the 90s like me 😉 Still remembered all the words and when I wasn’t out of breath at 15% incline […] I was singing every word,” said Jennifer.
Megan Pace (#FSUSeminoleGirl) agrees! There’s something to be said about an instructor’s ability to entertain while delivering a great workout, and Rebecca really shined in this one.
“RK’s Christina Aguilera hike is quite possibly my new favorite artist series class (Yes, even more than Posty or Justin Bieber. 😳). It’s one thing when they talk about the artists and play their fav tracks but RK embodied Christina and I felt like I was watching a show as I hiked. Her dancing was so fun to watch. They could not have picked a better instructor for that class,” Megan said.
The class features some of the most energetic music from Christina’s catalog—Come on Over, Ain’t No Other Man, Dirrty, and Fighter, just to name a few. These songs get so deeply into your body that they’re practically soul-moving. The class program alternates between Uphill Walking and… Uphill Walking Intervals, so… a whole lot of climbing! But as simple as this program sounds, Rebecca is a master of curated efforts and this class will absolutely do some intricate work on your body and mind!
This class racked up the most love from the TCO Group by far, and I’m certainly adding it to my stack too!
4. Powerful vulnerability on a power walk
7/14/23 30 min Power Walk with Mariana Fernández
Mariana Fernández continues to garner love from the Tread community, and this week’s listener pick exemplifies one of the key reasons: Her vulnerability. While a seasoned endurance runner, Mariana is still fairly new to teaching on the Tread, but her ability to express her connection to her body and the work it is doing fosters the same connection for all of her athletes. Because even though she’s a professional and we (mostly) are not, she makes her experience universally relatable.
Rebecca Allen (#BecsDDS) highlights just how much Mariana’s vulnerability impacted her: “I loved Mariana’s power walk. This was her first power walk on the platform and she was so vulnerable about difficult times she has been through and how she overcame. The music was both touching and inspirational. I just love her!”
Sandra Vigil (#LilBitofSandra) was equally touched by the class: “I was about to comment about this same class. Mariana on the tread is something special and that power walk was amazing. A moving meditation on the tread.”
The class features moving music from Coldplay, Foreigner, Mumford & Sons, and even From Now On from The Greatest Showman. The class plan oscillates between Walks, Power Walks, and Uphill Power Walks, with 6 Uphill Power Walks marking the peaks of the intervals. These peaks grow progressively longer until mid-class when they taper down again before a final 1-minute push to the finish.
Mariana is the second Peloton yoga instructor to also teach an endurance modality, with Denis on the mat and Bike being the first. Members seem to resonate with their ability to connect mind and body during rides and runs. Let’s hope Peloton continues to bring yoga teachers over to the other modalities (anyone else want to see Kristin on the Bike or Tread??).
5. Please welcome THE 90s Hip Hop Run!
7/16/23 45 min 90s Hip Hop Run with Marcel Dinkins
Marcel Dinkins is the kind of person who is so infectiously happy and funny that their fierce athleticism can catch you by surprise. She’s an open book on the Tread—and her book is 100% a comedy—but she’s also a powerhouse runner and knows how to inspire work in her athletes. And in most cases, she has you working before you’ve even finished laughing, so the work goes by that much faster.
Stephanie (#LakeErieMermaid) loves Marcel’s energy, but this class offered an extra personal touch that pumped up the volume even more. Marcel created a custom mix that featured the best parts of the songs, allowing her to feature more music and harness the most energy from it. This feels like something we might experience in Marcel’s home gym—like she’s treating us to as many favorites as possible and has the freedom to just get to the good stuff.
As Stephanie explained it: “The energy was great, Marcel was hilarious and the playlist was amazing. I love that she made it a megamix vs playing the whole song. […] Instead of playing the whole song she played varying lengths of each one and subsequently got way more songs into the playlist than usual. Example: she cut the intro to Gin and Juice. It was more like a DJ cut playlist. Really fun.”
#PedalToParis agrees: “Marcel’s 45 min 90s Hip Hop run from Sun 7/26 was perfection. The playlist was SO good and she did an amazing job of balancing fun and great info about the music and artists.”
The class features a whopping 26 songs from The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, KRS-One, Outkast, Puff Daddy, and many, many more. As Marcel says, “This is not just any 45-minute 90s Hip Hop Run, this is THE 90s Hip Hop Run.” Marcel starts the class plan out with a healthy 7.5-minute warmup followed by mix of intervals, uphill jogs, and progressive runs. But as far as Marcel is concerned, the class is 100% music-based and if you happen to sing more than you run, that is just fine! But don’t be surprised if her energy has you powering into a surprise sprint here and there!
6. All-day pace wins the long race
7/16/23 60 min Power Zone Endurance Ride with Christine D’Ercole
If you’re counting, yes, this is number 6 on our Top 5 list, but Betsy Arndt (#FueledByChocol8) spoke to my heart when she called out this gem of an endurance ride with Christine D’Ercole. Betsy shares that “the music was on point and the long Zone 2 ride felt like a gift!”
She had me at long Zone 2—there’s something magical about that all-day pace!
This class features music from Pear Jam, Florence + The Machine, The Cure, P!nk, and OK Go. After a 13-minute warmup, Christine takes the class through 3 15-minute segments with a cadence of mostly 70s and 80s. She describes the plan as having no pattern and feeling like an outdoor road that is mostly flat with just a tiny bit of hill here and there. This is the kind of ride you do when your goal is 100 miles. Easy, all-day, and just enjoying the ride.
Thank you!
Thank you to all of our listeners for sharing your recommendations and enthusiasm with us and each other. To see the full list of classes and add your own to the conversation, check out the post from July 18, 2023, here. And let us know in the comments if you try these and find a new favorite of your own!
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Tune in to The Clip Out on every Friday to hear Tom and Crystal’s take on this and other hot Pelotopics. We’re available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart, TuneIn. Be sure and follow us so you never miss an episode. You can also find the show online on Facebook.com/TheClipOut. While you’re there, like the page and join the group. Lastly, find us on our YouTube channel, YouTube.com/TheClipOut, where you can watch all of our shows.
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