Class #14 Cycling Tuesday 10:30 a.m. (Barbara)

This class makes the second of 24 cycling classes on the schedule. Since I have ten weeks to complete all classes, I should be averaging 2 and a half per week. Last week I only went to one so I figured I better get with it. I really don't want to be doing only bike classes the final two weeks.

I have purposely avoided going to those bike classes on the schedule that regularly fill up. I don’t want to be the cause of anyone missing a class because I’m in there. We’ve ordered four new bikes and, as the weather turns nicer, the demand on classes will ease up a bit, then I should be able to go to any class with a clear conscience.

Since this class is held at the mid-morning hour it rarely fills up though it does attract a steady following. I can see why, it was a first rate class and I worked really hard in it.

This was one of the classes Lisa Cooper selected to demo the Polar Heart Rate monitors, for a promotion Polar asks us to do occasionally (I didn’t know that before I came in). As such, Lisa was on hand to help folks get set up with a monitor and a watch. I always wear a monitor in bike class anyway but I borrowed a watch to see what that was like.

Our instructor (Barbara Sarnataro) liked the fact that everyone had a heart rate monitor and she really focused on pulse during this class. As the workload was steadily ratcheted up Barbara had us focus on watts, which change immediately upon shifting the gear higher or increasing cadence and heart rate, which takes a few seconds to respond to the increase in work. When getting feedback like this, there is a tendency to work a little harder for some reason. Since a big part of a bike instructor’s focus is to push us to work more, they tend to like heart rate monitors and the like.

Barbara Sarnataro

Barbara teaches a great class. Her music, most of which I didn’t recognize, is really good. Normally, I wouldn’t like music when hearing it for the first time but her taste in music is obviously great. I asked her to send me a play list, which appears at the end of this post (see below).

Barbara has been teaching at the LRAC for almost ten years, since she and her husband moved to Little Rock from Tucson, AZ in May 2000. She was certified in group cycling by Madd Dog Athletics and “Spinning” in 1997. She is also a PMA certified Pilates instructor and a personal trainer specializing in Pilates. Besides all that, Barbara has a master’s degree in journalism and works as a free-lance writer for WebMD and others.

In today’s class, Barbara’s cuing was excellent, always letting us know what was coming and building each exercise to a crescendo before taking a (very) short break and moving on. We did a nice mix of climbs, sprints and various other pushes. Barbara commands attention with a quiet insistence that we keep pushing ourselves and I found her style very effective. I give the whole experience two handlebars UP.

There were around 12 in class today. I’ve noticed that bike classes, for whatever reason, attract men and women in equal measure and this class was no exception to that rule. The $25 gift certificate goes to Pat Sanchez.

After a short break, I’ll head down to the Group Exercise Studio for Brittney’s 1 pm Sculpt class. Talk to you after that.

Barbara's Play List for today's class:

The Violet Hour 3:34 Sea Wolf
Bodyrock 3:36 Moby
Runaway Car 4:12 Mat Kearney
Sex On Fire 3:24 Kings Of Leon
Pain 3:05 Jimmy Eat World
If It's Love 4:01 Train
Monsters 3:17 Hurricane Bells
Sad Songs 3:54 Matt Nathanson
The Man Who Can't Be Moved 4:02 The Script
Sweet Disposition 3:53 The Temper Trap
Ya Mamma 4:28 Fatboy Slim
Two Towers Theme 4:06 Lord of the Rings
Lean On Me 3:37 Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock & Keith Urban Hope for Haiti Now
Hallelujah (featuring Charlie Sexton) 4:16 Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris
Hope for Haiti Now