Here’s my quarterly RPM review post giving some details and thoughts about the 2019 Q3 release, RPM 83. 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 83 is the twenty-eighth full release of this program that I’ve coached.
The music is the core of the program, and this release is solid. My favorite is the Mixed Terrain track (“A Million Dreams” from the movie The Greatest Showman); this was a surprise for me, as I don’t typically like musicals. The returning artists are Kygo, Sandro Cavazza, Sigala, John Newman (remember him being in heavy rotation during the early RPM 60s?), and Seven Lions. Our new artists are Nile Rogers, Excision, Dion Timmer, The Struts, Cheat Codes, and Paloma Faith. We’ve got the typical global mix — US, Canada, UK, Netherlands, and Australia.
The biggest change this release is the Speed Work track, where we work on endurance — four races (one minute each) with climbs in between. The Mountain Climb is a bit different as well: 4x rolling climb combo where we’re off the seat and then on the seat. The other tracks are about what a regular RPMer would expect.
Something new about the masterclass for this release is some B-roll footage of trail biking on different terrains (presumably in New Zealand) was mixed in with the presenters teaching the release.
The masterclass has two presenters:
- Brent Findlay (New Zealand) — SPRINT, BODYPUMP, and RPM Trainer; GRIT Coach and a CORE Instructor. His background is playing professional cricket
- Dee Tjoeng (Australia) — SPRINT, TONE, RPM, and BODYSTEP Presenter; BODYATTACK Instructor. She is a nurse and is based in Brisbane.
As Les Mills doesn’t seem to provide the release overview on their website, here’s what the program directors have to say:
RPM83 is the perfect mixture of challenging work to amazing music that’s everything from fun, soulful, euphoric and uplifting. This makes it the ultimate cardio peak workout for everyone. It’s a nice mix of simple and busy choreography to create contrast and connection to the music and workout.
From Track 1, you immediately feel Happy Now with this upbeat warmup song which really sets the tone. Track 2, Give Me Your Love, comes in hot, with awesome energy to lift the pace. Home creates an energy shift in Track 3 – easy climbs that build into punchy 60-second efforts! This is followed by a beautiful, soulful Track 4 where we chase A Million Dreams and the beat. Track 5, Body Talks lights the room up! Fun++ and wild – hold onto you seat in this one, so cool! Track 6 Underwater, fills the room with both a musical and energy shift to allow us to find different levels of speed that brings us to the base of the mountain. Dreamin’ is a powerful, uplifting mountain track, where again we, wind our way to the top!
The Coaching of Tracks 2, 4 and 5 is busy, so clear Layer 1 coaching of PRP is needed. This will enable participants to feel the workout alongside the contrasting pieces of music. We will talk about this more soon.
With a focus on Technique in Tracks 3 and 7 be sure to allow time to wind into the climbs and the choreography changes of climbing in and out of the saddle need to be clearly coached (PRP). The coaching of strong body position to differentiate the Standing Climbs/Attacks and Power Climbs.
When it comes to Connection and Performance, there are lots of opportunities to show your love for RPM in this release. Each track has a unique feel that you can explore. Your goal will be to find your own way to express the music and the workout, whether it be through the way you move, the lyrics, your voice or by the language you use. This will enhance the experience and allow the music and workout to ‘pop’ for your participants.
As always, knowing your choreography and the music will enable you to coach in a way that caters to all the needs in your class – you will know when to have fun, create excitement, be more intense or just go with the moment. Enjoy teaching this release, we do!
See you next time in RPM 83!
Track-by-track breakdown
Pack Ride
Happy Now – Kygo feat. Sandro Cavazza
- Cadence: 122 bpm
- Genre: tropical house
- Origins
- Kygo (Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll) is from Norway
- Sandro Cavazza is from Stockholm, Sweden
- Released: October 2018
- Other releases
- Kygo: RPM 82 (Pack Ride) – Born to Be Yours
- Sandro Cavazza: RPM 79 (Pace) – Without You
- Thoughts:
- Structurally, there’s nothing complicated about this track — three sets of riding with Racing Gear.
- The music is upbeat, catchy, and works with the choreography to create a welcoming start to our ride.
- Point of difference: None
- Good lyric cues:
- And it’ll be hard, but I know I will make it out
- Step by step, I’ll move on and get on with life
Pace
Give Me Your Love – Sigala feat. John Newman & Nile Rodgers
- Cadence: 129 bpm
- Genre: funky house
- Origins:
- Sigala (Bruce Fielder) is from Norwich, England
- John Newman is from Yorkshire, England
- Nile Rodgers is from New York City
- Released: April 2016
- Other releases
- Sigala
- RPM 78 (Pace) – Came Here for Love
- RPM 80 (Pack Ride) – Easy Love
- RPM 82 (Pace) – Feels Like Home
- John Newman
- RPM 60 (Intervals) – Not Giving In
- RPM 62 (Intervals) – Love Me Again
- RPM 64 (Mixed Terrain) – Cheating
- Nile Rogers is new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Sigala
- Thoughts
- It was nice to hear John Newman again, as he was on RPM 60, 62, and 64.
- Interesting note: the release’s version of this song is about 5 bpm faster than the original
- As with the Pack Ride, the structure is typical for a Pace track… some races, some short climbs
- Point of difference: None
- Good lyric cues:
- When you get weak I’ll make you strong again
- So give me your love, I need it
- I will always be there for you
Hills
- Cadence: 75 bpm
- Genre: hardstyle
- Origins:
- Excision (Jeff Abel) is from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
- Dion Timmer is from the Netherlands
- Released: August 2018
- Other releases
- Excision and Dion Timmer are both new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Thoughts
- Three efforts, one minute each where we cover each of the strength positions — Power Climb, Standing Climb, Standing Attack.
- This is my least favorite musically in this release; the overpitched vocals get on my nerves, and the material gets repetitive after the first minute.
- Point of difference: main work sequence starts with Standing Attack
- Good lyric cues
- You don’t have to feel alone
Mixed Terrain
A Million Dreams – Hunt Valley
- Cadence: 148 bpm
- Genre: musical
- Origins: Hunt Valley is a cover artist. The link above is to the version sung by Ziv Zaifman, Hugh Jackman, and Michelle Williams for the film The Greatest Showman.
- Released: December 2017
- Other releases
- N/A (cover artist)
- Thoughts
- In my history with RPM (since RPM 51), this is the first show tune from a musical. The tone and structure fit well for a Mixed Terrain track, though.
- Four races, about 30 seconds each; the last two have climbs in front of them.
- Point of difference: None
- Good lyric cues
- A million dreams are keeping me awake
- I think of what the world could be
- However big, however small, let me be part of it all
- But say that you’ll bring me along
Intervals
Body Talks – The Struts feat. Kesha
- Cadence: 92 bpm
- Genre: glam punk
- Origins:
- The Struts (Luke Spiller, Adam Slack, Jed Elliott, Gethin Davies) are from Derbyshire, England
- Kesha (Kesha Rose Sebert) is from Brentwood, Tennessee
- Released: August 2018
- Other releases
- The Struts are new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Kesha: RPM 51 (Pack Ride) – We R Who We R
- Thoughts
- The energy of this song perfectly matches the choppy changes where we get aggressive in the attacks.
- Three intervals where we alternate between Standing Attack and Racing; the last two intervals have a longer race between sets of 2 and 3 combos.
- Point of difference: longer race phase in the middle of combos (off and on the seat)
- Good lyric cues
- What do you need, need, need?
- But I read the signs from your head to your toes
- …your body talks
Speed Work
- Cadence: 122 bpm
- Genre: alternative dance
- Origins:
- Rüfüs Du Sol is from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Released: August 2018
- Other releases
- Rüfüs Du Sol is new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Thoughts
- Interesting note: the release’s version of this song is about 4 bpm faster than the original
- I like that this track is musically minimal in places — simple bass line, simple beat, and some vocals. On first listen I was concerned this would get annoyingly repetitive (like Millions Voices by Otto Knows), but it works.
- Points of difference: climbs between every race; 30 seconds on the rhythm, 30 seconds above the rhythm
- Good lyric cues:
- I just need some space
- Save me now before I give up
- But I just need a change
Mountain Climb
Dreamin’ – Seven Lions feat. Fiora
- Cadence: 75 bpm
- Genre: progressive house
- Origins:
- Seven Lions (Jeff Montalvo) is from Santa Barbara, California
- Fiora (Fiora Cutler) is from Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
- Released: July 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
- RPM 81 (Speed Work) – Without You My Love (Myon Extended Definitive Mix)
- RPM 82 (Intervals) – Horizon
- Fiora: BODYJAM 89 (Warmup) – Up All Night (Extended)
- Seven Lions
- Thoughts
- Two peaks of 60 seconds, the first one having a longer buildup
- I appreciated the ease of memorization in this track, given the second half takes every 8×8 phrase and turns it into an 4×8 phrase.
- Thus far I haven’t encountered a Seven Lions track I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed; the contrasts are beautifully executed. I hope they continue to produce amazing music that gets put in rotation for RPM.
- Points of difference: rolling climbs where we’re off and on the seat
- Good lyric cues:
- I know you’re looking for the better place
- I can tell you I have never been so sure
Ride Home / Stretch
- Cadence: 104 bpm
- Genre: tropical house
- Origins:
- Cheat Codes (KEVI (Kevin Ford), Trevor Dahl, Matthew Russell) are from Los Angeles, California
- Released: October 2018
- Other releases
- Cheat Codes are new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Thoughts
- Other than the LA party life atmosphere from the lyrics, this song fits well for the end of a tough ride.
- This track gets me with some choreography memorization. There are times I think we should change something (gear, pace), but we don’t. The quadriceps stretches are asymmetric — we stretch one leg for twice as long as the other.
- Point of difference: None
- Good lyric cues:
- So come in close and stay right by my side, side, side
- It feels like home when I’m with you
Outro
- Genre: British soul
- Origins:
- Paloma Faith (Paloma Faith Blomfield) is from Hackey, London, England
- Released: November 2018
- Other releases
- Paloma Faith is new to RPM and BODYJAM
- Thoughts:
- “If we’re always searching for the love that’s perfect; how are we ever going to know just what we’ve got?”
Note reviewed: Workout for Water bonus Pace track… Heads Up – Jain