RPM 85 Review

Here’s my quarterly RPM review post giving some details and thoughts about the 2020 Q1 release, RPM 85. 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 85 is the thirtieth full release of this program that I’ve coached.

For this release’s music, my favorites are “You Little Beauty” (Hills) and “Calling You Home” (Speed Work). The returning artists are P!nk, Cash Cash, George Ezra, WALK THE MOON, Matrix & Futurebound, Seven Lions, and Khalid. The new artists are FISHER, Runn, CamelPhat & Christoph feat. Jem Cooke, and Bastille. There are two tech house tracks, a new genre for RPM!

This has been the most stressful release to learn, as the choreography breaks with the typical structure and for no purposeful reason that I can see. Sure, shaking things up can bring a different energy to a release, but I feel it was too much too soon. It almost feels like someone else wrote the choreography this time. When I spend more time stressing about memorization and recall, I’m spending less time on how I want to focus my coaching.

The masterclass has two presenters:

  • Glen Ostergaard (New Zealand) — Program Director for RPM, BODYPUMP, and SPRINT
  • Josh Berrier (US) — RPM, SPRINT, THE TRIP trainer/presenter; CXWORX and TONE instructor/presenter; BODYCOMBAT, BODYPUMP, and GRIT coach
  • Dee Rowell (Australia) — RPM and SPRINT trainer/presenter; BODYSTEP and TONE instructor/presenter; BODYATTACK instructor

As Les Mills doesn’t seem to provide the release overview on their website, here’s what the program directors have to say:

RPM 85 is a fun yet challenging workout with amazing music to match. There is a subtle shift back to steady state endurance training, especially in Tracks 3, 6 and 7 where we build our aerobic fitness. Musically, there is a real contrasting feeling within the class, from uplifting and fun in Tracks 1, 2 and 4 to phases of steadiness and control in Tracks 3, 5, 6 and 7.

When we teach this release, we want Tracks 1 and 2 to be connective, uplifting and to have fun in these sing a long tracks. In Track 3, we dial down our excitement and energy into strength endurance with a more technical approach, allowing the coolness of the song to be felt. In Track 4, we pop out, reconnect and have fun again using lots of connection with both the class and the music; your heart will be ticking like a “Timebomb”. In track 5, we are working steadily through the 4 identical intervals. In Track 6, we are teaching with a balance of coaching of speed endurance and class connection. In Track 7, we dial back the connection and increase the coaching of feel and technique, similar to how we taught Track 3.

When you learn this release you need to break it down by focusing on each track individually. Learn the choreography 100% and understand both the feel of the music and the workout. Learn the music – get really familiar with it. Once you’ve done that for each individual track, take a step back and look at the release as a whole. How can you contrast each track from the others? Not only will it create a journey, and help you tap into the workout, but it will also allow you to connect with your riders, being present with them from start to finish.

Have fun and enjoy teaching this release as much as we did.

Pack Ride

Can We Pretend – P!nk feat. Cash Cash

  • Cadence: 118 bpm
  • Genre: dancepop
  • Origins:
    • P!nk (Alecia Beth Moore) is from Pennsylvania, USA
    • Cash Cash (Jean Paul Makhlouf and Alex Makhlouf, and Samuel Frisch) is from New Jersey
  • Released: May 2019
  • Other releases
    • P!nk
      • RPM 58 (Stretch) – Try
      • RPM 79 (Pack Ride) – Where We Go
      • BODYJAM 64 (Warmup) – Blow Me (One Last Kiss) (Gigi Barocco Battle Remix)
    • Cash Cash
      • RPM 64 (Pace) – Take Me Home
      • RPM 67 (Pace) – Surrender
      • RPM 76 (Pace) – Broken
      • BODYJAM 70 (Mash It) – Dare You (Cash Cash Remix)
  • Thoughts:
    • The style of the music and the upbeat feel help get the ride off to a good start.
    • The choreography is awkward.
      • Block 2 starts with 1/2 pace but no reduction. Why not do 6×8 of 3/4 pace with a gear reduction?
      • I would have ended Block 3 where the music stops. Instead, we keep racing until the music comes back in (which is essentially an intro to the last block).
    • Point of difference: Longer race (about 45 seconds) in the third block
  • Good lyric cues:
    • None seem to fit, but I flipped some of them… “No pretend, this ride is real”, or “No dancing up on tables, but we will get a good ride.”

Pace

Hold My Girl (Martin Jensen Remix) – George Ezra

  • Cadence: 128 bpm
  • Genre: folkpop
  • Origins:
  • Released: November 2018
  • Other releases:
    • George Ezra
      • RPM 80 (Pace) – Paradise
      • RPM 81 (Pack Ride) – Shotgun
    • Martin Jensen is new to RPM and BODYJAM
  • Thoughts
    • I’m typically fond of RPM, but for this track the gloves come off. Hands down, this is the worst track I’ve had to coach in 30 releases.
    • What I like about RPM is that once you’ve taught several releases, you see the patterns in choreography. The advantage of the patterns is that you spend less time remembering choreo, and more time focused on coaching or adapting to who’s in the room. Every block in this track is different.
    • Block 4 is frustrating because it’s literally the same music as Block 1 but you’re off the saddle instead of racing.
    • Blocks 2 and 5 are clumsy because the music indicates there should be a change in choreo (e.g., add a gear, speed up), but the change happens in the middle of the verse.
    • Musically, there’s not much to this track and it gets extremely repetitive. It didn’t help that I had to listen to this track about 20 times to memorize the choreography, meaning that by the time I had to teach it, I was already sick of it.
    • Point of difference: (See above!)
  • Good lyric cues:
    • Got confidence you’ll rise above
    • On your way and out of the grey

Hills

You Little Beauty (Extended Mix) – FISHER

  • Cadence: 62 bpm
  • Genre: tech house
  • Origins:
    • FISHER (Paul Nicholas Fisher) is from Queensland, Australia
  • Released: May 2019
  • Other releases:
    • BODYJAM 49 – You Got Me Burning Up! 2008 (Cevin Fisher’s DNA Mix)
  • Thoughts
    • The sampled vocals get a bit repetitive, but the beat drops and working phases off the seat feel solid.
    • Again, I’m not sure who put this choreo together. Options that line up with the music is one block are absent for the same music in another block. This leads to asymmetry and more time spent memorizing choreography that could be used elsewhere.
    • The last block has the working phases double in time from the previous three blocks. Given how musically similar the blocks are, it’s easier than I’d like to lose my place.
    • Point of difference: 90-second strong finish
  • Good lyric cues
    • You got me burnin’

Mixed Terrain

Timebomb – WALK THE MOON

  • Cadence: 126 bpm
  • Genre: indie rock
  • Origins: WALK THE MOON (Nicholas Petricca, Kevin Ray, Sean Waugaman, Eli Maiman) is from Cincinnati
  • Released: January 2019
  • Other releases
    • RPM 57 (Mixed Terrain) – Anna Sun
    • RPM 67 (Mixed Terrain) – Shut Up and Dance
    • RPM 72 (Mixed Terrain) – Work This Body
    • RPM 79 (Mixed Terrain) – One Foot
  • Thoughts
    • At last, something resembling a typical RPM track in this release!
    • WALK THE MOON has a good musical energy that fits well for this type of track.
    • When we speed up from 1/2 to 3/4 pace, why not add a gear like we do in regular Mixed Terrain tracks?
    • Point of difference: None
  • Good lyric cues
    • Point of no return coming real close

Intervals

Hindsight (M&F’s Hybrid Jungle Mix) – Matrix & Futurebound

  • Cadence: 87 bpm
  • Genre: drum and bass
  • Origins: Matrix & Futurebound (Jamie Quinn and Brendan Collins) is from London
  • Released: April 2019
  • Other releases
    • RPM 71 (Intervals) – Happy Alone (Extended Mix)
    • RPM 75 (Intervals) – Wild Horses (Matrix & Futurebound Remix)
    • RPM 78 (Intervals) – Light Us Up (Dossa & Locuzzed Remix)
    • RPM 81 (Intervals) – Tell Me You Love Me (Matrix & Futurebound Remix)
  • Thoughts
    • For the record, the profile text isn’t accurate: The blocks are not identical. The recovery in Blocks 1 and 3 is at 1/2 pace, where in Blocks 2 and 4 the recovery is at 1/1 pace.
    • The structure fits with other interval tracks — 20 up, 20 down. The challenge is finding a focus for each of the four blocks to keep riders on-task.
    • Point of difference: None
  • Good lyric cues
    • Again, I flip the lyrics in this track… “We ain’t never gonna change”, “Just because we try, doesn’t mean we’re supposed to” can be spun more positively.

Speed Work

Calling You Home – Seven Lions feat. Runn

  • Cadence: 150 bpm
  • Genre: melodic dubstep
  • Origins:
    • Seven Lions (Jeff Montalvo) is from Santa Barbara, California
    • I couldn’t find any background for Runn
  • Released: February 2018
  • Other releases: Runn is new to RPM and BODYJAM, but Seven Lions has some history…
    • 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
    • RPM 83 (Mountain Climb) – Dreamin’
  • Thoughts
    • The music is on-point, which is no surprise given it’s a Seven Lions track.
    • I’m not sure how I feel about introducing the combo in a recovery phase. It makes sense with the music, and choreographically it helps lets you rehearse a move you’ll see with more intensity later in the track.
    • I guess the trend now with Speed Work tracks is to have cadences that are too fast to achieve, so we use 3/4++. It suits me just fine, as it expands the choice of music.
    • What’s up with the 30 seconds of music at the end where it feels like we should be moving faster, but we’re winding down?
    • Point of difference: Racing combo surging toward the beat, then recovering briefly
  • Good lyric cues:
    • Don’t say it’s the end of the road
    • I don’t have to go it alone
    • It’s worth the fight

Mountain Climb

Breathe (Eric Prydz Remix) – CamelPhat & Christoph feat. Jem Cooke

  • Cadence: 62 bpm
  • Genre: tech house
  • Origins:
  • Released: November 2018
  • Other releases
    • CamelPhat — BODYJAM 87 — Right Here, Right Now (CamelPhat Remix)
    • Eric Prydz — RPM 69 (Mountain Climb) — Generate
  • Thoughts
    • Lining up in tone and purpose with the Hills track, this is a thumping endurance climb.
    • Given the repetitive structure of the music (like the Hills track), it’s easy to get lost on which 8×8 you’re doing.
    • I think would have ditched the 1/4 pace and kept it at 1/2. That speed is awkwardly slow for 30 seconds.
    • Point of difference: endurance climbs (90 seconds)
  • Good lyric cues:
    • You feel unsteady but I won’t bend
    • I need you to breathe again

Ride Home / Stretch

Joy – Bastille

  • Cadence: 118 bpm
  • Genre: indie pop
  • Origins: Bastille (Dan Smith, Kyle Simmons, Will Farquarson, Chris “Woody” Wood) is from London
  • Released: May 2019
  • Other releases: Bastille is new to RPM and BODYJAM
  • Thoughts
    • Feelings of joy now that the challenging ride is done! This is a standard cool-down track.
    • Point of difference: None
  • Good lyric cues:
    • I feel my pulse quickening
    • I was giving up, oh, I was giving in

Outro

Outta My Head – Khalid feat. John Mayer

  • Genre: R&B, pop
  • Origins:
    • Khalid (Khalid Donnel Robinson) is from Georgia, USA
    • John Mayer is from Connecticut, USA
  • Released: April 2019
  • Other releases
    • Khalid
      • RPM 79 (Speed Work) – Silence (Illenium Remix)
      • RPM 82 (Speed Work) – Ocean (DubVision Remix)
      • RPM 84 (Ride Home / Stretch) – Talk
    • John Mayer is new to RPM and BODYJAM