FOCUS FACTOR

Edwin Croucher · December 5, 2013 3:58PM

OK everyone. It is clear now that the workouts are getting harder. I want to know what everyone is using for their "Focus Factor" during the workouts. I'm 50 and had been listening to fast paced rock from the 60's through the 80's. Led Zep, Stevie Ray, The Stones etc. However, as the bike intervals have gotten more numerous and more difficult, I have now switched to Riding with Irish Rock. Flogging Molly and Drop Kick Murphy have helped me through. How about you guys?

Craig Marchione · December 5, 2013 4:15PM

I am a little older than that and stick strictly to classic rock. No need to mess with success.

Brenda Ross · December 5, 2013 4:15PM

I used to ride to techno, but I have switched to hard rock for the rides and techno for the runs. Today.....that did not help.

morpheus · December 5, 2013 5:36PM

I use lots of loud music to keep me pumped for the hard work, too. It's invaluable on the FTP and VO2 intervals. It's 'fun' on the Sweet Spot work. That's where I envision future races. And, use it with the runs, also, same idea.

Led Zep, Imagine Dragons, Pitbull, Linkin Park, MGMT, old school RunDMC, Foo Fighters, and many others.

BUT! I also try to remind myself of races (real races or local buddy trash talking stuff) where I came up short of my expectations. THAT is what gets my cage fight FOCUS started right.

Terry Mulvey · December 5, 2013 6:35PM

Come on, the Drop kick Murphy's are kids from my home town! Quincy, MA. They are so great but so not Irish! Just talented local boys who get you pumped!

Joe Hallatschek · December 5, 2013 7:04PM

I just put on the local country station and just rock. The Christmas tunes are still cool to hear this time of year! Plenty of excitment going on with all the numbers now that I've gone to power!

Steve West · December 5, 2013 9:22PM

No music for me.... just something mindless on TV like 24 where dialog and paying attention doesn't really matter much...

Elizabeth Hornak · December 5, 2013 9:41PM

So glad we have a thread on music and entertainment!!!!

I have a friend who teaches spin and she's given me a few of her class CD's.

Here is a sample of what is on my phone

Pitbull -- Feel This Moment
Crazy Train -- Ozzy Osbourne
Fish -- Internal Exile (very cool Scottish band)
House of Pain -- Jump Around (hmmm, reliving college days?)
The KLF -- Last Train to Trancetral (my sister was in HS in the 90's) / 3AM Eternal (for all those night in grad school when I was mad at work) / What Time is Love
Snap! -- Rhythm is a Dancer / Colour of Love
Calvin Harris -- Feel So Close to You, Let's Go
Of Monsters and Men -- Little Talks
Keith Urban (not a country fan, but a dear friend loved, loved Keith, and this song is for her. Heather was killed 7/29/12 while on a training ride by two drunk drivers at 7:45 pm a Sunday morning.) -- Days Go By --
Pink -- Try
Blush - Now or Never
Ludacris -- Rest of My Life
Journey -- Don't Stop Believin' (okay, I was in loooove with Steve Perry, now he's fat and balding!)
Eric's Theme and Titles from Chariots of Fire
U2 Where the Streets Have No Name, Beautiful Day, I Still Haven't Found what I'm looking for (prefer their older stuff)
Runrig (coolest Scottish Folk band ever!) Amazing Things, Dance Called America, The Mightly Atlantic, Sraidean Na Roinn-Eorpa (they sing in scot!)
Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Imagine Dragons (thanks to my daughters!) On Top of the World, It's Time
Mumford and Sons -- I Will Wait
The Cure -- Just Like Heaven, Friday I'm in Love, Pictures of You
Peter Gabriel
Bruce Springsteen

Keep calm and peddle on!

Cheers,
Beth

Mike Weinmann · December 5, 2013 9:54PM

Here's my current "FTP Test Playlist"

Avicii -- Wake Me Up
Avicii -- Hey Brother
Avicii -- X You
Pitbull -- Timber
Pitbull -- That High
Pitbull -- Sun in California
Ellie Goulding -- Burn
Flo Rida -- How I Feel
Britney -- Work B**ch
Eminem -- Rap God (warning: very un-PC lyrics, but incredible rapping)

needless to say, I could use a bit more variety, but it gets the job done

ezellrh · December 6, 2013 3:34PM

For the FTP work, what I find works:

1. Lots of the music already listed above, played via a youtube video playlist to give me some eye candy when I look up from my stem.

or

2. Sufferfest videos with longer intervals (HHNF is my fav, ISLAGIATT, Blender, Angels are especially good).

Emily Brinkley · December 6, 2013 6:07PM

I'm a huge Widespread Panic fan and find that it gets me through the tough z5 stuff, but I am aware it is an acquired taste.

When it really starts to hurt, I put my head down and just start counting my cadence to 90 and try to focus more on that then the pain. Jedi mind trick?

Steve boer · December 7, 2013 8:27AM

I go the easy route - i just open up pandora and play the today's hits station. It's primarily background noise for me, and I'm not picky. That being said, i'll give an occasional thumbs up/thumbs down, just to kick out a particular song that I cant stand, which ends up altering the song selection over time. I spend more time and energy paying attention to my TR screen than i do the music that is playing.

dpiburn · December 8, 2013 5:09PM

Bike is all Nine Inch Nails, especially the most recent release. Runs are a mix that I have of Placebo, Iron Maiden, MGMT, and a lot of other 70's/80's/90's stuff.

Doug Herr · December 17, 2013 11:34AM

Late to the party here, but my MO is to watch "24" thru Netflix with the closed captioning on. Three OS ago, I watched the whole series of "Lost" thru the winter; two OS ago, saw the whole series of 24 (which I'm now re-watching); last year I just watched random movies. As an interval gets harder, I switch over to music while leaving the 24 play and just read the CC. I've been using a combination of hard rock and techno. Thanks for the NIN idea, I had forgotten about them (him) and will put that in the rotation. If you haven't used Spotify, you've got to try it. Great way to find new music and new releases from bands that you haven't listened to for a long time.

FOCUS FACTOR

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