Themed Spin Class Playlists

I write this post while blasting Jason Derulo in my earbuds. You may ask me why. What a great question: A. I’m hiding from construction noise at work. And B. I’m creating a theme playlist for Spin next week! DUH. Next Monday, 3/5/18, all Jason Derulo. I have been teaching fitness classes for more than 11 years, but I haven’t talked about it too much on the blog yet. One of my favorite types of Spin classes to teach is a theme class. Here’s why:

Costumes. Y’all know I love any opportunity to dress up.
The hype. There’s nothing I like more than gloating about my upcoming classes on social media. Like here where I posted on Instagram about my upcoming boy band playlist. Or here where I showed everyone my amazing talent of keeping my “Happy New Year” tiara on my head the whole 60 minutes during my “Top Songs of 2017” playlist. I also tweet about themes in the hopes that the Dodge YMCA will retweet me some day.

Come to Spin tonight 7 pm @dodgeymca! Theme is Boy Bands Through the Ages!! 👨👦👨👦👨 Also special… https://t.co/fz71sw1kdR

— LongLegsBigCity (@LongLegsBigCity) October 5, 2017

Special spin playlist tonight 7 pm @DodgeYMCA , All Floridian artists. Thinking about our southern friends without power. #HurricaneIrma

— LongLegsBigCity (@LongLegsBigCity) September 11, 2017

Groupies. People love a good theme. Advertising in advance means more people will come. And sometimes I can even get people to create the whole playlist for me! Remember when Tim created a playlist for my Guest DJ Ride?
Easy to make the playlist. I just type “hot” in Spotify and BAM. I have a playlist. Ok it’s not that easy. But it is easier than pulling 15 random songs out of thin air.

Sometimes a theme playlist is based on current events, sometimes it’s an artist I want to highlight, sometimes it’s a trip I’m about to take, sometimes it’s a holiday that is coming up, and sometimes it’s just when the mood strikes me. Like almost every Thursday when I decide to throw in some throwbacks (#TBT, ya know?).

Sometimes my themes are specifically requested, like the Jason Derulo class coming up next Monday, 3/5/18. I am always trying to get people to give me requests, and some of my best themes have been suggested by participants, like Britney v. JT. This particular theme was requested by my best friend, who happens to be a special guest next week. Monday, 3/5/18. (Have I said it enough times yet?)

Here are themes I have used in the past, including links to my Spotify, once I started using it. Feel free to follow my Spotify, or follow those individual playlists if the theme moves you:

Queen Bey. That’s Beyonce for those of you who may be living under a rock.
Valentine’s Day (Love Mix)
Anti-Valentine’s Day Mix (I just grabbed songs from the ready-made Spotify list for this one)
Boy Bands through the ages, 1950s to current time.
Latin Spin. By request, and ended up being one of my most popular classes.
Jay Z, Kanye, Ke$ha
Early 90’s
Fourth of July, U-S-A!
Olympics
Top Songs of 2017
K-Pop v. Hip Hop (also inspired by the Olympics)
California Sweat Hot Heat (before my trip to California)
London Artists (before my very first trip to Europe)
Minaj a Trois (all Nicki Minaj)
CHRISTMAS!!!
Men of Hip Hop (after a participant accused me of only playing female artists… SO not true)
Women of Hip Hop (because sometimes it’s true I guess)
Birthday Party! (All songs that talked about birthdays, or parties, or both.)
30^th Birthday Spin (More songs about my birthday. Because I celebrated it for a month. 8 different spin classes during that month.)
Middle School Dance (songs from 1996-2001. No, I wasn’t in middle school for 5 years, but you get the gist.)
Em-Pire (Songs from the show Empire. Also a play on my name. So punny.)
Justin Bieber v. Justin Timberlake (I LOVED this class. I may have been the only one.)