Shavasana Sh$tStorm Series: Part 4
Author: Susie Nelson | Owner of The Cycling Yogi
So today I want to talk about music. I think my brain went there because of the epic stereo saga we’ve been having in class. Before I go on, I totally get how crucial a good playlist is—especially during a sprint in a spin class.
Greg and I finally sort of got it working… after unplugging everything, swapping out the receiver, plugging it all back in… multiple times. It was not pretty. There was even possibly some colorful language and I might have lost my sh$t over the great debate of “how to hold a flashlight currently”! It was not my finest afternoon.
Anyway, this whole adventure got me thinking… which then took me to a story I heard that is even worse than the stereo dying mid-class. Check it out below. (And yes, now that it’s fixed, I feel I can ask…was it really that bad? JK. Yes, it was.)
If you’ve never done high knees to “Hello,” just…don’t. Seriously, don’t.
0/10 — would not recommend.
And I think I’m not alone when I say blasting someone’s emotional breakdown in the middle of class with “Someone Like You” is not the most motivating playlist move. Like, who listened to that and thought, “Yep, this will really push them through those burpees”? Because if that’s their playlist strategy, what’s next? Babies crying during plank?
As instructors, we obsess over our playlists. Like, a lot. (My husband has some experience with this as he tries to watch the game while I loop random songs for 10-20 seconds at a time. Yep, I’m that wife. Multitasking at its finest.) And honestly, I could probably ask ChatGPT to craft the perfect playlist, but I highly doubt AI would really get my style (or my tremendous range of music. Just saying)
ANYWAY… music is crucial, especially during those really tough classes where you’re just trying to survive. So, today, we spent some time at the studio fixing the stereo in the spin room. (YES, I care that it keeps cutting out. Nothing kills a workout buzz faster than dead silence mid-sprint. Strangely, it only happens when I’m not around, or… it magically fixes itself. For a minute. But hey, we fixed it. Probably.)
But I also want to share a story to make you feel a little better about suffering through those awkward silences.
This isn’t my story, but I’ll do my best to set the scene…
Chloé was telling me about this class she’s been going to forever, except this time, it was a new instructor. (shoutout to her for still showing up, even if she had no idea what she was walking into. That’s dedication.)
And she said the music was… terrible. Like, really, really terrible.
How terrible?
Well… they had to do BURPEES. To Adele.
Adele!
Yep. Full-body, floor-smacking, “Why am I doing this?” burpees, with “Someone Like You” blaring in the background. Can you even imagine? Doing burpees while “Hello” echoes through the room? Or worse, “Someone Like You” because honestly, that might be the worst soundtrack for jumping up and down.
I love me some Adele, don’t get me wrong. But last I checked, Adele is for crying in your car or healing from heartbreak, not for dropping it low and jumping up while she’s begging someone not to forget her.
I’m not sure I’ll ever forget this. I’m haunted.
So, what’s the point of this story? (Besides saying, “Was it really that bad to not have music?” now that the stereo is fixed, of course!)
Well, It’s a perfect segue to ask: what’s your favorite workout jam? Give me your best songs to workout to. What’s your go-to jam? Or, if you’ve got a story of what NOT to play in class, I’m down for that too.
Or, if you’ve got a playlist disaster story, I want to hear it! Because, like I said, music can make or break a workout. And if I’m ever going to be doing burpees to Adele, I need to come prepared.
Drop your favorite songs or your craziest playlist fails in the comments. Let’s bond over those “what the heck were they thinking?” moments!
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