The Sayings of Liz

Liz is the mother of an eight-month old. Unlike most of the other cycling teachers, she is not a size 0, but looks like a normal person --- in other words, like the other women in the class.

This makes her more of a role model for me, unlike the ones who are spending hours every day at various fitness activities. I also like the way she talks and sings along with the music, which is, by the way, great music. Here are some of her sayings as she led us through a workout:

Here's a good question for you: Do you want to be different? If you want to be different, I'm going to need you to work a little harder.

Sit. Tighten your core. Stand. Tighten your core. Sit. Reduce.

We're going to go through this about 6 more times now. But listen to your body. If it's telling you to slow down, then slow down. Take a drink whenever you need it. Don't wait for me to tell you.

Add enough resistance to stand up. This is just a little bump in the road.

Ready? Sit. Add a little.

Take a look at your legs and a look at my legs. Do they match? They should.

I'm gonna push you to get fitter.

Ready to go? If you are, go. If not, don't go. It's a choice. You're making the choices.

Open your chest so you can breathe. Relax your neck. Shoulders should be down, away from your ears. I know it's hard. But I'm here to get you fit.

When you're standing, you need more resistance, so your butt doesn't bounce.

I'm taking a water break. Join me if you need it.

If we train at the same speed and resistance the whole time, what does it train? It trains our slow-twitch muscles, which are already strong enough. We want to train our fast-twitch muscles.

Don't be afraid. Come with me.

Why do we hold on when we ride? We want to be strong and steady. We need a base to push from. Now, brace your core. Stand up.

(Now she's huffing and puffing loudly through the microphone, which I especially love, because it shows that she's human and she's working just like we are. I don't understand why some teachers tell us they're not using their highest level of resistance because they "don't want to be huffing and puffing." Maybe if that keeps them from talking, yes. But they can pause before they speak, right?)

How you should feel now: Breathless. Uncomfortable.

So now where are we going? We're climbing and racing again, through this same cycle again, hard resistance and slow pedaling, then sprinting. Why? Because that's where we make the changes we want to make. Anything else, you're not going to change. And we're here because we want to change.

Right. Left. Right. Left. You're doing good. But you can do more.

Three. Two. One. Take the edge off. Now take another edge off. Go faster. Sprint.

Dare to be different. Dare to be stronger.

Find the beat, add some resistance, now stand.

Now, relax. Take the edge off. Relax your back. Relax your arms.

Now, what you took off, add some back. Ready? I don't know. You're the only one who knows. But I believe in you. Match your feet with the beat. Good. I'm right with you.

Here's one of the songs Liz played during this workout:

She said, "I love this song! I dance in the kitchen with my baby to this song. She loves it, too. She giggles."