Why Your Class Needs More Slow Jams: The Case for 70 BPM

The Case for 70 BPM

A regular rider asked me last week why we spend time on slow songs when she shows up to sweat. I get it. We want to pack as much work into 45 minutes as possible, and a slow track feels like taking your foot off the gas.

But if I'm being blunt, you can only hold a max sprint for so long before your form turns to garbage. A class full of 128 BPM bangers is a recipe for burnout. Your riders need physical and emotional contrast to actually execute the hard work.

That is exactly what a 70 BPM track does. It forces the room to slow down, add heavy resistance, and dig into a true strength block. When you cut the pace in half, you give them the space to build a Heavy Climb or take a much-needed active recovery. The slow jam makes the fast pushes mean something.

Real Rides, Real Results

When you pull the right 70 BPM track, the energy in the room shifts completely. Take a song like "Feeling Myself" by Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé at exactly 70 BPM. It is a high-energy, rolling track that works perfectly for a seated Moderate Climb.

You can load up the wheel and force riders to grind it out. Then you drop a track like "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco at 71 BPM. It has a driving rhythm that fits a massive standing Heavy Climb.

If you need a medium-energy reset, "I’m Right Here" by Young Spirit at 71 BPM gives you steady endurance work without spiking the heart rate. Or you can use "I'm Your Wreck" by Mt. Joy at 69 BPM for a rolling rhythm that builds tension.

Finding these used to be a nightmare of clicking through Spotify and guessing the tempo. Now I just use On the Beat to filter my library by exact BPM and energy level. It gives me the perfect slow jam in seconds.

The Mistake I Used to Make

I used to program this wrong. I would stack fast sprints and high-cadence pace work back to back, thinking that was how you delivered a hard workout. I ignored the slow stuff entirely.

The result was a room full of people bouncing in the saddle with zero resistance on the wheel. They were working hard, but they were not getting stronger. I had to learn that a 70 BPM Heavy Climb demands just as much effort as a fast sprint.

When you force riders to slow down and push against real weight, they build actual power. Contrast is the whole point of interval training.

Look at your next playlist and see where you can force a slow, heavy grind. Your riders might complain at first, but their legs will thank you later.