In high-intensity indoor cycling classes, recovery isn’t just a pause between efforts—it’s a critical component that ensures your riders can perform at their best during the work intervals. Effective recovery allows the body to lower its heart rate, control breathing, and recharge for the next challenge. But what many instructors overlook is how the right music can amplify this process.
A well-chosen recovery song can set the tone for mental and physical relaxation without pulling riders out of the workout’s energy. Having a large pool of recovery songs—spanning various tempos, genres, and moods—ensures you’re always prepared to create a seamless, engaging experience for your riders. In this post, I’ll share three bucket playlists of recovery tracks (over 6,000 songs!) and guide you on how to use them effectively. I’ll also give you tips on how to personalize these playlists in Spotify.
The Power of the Perfect Recovery Song
Every profile, except perhaps a steady-state endurance ride, benefits from moments of recovery. These breaks let your riders recalibrate after hard intervals, prepare for upcoming efforts, and avoid burnout. The key is selecting recovery songs with the right energy and tempo to match the profile’s goals.
One of my personal go-to recovery tracks is “Intro” by The xx. At 2:07 and 100 bpm, it has an atmospheric energy that encourages relaxation without letting riders disengage. It’s versatile—easy to ride off the beat and adapt to any cadence that facilitates recovery.
Intro, The xx, 2:07, 100 bpm
Some songs from movie soundtracks, video games, or a genre called “Trailer Music” are ideal for recovery. Recovery doesn’t always mean relaxed and mellow—there are moments when adding a touch of drama enhances the experience. For example, during the recovery leading up to a challenging interval, a song with a hint of apprehension can create anticipation while still allowing riders to lower their heart rate. A great option for this is the following track from the Transformers soundtrack.
Today We Hunt, Steve Jablonsky, Transformers: The Last Night (Music from the Motion Picture), 1:47, 162 bpm
Sometimes, entire albums fit the bill for recovery songs. One album for this purpose is Jazzy Poppin’ Beats. With most tracks under 2 minutes, it offers a perfect mix of energy and tempo for light, refreshing, short recovery songs. Here’s a standout track from this album.
Wangster, Ali Theodore, Bryan Spitzer, John McCurry, Jazzy Poppin Beats, 1:52, 88 bpm
Characteristics of a Great Recovery Song
When choosing a recovery track or collection of tracks, keep these traits in mind:
- Energy Level: The recovery song doesn’t have to be boring or low energy—the choices aren’t limited to Yanni or Enya (though there’s nothing wrong with that if it fits your mood and style!). Some energy is fine, but it shouldn’t be too high. Choose songs with low to moderate energy that won’t keep heart rates elevated unnecessarily. The vibe should complement the desired recovery intensity—chilled for Zone 1 or slightly more upbeat for Zone 2.
- Cadence Versatility: While I usually select recovery tracks that invite a cadence between 70 and 90 rpm, I don’t shy away from songs with bpm outside this range if they fit the profile’s energy. For example, “Intro” by The xx is 100 bpm, yet it allows riders to dissociate from the beat and recover at their preferred cadence. Even if you’re normally strict about staying on the beat, it’s perfectly OK to break from it during recovery.
- Beat and Focus: Avoid heavy beats or high-intensity tracks that might distract from the goal of recovery. Instead, focus on music that helps create a mental and physical reset.
Creative Recovery Themes
Recovery segments are a great opportunity to play some of your favorite low- to moderate-energy tracks, but they’re also a perfect time to experiment with songs you might not typically use in your classes. Try themed recovery sets like:
- Decades: ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, or ’90s hits.
- Genres: Country, hip-hop, or jazz that you don’t typically use.
- Humor: Funny or quirky tracks to lighten the mood.
- Artist-Focused Themes: All female singers, or all songs from one group, such as the Beatles. (For another example, check out my 3-2-1 ramp profile from our archives, Ramp it Up Through The Doors, where all recovery songs are by the Doors.)
- Soundtracks: Movie or TV scores and songs.
- International Music: Songs from around the globe to add variety.
- Albums with Recovery-Friendly Tracks: e.g., Tron Legacy by Daft Punk.
Sometimes, repeating the same recovery song within a profile can be effective, especially if it’s instrumental. For instance, I’ve used “Intro” by The xx and “Jaws” by Junkie XL multiple times in a single ride—it signals riders to relax and reset, creating a Pavlovian response of ease.
How to Use the ICA Recovery Playlists
Our ICA Recovery Bucket Playlists are a treasure trove of over 6,000 tracks, meticulously categorized for your convenience:
- Short Recovery Songs (30 seconds to 3:15)
- Longer Recovery Songs (3:16 and up)
- Albums with Recovery-Appropriate Tracks
I’ve divided the first two playlists into short and longer recovery songs to help you choose the right length for your class. For most interval classes, you’ll want recovery songs that are around 1.5–3 minutes. But there are times when longer recovery tracks are essential, especially between sets.
For example, if your class includes three sets of three 2-minute high-intensity intervals in Zone 5, with 2-minute recoveries between intervals (RBI) in Zone 1, you should add a longer recovery of about 4 minutes between each set. This gives your riders more time to prepare before the next round of three intervals. Similarly, when using longer threshold intervals, you will need to extend the recovery time to 4–5 minutes.
The third playlist bucket features entire albums I’ve curated that include shorter songs with a cohesive feel, ideal for recovery. These albums allow you to create a consistent mood throughout your recovery tracks, perfect for weaving a particular vibe into your class.
Here’s how to get the most out of these playlists:
- Sort by Length: Need a 2-minute recovery track? Sort the playlist by duration and explore song options between 1:45 and 2:15.
- Match the Mood: Choose songs that match the energy and vibe of your profile. While recovery music can offer a change of pace, it should still feel like a natural fit, even if it’s a lighter or more playful contrast to the intensity of the working sections.
- Plan for Longer Recoveries: As intervals progress, arrange recovery songs so they get progressively longer to accommodate riders as they fatigue.
Having both shorter and longer recovery options at your fingertips lets you tailor your playlist to the unique demands of your profile. These playlists ensure smooth transitions between efforts and rest while maintaining the energy and flow of your class.
Personalize Your Recovery Bucket Playlist
After following the ICA recovery playlists on Spotify, you can personalize them to better suit your style. Here’s how to create your own customized recovery playlist:
- Organize Your Spotify Library
- Start by creating a folder in Spotify for ICA playlists. (Here’s how to do this.) You can then create subfolders for categories like profiles, themes, warm-ups, recoveries, etc.
- Drag the ICA Recovery playlists that you’ve followed into the recovery subfolder you’ve created. As long as you don’t delete them, they will always remain in this folder if you need to return to it to check out my latest additions to these playlists.
- Create Your Custom Playlist
- Make a new playlist and name it something like “SHORT RECOVERIES (<3:15).”
- Add a description, such as “My personalized version of the ICA recovery playlist.”
- Copy the Songs to Your Playlist
- Open the ICA recovery playlist.
- Highlight all the songs by clicking anywhere in the playlist window and pressing Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac).
- Drag and drop the highlighted songs into your new playlist. Voilà! You now have a playlist you can edit.
- Tailor It to Your Taste
- Remove songs or artists you don’t want to use.
- Add recovery songs you already love that might not be in the ICA playlist.
With over 3,000 songs in the original playlist, customizing it may take time—but it’s still far quicker than starting from scratch. Plus, it ensures your playlist fits your unique preferences.
Keeping Your Playlist Updated
The only downside to creating your own playlist version is that it won’t automatically update when I add new songs to the original ICA playlist. To stay current:
- Check the original playlist every few months.
- Sort it by Date Added to find new tracks.
- Highlight those newer songs that you like and drag them into your custom playlist.
Pro Tip: After each update, add the date to your playlist description (e.g., “Last updated: [date]”). This makes it easier to keep track of which songs you’ve already added.
Learn More About Recovery on ICA
For a deeper dive into the art and science of recovery, check out the two live training sessions that I recorded on Facebook Live:
- The Importance of Recovery in Training Sessions
- Music and Cadence Choices During Recovery (includes a 12-page handbook)
Explore the ICA Recovery Playlists
Below, you’ll find my three large playlists available on Spotify and Apple Music:
Note for Apple Music Users: Our playlists are converted from Spotify to Apple Music using a third-party app called SongShift. While most tracks are available, some may be missing, and updates will not sync automatically. If you want the latest version, email me at info@icafit.com.
You can also follow the same tips posted above to create folders and personalize your own recovery song bucket playlists in Apple Music. Follow these steps to create folders in Apple Music.
I recommend users of Apple Music (or any other platform) also sign up for a free Spotify account. While you won’t be able to teach with Spotify due to ads, you can still follow ICA playlists, sort them, explore new song additions, and save your favorite playlists. Updates I make on my end will sync automatically once you follow an ICA playlist. Once you’ve found songs you like in the Spotify app, you can search for the tracks on your preferred platform.