Is anyone still using this series? I remember some friends of mine trying them as I was exiting the sport back in the mid 90’s…seems like a great focus for indoor sessions. I just made a little ‘CycleOps Man Cave’ in the one room I have left to myself. Put my old widescreen in there, some motivational pics, speakers…could be a great place to drop a DVD player and run through the series this winter.
Is there something better I have missed out on for indoor sessions?
Depending on what I want to work on that day I will use them. I really like the time trial stuff and harder workouts. But I am used to having a coach scream at me from my swimming days.
Apparently so. Just a few weeks ago I was waiting for my heat to start in a local crit when some chick approached me and said “You’re the “Hi Mom” guy in the Spinervals tapes, aren’t you?”
Which one are you in?
I think they are great.
Although I couldn’t imagine doing some of the workouts at the “prescribed” intensity - Tough Love comes to mind.
That one sucks - no ifs ands or buts.
Another one that I really hate is Time Trial Special - although it rivals Time Trialpalooza in sheer suffering.
A great work out to keep you working at high intensity, but for mine they work too much on high cadence. Just get a simple work out written on a paper and watch something actually entertaining. I like lots of intervals working at high gear, feathering the back brake a bit if needed and grind for a minute or two at 50 RPM is great fro strength endurance training.
I like Spinervals for the days when I need a lot of direction. But for those days when virtual reality is what I want, I use the Endurance Rides “Rides” series. I really like the SoCal and Las Vegas ones. You have a choice of coached or Indy rock backgrounds.
Scott…you just named 2 of my favorites.
And while I am not the cyclist you are…I believe that tough love workout is impossible to maintain as he says. He’s just throwing out a white rabbit to follow. Like the dog track. Just think…what would you do if you actually made it through that entire workout at your LT. You’d be ruined forever.
3 hours at threshold? Really? And that garbage about running on the pedals while in the small ring and a 23 on the back…yeah right.
And the time trial ones are awesome. Time trial palooza is my all-time favorite.
Last year I started racing for real…I was at about a 19-20mph 40k OLY races…if they were flat.
This year I am approaching 22-23mph on those same courses.
The only differences in my training were a computrainer and several spinnerval videos which gave my trainer workouts a structure and intensity they never had previously.
I don’t think the value of structure and varying intensity can be overestimated. I learned it in swimming…and just had to learn how to properly apply it to biking.
Now if I could just learn how to run w/out hurting myself…
Which one are you in?
I’m in a whole bunch of them.