spinervals

spinerval dvd's? yay or nay?

veronica's answer in another post reminded me i wanted to ask you all all about spinervals!

i LOVE workout videos.. or rather good workout videos! i get up religiously every morning at 5 a.m. so i can workout before i go to to work!

as for riding.. since i live in the desert.. i will be able to, for the most part, ride weekends year round... but once the time changes... i may or may not want to go out and ride after dark... so, site unseen, i'm thinking spinervals.. but i'd like some real biker reviews! i've read about the on video fitness forums and people seem to like them (and there are new ones coming out in the fall!)

also.. if you recommend them... should i buy then in order (1, then 2, etc) or are there some that are better to start with than others.. OR... should i just buy that whole set that i can get at performance?

also.. a side note... hubby has 5 of chris carmichaels tapes.. are spineravals like these? should i actually get on the trainer and try one of these to see what i think? or is there no comparison between the two ("fun" factor, workout, etc)

thanx!

I haven't used the Chris Carmichael tapes. I'd pop one and give it a try. Why spend money if you like them.

I do quite like the Spinervals tapes. We have several. We didn't buy them in order, we got what suited our work out needs. I find them quite motivating, but I know when it's come up before there have been folks who aren't as thrilled. You might do a search on the forum using Spinervals as your key word to see what others think.

V.

I like Spinervals quite a lot - for riding on a trainer anyways - I'd much rather be on the road! But they're great for winter.

The first two are a lot easier (especially #1 - Team Clydesdale) than the ones from #3 on up. I have #1 and 2, then several of the "competition" ones, and they are killer. I like having the slightly easier ones to fall back on for days when I'm feeling a bit less ambitious.

I haven't used the Chris Carmichael tapes so can't compare, but Spinervals give a great workout. You will sweat, and they are better than just grinding away on your own since the intervals, out of saddle portions, super-high cadence portions, etc, really force you to push past your comfort zone, then recover.

Emily

Thumbs up from me too, although I don't have anything to compare them against. I have 'No Slackers Allowed', which is a good, but not too intense workout; and 'Uphill Grind', which is pretty tough.