What do you guys think of Spinervals?

I just did my first workout yesterday with a Spinervals DVD. My legs were rubber by the end. I think I heard SadieKate refer to Troy and "evil coach Troy." An apt moniker, by my estimation. I did a short workout (#7 - The Uphill Grind is 45 minutes) and it was hard, but I got through it, which surprised me. I didn't do the standing on the pedals, though, because I've heard it's really hard on your bike's frame to stand in the pedals when it's hooked into a trainer because the bike can't rock.

Have any of you ladies done any of the other workouts and which do you like/hate/recommend?

Thanks for your input!

I've only done The Uphill Grind and No Slackers Allowed, and really like them both. I do Spinervals on a LifeCycle (which is not something I'd recommend), so anything over 45 minutes is out for me.

Funny I was just going to post about Spinervals and the value of a cadence sensor.

We have from the competition series: No Slackers Allowed, The Uphill Grind, Aerobic Base #1, Sufferarama, Muscle Breakdown, Recovery & Technique and Mental Toughness.

I do stand on the bike while it's in the trainer.

Personally I think the hardest ones are Sufferarama, Muscle Breakdown and No Slackers in that order.

We've just put the cadence sensor back on the bike in the trainer and that makes the workout MUCH harder. When he tells you to spin at 120 RPMs you know whether you're doing it or not. No guess work and it is HARD.

V.

The ones we use for strength and interval training:

• The UpHill Grind
• Big Gear Strength
• No Slackers Allowed (easiest of these 3)

The ones we use for recovery (alternate days):

• Ride Strong with Team Clydesdale
• Recharge

You built strength, speed and cadence with his tapes. I actually like them better than the CTS tapes.

Great replies and thanks for the recommendations! What are CTS tapes?

Oh Sarah, I must disagree. No Slackers I find harder because of all the Superspin sets. Maybe it's just because of the way I'm made, but I'd rather climb than SuperSpin. :D

V.

Carmichael Training Systems (Oh, yeah, says Slinke, THAT Chris Carmichael. I wanna be like Lance!) :D


CTS

I suppose if I do those, I'll be 'dancing in the pedals' like Lance!! ;)

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Originally Posted by Veronica

Oh Sarah, I must disagree. No Slackers I find harder because of all the Superspin sets. Maybe it's just because of the way I'm made, but I'd rather climb than SuperSpin. :D

V.

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Well, I haven't done them since last winter so I may have to test again. Yes, I don't like spins either but they're better than the 1-legged big gear stuff. Maybe I have the tapes mixed up. I just got the bike on the trainer again but now I'm running around dealing with Bubba's poison oak. We think it's gone systemic. He looks like someone poured boiling water on his legs and has chills. :( A little birdie is telling me that the Rice Valley Tandem Rally is off the agenda for this weekend.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

He looks like someone poured boiling water on his legs and has chills.

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Oh, awful. Maybe time for a visit to the doc?

I think super spinning is MUCH easier than slow grinding, making No Slackers my favorite tape. And on a related note, today's Road Bike Rider newsletter has something by Jonathan Vaughters saying that it's extreme and unnecessary for us all to try to climb at high cadence like Lance (100 rpm).

All this talk of Spinervals... maybe I'd better go do one this evening.

Oh poor guy - that sounds awful. I'm sending good thoughts your way.

My husband has the same sort of systemic reaction to poison ivy every time he gets in it - time to take him to the hospital!! :eek:

Thanks for all the Spinerval info. I've been thinking of getting one of them - somehow the morning news doesn't make me want to ride as hard as I bet Coach Troy would...

My favorite used to be The Uphill Grind, but I really like our newest one - Aerobic base. It is 85 minutes long though!

V.

Geez, you guys are making me feel like a wimp! I just ordered 2 from the fitness series - I think the 2 beginner dvd's. The first one is the Team Clydesdale, don't remember the name of the second. I'll be using them on my "new/old spin bike from ebay".

Anybody know if you can put a sensor for milage/cadence on a spinner bike?

i agree.... coach troy is EVIL! :eek: :eek: :eek:

i think they are all hard.. but then.. i hate the trainer! i'm a wimp :(

I have five Spinervals tapes and do them fairly regularly during the winter (2-3x a week). I have "Team Clydesdale" for recovery (it's still a great workout), "Sweating Buckets" for a good, moderate workout, "Muscle Breakdown" and "Uphill Grind" for when I want to push HARD, and, for a too-cold-or-rainy-to-ride weekend day when I am feeling completely masochistic, I have the two hour "Have Mercy"! I have only done that one all the way through about three times. It's killer, but really, the first 45 minutes is the hardest; once I get to that point I could go all day. (Not that I would!)

I think that climbing and grinding are easier than "super spins". The super spins push my heart rate much higher and just wear me out. I never take it easy - I have a cadance monitor and often get to 140-150 rpms on those, depending on the gear I am in.

I do like my Spinervals - they make trainer time pass a lot faster!

I have every Spinerval except No Slackers and the one Coach Troy released this week. Without a doubt, doing Spinervals has made me stronger and has improved my cardiovascular fitness. Doing Spinervals is what got me back to riding outside again, so I am indebted to Coach Troy. I love riding my bike outside :D My favorite Spinervals are Uphill Grind (tough but relatively short in duration); Have Mercy (if you don't want to do the entire 2 hrs, you can pick & choose sections); all three Aero Base Builders ("blue zone" workouts); and Time Trial Special (has one leg drills). The least favorites are Muscle Endurance (it has 2 sets of acceleration drills that I hate--4 seconds on/4 seconds off) and Bending Crank Arms (too much off the bike ISO squat work).

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Originally Posted by snapdragen

Anybody know if you can put a sensor for milage/cadence on a spinner bike?

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Snapdragen:

Here is a link to a thread at VF discussing cadence meters for spin bikes: http://forum.videofitness.com/showth...8&page=1&pp=10

I hope you find it helpful! ;)