Spinervals

[Yelsel]

I use the Spinerval system and like it, though I only got to the base and skill building DVDs last year before a tibia stress fracture. I haven't used the CTS; I am interested in Joe Friel's DVDs though, since I really respect his training system. You can also rent / buy Spineravals through www.mypypeline.com -- renting could be a good way to determine if you like them. There is a free rental for signing up with the service, and there is usually a free rental coupon on the Spinerval site, so it is basically free to try one or two.

The main "call" is for approximate gearing / cadences; there are also recommendations for heart rate % as well, or beats per minute below lactate threshold. You can either used perceived exertion, take your pulse, or get a cheapie heart rate monitor. Even ones with chest straps can be quite reasonable: the Nike Imara is a good no-bells-and whistles alternative to Polar etc. that you can find for $35, and you can always get an even cheaper wrist unit and take your pulse occasionally. You can do submax tests such as these to determine MHR; subtract about 10 beats/min to get your biking MHR.

If you don't want to bother with heart rate, studies have shown that people are pretty accurate at assessing their rate of exertion. The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion, modified to scale from 1-10 instead of 1-20, corresponds well with heart rate percentages. So if you are supposed to be at a heart rate of 75%, you should be perceiving about a 7-8 on a scale to 10. Light-hearted yet useful scale...

If you are going to put in time on the trainer, you might as well learn a little bit about how to train most effectively. I love Joe Friel's books, but they are very dense and information packed - you do end up with a plan that is as customized as most coaching plans, but you really have to put the work in to develop it. Sally Edward's books are perhaps a bit more accessible. Gale Bernhart also recently came out with a book of very simplified training plans that do not involve heart rate monitoring.

Anyway, if you decide the Spinerval series is for you, you can sign up for a club where you pay $23 every month, and get a DVD up to $35 (or can pay the difference for a more expensive one); there are also discounts on all DVDs and DVD sets, and other benefits. I have also gotten the Yoga set, which is formulated for triathletes and has special biking-specific yoga; a medical DVD on the knee; and DVDs that combine on and off-bike strength training. So there are more than just bike-training DVDs.