I did it, I'm alive--aka the Spinervals Noobs thread/tips and tricks

[salsabike]

Jobob, which ones have you been doing? I know Aerobase V, I think, is one of them?

[SouthernBelle]

Since I am trying to work on a steady higher cadence with Spinervals, I've noticed an improvement in my speed too. Fortunately, almost all of them help with this.

I did 3.0, Suffer-a-rama last night. I find this one a bit irritating. I think it's because it has some longer soft-pedals with that really irritating soft pedal music he uses.

Wouldn't Uphill Grind help on the climbing?

[Thorn]

I did 3.0, Suffer-a-rama last night. I find this one a bit irritating.

Grrr...that one is on the docket for tomorrow....I really, really hate it and I don't know why. But, now I'll be blaming the music.

Uphill Grind helps with hills (I think any work that forces you to push bigger gears will help), but the hill work seems to be more like sprinting to get over small bumps in a criterium--hard spins in hard gears with a lot of standing.

I like the Tucson rides for sustained climbs. Gates Pass, to me, is an aero workout with 3 good-sized hills to push the heartrate outside of aero--kinda like a real ride with hills. Mt. Lemmon is just cruel--relentless climbing.

I also use Hillacious for climbing work. It has two sustained grinds (75RPM), some fake rolling hills (mostly seated) and some big-gear grinds. More like climbing for a non-racer type.

[jobob]

Salsa, you're right, I've been using Aerobase V, as well as No Slackers and Uphill Grind. For about the last month I did NS and UG once a week, separated by at least a day, and ABV twice a week. More or less.

I actually have 3 other DVDs from the interval 5-pack that I haven't cracked open yet - Suffer-o-ama, Muscle Breakdown, & the Sprinting Machine. I'll get to them eventually.

[salsabike]

Hey, I just read Nana's take on ECT on your blog, Jobob. I love it. That was while the sweat was still leaking into my eyes from the last part of Timesavers Technique. I used to come out of ballet classes, when I had very short hair, looking just like a purple-faced drowned rat too. Not what they had in mind when they choreographed Swan Lake, I'm sure.

Anyone mind telling me what the sections are in No Slackers?

BTW, I have to start remembering more often to use little smiley icons, a habit I don't have well developed, because my post this morning about the Spinervals music earworm was pretty much meant to be a joke. You know...can anyone send me to the closest neighborhood Spin-Anon meeting, or do a Spinervals music intervention, kind of thing. I don't really expect much of an escape from the music-in-the-head thing. I pick up tunes easily in my head and often it's music I hate (examples from last night: the theme song from The Courtship of Eddie's Father ("People, let me tell you 'bout my best friend..." Why? I have no idea how it got in there), and not long after that spun around in my head for a while, somehow I next got "Drivin' that train, high on___", etc. And I HATE the Grateful Dead).

It may be that when I have UG pretty much memorized that I can switch to...yeah, salsa. Salsa makes me VERY happy.

I did post on purpose, though, for my fellows who are quasi-new to Spinervals, the UG and Timesaver Techniques combo, because I like it and it's working well for me to do those together. I still have a long way to go. But I think that the next time I do UG, I will do one gear easier in back instead of two. As much as I can, anyway.

[maillotpois]

No Slackers is annoying in that I can't forward past the "coach's Notes" section where he sits there and pontificates, so getting you the contents was done at great personal sacrifice.

Here's No slackers:

Warm up
3 x 30 sec hard
5 minute tempo
5 min (10 sec on 10 sec off)
6x30 sec super spin
5 min race simulation
5 x 20 sec supersppin 10 sec rest/15 sec sprint
cool down

[Blueberry]

Jobob-

I love the saying on your blog - "Climbs faster than a toodling tarantula."

Priceless

[SouthernBelle]

New Nashbar clearance catalog. Spinervals 5 packs for $99.99. That is a good price!

jobob, I think the Sprinting Machine may be my favorite. I don't know why.

[maillotpois]

That is a good price!

Sprinting Machine is tough to do and remain remotely quiet. They're all "hard" but for some reason, I am acutely conscious of being louder when I do that one. (As mentioned the spin "studio"/office is right below our bedroom, and I generally get up to spin before anyone's awake.)

[salsabike]

No Slackers is annoying in that I can't forward past the "coach's Notes" section where he sits there and pontificates, so getting you the contents was done at great personal sacrifice.

AND DON'T THINK I DON'T APPRECIATE IT.

Thank you. Aiyiyi. Think I'll just have to stick with my little UG/TST combo for now, down here in the proverbial peanut gallery. NS sounds like something I'll need to work up to. Although it sounds kind of interesting. I'm turning into a Spinervals weenie. How weird.

I hate those 10 sec on 10 sec off things. I do them but I hate them.

[Zen]

Put this music in your head, Salsa...

[salsabike]

Zen, I think I'll just save that for a TREAT for later...

[sundial]

I just think it's funny that my general propensity for getting songs stuck in my head has now extended to the Uphill Grind music.

LOL! The Clydesdale 1.0 music is stuck in my head.

I like the Uphill Grind and plan to do it tomorrow. My legs are sooo much stronger and I can't wait to smoke the guys on the hills, lol.

[salsabike]

I am completely addicted to the Uphill Grind. And now I do it in the gears directed.

Anyone want Clydesdales 1.0?

[maillotpois]

Bravo!

(I am off spinervals for the summer. I'm lucky enough that if I ride at 5:30, it's light and I can get as much climbing in as I want - 2400 feet in 17 miles the other day I think. Easy: Leave house, go right, go up. and up. And up. )