SmokedDeathDog

I am doing the Carmichael Power Series DVD's from Train Right. It is a 8 week program with 16 workouts. It is suppose to improve your power by 12%. I just did workout #6 and man was it tough. It was tougher than the initial Time Trial to see where my heart rate needs to be when doing the workouts. Each workout is about 1 hour long and is suppose to be done on a trainer during winter. I live in the Washington, south of Seattle and it is still winter here. We had a snow storm the other day and we still have snow on the ground. When I took my son to school this morning, it was 24 degrees. Too cold for my comfort for riding.

Anyway, today's workout was 2 20 minute tempo rides. My heart rate is suppose to be between 88% and 90% of my average heart rate that I got from the time trial. I did not think that it was going to be that hard today. Anyway, each 20 minute ride is broken up with a 4 minute tempo ride at 75 cadence (means a hard gear to spin that slow and get my heart rate up) and then 1 minute standing up. You do this 4 times and then get a 5 minute recovery. Then you do it again. I am pretty heavy so for me to do the 1 minute standing up and being smooth with the pedals, I have to put the bike in the hardest gear I have. That is not really enough so I really have to concentrate to get it smooth. It took me 2 times before I was able to do a smooth pedal stoke standing up. After the first 20 minutes tempo I though I was going to die! It was so hard. One the second 20 minutes tempo ride, I had to get my wife to help cheer me on so I would not quite the workout because I was so tired. I was able to finish the workout and when I tried to get out of my pedals, I almost fell of the bike. I was that tired. If I was not on the trainer and outside, I would have fallen down.

Anyway, I did finish it and it was really hard. I just had to tell someone how hard it was....

I am suppose to go for a real ride on Friday, outside for the first time in several months. I can not wait. I hope it is in the 50's...

Ron

funrover 

I am really thinking of giving those a try... I be they'd help me!

heckler

I would need somthing like that...I always find it tedious to be on the trainer more than 30 min or so. but I do like practicing smothness at high rpm on the trainer, much easier to tell when you start rocking and getting erratic.

Please report on your satisfaction when you complete the series.

justin70

I feel your pain on the weather issue. I'm over in Spokane and it hit negative 12 last night. The workout videos sound great. I may pick those up myself considering the weather.

SmokedDeathDog

What I like about the DVD series is that every workout is different, working on different stuff. I am already much faster than I was before. I am able to ride in much higher gears and I feel stronger. I am really surprised. I can not wait to ride outside to see how I am doing.

Ron