Welcome!

It's a new year and time once again to give a new look to this blog. New graphics and colors. Same bike writer!



This blog is created not only to track my own progress on my biking journey but it is intended to also assist others who have either osteo or rheumatoid arthritis or both like I do. I hope as you read about the progress I have made that it gives you inspiration and hope that you can overcome the dibilitating effects of these conditions.



If your doctor agrees that you should be capable of expanding your limits read on and don't be afraid, just listen to your body and give it challenges. Biking is a great non-impact form of exercise and greatly enhances flexibility and range of motion.



It's not a substitute for Doctor visits, taking your meds or otherwise getting off your health plan but it auguments what your Doctor does for you and can give you a better quality of life. Go for it!





Friday, February 1, 2013

European Sampler And Spinervals

The rest of the ordered DVD's came in last week and there's still two on the wish list waiting.  First off was the European Sampler.  NICE!



The DVD quality was okay, the music is classical which fits the scenery but, classics aren't for workouts and I found myself pedaling at a more leisurely pace and that's okay for a change of pace, literally. I really enjoyed the sampler which takes you through the Austrian Alps, the banks of the River Rhine, the Italian Riviera, the Cottswald English countryside and the rugged pastures of Wales by the sea.  The video is 35 minutes and my session was 25 minutes so I'll save the vineyards of Alsace for my next ride.   When perusing through the reviews prior to purchasing the video several folks complained of the short segments   I didn't mind the length of the segments but the overall length of the video (35 min) is pretty slim for the price.  At $!5.95 Amazon price it's a couple of dollars less than most of the others but those others are anywhere from 75 to 115 minutes, so I can see why there is resistance to the value of this particular video.

Since it's winter here and it was beautiful summer time weather in the video, I'll take it.  Plus winding through the narrow streets and lanes makes time fly by on the trainer.  I was anxious to try out the Spinervals but a bout with a tender knee joint sidelined me for three days.  I started out my week on Wednesday with a light session finishing up the Puerto Rico video. Since my knee was not barking at me this morning I decided to go for the Spinerval workout and see if I could do it.

Whew!



Even though I started with the original 1.0 version, many die-hard spinners today consider that first in the series kinda whimpy.  The title of this one is 1.0 "No Slackers Allowed" and 25 minutes worth had me feeling like I'd been worked over pretty good.  I was pleasantly surprised that the training session took place outdoors beside a lake.  I had anticipated a rather dull indoor gym like setting and this was not the case.

There were riders of various ages, both male and female on trainers who were working furiously at intervals during the course of the video.  There was a warm up period and then a series of ladders began.  At least that's what the video called them.  Our coach drove us hard but was a motivator too.  We were timed at intervals of light gear spinning coupled with progressively harder gearing and alternated back and forth with fast and furious spinning and the leg burning heavier gearing.  The coach called for the second set which was different from the first to alternate the harder spinning with standing, then a seated light spin followed by a powerful seated spin and then the same thing all over again.  I've not mastered standing on a bike whilst pedaling as an adult.  Funny but as a kid it was almost no different to stand and pedal or sit.  Hardly the case as an adult! Absent a heart rate monitor, the prompts across the top of the display on the video gave varying degrees of perceived exertion so that you could pace yourself without one.  When I finished my time I knew I'd had a good workout and I have to believe this will help me be better prepared for spring time and I'm certain these workouts will make me much stronger come the season.  Added bonus: the little devil in me enjoyed having company while sweating and suffering.

I really want to be able to ride at a faster pace so that I can up my mileage for the same amount of time spent on a ride.  Also, hills for me are tough and working my legs like this should help.  I'm going to take it slowly and use the Spinerval Video two times per week unless my knee joint does not cooperate.  If I manage that well, I'll up it to three times per week in a week or so.  The other days will be at a consistent pace with my touring videos.  So far, I like my plan.

In my next post I'll introduce another guest poster with a motivational video that she publishes in her online newsletter and blog.

No comments:

Post a Comment