The Sufferfest

[gav_eaton]

Hey everyone,

Just thought I would share this site I stumbled upon for all you people with enough motivation to slave away on an indoor trainer.

This site offers some pretty cool indoor training movies for download with some killer pro cycling footage and music integrated. Looks much more entertaining that the usual spin stuff!

http://www.thesufferfest.com/

[mlawless]

Gavin,

What are you thinking! Sure, we are a friendly and welcoming cycling club but get serious - how much stronger do you really want Josh to get? You could post links to crying baby sites, but no, you have to go and encourage him!

I think I know what happened to your chain - it was a prospective Karma attack!

(Josh eat a couple of dozen doughnuts - every time the baby wakes, cries, needs a change, does something new - just to celebrate!)

[AlW]

I love the caption on the Sufferfest site

"I will beat my ass today to kick yours tomorrow"

[Josh.E]

wow, these videos look cool with the race footage. finally someone figured out that watching aclass full pf people on trainers is not much more motivating than staring at the wall

quote "throughout there is motivating commentary such as, oh, this... Hi - My Grandmother just called. She's been watching. She said she could knock these out harder than your pansy ass"
classic

[Josh.E]

alright

I ordered two of them. I'll try one today, and let you guys know how they are.

edit: here's the email note that comes when you place an order:

Hi,

They say that inspiration is to be found in simple gestures. When the word went out around Sufferfest Studios that you bought a copy of our video, a hush descended.

Now, here was a champion!
Here was courage!
Here was someone willing to be put to the sword for honor, for glory!

Into the distance we stared, forgetting our daily work for a moment. We imagined you filling your water bottle, adjusting your heart-rate strap, stepping over your bike. And we imagined you starting, legs spinning, mind finely tuned, spirit focused on one goal: suffer like a greased pig at a rodeo. We reflected on your incredible determination during the intervals, and your peaceful tranquility during the recovery.

One of the more literate members of staff, paraphrasing Plato, jumped up and shouted “For one to conquer oneself is the first and noblest of all victories!” And another responded, in the words of Proust, “We are healed from suffering only by experiencing it to the full!” A raucous cheer went up and there was some chatter about you, your vast potential as an athlete, and the rumors of you being ‘the next big thing.’ A wishing to be more like you crossed the faces of a few.

And then - pity. An instant when we thought of your riding buddies. Of how they go about their innocent ways, how they delude themselves that, on the next ride, they will be the stronger. Oh, the fools! Do they even comprehend the kicking they are going to get when you’re next out with them? Do they have even the briefest inkling that you will not be the same rider? We shuddered.

Our bodies turned back to our work, but our minds lingered on your commitment. You have inspired us. Thank you.

[Lister Farrar]

Watch out if they send you kool-aid and tell you to drink it.



Actually, that was very funny. I'll bet the product is good.

[cashman]

I have heard nothing but good things about these vids, if you use Spinerval Videos once you try these vids you won't go back.............

[Josh.E]

Didn't get a chance to work out to the videos today, as I had to convert it from the mp4 they give it to you in for the download to mpg, so the little dvd viewer I use to train could play them.

Just watched most of "downward spiral" though. It looks really, really good. Lots of pro footage, including a bunch of paris roubaix footage and crit riding, some mountain biking to warm up and recover to, good music, and really intense looking descending intervals.

Ends with q bunch of urban fixie riding and bike polo to cool down to.

Definitely worth the 10 bux to support the guys making these vids.

[Josh.E]

Had a chance to try "downward spiral" for my workout today. The workout is 5 minutes of light spinning, followed by a couple sprints in between high cadence tempo to get warmed up. They give you a 1-10 "suffer index" where 1 is ordering a pizza on the couch, 3 is recovery spin, 5 is tempo, 8 is 20 minute TT effort, and 10 is all out sprint. About 10 minutes in, the first "downward spiral" interval starts:

2minutes at full intensity/2 minutes rest @9.5 intensity
1:45 full/1:45 rest @9.5 intensity
1:30 full/1:30 rest @9.5 intensity
1:15 full/1:15 rest @9.5 intensity
1:00 full/1:00 rest @9.5 intensity
:45 full/:45 rest @10 intensity
:30 full/:30 rest @10 intensity
:15 full/:15 rest @10 intensity

You then get 5 minutes rest and do it all over again, only this time around you do five x :15full/15rest instead of one.

Sufferfest is right. This workout is freaking hard. They don't want you to hold back or pace your intervals, just full out intensity. All of the "full out" intervals are to pro shot footage of pro races, generally from a rider perspective, and the recovery intervals are of some local crit. The first "downward spiral" is all from Paris Roubaix last year, and you end up trying to cover Boonen's attacks....higher cadence flat land attacks. The second downward spiral is all climbing footage, and you are told to stand and attack at lower cadences than during the first one.
The music is all alt rock type stuff, and they've chosen the tempos of the songs pretty well to fall in to the beat with your cadence. 90-95 for the first downward spiral (according to the cadence meter on my bike), and 80-85 for the second.

Overall, very good video. I recommend it.