Sufferfest: Hell Hath No Fury

G-Wiz

Has anyone bought this yet? I'm quite tempted as a video might help keep a bit more consistency for the specific 2x20 session. However, most of their videos are full of attacks and are all about recovering from the red zone.

Anyone care to comment before I cough up for it?

StorckSpeed

I'm interested in the Sufferfest Vids too.
Any recommendations even if not from the Sufferfest catelogue ?

napoleond

It's a pretty damn steady 2x20. You don't have to do as the vid says either!

If you were to get that, Angels, Fight club and A Very Dark Place you'd be well sorted for winter.

Angels for sweet spot/threshold repeats

Fight club for more of a chain gang/race simulation

A Very Dark Place for VO2 max efforts

HHNF for FTP work...

amaferanga

I've never understood how people are able to watch a video while doing a 2x20 - surely it takes all your concentration to maintain the intensity?

As for Sufferfest - great if you want to jump on the turbo and waste yourself so you can brag to your mates or on internet forums about how hard you are, but crap if you're following any kind of structured training plan.

napoleond

Depends how you use them. You don't have to do as it says! I used to do all my coach prescribed workouts with a sufferfest vid on, rather than do what it told me on screen I did what my coach said.

I can't do the turbo without a video on to take my mind off the effort. Music alone is not enough for me.

amaferanga

Fair point, but then I'm not very keen on the music choices in the ones I have so I'd be doing my own workout with the Sufferfest video on mute so I could listen to my own music. May as well just buy a video or watch something on youtube (if I wanted to watch something that is).

G-Wiz

Fair point about structured programmes amaferanga but all I'm after is something to beat the boredom over winter, interspersed with a few consistent set-pieces so I can see if I'm actually going backwards.

I doubt Jens Voigt is watching them, they're just entertainment and motivation for lesser mortals.

"I've never understood how people are able to watch a video while doing a 2x20 - surely it takes all your concentration to maintain the intensity?"

Depends on the individual, I can never put myself through hell for the sake of changing a number on a screen, but stick someone a bike length ahead of me and I'll go all day. For me videos work OK as a happy medium between the two.

Mr Dog

I love 'em. Kicking tunes breaking up the boredom with a structured workout. A lesser mortal. 8)

GiantMike

I did my first video turbo session this week. It was a Robbie Ventura Race Day one. I followed it quite closely and was pretty knacked at the end. Having the vid meant I was having my efforts determined for me (like in a race) and I found it easier to keep motivated as a result.

But then I thought, as the vid just gives me an intensity and time for each section, I may as well just raid my folder of races and come up with my own combination of effort/time for actual races I've done and put them in my Garmin as a workout. With some loud background music and Top Gear* on mute, I should have everything I need to get to the end of winter.

*Top Gear is so crap it makes me angry and therefore gives me extra fighting energy.

Clemsy

Really interested in this discussion, I use various sufferfest videos over the winter and do try to stick to the suggested cadences and instructions. What is the difference between these videos and a structured workout?

GiantMike

These videos are a structured workout. While not tailored to specific riders, they are a good focussed workout.

Anything that gets you through a turbo session is good!

andyrr

I think that the Sufferfest-type training videos for me certainly do help the time for a slightly lengthier session pass quicker - a short, Tabata-type sprint/recover session needs nothing more to accompany it other than music, or even nothing at all but for my sessions of an hour or so my 2 SF vids are a help. I can see that where you are wanting to do really high-intensity efforts then these might be as much a distraction as an aid though and if you are wanting to do a very specific workout then these may only be a visual accompaniment as the indicated effort levels are not ones you'd be wanting to follow.
Prior to using SF vids I've put a race DVD on and done intervals along to that, such as along to each Km, change gear each km, up/down the intensity etc : doesn't help when after 20 kms they drop the Km graphic, something that seems to happen quite regularly ! Using distance obviously means the times for each one varies but that adds to the variety of it suits the session, course you could have a clock to also keep time to but I liked doing something specific to the visual race action.

liversedge

Here is the workout profile .. I didn't write it, I got it from here: http://viewsoftheroad.com/powerfiles/Su ... _Files.xls

GiantMike

liversedge wrote:

Here is the workout profile .. I didn't write it, I got it from here: http://viewsoftheroad.com/powerfiles/Su ... _Files.xls

That, my friend, is brilliant.

Off to program the Garmin as we speak!

amaferanga

GiantMike wrote:

liversedge wrote:

Here is the workout profile .. I didn't write it, I got it from here: http://viewsoftheroad.com/powerfiles/Su ... _Files.xls

That, my friend, is brilliant.

Off to program the Garmin as we speak!

Might be better using the .erg file in Golden Cheetah - that'll take forever to program into a Garmin!

flanners1

Just did my first roller session for 3 months as weather has been so good. Crikey forgot how intense roller sufferfest sessions are!

GiantMike

Just did The Hunted. well, I got to the bit where you spend 10 mins above threshold and couldn't continue at the required power so I backed off, probably because I set my sights too high. At least I have a target to aim for now.