Review - 3 Leg Cycling Turbo Training Video

Twitter is a wonderful thing. No one gets more than 140 characters and normal people get access to "celebs" (should it be your want). It's also a great way for companies to see what their customers think of their products.  I replied to someone asking which videos they should get for use on the turbo - 3LC or The Sufferfest.  I've always been an IWBMATTKYT kinda guy, so replied in support of The Sufferefest.  Later that night, I received a DM from 3LC offering me a chance to check out one of their videos, to see if my view could be swayed.

Cheeky promo video.....

So, I settled down on Thursday night with a pay-per-view copy of the sprinting session.  The pay-per-view is a cool little feature which means you can try the video for £2:99 before stumping up the £19:99 for your own copy.  The sprint session ties in nicely to my training plan, as I'm in need of some sessions which sharpen my speed.  I need to remember what it's like to sit at a HR well over threshold, as I just can't seem to push much harder at the moment.  This probably reflects a good winter of hard work, but without any real sharp stuff thrown in.

Doesn't everyone use a fee medical dictionary as  a wheel riser block?  

The "sprinting" session consisted of 3 or 4x 10 or 15sec sprints, with the remainder of that minute as a warm up.  Each set was followed by a 5min rest interval.  The final sprint includes a "lead out" of 3mins at 8-, 9- and finally 10/10 perceived exertion.  

The video takes an entirely different form to that of The Sufferfest.  The Sufferfest uses race footage and overlaid graphics to tell you what's going to happen.  3LC is essentially a recording of the esteemed Mr Cavendish and his fellow Isle of Man cyclists doing a spin/turbo session.  The banter is a high point and it's nice to see one of the top sprinters in the world grimace doing the same session as you.  My personal preference is for The Sufferfest.  I can put some loud, shouty music on  or listen to the decent soundtrack included and get on with it.  3LC is not dull, but the semi-artistic shots of turbos and the plethora of Cavendish victory photos would undoubtedly become tiresome after a few viewings.

If I'm honest, the session ended up being a little tame.  I'm used to sessions like The Sufferefest - Revolver, which is 15 x 1min on, 1min off.  This is a great session and it has had me feeling more than a little green in the past.  The longer sprint at the end of the 3LC video was the only time I felt properly broken as the sprints before that were so short, my HR barely had time to reach a good high level.  This was exacerbated by the fact there was such a long rest between each sprint and each set.  You can see this on my HR trace for the session and the breakdown of time spent in various HR zones.  You can see I was down to 65-70% of MHR between sets, which is pretty chilled out really.  This meant my HR had a long way to climb to reach the HR levels which I was hoping to work.  It's pretty difficult to increase your HR by 60bpm+ in 10-15secs! 

HR trace and zones for 3LC

76% of this video I spent essentially cruising.  Given this session is toted as a sprint session I thought I was in for a beating, but it just never really happened.  The final sprint, which included a 3min "lead out" was much more like it, and this got me working hard, but the sets before were leg ticklers in comparison to the offerings of The Sufferfest.

HR zones for The Sufferfest - Revolver

From the HR zones, you can see I spent only 3% at threshold HR in the 3LC video, but 17% in The Sufferfest video.  Nearly all of the threshold work in the 3LC video came during that final sprint.  It's worth bearing in mind I took this HR recording from a session I did last Jan, when I wasn't as fit and probably had a much lower threshold. There's a pretty good chance I spent much longer at either threshold or even VO2Max. 

There's also the price difference.  The Sufferfest only come as a digital format (MP4), but cost around £8:50.  The 3LC videos come as a DVD and cost £19:99.  I just can't justify that price.  I never use DVDs anymore and everything I watch is stored on my laptop, so the physical copy of the video has no real attraction.  For those using TV/DVD setups, maybe this could swing the argument one way or the other however.

So for me, this 3LC try-out hasn't changed anything.  I'm going to keep on Suffering.

www.3LC.tv

www.TheSufferfest.com

Thanks to 3LC for offering me the chance to try out their video.  It wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it won't work for others :-)

Compression......a load of old carp or the magic pajamas we've all been waiting for?

Mmmmmmmmm......lycra.

Compression is one of the latest fads/great breakthrough in endurance sports.  Triathletes in particular seem attracted to the donning of calf guards and the like with every other competitor seeming to sport a pair of calf guards or compression socks, but is it purely fashion or is there a genuine benefit to this possibly unnecessary lycra?  There are many reviews floating around the internet that give a person's experience of compression wear, some find it useful, others don't.  However, there is also a growing body of scientific research being done on the subject, as many athletes search for those few %s of performance.

One of the latest studies to be published was done by Marks et al. at the Saint Mary’s College of California, which found that calf compression resulted in increased mean oxygen saturation during exercise, lower heart rate pre-, during and post-exercise and also lower mean lactate values.  The reduction in heart rate was accredited to an increase in venous return due to the compressive action of the calf guards/tights.  This increased stroke volume, thereby requiring a lower heart rate to maintain the same cardic output, as:

Cardiac Output = Stroke Volume x Heart Rate

Stroke volume is the amount of blood pumped out of the heart in one "beat".

The study done by Marks et al. is linked below.  There is also a literature review of many of the studies which have been done looking at the effects of compression.  It does a good job of comparing evidence compiled during and post-exercise, so addresses both the performance and recovery aspect of compression very well, and is a good place to start if you'd like a general overview.

But, to save you the time of trawling through all of that, the results of the studies can be roughly summarised as:

1. Benefits from compression DURING exercise are debatable.  Many studies have found no effect, while some (such as the one mentioned above) have found there is a benefit.  If it works, don't let some numbers in a study convince you otherwise, but don't be expecting miracles if you're trying it for the first time.
2. Benefits from compression AFTER exercise are possibly more widely accepted.  

My personal experience of compression is very good.  They're my magic pajamas.  I like the way they feel on tired legs and I do seem to feel fresher after wearing them.  They also do a great job of keeping my legs warm as toast.  I think this can only help venous return and (I think) therefore help remove all the bad stuff left in your legs after exercise which damages your muscles/makes them feel sore.

I have a pair of 2XU Elite compression tights.  They're slightly tighter squeezing than their normal ones.  They seem to have lasted very well considering how often I wear them.  The band that keeps the ankle tight was was way too tight at first, putting them on the first couple of times was a little nerve racking as I could hear stitches stretching!  But they've stretched a little to accommodate my large feet now and all is well.  The only thing that's gone a little wrong with these tights is the "X"s on the thigh and calf  have started peeling off.  They're little more than a decal and once an edge comes up, they just start to peel off.  Mine are still mostly intact, but that's only through some very tactical removal of the offending peel-age. £70 was a lot of money to pay for what could have ended up as little more than tights, but I'm glad I did.  I will probably replace these tights at some point during the winter, as I would like to try them during exercise as well.  

A couple of studies mentioned...

1. Effects of wearing compression socks on submaximal exercise during prolonged exposure to moderate altitude: a pilot study. Marks et al.
2. Literature Review of the Benefits of Compression.

There's lots of different types, grades, makes, designs and quality of compression out there now.  I would personally recommend at least trying it.

James out.