Dec 31th, 09.  Ben from RoadCycling.co.nz reviews the latest in indoor training videos, Fight Club from 'TheSufferfest.com. Be in to WIN your own copy of this awesome hour of suffering.

Indoor training sufferfest style with the laptop cranking out the beat

Recently RoadCycling.co.nz was contacted by an unusually named company, TheSufferfest.com. Their company byline is, "I will beat my ass today, to beat yours tomorrow". 

TheSufferfest.com offer indoor training videos, downloadable for US$9.49.

They claim their 60min sessions put you right in the middle of the best pro races in the world. "Killer intervals, clear instructions, thrilling footage, great music" and even worse "the the most painful, most fun hour you'll ever spend on your indoor bike."

It all sounded too good to be true, and although it's summer here in New Zealand, it seemed like something worth trying out.

After downloading the 700mb 'Fight Club', I was ready for the next rainy day and what would no doubt be a whole bunch of suffering.

Unfortunately, the rainy day came too soon.

Fight Club

The video started out slowly with a gentle five minute warm up ride along the banks of the Yarra river while it gave clear instructions on what to do and how the session works. The instructions were simple to pick up and follow.

After the warmup, the suffering began. The suffer plans are explained in clear text on screen; 5 laps, World Championship course, pro riders to chase, pumping music, and lots of attacks.

This is where the gentle ride stopped and suffering started. Each lap was ridden at full time trial pace for four minutes, then after changing down a few gears, lower cadence and climbing for 3 minutes all the while almost every minute there was an attack the video challenged you to chase.

The Sufferfest videos feature officially licensed footage from the UCI 2009 Road World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland. This creates a feeling of actually being there. The motivation to chase Cancellara on the TT or Cadel Evans up the climbs is amazing.

The sweat poured off and I was wondering when it would end. I was relieved each lap had a downhill section to recover - a little.

This is a really hard workout which gets the heart racing. The awesome footage, thrashing techno music, and the fact it felt like you were chasing an Australian for the World Championships, made the hour fly by and made me want for more indoor training. (Did I just say that?)

Ben's Heart Rate Graph from the SufferFest - Garmin Edge 705

Fight Club Workout plan

• 5 minute warm-up featuring video footage from a ride along the Yaara river in Melbourne, Australia.
• Five laps of racing, featuring footage from the UCI 2009 World Championship Time Trial and Road Race:
• 1st lap:
  • 6m of tempo riding, with a few attacks to break up the field
  • 1m recovery
• 2nd – 5th lap:
  • 4m time trial effort (with more attacks!)
  • 2m30s climbing (with even more surprise attacks!)
  • 3m recovery (no attacks)
• 5 minute warm-down 

The Fight Club workout was designed to build power while increasing leg-speed through 23 (!) unannounced 'attacks' which challenge you to accelerate and then recover while still making a massive effort.

Wrap-up

The team at Sufferfest has struck onto a key formula that makes indoor training fun again – a structured plan, someone giving instructions, rather than having to think about it yourself, and pumping techno music. All this for a a reasonable US$9.49 video file that can be run on a laptop, Apple Ipod, or similar device.   

This has to be the must have indoor training companion to use in your home bicycle torture chamber, or in a hotel gym if you are travelling.

Sufferfest have another video called Downward Spiral. This features officially ASO licensed  footage from the Spring Classics, all packaged around a 60 minute structured interval workout with 16+ flat-out power intervals. I have to try that one next.

Today is a fine today so outside riding for the afternoon, but given Wellington's summer I imagine I'll get the chance for another session with the Sufferfest soon enough.

Demo

Click play to watch a short promo of The Sufferfest Fight Club video.