Mindy Mylrea
I find this tape to be my most enjoyable and balanced Cycling video.
I have three, Johnny G P2, CIA/Reebok and this one. All three are
different with good qualities but I tend to reach for this one lately. I
have only been spinning for 4 months and have been able to get in one
good spin a week on average. I like this one mainly because of Mindy’s
personality but also because of how well see designed a choreographed
routine that is able to keep me interested in something that can easily
be boring…spinning your legs around in a circle for an hour inside.
Mindy split this workout up into sections, this is a big plus, it makes
the time go by fast. I don’t ever look at the clock with this video. If
one section is really killing me, I know it will be over soon and try to
put 100% into it and move on. Having a video that isn’t as clearly
broken down into sections tends to drain me. I watch the clock and know
I have way too much time left…causing me to drop off in intensity. I
love Cathe and the format she uses for her videos…this is similar. If
you were looking for a Cathe spin tape (one can only hope)…this is
pretty close to what I think Cathe would put together IMHO.
ProductionSetting and visual
stimulation: I am kind of picky when it comes to production quality.
It’s a nicely put together tape but has a few areas that I wish were
better. None of the issues were bad enough to turn me off this tape. The
bikes are outside on what appears to be grassy field atop a hill in
California overlooking a Valley. It isn’t an overly sunny day…a tad hazy
and gray, this is one of the icky issues….just wished it was sunnier.
Mindy and her two background spinners, Gabe, who takes the high rode and
Michelle who is a more beginner/intermediate rider for the video are all
in black tights with black jerseys. The background exercises are
actually placed behind her; unlike other spin videos that I have…I
preferred this view to others. I don’t want to look at everyone’s butts.
It is easier to see all the riders’ form and cadence this
way.
Sound Quality: The sound isn’t as clear as it could be do
to the outside setting..sorta like AM radio compared to FM and there
were sections where the volume fluctuated, but I had no problem hearing
Mindy. That would be the other issue that might bother those who want
perfection on production…still hasn’t stopped me from using it. The
music was instrumental and had a great pop,pop beat to it…easy to find a
cadence. Good point about the audio, it is very out in front, not buried
and low behind Mindy’s instructions.
Intensity and Modifiability:
What I want and look for in a video is a challenge. Even if I can’t
do the workout the first couple of times through…I want to be able to
know at some point I can work my way into it but still have a very
challenging, intense and enjoyable workout during the learning process.
Might be a reason why dancy hi/lo doesn’t thrill me. If the choreography
is too complex and dancy, I have trouble getting a decent workout while
learning…I gotta sweat or I ain’t happy;O). I prefer creative
choreography that will keep me interested in the video for some time but
also incorporate strong athletic power moves that will always challenge
me. I guess that is why spinning appeals to me, especially this tape.
Mindy did a great job making a fun choreographed routine and the best
thing about indoor cycling, regardless of where you are in your fitness
program, it can always be modified to your own level of fitness by
either adjusting your tension and speed or by taking out or adding
lifts/jumps. It will grow with you.
Equipment: I use an indoor
cycling bike called the V-bike by StarTrac. The benefit of a true
spinning bike is stability. They are also designed so you can position
yourself like if you were on a real outside racing bike. I have never
tried an indoor cycling video on anything other than a spin bike but
feel you could modify a stationery bike or trainer as long as you can
increase tension to add intensity for the parts of the workout where you
stand or when you use body alignments that your bike doesn’t allow you
to do.
The workoutFirst section: Bike Fit. Mindy
gives a decent run down on how to fit yourself to the bike..seat,
handlebar adjustment, foot placement and body alignment. She has you
pedal with slight tension to go over proper movement.
This is a great
into for beginners and a super warm-up if you have been riding for a
while. I don’t think this would irritate intermediates and advanced…it
isn’t like doing 50 basic rights while getting stepping
instructions...which would bother me…I don’t seem to be bothered(yet) by
this redundant beginner phase. It is a great time to warm up and stretch
the upper body.
Moderate Hill: Moving out of the warm-up into
the first ride, a moderate hill. Mindy has you adjust your perceived
tension using a range form 1-10…ten being the hardest. This hill is a 5
and heads up to an 8 before your done. You also do a few standing drills
in this section.
Speed Pyramids: Faster cadence…speedy-do as
Mindy says…love those Mindy-isms!
She has you pyramid up and down
throughout this section. Playing with all sorts of interval time combos.
These are all out sprinting combos but they vary on how long you sprint
and how long you recover. You start with shorter sprints with long
recoveries. On to even sprint to recovery ratio then head into negatives
that give you longer sprints and less recovery time. Towards the end you
are also doing some standing sprint drills…if you ain’t dripping yet…up
your tension;O) then grab your water bottle ‘cause she ain’t done
yet!
Rebounds: This section concentrates on how smooth you can
sail in and out of the saddle…back on a hill with a tension of 7.
Starting with 16 counts up and 16 down, shortening it to 8 then 4...I am
really challenged at this point and depending on the day.. I have
trouble keeping up with the 4 count. After those you learn to hover
LOL..did I say I couldn’t keep up!…you stay up and hover over the
saddle, moving hips forward and back with a 4 count rhythm. You do this
for what seems to be an eternity and the thighs are burning. At this
point you start to feel giddy and it becomes fun to count the sweat
droplets that fall from your face onto the bike…any distraction from the
pain is gooood!
Anaerobic with no music:The one section
without music…deliberately…I worried about this, but it works. You just
zone out with Mindy. She says she does this because effort is important
and these exercises have ALL your attention. Throughout most of them you
are constantly increasing tension and intensity…one example of an
interval:
jog seated
uptension run
uptension
sprint
uptension and sprint faster
uptenstion to hill with an 8
and climb with running…while standing:O)!!!
recover and do that one
move time!
Little fun factor: Mindy narrates this section using a
picnic as visualization…ya gotta get there and get your potato salad
before they eat it all.
Last Hill Home!!!: Slow pedal stroke
to tempo and use a perceived 7 tension..do this for a while and then
stand and adjust back to a 7(gets easier when standing). Run/jog with
this 7 for a little and then race in front of the beat for the 15
seconds.. recover…one more time and your Done!
Cool down: You
start to slow down and recover back to aerobic zone pedaling slowly,
Mindy has you roll your shoulders and start to cool down the upper
body…stretching arms and breathing deeply.
She ends with a very
thorough stretching segment that incorporates some innovative stretches
on the bike and she also takes the time to show you the stretches off
the bike incase your bike doesn’t allow you to do them.
My one
disappointment: When the ride is over, I can’t get off the bike and
give Mindy and her crew a high-five on a job well done.
A fun
addition to the end of the tape..they added the bloopers! I wish more of
the instructors did this with the credits.
Instructor comments: Mindy is going to be one of my all time favorite
instructors. Her style of teaching is, once again, similar to my other
favorite instructor, Cathe; they both are constantly reminding me of
proper form without it being annoying… just when I need it! She has that
great ability to be professional but at the same time make you feel that
she is also just one of the gang. I love her sense of humor and the
elements of playfulness she adds to her workouts…you feel like you are
out on the playground with your best friend again. I wouldn’t hesitate
getting another Mindy tape…she is a great instructor. I give her A+ on
the three F’s…Form, Function and FUN!!!!
Nancy C
naconfer@aol.com
28 April 2000
After reading Nancy's review, I just had to jump on the
bandwagon and write a review! Nancy did such a great, thorough job of
describing the tape, so I thought it might be helpful to get a
perspective from someone who uses this tape on a regular stationary bike
as opposed to a spinning bike. I have a computerized stationary
recumbent bike, so it would be difficult (and it would look very funny,
to say the least) to do the standing and the jumps. Not that I don't try
sometimes, but it sure does give me a good tricep workout--LOL!
Anyway... I really like this workout. I find that I can easily modify
this for my bike. I leave out the jumps and just increase/decrease the
resistance on my bike and it works really well. This is a great interval
workout--I can get really anaerobic with this one! I'd say that it's the
cycling workout that I can best modify for my bike and still get a
really intense workout (I have both Johnny G's, the CIA cycling tape and
Reebok Ultimate Island Ride, which I also like a lot but it's nowhere
near as intense). I guess my one complaint would be the production
value. Nancy described it perfectly. For me, though, it doesn't
interfere with the workout; believe me, I'm paying more attention to the
burning in my legs and the sweat in my eyes than I am to the sound and
the picture!
If you get a chance to see this tape, don't miss the bloopers that
Mindy put at the end of the video. They're a riot!
Instructor comments: What fun! Mindy seems like she would be the type
of person who would be so much fun to be around. She is incredibly
athletic! She is motivating in a very encouraging way, and she is
enthusiastic without being overbearing. She explains everything so well,
that you have no doubt what she's trying to get across to you. I hope
she makes lots more videos!
Kristin Aziz
kristinaziz@hotmail.com
4/28/00