Reporting back as promised. Today I did Cathe Live #206 Cycle Mania. It's 43 minutes long and I wanted to start with one that wasn't too long since I haven't done any of Cathe's cycle workouts. It was tough for me, partly because it was tricky for me to figure out what setting on the bike I should use to corresponded to what Cathe was using and partly because the gym isn't cool enough for my liking, and partly because I am not an experienced cyclist/spinner. The music had a beat to it, and Cathe mostly followed the tempo but not always. That didn't bother me. I didn't recognize any songs and didn't hear any lyrics, so it really was background. I'm not sure of the format of her other cycle workouts, but this one started with a warmup as usual, followed by a gradual hill climb and descent. She also included a steeper climb with a steeper hill and descent. She alternated sitting and rising from the seat in a series of "drills." The finisher was two four-round sets of "tabatas", with 20 seconds "going all out" and 10 seconds rest. There was a brief cooldown on the bike followed by some stretching off the bike. She also inserted some "posture stretches" for the shoulders and chest periodically during the ride which I appreciated.
So, what did I think? I liked it, the music was as fun as instrumental music can be (no pina colada or buttercup
), but it suited the workouts. It challenged me, and I know it can be more challenging by adjusting the tension. I don't have a basis of comparison to anything else yet, so I don't know that I've helped you make any decision? Are there any of the Live cycles in particular that you would like me to try and report back?