As I type this entry, I can barely hold my arms up to the keyboard! Why you might ask? Because I just got my hands on the rest of Graeme Street’s programs, Cyclo-Zen and Cyclo-Speed. I haven’t checked out Speed at all, and have only used Zen once.

But once is all it took. That 8 minute power routine you may have heard about – well, it’s no joke!

Let me start from the beginning…

So I did a Cyclo-Core workout back on January 16. Then I did virtually nothing until the 25th, when I did Cyclo-Core yet again. Surprisingly I didn’t gain weight or lose much strength over that week off, as I was able to complete the entire 28 minute workout.

Then on the 26th (yesterday) I popped in Cyclo-Zen since I was curious what it had in store for me. Quite a bit actually. It really integrates yoga, which is pretty cool since I have never actually done that before. But once I saw the 8 minute power routine, I couldn’t resist!

I did that twice in a row and it was great! Remember how I said my arms are hurting right now? It was from those insane Hindu pushups!!

Anyway, I think it’s about time for me to get more serious with my training. Which means it’s time to get serious with this blog too.

P.S. Expect full reviews of Zen and Speed in the future once I spend more time with them.

No, not ice, ICE.

It stands for “In Case of Emergency.”

I was just reading about this in Bicycle Retailer. If you carry a cell phone with you on your rides, will anyone know who to contact if you’re in an accident? (it wouldn’t hurt to carry another form of ID, but that’s another story…)

They will if you put “ICE” in your contacts and then have the phone number of a close friend or relative. Supposedly rescue workers and/or paramedics are being trained to look for this. (i.e. if they find you along the road unconscious, they will open up your phone and look for a contact named ICE that they can call.)

It only takes a minute to do – be safe!

Update: This feature is actually being built-in to most new cell phones for 2007 and beyond.

Man do I have some good news!

Thanks to better weather this month than in the fall, I’ve gotten to do a few outdoor rides. Remember, this off-season I decided to focus on cross-training and core exercises instead of riding (indoor or outdoor.)

I haven’t ridden inside once, and I think I rode outside just a few times in December. Most of the time I have been doing Cyclo-Core, and it just keeps kicking my @ss day after day!

Well, it’s paying off! On my Jan 2nd and 3rd rides, I averaged about about 1.2 mph faster than I did during my peak in-season rides on the same course! And guess what – it didn’t even feel that hard!

I’ve known all along that this Cyclo-Core stuff would work, but I didn’t know how much! I’m still in shock about my average speed inscrease!

After a few months with just Cyclo-Core, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of Cyclo-Zen. (I have Speed too, which will be reviewed next month…)

I wasn’t really sure what to expect since I never did yoga. I had an idea of a few yoga poses, but that was about it. Not that it really mattered, because Graeme’s workout programs are on a whole new level.

I mean, I thought I was pretty good at calisthenics and all that. But Cyclo-Core kicked my butt!

So at least this time I wasn’t expecting to breeze through anything! I was looking forward to the chair position and other “mental toughness” exercises though. I guess I was looking for a new challenge, and I had wanted to try yoga anyway. All the magazines say it’s good

Yes, even if you have mastered Cyclo-Core, you’ll have some work to do before mastering Cyclo-Zen!

First off, what do you get?

There are two DVDs with six different workouts, and two audio CDs called “Zen and the Art of Recovery.” You have your choice of power yoga, recovery yoga, strength conditioning, flexibility training, yoga-spin intervals, and of course, the dreaded 8 Minute Power Routine!

I popped in DVD 2 and went straight for the power routine! It started with hindu squats, so I wasn’t too worried. But soon I realized that doing this stuff for 8 minutes straight was equivalent to sprinting uphill, out of the saddle, into a headwind, for 8 minutes! Not an easy task, and definitely not something to do more than twice in a row to start out!

(Just getting through the 8 minutes once is a challenge!)

[By the way, all the stuff I wrote about in the Cyclo-Core review about it being better than weight lifting and such, that all applies to this too. I just want to highlight all the extra stuff about Zen.]

So next up we have the Power Yoga. In typical Graeme Street fashion, this is hard work! You don’t work up a sweat or move quite like Cyclo-Core, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier. Some of the positions really strain you, and they will definitely make you sore the next day!

After my first attempt, I noticed my joints (especially my ankles) were sore the next day. I think that’s because of the wobbling I did trying to balance in the positions!

On that note, balance is key in these workouts! Balance, stamina, and mental focus play a huge role here. Zen will really train you in those three disciplines.

Thinking that the Recovery Yoga would be nice and easy, I tried to do that to recover from what I had just done. Well, it wasn’t that easy. I’d use it as a stand-alone workout for an easy day, but I don’t think I’d want to do right after a hard workout.

Regardless, it’s a nice addition to your arsenal of workouts. Worth noting is that you get to see a new face and hear a new voice in a couple of these workouts

But I’d have to say the best part is that feeling you get once you complete the yoga workout. It’s like this overwhelming calm comes over you and you are content to just lie on the floor for a while. It’s a little different from Cyclo-Core, where you want to party because you are finally done, but you have no option besides lying on the floor, as you’re quite worn out

Now to be honest, I haven’t even attempted the other workouts on these DVDs. With it being spring and all, I’m outside most of the time. But this gives me more new stuff to look forward to at the end of the season.

I haven’t listened to the audio CDs either, I’ve just been pretty busy. On one of these lazy summer days coming up, I’ll relax and listen to them, and report back with my findings.

Even without fully testing this product, I know what my recommendation will be. If you read the Core review, you won’t be surprised by this.

My final verdict is…

If you can only afford one of Graeme’s programs, get Core. But budget for Zen before buying any new high-tech parts! (If you’re serious about your training, you’ll quickly realize the value here.)

This is also a good buy if you just want to try out yoga. If you think of the cost of a few yoga classes, the $70 for this doesn’t seem so bad

There are some $20 yoga DVDs out there, but I can’t say for sure if they are any good or not. I decided not to bother with those once I found this.

And seriously, the 8 Minute Power Routine by itself is worth a pretty penny! So, are you mentally tough enough?

Click here to order Cyclo-Zen for yourself!

P.S. By the way, I was the president of the Babson College Cycling Club. We did a video in 2005 with Cyclo-Core, so I had some of the team get together now to try out Cyclo-Zen. That’s where the pictures came from.

Want another option for tracking your mileage and/or maintaining your training log? Online? And for free? Well…

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