Time sure flies. My first Cyclo-Core review was back in 2005, a little over three years ago!

I’ve been using the Cyclo-Core workouts almost year-round ever since. Funny thing is, it’s still hard! It always gives me a good workout, no matter the circumstances.

At certain times (after lots of training) I’ve done the workouts back-to-back, but then I always end up taking time off, either because I have to rest an injury, or because I’m riding so much that I can only handle a teensy bit of off-bike training. Either way, successfully completing the Core workouts is challenging, even after using the program for years!

I’ve also been using Cyclo-Zen and Cyclo-Speed, and joined in on Cyclo-Club which has even more workout videos. So it’s nearly impossible to get bored with these workouts if you rotate through all of them. (Even if you stick with Cyclo-Core, you can switch up the order of the routines and mix and match, effectively giving you new workouts.)

Enough of that though. If you read the initial review, you already know how much I love the program. So now I’m just going to list all the pros and cons I can think of:

Cyclo-Core Pros

Here are the reasons I recommend Cyclo-Core…

1. A Variety of Workouts

On the DVD, there is a 30 minute bodyweight workout, composed of 3 circuits. Then there is a 30 minute resistance workout, also composed of 3 circuits. Then there is a bonus 15 minute workout that focuses directly on your abs. Finally, there is a 10 minute cool down and stretching program.

You can use these workouts on different days, do the circuits in different orders, or mix and match.

2. You Can Workout Anywhere

The 30 minute bodyweight workout requires nothing more than a little floor space. It could be done in your bedroom, living room, dorm room, small apartment, hotel room, etc.

The other routines require an exercise ball, but still, that doesn’t take up much space.

3. Quick and Effective

A 30 minute Cyclo-Core workout is intense and hits your entire body. There is no wasted time – surely you can fit that into a busy schedule.

4. It’s Like Having a Personal Trainer

Being on DVD, it’s kind of like having Graeme Street right there as your own personal trainer. You just follow along and get a good workout.

He even gets you motivated to move. (Unlike workout plans that are just a piece of paper with a workout set written out.)

5. No Costly Gym Membership Required

A great value here. Gym memberships are usually $30-75 per month. A personal trainer guiding you is about $150 per hour. In this case, you buy the DVD, and you’re set.

6. No Costly Equipment Setups

Just get a yoga mat, exercise ball, and some light dumbbells.

7. Easy to Learn

Cyclo-Core is composed of basic movements, most of which are easy to learn. Just analyze Graeme’s movements in the DVD a few times and you’ll be well on your way.

8. Safer Than Weight Lifting

While weight lifting can be done safely, it requires a lot of practice and proper coaching to achieve the right form. Without proper form, you’ll suffer an injury in no time.

And once you have good form, you still need a training partner there with you, since there’s still that possibility of dropping a weight on yourself or getting stuck in the wrong position. And you could always tear a muscle – even pro lifters get injured like that.

Cyclo-Core is mainly just you moving your body around on the floor. It’s much safer. (No sense in getting injured weight lifting and consequently missing important bike races.)

9. Works Important Core Muscles

Core muscles are very important to cycling, but they don’t get strengthened by cycling. So you need some sort of additional workout like Cyclo-Core to get strong.

Cyclo-Core Cons

But Cyclo-Core is not perfect…

1. Counting The Reps Is Not Exact

After doing the workouts many times, I realized Graeme’s counting is a bit off. If you count your own reps instead of following along, you will probably finish sooner.

And sometimes Graeme says “we’re about halfway through” but you’re only maybe a quarter of the way through.

2. Lack of Clear Instructions

It took me a while to notice these, but there are a few little quirks in the workout. For example, during the “Power T stand,” Graeme says “switch” when you should switch from the right to left side. But on the final rep, you need to switch sides at “Stay with me here.” (And you don’t notice this if you don’t have your eyes on the screen.)

Also, when stretching at the end, you typically reach out to your left leg with your right hand so that you stretch your back. In one move, Graeme says “stretch with your left hand” for both the left and right leg reaches.

(Those little things never proved detrimental to my workout, but I thought I’d point them out because there’s really nothing else to put in the “Cons” section.)

My final verdict is…

Once again, I conclude that the Cyclo-Core DVD is awesome. At first, $60 for a DVD seemed kind of expensive, but I have gotten so much value from it, that $60 seems cheap now!

However, you might want to skip the DVDs and go for the downloads/streaming available in Cyclo-Club. Then you can get Cyclo-Core as well as a new series known as Cyclo-Impossible. Either way, I do suggest getting your hands on a copy of Cyclo-Core.

For Cyclo-Core DVDs: www.Cyclo-Core.com

Since I first started doing the Cyclo-Core workouts from Cyclo-Core.com back in 2005 (over three years now,) they have become a staple in my workout routines. I thought it might get old, but it turns out there are so many different routines which can be done in different combinations and sequences, it’s like I’m just getting started!

Every time I pop in the DVD, it’s as good of a workout as ever. Here are the three reasons I still love it:

 

1. The workouts are quick and effective.

When it comes to getting “bang for your buck” out of your workouts, Cyclo-Core routines are unbeatable. Each routine provides a phenomenal core workout in a limited time.

From the Cyclo-Zen 8 minute power routine to a full set of Cyclo-Core bodyweight conditioning circuits (about 28 minutes,) anyone can fit them into busy schedules. If you can’t spare eight minutes, you need to get your priorities in order!

So you get a serious butt-kicking and it takes less than 30 minutes!

2. You can do the workouts anywhere.

Another big time saver is the fact that you can do these workouts wherever you want to (or have to.) You don’t need to go to the gym, nor do you need expensive home gym equipment. So you save time and money.

You could do these workouts in a cramped apartment, dorm room, or hotel room. Virtually anywhere with enough space for you to stretch out.

3. It’s almost like having a personal trainer right there.

Workouts can be boring and tedious. And you usually need some motivation to get moving. Once you get going, some exercises are nerve-racking since you don’t know whether or not you’re using proper form!

But with a personal trainer by your side, it’s much easier to stay motivated, committed, and safe.

That’s why I like Graeme Street being right there on the screen in front of me, keeping me motivated and educated. Unlike reading a book and guessing if your motions are correct, you have someone to watch.

Getting back to my “Susquehanna Experiment” weight training program, it only took a couple practice sessions to realize that low-volume, high-intensity training programs can get pretty complicated. And it only took a couple reps to see how hard it is!

Here are my thoughts on some parts of the routine:

The 5/5 cadence. Lifting a weight for five seconds and then lowering it down for five seconds, all in the same breath, is just plain hard. There is nothing like a constant load on your muscles to show you how long 10 seconds can be!

Under normal circumstances, I have no problem breathing in for a count of 5 and then breathing out for a count of 5. But when that breath takes place while lifting a barbell, and is followed by another eight long breaths under load, it’s a lot harder to concentrate on your breath!

Counting. Normally I would just count my reps and be done with it. In this experiment, I had to keep track of my reps and my breath! That meant I was counting from one to five twice for each rep.

This is where a spotter comes in handy! Have a spotter count your reps for you while you focus on counting your breath. (Eventually I managed to count my reps and just go by feel for the 5/5 cadence, though.)

The weight. Figuring out what weight to use is tricky, too. Even though this is supposed to be intense, and you are only doing 8-10 reps of each exercise, the amount of weight you lift will be fairly low. Trust me, the constant load on your muscles from the slow cadence is more than enough intensity!

I actually did two test sessions just to figure out the proper weight to start with, and even then I wasn’t positive what was best.

Preparation. I don’t know if there’s anything that could have prepared me for this! I hadn’t been lifting a lot, but I hit the weights every so often since I have some light weights at home. I also did a lot of Cyclo-Core routines and lots of extra push-ups.

However, this “Super-Slow” type of lifting still destroyed me!

Soreness. You better believe I was sore! I decided that once every four days is probably all my body can handle, so I went with a Monday/Thursday schedule.

Number of Exercises. At first, when Tim Ferriss recommended doing only 4-7 exercises each time, I didn’t think I’d be getting my money’s worth at the gym, so to speak. But if you do it right, you’ll be too exhausted to do a seventh set of anything!

High Protein Diet. Even though I’m close to being a vegetarian, I enjoyed the high protein diet. Turkey sandwiches, protein smoothies, mmm mmm good!

Now go ahead and get started on your weight lifting routines!

(And remember, you will be able to see all the details at the official Susquehanna Experiment page.)

Climbing is the most prestigious part of cycling, and for good reason – it’s freaking hard! Climbing to the top of an Alp (or two,) or just staying with the pack to the top of the “local monster” is a challenge.

So I thought you might interested in some tips I picked up from Graeme Street, creator of the Cyclo-Core off-season training program. The tips were part of a special report titled “3 Climbing Mistakes Most Cyclists Make” that you can probably get if you sign-up for the special report listed on his website.

So here we go:

MISTAKE 1: More miles = Stronger climbing

Just going out and riding doesn’t mean you’ll get better. You could ride all day long and still get beat by someone that rides 25 miles/week.

The key is to do quality miles!

MISTAKE 2: Lack of Attention to the Powerful Climbing Muscles

Sure, your typical rides work your quads and glutes, which do play a critical role in climbing. But the phenomenon known as “climbing” requires a lot of other muscles to start working – your hamstrings, for example.

And to work your hamstrings and core muscle groups, you’ll have to do off the bike workouts to really make a difference.

MISTAKE 3: Not Reading This Sooner

To get the real mistake number 3, plus the full details on the other two, check out Cyclo-Core and sign-up for the email list. (Scroll down and the sign-up box is right beside the “5 Cycling Training & Nutrition Secrets to Drop Weight and Add Power!” box.)

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.