Customer Reviews

Robert Sherman: Cycle Challenge

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm always looking for a way to change my HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I thought I'd try spinning for a change. Before this, I would use the elliptical machine (boring and my machine has started to squeak) or jogging with intervals of sprints, jumping squats, jumping jacks, etc. That has been effective, but sometimes my knee starts bothering me.

I recently got a new spinning bike, so I got a few instructional spinning dvds to get me going. This one had a couple of interesting reviews, so I used it first. It's excellent.

I haven't used other bike interval training dvds yet, so I can't really compare this one to any other ones, but I like this one a lot. I've used it three times so far, and it has a variety of workouts. It starts off with a 15 minute warm up ride. During the ride, he teaches you about body positioning, hand positioning, etc. The 15 minutes speeds by and I was convinced that it was much shorter than that until I used my watch today. After that, there is another 15 minute speed interval ride. What I really liked about this is that Sherman helps you find the perfect resistance for you. For some intervals, he might recommend upping the resistance until you first feel it in your quads. Then, up it again until you feel it in the back of your legs. As someone new on the bike, I definitely appreciated the advice.

That 15 minutes really sped by, too. After this, there is another 15 minute workout-- this one is a strength interval training one. It's a bit tougher, too-- but he really gets you through it. By the end of it, you really have broken a sweat and you feel every single muscle in your legs. I loved it!

The dvd also has a circuit training workout that lasts about 40 minutes. I did this one, too, today. It's fun, the exercises are challenging and he's very thorough with cuing. The workout uses a stability ball, a medicine ball, and tubing. I dislike using tubing, so I always substitute with dumbbells or a barbell. The abdominal workout is especially challenging. I did find that although it's called a total body circuit, the arms are a bit neglected, although there definitely is enough core work. It is obviously geared to bikers since the focus is on the core and lower body.

The only downside to this dvd is, although you can choose which workout you want to do, you can't set the whole thing up in advance. You have to keep the remote with you and select what you want to do after the segment you're doing is through. It would be obviously much more convenient if you could set the entire routine up ahead of time. Had I done that, though, I most likely would have skipped the circuit training today, though. So, maybe having the options presented to you after each segment could be considered a good thing, considering you may actually do more if you find you still have a bit of energy left.

There are a couple of good stretches at the end-- one on the bike, and one off the bike. Both are quick and effective.

Some people have complained about Robert Sherman's "wooden delivery". I can see where the criticism comes from, but I found him an excellent instructor. Definitely one of the best-- he's calm and focused and it's easy to stay focused when working out. And, to top it off, the workout was so fun, the time just sped by-- which is a gift.

If you're thinking about purchasing this dvd, I think you'll be pleased. It is considered a beginning and intermediate challenge but, by upping the resistance (which I did today), it can be effective for someone a bit more advanced on the bike, as well. I also want to recommend something called shapeupshoes dot com. They aren't for riding and they aren't sold on Amazon, but I love wearing these and have been wearing them for 30 minute walks daily. You will FEEL your muscles stretch and work and feel every part of your legs burn. I have purchased MBT White Sport Walkers, MBT White Sport High , FitFlop WalkStar Silver, and Women's Earth Energetic in the past, hoping to increase the resistance on daily walks, but these shoes outperform all the others. It's as if I'm doing calf raises on a stairmaster.

Using these shoes, I'm already seeing some new definition and, I'm hoping with the new HIIT on the bike (in addition to my regular weight/strength training), I'll get some great results.

This video is very good for a beginning to intermediate spin bike workout. Robert Sherman does a good job reviewing technique and posture. He leads spinners of a wide range of ability through a solid warm-up and several series of intervals alternating hard work and recovery. The beginning of the video focuses on warmup, the middle on speed, and then the viewer gets to choose between a core mat/ swissball workout or a series of strength building intervals on the bike. The video finishes with a cool down and some stretching.

While Sherman is a knowledgeable instructor, he is very wooden in his delivery and motivation style, and I can see why some people find his style hilarious in a sarcastic way (see the review by Big Brooklyn Lou on Sherman's "Cycle Reebok" video). Also, the background music is fairly lame and quickly wears out its welcome. Finally, two other cyclists join Sherman in the video, saying nothing but sweating profusely while Sherman looks cool calm and collected, without so much as a hair falling out of place; it's a bit surreal.

All things considered, this is a keeper if you want a good spinning workout. It always breaks a sweat for me!

I am an avid spinner and was very disappointed with this DVD. Robert Sherman is like watching grass grow, not very motivating and very monotone. I was looking for someone to pump me up during the workout and he made me sleepy. Additionally, there was no jumping, no isolating of body parts on the bike, strictly riding and changing intensity and speed. I was looking for something more exhilirating and challanging. This wasn't for me.

This is great for beginners!
Great work out. Easy to follow instructions, clear speech, and good demonstrations. The instructor works out with you to give you that extra push, and the company you need to know you're not doing this on your own.
The best part about this is that this DVD also includes floor exercises off the bike that helps tone and strengthen your core. Great results too! I lost 35 pounds (from a whopping 270) in 2 months. Of course good eating habits prevailed as well. Try eating more vegetables in your meals, and also try to eat 6 meals a day including fruit (eat at every 3-4 hours).

I purchased this DVD to help me get started with spinning. I used to bike every other day on a country road on my mountain bike. Once I moved, however, biking on the road in the new area was just too dangerous. So I took up spinning at home. This was one of two DVDs I bought to get started and get ideas for planning my own workouts.

Some reviewers of Sherman's DVDs have commented on his stiff delivery. While he isn't as "happy happy joy joy" as many DVD fitness instructors it's hardly like watching Dan Rather lead you through a workout. He's very straightforward and simply not hyper or "perky" or such. While leading the workout he does a good job of reminding the viewer to hydrate and change their pace and/or resistance as needed on a personal level. His verbal direction is also very good. You don't have to see the screen to know what is going on. This is doubly beneficial since my wife is blind. She can actually follow this workout quite easily.

One thing that stands out is how he directs you to change the resistance. Rather than using an arbitrary numeric system like "Level 1" and "Level 2" or a tension level based on settings on the bike he describes different levels in terms of perceived muscle exertion and use. This is really handy since not all spinning bikes have fixed tension levels (i.e. ones that "click" into a numbered spot). Some simply have a wheel that increases pressure on the wheel consistently, so this DVD can be used with any tension style design.

The DVD goes through three different sets of sprint intervals. First is a set of one-minute intervals increasing the pace every 20 seconds. The next is a set of 3 sprint intervals with consistent effort for 15, 30, and 45 seconds. The final set for this portion is all-out efforts for 20 seconds each. This covers about 30 minutes. You then have the option to continue or go to a circuit-training workout. The remaining 15 minutes is a set of strength intervals where you simulate hill climbs and biking from a standing position. I can't describe it from memory since I skip this part due to a little bit of Achilles tendonitis. I also haven't watched the cross-training part since I do other workouts on days I don't spin.

The music is your usual up-tempo type that you find in most workout DVDs. It's not as goofy as many... pretty tolerable actually. There's some stupid "sock hop" type techno piece during the strength portion, but it's easy to block out. The music is also a little quieter than the spoken directions. So you could actually turn it up just enough to hear his voice and put your own music on.

So, overall this is a good video for beginners. You can follow it easily for a while and modify it to your own levels - which Sherman encourages you to do during the DVD. There's plenty of reminders to drink water during the workout. The verbal direction is solid and not annoyingly upbeat. The music is tolerable or can be drowned out with your own stuff (I tend to favor metal, hard techno, etc.) It's also a good foundation for patterning your own workouts. You can learn the timing easily and use it when you just don't feel like putting the DVD in. (I recorded DVDs of the Tour de France this year and tend to watch it while spinning now.)

I got this as a gift. I can not watch it because he is so CHEESY. I think Ben Stiller's character in Dodgeball was based on Robert Sherman. It is that bad.

Robert Sherman does a great job in taking you through a great workout. I was expecting, the Spin Class but found an added bonus of having an off-bike strength training and stretch sessions as well. I found the workout to be progressive with a little for everyone. My wife who has never been in a Spin class is starting out with the warm up ride and stretch portions of the DVD, myself as a Triathlete am enjoying the more advanced levels of the ride. Robert Sherman's DVD is just packed with useful tips and he talks you through the entire workout. I have found the advanced portions of his workout challenging. I can see that I will be working with this DVD for quite some time to come.

I'm a big fan of spinning and have cycled most of my life. This is a great workout and Robert is an excellent instructor. You can challenge yourself to whatever level u choose. His instructions make you concious of body part use so you work on proper form. I'm over 60 but cardiofit and this was great. The core training segment is very challenging but has great results. Wish the music was a bit louder and not so techno.

I think this would be a great dvd for beginners - as it goes into detail about bike set-up ( none of the other 6-7 dvd's I have mention this). This is invaluable info for someone who has never done spinning. He also describes good technique etc. But as a more experienced rider, it was a little redundant info for me. Also his delivery is a little hokey, and very canned. Im sure he is reading off a tele-prompter the whole time. It is good that he gives workout options to choose from to vary your workout from day to day. Overall, a keeper.

I was really disappointed with this DVD. I felt it didn't offer much of a workout and I'm a beginner. I used only once and now it is just collecting dust. I bought Spin and Slim instead and love that one so much more.