The roller session last night was a really good one. It was a resistance workout that makes you want to down shift, or even quit, as the workout continues on. After getting stretched out, warmed up on the bike, and getting into my groove...I started to shift through the gears and spend a few minutes riding at ~96rpm. A few minutes later I would kick it up a gear and then repeat that again a few minutes after that. Eventually maintaining 96rpm is no longer part of the equation but, maintaining an upright position on the rollers while keeping good form and controlling my breathing is. As I was getting towards the end of the cassette, I was no longer worried about what I was watching on the TV. I was totally into my ride, feeling the burn, and absolutely loving it. Once I arrived at the final gear on my cassette I began going back down in the same fashion. Those same gears that were just tearing me apart were now a relief coming back from the previous harder gear. My cadence quickly went back to around 96rpm and as I got closer to the bottom of the cassette, the gears actually began to get too easy to spin. It felt as if there was no resistance to them and 105rpm was easy to maintain. Workouts like this will get you to the entrance of your own pain cave and give just a taste of what hard work feels like. It's worth it when it's said and done though. I feel absolutely fantastic when I ever I step off the rollers after a resistance workout.
If you have not already done it, then join the resistance on your next workout.
Read the complete post at http://carlosdajackal.blogspot.com/2008/01/join-resistance.html