One of the biggest insights of modern sports science has been that rest and recovery are as important as training hard. If you're a competitive cyclist, or a hard-riding recreational rider, you might think the best way to get in top shape is to go out and ride hard, day in and day out. But not only is that a shortcut to burnout (or even injury), it's an approach that won't even get you into your best form. What works best is a balanced approach that combines hard training with "active recovery": easier training sessions that get the blood flowing and the muscles active while staying at a low intensity.

One way to do active recovery is just to take your bike out for an "easy" ride (probably by yourself, so you won't get tempted to push harder because your riding buddies want to go faster!), but sometimes the weather just doesn't cooperate, or maybe you just have a hard time staying interested if you have to stay at a slow pace. That's where Spinervals Competition 12.0: Recharge comes into play. This installment in the Spinervals series of indoor training workouts is specifically designed for active recovery, and as with the other entries in the Spinervals series, it's varied and interesting enough to provide an additional spark of motivation.

The Recharge program runs approximately 44 minutes, and goes as follows:

As you can see, there's quite a bit of resting time (easy spinning) built into the program, and Coach Troy Jacobson also makes a point of reminding participants to take it easy and not go over about 70% of maximum effort. You'll still work up a good sweat during this workout, though, so don't forget the towel and the water bottle.

What makes Recharge better than an easy ride outside? Well, if the sun is shining and the birds are singing, and you're sure you're not going to succumb to the temptation to hammer up any hills along the way, the outdoor ride will probably win out! But Recharge does offer more than just an easy aerobic workout, so you might want to incorporate it into your training schedule even in good weather. The Recharge workout offers some welcome variety in the various sets: for instance, Coach Troy may have the riders do one segment standing up, and others at a higher cadence. The final 3x30 seconds effort is also interesting, in that Coach Troy asks riders to increase their cadence and intensity every ten seconds.

Recharge has some similarities to Spinervals 8.0: Recovery and Technique, in that both are low-intensity workouts intended to promote active recovery. However, Recovery and Technique tends to focus more on improving your pedaling technique through specific drills, while Recharge is oriented toward helping your muscles and cardiovascular system recover from a hard session. There's room for both programs in a serious cyclist's library of exercise DVDs.

The DVD

Video

Spinervals 12.0: Recharge is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, and looks fine. The image is slightly soft, but it looks bright and natural, and is pleasing to the eye. The on-screen indications of suggested gear ratio, tension setting for LeMond RevMaster trainers, and recommended intensity are all all clear and easy to read.

Audio

The audio track for Recharge is quite good. Coach Troy's voice is always completely clear and understandable, and it's always kept in a correct balance with the music portion of the track. The music itself is well chosen for this program, as it's fairly low-key without too fast a rhythm, helping to remind participants that this is an easy workout.

Extras

There are no special features on the DVD. The menu does allow viewers to select specific sets within the program, since each part of the workout has its own chapter; this is very useful for participants who want to "customize" the workout by skipping or repeating parts. Rather oddly, if you don't select "play all" from the menu within a short period, the program will start playing by itself. Pleasingly, there's no advertisement-type introduction any more; the workout starts right away with Coach Troy and the Spinervals riders.

Final thoughts

"Active recovery" is an essential part of any rider's training, whether for competition or just for fun recreational rides. After a hard ride, Spinervals Competition 12.0: Recharge offers a well-thought-out recovery workout that will get the blood moving and flush the fatigue out of your legs, while staying at a low intensity. This is a Spinervals workout that will appeal to both hard-core riders and more casual riders as well. Highly recommended.