Back in January we received the 3LC Training DVD set and embarked on a Long Term Test. The plan…… implement 3LC training DVD’s into my off season schedule with the goal of achieving a PB at this year’s Paris to Ancaster.

Best Laid Plans….

When you’re sitting down in the middle of January and planning to race in April, the road to that race can be busy (family, work, training, etc), but it looks doable and the plan is set in motion. Sure there are needed tweaks, u-turns, and just get on with it, which is the case in most training plans. However, in this case, as race week approached I was faced with a family emergency that left me with the realization I wasn’t able to race. But man…..did I work hard thanks to 3LC!

Smash it……

Peter Kennaugh Snr, 3LC Director and Head Coach, recommends two or three 3LC sessions per week with sufficient recovery in between, pretty fair if you ask me. The 3LC DVD set consists of four (4) specific disciplines, Road Race, Time Trial, Sprint, Hill Climb, and a Woman’s specific Road Race DVD. I found that using a balanced combination was best suited for my training plan and ensuring I didn’t put too much focus on any one given session. For me, keeping it simple was effective and as the folks at 3LC like to say, I SMASHED IT!

A Closer look….

Overall what I found to be refreshing about 3LC Training sessions is the time commitment. No one video is longer than a hour, warm up and cool down included. The shortest of the sessions is the Time Trial at approximately 50 minutes and the longest being the Road Race at approximately 60 minutes.

As for entertainment value, I was a little concerned about staring at a bunch of guys spinning on their trainers and to no music! Wow, no music, how can that be! Well, 3LC figures that because everyone has different taste in music it’s not up to them to choose what music you should be listening to while training. Nice touch and I appreciated that. Check out my blog post The Music We Ride With for thoughts on that subject.

Throughout each session the 3LC coaches are detailing each step of the ride, cadence, relative perceived effort, what’s next, and just plan old enthusiastic motivation! While getting all this from the coaches an added treat in two of the sessions, Sprinting and Road Race, is the insight and knowledge of the Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish.

Accompanying the coaching is a convenient and easy to understand “information” area. In this area is all the information needed to ensure you are training is optimized.

To close out each training session there is an optional, but recommended, stretching session. I found this to be another nice touch that sets these DVD’s apart from other DVD’s in this market.

Sprinting to the Finish…..

These work! Despite not being able to finish my plan, racing in Paris to Ancaster, my overall fitness and strength going into the spring was at all time high. This is my first real focus on cadence training, which can be a bit of a transition. I found that I’m faster on the road with more consistent efforts for longer periods of time. For me, that’s a huge win.