4 Minutes in Hell

Dani King Matrix IC7

4 Minutes in Hell – a no nonsense, high quality training session developed by Rowe & King Head Coach, Courtney Rowe and ‘enjoyed’ by Dani King!

 

Dani uses a Matrix IC7 as part of her training – often to add some quality work during a ‘double day’ (two sessions in one day – one in the morning, and one in the afternoon).

A typical training day for Dani would be 3 hours steady riding in the morning, working on her endurance and then an IC7 session in the afternoon – her ‘favourite’ session being ‘4 Minutes in Hell’, as created by Rowe & King Head Coach, Courtney Rowe.

The whole session is only 20 minutes, of which 16 minutes is warming up / cool down, with 4 minutes of explosive effort in the middle – this is what we mean when we talk of quality sessions!

 

4 MINUTES IN HELL Session

1. Warm up for 10 minutes.

2. Crank the resistance on your indoor trainer up – Dani uses roughly 70% resistance on the IC7.

3. The following 30seconds is considered one set – 20 seconds flat out, maximum effort sprint followed by 10 seconds stopped to recover.

4. Repeat for a total of 8 sets (4 minutes)

5. Cool down – 6 minutes.

We all have 20minutes that we can put towards training – the whole session is less than an episode of Eastenders…

Matrix ic7
Dani King during a warm up on her Matrix IC7

Here are a few advantages and disadvantages of using an indoor trainer, like the Matrix IC7;

 

Advantages

Time efficient – you can jump on for a 30-minute session and really achieve a great workout as there are no interruptions such as traffic lights, traffic or bends to force you to stop pedalling (i.e. stop training). Also there’s no need for layers and layers of clothes, overshoes etc. which all takes a little time to get on

Consistency – each time you get on the bike, the conditions are the same so ideal for benchmarking performance

Convenience – you can train at any time, whether it be late at night when it’s dark, or at 8am when the roads are busy.

You can complete your training session perfectly (unless it involves hills) – you can complete very specific efforts knowing that you will not be interrupted by a puncture, road closure, bad weather, a flock of sheep…at least hopefully not if your indoor trainer is in your garage?

Safety – no cars or hazards to cause a crash!

 

Disadvantages

Boredom – It’s not suggested to replace a 4-hour endurance ride with a 4-hour indoor trainer session – focus on quality over quantity when on the indoor trainer. How bored can you get in the ‘4 Minutes in Hell’ session?

You don’t get to practice hills, or cornering and bike handling – we suggest an indoor trainer forms part of your weekly training, not all of it. Getting out on the road should be a key part of all cyclists training week.

 

Go on…go and give 4 Minutes in Hell a try… you’ll love it!