Finished my first nine hammers session earlier. I had no idea it would be THAT hard…WTH!! After hammer 7 I thought that was my max. I managed to do all of them and finished 9 at around 30rpm but I had to stand up to turn the pedals over from around 20 seconds to go. Nothing left to give.
I came on the forum just to see if anyone else found it hard…yep, has its own topic!
First experience…9 is about right to push you to your limit. I reckon they tried 10 on someone with legs like Groot and he couldn’t do 10 so they capped it to 9 for us mere mortals to attempt and suffer.
Hope that doesn’t turn up in another training plan!!
Today was my fourth time tackling the 9H journey but I feel like it was my first time really completing it.
1st: Didn’t know what I was in for and reduced the intensity a bit.
2nd: Probably my 4DP numbers were too old, it was hard but not undoable.
3rd: Cracked in the last 30 seconds.
4th - today: Absolutely nailed the workout.
The 8th and 9th Hammers are just right. Maybe this is even my favorite SUF workout.
It’s hard and will make you push yourself to the absolute limit - but doable. It really gives you a feeling of accomplishment when done right.
A++.
You know when you have one of your favourite meals but it turns out that a particular ingredient was added to that meal also of which you like. The meal turns out to be just not the same, so when the ingredient next rears it’s ugly head you avoid it. Well to me my new training plan starting tomorrow is the meal and Nine Hammers is the ingredient rearing it’s head in the middle of the second week.
So second week of intermediate road plan on what I hope is correct 4DP numbers.
ONE HOUR AGO I ABSOLUTELY SMASHED NINE HAMMERS
Feeling on top of the world!! Although have cadence builds tomorrow followed by Defender then reduced Joyride. A hard week but im feeling confident so hopefully get through the tough block, then be even more convinced my figures are correct and enduring the pain of FF was so worth it.
Onwards and Upwards
I’ve only done it once as part of the Tool Shed Mash Up, and I died in the beginning of the last minute of #9.
But, I’m glad to hear that other users find some of these workouts this hard, too. I can also see the difference between rider types in some of these comments as everybody finds different workouts difficult or not. I’ve been a Time Trialist and a Rouleur and have the most problems with the highest intensity NM and AC intervals. But, I rock at and love the FTP level workouts like Defender and G.O.A.T. and I’ve hit some of my best numbers during Joyride.
I say leave #9 as it is, but maybe add a note in the description that if you don’t fail the workout then you definitely need to do a new 4DP test.
I say leave #9 as it is, but maybe add a note in the description that if you don’t fail the workout then you definitely need to do a new 4DP test.
Emacdoug. You are off my Xmas card list for bursting my bubble
OMG OMG
have any of you Sufferlandrians found “defender” even harder than “Nine Hammers”?
Or is it because I did it two days after NH?
I am absolutely Spent
I find Defender more of a mental battle, especially that 3rd set. It’s knowing things will ease and trying to hold on. That’s just me though, a lot of people struggle with Defender.
Have to agree with @Alistair_Brown. 9H is painful and pushes the limit (or breaks it!!) Defender once in a rhythm its a bit uncomfortable but does not get much more uncomfortable.
Love the session, great visuals, music is banging and story line and quotes are fun
Your right probably more a mental thing. I did so well in the dreaded NH I probably thought it would be easier lol. But hey ho it’s done
Onwards and Upwards
I’m not sure if it is a mental, physical or a combination of both but I really struggle to get anywhere near completing Nine Hammers at 100%. Typically somewhere around the two minute mark of hammers five, six, eight and nine I just hit the wall and have to stop. I can just scrape through hammers two and three and the threshold hammers aren’t a problem.
My focus is first on hitting the power numbers, then following the sit/stand instructions and finally trying to match the prescribed cadence. I have also been using visualisation and system checks to try and keep going for as long as possible.
What would be the best way to approach this workout to get the most gain from the effort?
Keep the power at 100% and then just ride easy on level mode for the final minute?
Reduce the intensity by 5% every time I have to stop?
Ride on level mode and keep RPE at 10 even if the power drops way down?
Well I’m the same and my approach is to go until
I’m really dead, let the video continue without auto-pause … change to level mode to get spinning again, set the numbers 10% lower and re- engage ERG. Then i just go to failure again.
I figure that’s getting me the workout intended.
I’ve never understood how that’s a completable workout (for me). Weird. But it is what it is.
I have it on my lifetime achievement list.
it got the better of me today less than 2 minutes in. Cadence started dropping and then that was that. Maybe the G.O.A.T. yesterday took more out of me than
I thought. Then again, GOAT felt challenging yesterday for the first time ever; maybe I’m just having a few off days. who knows? Kinda bummed about the hammers, though.
