Review of the Athlete Lab, Sydney

Quality Training on 'real bikes' producing 'unreal results'

Nowadays, there are so many options available to the amateur cyclist that help enhance the training experience. The Athlete Lab in Sydney is one such option I would recommend without hesitation after I was fortunate enough to experience four different training sessions in September and October before relocating to Europe.

Athlete Lab Sydney

The Athlete Lab opened its doors in Sydney and Singapore in 2012 by a group of triathletes who wanted a time-efficient training facility which was more technical and relevant than the spin studios that already existed. It was important for the studio to be conveniently located, and Circular Quay provides the perfect location as a transport hub for trains, buses and ferries. The bikes used are Adjustabikes, which feel like real bikes, accurately reflecting the feel of the road, a feeling that just is not possible from normal spin bikes. These bikes were originally developed for Olympic athletes and incorporate real gears and groupsets. The riding position is identical to a road bike and the same muscles (hip flexors and quadriceps) are used, unlike a spin bike, where the flywheel makes your hamstrings work harder to slow the pedals as they come around.

The training sessions follow the Shane Sutton Method, a world class training protocol used by professionals and utilising power based training. The sessions are designed to work at different training zones - based on a percentage of Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and the bikes are automatically controlled by a master computer, ensuring participants work at the required intensity. Ultimately, this allows all levels of rider to be able to benefit from quality training, specific to their fitness level.
 * Shane Sutton is the British Cycling Performance Director and Head of Coaching at Athlete Lab*

During a session, riders can watch accurate real-time data; power metrics, heart rate, cadence, Training Stress Score (TSS) and other key metrics on the screens in front of them and at the end of the ride all this data can be automatically updated to Strava or Trainingpeaks.

The Athlete Lab has recently employed new Head Coach, James Lamb 'Chops'. Bringing a wealth of knowledge of power training, he has already stamped his mark on the 'Lab' by incorporating his power sessions into an already impressive and varied timetable. There are five key sessions on the schedule, each lasting from 45min-1hour in duration and varying in structure. Ironmania (Zone 2-3), Super Strength Endurance (Zone 4), Threshold Booster (Zone 4), Powerhouse (Zone 5) and HIIT Hurt Box (Zone 6-7).

My first session was the Super Strength Endurance class, a class designed for riders training for events of over 2 hours duration. This was a perfect introduction for me as a long distance mountain biker and I felt comfortable working in Zone 4 (91-100% FTP). I came away with a very positive impression of the bikes, particularly of how realistic they are. I enjoyed the fact that there was so much useful data and the fact this data is on the screen for all to see which provided plenty of motivation for me to keep working hard throughout the session. The lab also has a stretch room, good shower and locker facilities, bike shoe hire and free towel hire.

The next time I visited the lab, James Lamb talked me into a Powerhouse session, sub-titled 'Attack the Breakaway', designed to improve overall speed over short distances. This proved a lot tougher than the previous session and I was reduced to a quivering mess at the end of the class. Undeterred, I returned a fortnight later to re-engage in the evenings Powerhouse class. This time I endeavoured to keep my cadence as high as the protocol allows; when you drop your cadence on these bikes, force increases in order to allow power to remain the same. If you let your RPM drop too much it becomes impossible to turn the pedals. With gritty determination, I succeeded - well almost...

In my final class, I revisited a Super Strength Endurance session with a James Lamb designed programme entitled Saw Tooth Mountain. This was an interesting twist to the basic programme and the 55 minutes seemed to fly by, but not without plenty of exertion and perspiration. There was plenty of camaraderie in this class and it was great to suffer with cyclists of all abilities.

I would strongly recommend trying out the Athlete Lab in Sydney. It is an excellent facility, with great equipment, scientifically proven training programmes, friendly staff and a varied timetable of activities. As for me, I am now keen to try out the Athlete Lab London, which made its debut at 110 Cannon Street in Spring 2014.

Athlete Lab London