Indoor trainer blues...

remail99 said:

Winter in the Northwest has forced me inside. Does anyone have any tips to overcome boredom riding on a bike trainer? Not riding isn't an option because I want to compete in duathlon/tri's in the spring and generally the bike is my weak point.

Thanks for any tips! 🙂

I listen to music or watch TV and as I posted in another thread read up on Nutti the Swiss guy who made the Phonak team using a trainer.

remail99 said:

Winter in the Northwest has forced me inside. Does anyone have any tips to overcome boredom riding on a bike trainer? Not riding isn't an option because I want to compete in duathlon/tri's in the spring and generally the bike is my weak point.

Thanks for any tips! 🙂

I watch TV while on the trainer. I have a 27" right in front of the bike. Due to asthma I can't ride outside when it is cool without suffering the consequences.

I'm not getting bored like some have described on the trainer. In many ways I like it better! Shocking but true. I don't have to fight traffic, don't have to put up with crappy weather, and my favorite ... I don't have to put up with the grade school brats when they are let out of school. I like to ride around that time of the day in order to avoid the traffic of rush hour.

Winter months are the perfect time to do all of that steady state base training on a trainer. It's good for intervals as well. Just do them during the commercials ... as though we need another reason to hate commercials! You just have to enjoy the process really, otherwise you'll be miserable doing it.

Think of it as working on your mental toughness. 😎

I use Train Right DVD's, Tour de France DVD's, Tivo'd races, or whatever game is on. It's not that tough even with music. You just have to be willing to put in the effort.

I agree with Morbius though. It has its advantages at times. I love the idea about using the commercials too. 😉

Here's a new angle: Buy yourself a good pair of gloves, wear a few layers of clothing and venture out into the cold. That's what I did the other day, climbing in freezing conditions. It feels good when you've actually taken the plunge.
Some people think riding in the cold is bad for you but I noticed I don't really suck in a lot of cold air once I'm in shape. There's nothing like some real cycling under real weather conditions, so long as rain isn't involved.

remail99 said:

Winter in the Northwest has forced me inside. Does anyone have any tips to overcome boredom riding on a bike trainer? Not riding isn't an option because I want to compete in duathlon/tri's in the spring and generally the bike is my weak point.

Thanks for any tips! 🙂

Aside from the usual "watch tv" etc., I always try to change what I'm doing every 10 minutes or so. At this time of year CTS has me doing base miles with some one-legged drills, high cadence drills, and what they call "stomps" (short high gear sprints). So, 10 minutes of steady state, 5 minutes of one of the other drills, back to steady state, another 5 minute drill, etc. Breaking the time up makes it more bearable. And I limit myself to one hour on the trainer at a time. If the schedule calls for more time, either I will do two trainer sessions, or try to get outside for a short ride, and then do the remainder of the time on the trainer.

Carrera said:

Here's a new angle: Buy yourself a good pair of gloves, wear a few layers of clothing and venture out into the cold. That's what I did the other day, climbing in freezing conditions. It feels good when you've actually taken the plunge.
Some people think riding in the cold is bad for you but I noticed I don't really suck in a lot of cold air once I'm in shape. There's nothing like some real cycling under real weather conditions, so long as rain isn't involved.

I went a put together a cross bike to be ridden outdoors during the winter months. The winds around here are very strong in the winter. Yesterday was the first day in about a week where you were'nt blown off of your bike. I am tring to get outside but when the winds are that strong the only place you are riding is indoors.

Agree the variety is good. Some days I like to ladder up and down the cassette cogs to keep the pace changing. Starting in the easy gears for warmup, every five minutes click up another gear. When I get as high as I want for the day, come back down the same way. I let the cadence and intensity vary depending on the gear.

Go up and back 5 gears and you've got a 50 minute workout. It's tough at the highest intensity in the smallest cog, but good for low-rpm strength building. Makes you appreciate going back to the lower gears to finish off the workout.

Also like to wear the HRM and try to keep HR as close as possible to targets. It's another little something to watch and control to make the time go by quicker.

Thanks for the tips. I do have to say it builds on the mental toughness. It's like running a half marathon or even a full on a treadmill. (Did that to train for the New York Marathon)

I am also going to try a book on tape I got at the library. That way after each 30-45 minute side I'll remember to change the workout up.

I don't know how Dr Morbius can say that he actually preferred the indoor to the outdoor - asthma excepted.
God Bless his patience.

Like Carerra, I think going out in the bad weather is preferable (I know it is a pain but I find it more interesting that the indoor training).
First 30 mins is terrible - warming up etc.
But once you get going - time flies by.

For the indoor training - I honestly cannot suggest how one could make it interesting.
That's why I go outside and train.
Nothing could motivate me to select indoor in preference to outdoor training.

Perhaps you need to adopt this reverse psychology Remail 99 ?

I rode in winds so strong I got blown back down a hill I had just climbed. I've even ridden in storms but, of course, you have to be crazy to do that.

crewman said:

I went a put together a cross bike to be ridden outdoors during the winter months. The winds around here are very strong in the winter. Yesterday was the first day in about a week where you were'nt blown off of your bike. I am tring to get outside but when the winds are that strong the only place you are riding is indoors.

If you don't mind spending some money, check ebay for some Tacx i-magic machines. This way you can monitor your progress all winter, plus train or race against others online. I look forward to winter training now. Going on my third year now on the trainer. Last year had quite a forum crowd racing each other on different virtual terrains.

remail99 said:

Winter in the Northwest has forced me inside. Does anyone have any tips to overcome boredom riding on a bike trainer? Not riding isn't an option because I want to compete in duathlon/tri's in the spring and generally the bike is my weak point.

Thanks for any tips! 🙂

I ride outside thru the winter, here in Illinois. Just wear layers of clothing, till you get it right. Nothing worse than overheating on a winter ride.

OR... buy some rollers, you won't get bored. I ride rollers when it's too cold or too snowy.

The first hour can be a little slow, but when you're warmed up and the music's pumping from the stereo the remaining 2-3 hours aren't normally any problem. Just make sure you've got plenty of fluid and food with you.

www.tacx.com has just finally released a collection of 'rider perspective' video based rides that are linked via software & a PC to a Tacx i-magic. This creates a very good simulation of riding out side. They have most of the famous Euro climbs on film like the Galibier,l'Alpe-d'Huez & Ventoux & other 'more ridable' routes such as Milan Sanremo , Tour of Flanders ,Iron Horse Classic.

These rides as well as the new Catalyst software are available on DVDs via the Tacx website. many more routes are on the way so most riders can find something for their taste. The goal is to provide your brain with the same visual sensations of real training (out side) & then for the i-magic to deliver that real feed back via its electromagnetic break. Each frame in the video file has a grade given to it that is based on GPS data recorded at the time of filming.

Later into the winter they plan to start sales of the brand new virtual terrain that includes mountains, Flat coastal areas & a place where you can head off road. This brings virtual cycling to the same league as your typical PC game.

For those with a older Tacx Basic or Excel (even a flow) you can upgrade to a i-magic by purchasing an inexpensive i-magic upgrade kit. For those that do not own a Tacx this same upgrade kit includes cables that will allow you to ride through the real life video DVDs. But you will have to manually change the grade using gears.

If anyone has any questions about the new Tacx products visit the Tacx Forum or ask me.

Regards Phil

I just got to comment on the mental toughness Trainer phobia posts as this is just how I was! (Ive trained in Hurricanes & floods to snow storms to avoid the trainer) I hated training inside so much that when I was finally forced inside by a back operation a few years ago I thought up a whole new way to train on the trainer!
Real life video was conceived by & primarily for those riders that need to train distance inside but can not handle the alien garage surroundings. I'm a cyclist & I need to see trees , a road , houses, cars, feel hills as well as see them & not just a count down timer that gets slower & slower. We can now stick a cheap DVD in the PC & go for a real 3hour ride in Colorado & every meter of it will be different. Its very close now to the real thing & the bit I like most about it is the memory's of the ride are of a ride rather then some clock! :o

Regards Phil

Sure, the trainer sucks. But if you haven't tried it yet, give a good footbally game a chance. Ride easy when you tune in but do intervals while the ball is in play. Surprisingly, each "down" only lasts between 5 and 10 seconds. It's a great way to build your conditioning and a good three hours on the trainer can add up to some serious miles. With all the bowl games and playoffs coming up, you'll have a great base built for spring.

Your other option is to hit the lottery and give this a try. It's called the Inside Ride Super Trainer and it simulates outdoor riding. It's basically a big treadmill for your bike. You can take rides from your bike computer and upload them into the unit. You can spin on this thing all day and it's just like being outside. Of course it'll set you back about $40K but it's only money. Actually, you should start to see these in higher-end bike training and coaching facilities pretty soon.

www.insideride.com

I love the football idea! Will try it on Sunday. (Can my Bears win two in a row please?!)

As much as I'd love to ride this winter.... the snow is stopping me. Compact snow and ice is okay to run in, but bike? I can't bring myself to even try. I am committing myself to the daily mental agony of the trainer. Thank you all for your posts!

remail99 said:

Winter in the Northwest has forced me inside. Does anyone have any tips to overcome boredom riding on a bike trainer? Not riding isn't an option because I want to compete in duathlon/tri's in the spring and generally the bike is my weak point.

Thanks for any tips! 🙂

Make the session as short as possible. This is where intensity comes in. Good luck.