Spinning: How long is too long?

jarodwinn said:

I've heard rumors that spinning for long periods of time can damage your leg muscles and joints. Is this true?

Spinning poses exactly the same risk of muscle/joint overuse or injury as riding outside. If you spin a moderate gear and make changes to your routine gradually then the trainer should not cause any issue.

jarodwinn said:

I'm trying to build my endurance and burn some fat too. I normaly spend about 60-90 minutes per day on the trainer but I'm thinking of ramping it up to 2 or more hours.
Any thoughts or advice?

2+ hr trainer rides will not damage your muscles or joints if you are accustomed to riding that long outside. Personally, I experience more butt and back fatigue on the trainer because the bike is held rigid and I tend to sit in exactly the same position for longer -- unlike outside where the terrain forces different positions. The most common complaint I hear about long trainer rides is boredom.

If you're already doing 60-90 min/day, my advice is to look into increasing the intensity somewhat to burn more calories (ie, fat) and build endurance faster. Search the forums for discussions on sweet spot training (SST), or take a look at the article here. Good luck!

frenchyge said:

Spinning poses exactly the same risk of muscle/joint overuse or injury as riding outside. If you spin a moderate gear and make changes to your routine gradually then the trainer should not cause any issue.

2+ hr trainer rides will not damage your muscles or joints if you are accustomed to riding that long outside. Personally, I experience more butt and back fatigue on the trainer because the bike is held rigid and I tend to sit in exactly the same position for longer -- unlike outside where the terrain forces different positions. The most common complaint I hear about long trainer rides is boredom.

If you're already doing 60-90 min/day, my advice is to look into increasing the intensity somewhat to burn more calories (ie, fat) and build endurance faster. Search the forums for discussions on sweet spot training (SST), or take a look at the article here. Good luck!

Good article! I appreciate the advice. I do admit, I get bored as hell on the trainer, but I find that when spring and summer hit I'm mentally stronger on the longer rides and enjoy riding outside all the more!

Some tips for long hours on the trainer:
- Put on some music you like and wear a good sounding pair of headphones (or use speakers). Put an extra computer/HR monitor/sports watch on your handlebar or hang a big clock on the wall.
- Break your work outs into 10 to 15 minute 'segments'. Doing so disrupts the monotony of a "long" workout. Even if the segments are similar in effort the entire workout doesn't seem to drag on.
- Stand (while pedaling) for 1 minute every 10. More often if you need it.
- Put a big fan in front of you. I use a three speed pedestal fan with a remote control. It helps to be able to control the 'wind' from the saddle.
- For longer rides (2 hours or more), have extra water bottles and energy bars handy.
- It helps to map out a specific training plan; then stick to it.

This is the first year I'm staying indoors (in the garage) more than riding outside. My weekend trainer sessions have exceeded five hours. I know I would ride outside for this long but now that I'm older (50+), 10 degree F rides are just not that much fun anymore.

Happy trainer riding! 😄

all good advices, i also think of the session in segments and to help my mind on that i drink water from my bottle every 10 minutes, so if im doing 50 minutes i think ok 1/5 of the workout is done and so on (sometimes i drink every 5 minutes)

Cadence information has help me a lot, it is something you can concentrate on and try to improve your leg speed at every workout. It works great because you don't coast on a trainer and it is not as taxing on your body as doing power intervals for example.

What really helped me was the addition of a power meter (purchased last October). It allows me to be creative with my workouts using the book by Allen & Coggan as a guide. Some of their workouts are more easily done on the trainer than on the road. As you know, the road resistance always changes and you can't focus on the PM all the time.

Using power in short 10 to 20 minute segments, the change in pace, and the focus to nail an average power makes time fly. I've done 4 or 5 hours several times without boredom. Riding outdoors for 5 1/2 hours would not be possible on days like today (15 degrees F) and keep toes & fingers from frostbite.

bwbike said:

What really helped me was the addition of a power meter (purchased last October). It allows me to be creative with my workouts using the book by Allen & Coggan as a guide. Some of their workouts are more easily done on the trainer than on the road. As you know, the road resistance always changes and you can't focus on the PM all the time.

Using power in short 10 to 20 minute segments, the change in pace, and the focus to nail an average power makes time fly. I've done 4 or 5 hours several times without boredom. Riding outdoors for 5 1/2 hours would not be possible on days like today (15 degrees F) and keep toes & fingers from frostbite.

I agree with all of what you said completely. Maybe that's why I love the trainer so much. Because a power meter (a) keep's my mind focused and occupied on power the whole time, (b) it gives me a huge purpose to keep going, which is to improve my power, and (c) structures my sessions into different intensity levels and intervals. Winter's don't have to be a buzzkill to get on the bike (indoors)🙂.

bwbike said:

Some tips for long hours on the trainer:
- Put a big fan in front of you. I use a three speed pedestal fan with a remote control. It helps to be able to control the 'wind' from the saddle.

You could try putting it behind you as well. Works better for me. Tailwind!

Animator said:

You could try putting it behind you as well. Works better for me. Tailwind!

That's true! And if you set the trainer up so your bike is slightly angled down you wont need to pedal at all... just let gravity and the wind do all the work!

The powermeter tip works wonders. This is my first winter using one and it deffinatel makes the time go by quicker. You can also pop in a movie to hold your attention (Rocky movies seem to do the trick for me), or break your training into two rides a day; one in the morning and one at night.