Turbo trainers - is it about the miles or the effort?

[Stevec047]

This is my first winter and after a great 1st season of cycling the last thing I want is to loose all the hard work I have put it. So the question I have is as follows:

Do you use your turbo trainer for 5 -15 min HIT sessions or distance riding of 20+ miles?

Which is better for keeping the fitness up and being in a position to get out on the bike and continue my success?

 

[smutchin]

Training rides should never be measured in miles, especially not on a stationary bike.

 

[Stevec047]

So I just need to stop feeling dispondent about 4 or 5 miles on the bike and think of it as a gym work out and sweat my butt off?

I am very tempted to try one of the virtual trainer options but I just don't feel I have the stamina or fitness to make the most of the software currently.

 

[smutchin]

So I just need to stop feeling dispondent about 4 or 5 miles on the bike and think of it as a gym work out and sweat my butt off?

Yeah, think of it as a gym workout.

Distance is only really relevant as a goal in itself - eg if you're doing an audax or sportive. If your target is to get fit (perhaps in order to be able to complete a 100 mile sportive or 200km audax), there are much more useful ways to measure your efforts - eg how long you've spent in a particular HR zone. Miles are totally irrelevant as a training metric.

HIIT is one option, and a turbo trainer is particularly good for that kind of thing, but you can also do endurance sessions - as long as you have the willpower to keep going for long periods with just a view of the garage wall to keep you motivated... The point is not to sit on the trainer and just pedal for a certain amount of time until you achieve some notional distance but to structure your workout using power or heart rate (or just perceived effort) to gauge how much work you've done.

I am very tempted to try one of the virtual trainer options but I just don't feel I have the stamina or fitness to make the most of the software currently.

If your fitness improves from using a smart trainer then you are making the most of it. That's what they're for, just like any other trainer. The only difference is that using a smart trainer with an app like Zwift is supposed to make indoor training more fun, so in theory you will be more motivated to keep up your efforts and therefore more likely to see beneficial results.

 

[smutchin]

By the way, do keep at it - that's the most important thing. Keep working your arse off in your structured training sessions (which aren't meant to be fun - they're work), then it won't be long before you start to find that just going out for a 5 mile bike ride is actually a rather enjoyable way to spend your time.

And it won't be long after that before you start thinking about those 100 mile sportives...

 

[HLaB]

Its definitely power/ intensity. For instance my old magnetic turbo had me pootling along at a theoretical 25mph plus whereas my newer fluid trainer has me pushing for around 15mph; whilst I'd travel theoretically further on the magnetic trainer I get a better work out on the newer trainer and it seems like I'm a stronger cyclist now.

Edit: Oh and I forgot to say I have a cheap power meter fitted to my pedal spindles now and don't even record the theoretical and useless speed/distance data, just power, HR and cadence.

 

[Ben Reeve]

They are a pain. My is like into Zwift so at least some feedback.

It's just not the same as cycling on a road. You are going all the time with no stopping for junctions, coasting down hills etc etc.

I might do half an hour of just spinning the legs or put the effort in to really smashing through an intervals sessions.

I am certainly not going to grind out a 4hr 100km ride though!

 

[screenman]

I admire my son who would put in 3 to 4 hours on the turbo followed by another 2 hours on the running machine.

 

[Ben Reeve]

I admire my son who would put in 3 to 4 hours on the turbo followed by another 2 hours on the running machine.

Now that is dedication!

 

[Venod]

A smart trainer helps relieve the mind numingness of turbo work you can do workouts or ride against others with Zwift etc, I completed a local route on bkool and the segment times are remarkably close to my real world times, I no longer dread the rainy day. A lad in the club did 100 mile on his, that I would dread.

 

[screenman]

Now that is dedication!

It is part of what you have to do if you want a decent iron man time.

 

[Milkfloat]

Do you use your turbo trainer for 5 -15 min HIT sessions or distance riding of 20+ miles?

I would argue that a HIIT session should last a lot longer than 15 minutes if you factor in warm up and warm down. You could easily do a theoretical 20m DURING a HIIT session.

 

[Stevec047]

Thanks for all the replies. I think it's a case of getting my head around the whole training and not riding thing.

Fitness has been the biggest issue with the cycling this season but bearing in mind I started out last october at a unsavoury 18 stone and very unfit to a now sub 15 stone and able to actually run around with the boys and not be huffing and puffing it's now something I really want to build on in the hope that it will allow me to be stronger in the saddle for 2017.

I have big plans for next year having just tipped over the 1000mile mark this year I want to double this and also include a number of 50 and possible 75/100 mile events as well as the regular 35/45 weekend rides.

 

[Stevec047]

I would argue that a HIIT session should last a lot longer than 15 minutes if you factor in warm up and warm down. You could easily do a theoretical 20m DURING a HIIT session.

I seem to be struggling with the longer harder HIIT sessions I tried a 25min obe last weekend and lasted about 15mins before crashing and burning big time.

Out on the road I average 5 miles per 22 mins so still have a long way to go until I can reduce the 5min mile mark down and up my average speed from around 11/12mph to 15mph which is my aim next year.

 

[Alan O]

You are going all the time with no stopping for junctions, coasting down hills etc etc.

That's about the first thing I realised with my new one - 30 minutes on the turbo is a good bit more effort than the same on the road.