How to not ride an indoor trainer like a wussy

[Last season, Joshua Goyet's excellent "Tour de Garage" series provided some fresh workouts and added motivation to many cyclists' winter training routines. This installment of "Not like a wussy" keeps the focus on the indoor training ride, where the principal wussy-like offense is simply staying off the trainer altogether, and waiting for the chance to get outdoors.]

How to not ride an indoor trainer like a wussy
by Joshua Goyet, Virginia Beach Wheelmen

As the weather turns bleak, and the cyclocross season winding down, it becomes tougher and tougher to force yourself to ride outdoors.  The back up plan is usually endless miles on an indoor trainer.

There are many ways to accomplish the goals of off-season fitness on a trainer, none of which require monotonous miles after miles after miles.  This type of indoor training is sure to have a negative affect on mind and will likely kill any motivation you may have had.  Here are a few pointers:

1. Break your workout into smaller time intervals.  It is much easier for your body to accept the fact that you have a 5-minute interval to complete rather than focusing on an hour and half ride.  You would be surprised how quickly the time goes by.  Start with a 10-minute warm up.  Next perform 3 sets of 1-minute, 1-legged efforts.  Next perform 5 sets of 2-minute threshold efforts with 2-minutes rest in between.  Next perform 3 sets of 5-minute threshold efforts with 2 minutes rest in between.  Finally finish with a 10-minute warm down.  This example will take you at least on hour and 10 minutes and you never have to focus on more then 5 minutes at a time (except for the warm-up and warm-down).
   
   
2. Ride with a group.  Just like riding outdoors, groups make you do the workout.  Your motivation level will be high and the time will fly by.  Also with groups you can challenge each other.  A good workout is to use a Round-Robin style format.  Decide the limitations of workout (HR max, power outputs, gearing, etc…) and let each rider challenge the others by coming up with an interval segment that matches the limitations set.  This will allow everyone to be involved and push the group.  Its just like leading the pace line.
   
   
3. Break the workout into segments.  There is no need to get stuck with one indoor workout.  Develop “interval segments”.  These segments should focus on specific goals.  We could use the example from above.  The one-legged intervals are one segment, the 2-minute intervals are another segment, and the 5-minute intervals are the third segment.  If you develop enough of these segments, you can always put together a good workout by putting these segments together.  Each workout should consist of 2 to 5 segments depending on their length.
   
   
4. Focus on something other than time.  Heart rate and power output is great for this.  Sometimes you need to use the trainer for base miles.  If this is the case you should still break down your intervals.  During these longer, base building intervals I focus on my heart rate.  I let my heart rate get up to 150 then attempt to keep it there for the duration of the interval.  Another trick for these long rides is let your interval time decrease throughout the workout.  So if you start with a 20-minute interval with a 2-minute rest your next interval should be 15 minutes.  Then you can do a 12-minute effort followed by a 10-minute one.  As you count down you began to look forward to the next shorter one and before you know it you just did 2 hours on the trainer.
   
   
5. Don’t be afraid to get off the bike.  Whether or not you have a home gym, you can make these workouts part of a bigger workout.  Incorporate some strength work, like body weight squats, push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups.  Be creative and don’t focus as much on bike time, focus on workout time.

Along with these pointers, most people also find it useful to listen to music, watch TV or maybe even read a book.  Those are good distractions that can help you push out the miles on some of those long days.  Whatever you do and however you do it is important to do it in a manner that will not burn you out before the start of the season.

Comments

[Lorena]

I love reading while training indoors, it keeps my mind occupied way better than TV. BUT it is very akward on a bike. Does anyone know of any sort of contraption that attaches to the handlebars and holds up and open a book for reading? Is there such a thing? I am dreaming of inventing one if not. I need one.

[Mike May]

Lorena-
Such a contraption exists. I don't normally like to point to Performance but they're the only ones I know of who make one. They call it the Book Caddy:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=15833&subcategory_ID=4122

And it's 20% off. Like everything else they sell.

[Mike Homick]

BRILF,

Shame on you! I can't believe you have the audacity to link to a Performance Bike product;-) You should know better.

[Mike May]

I don't like it either. But until the Unholy Rouleur tells us how to build one out of PVC tubing, a sheet of acetate and a couple old tubes, we're stuck with it.

[Steve]

How can you all watch TV or read while on the trainer/rollers and still focus on your workout? Crazy.
Maybe for a recovery spin.

[TerribleTerry]

My College running coach (an Olympian) used to do recovery runs reading a textbook while cruising along at 5:40 pace. Some people can go hard without much thought.

[sc]

My concept is the mind-body connection. ...mental cocentration is so important during training...without the two linked, you're not effectivly training.

[Pete Cannell]

My guess is anyone needing to read a book while training indoors has no idea what hard intervals feel like!

[Mike May]

In my defense, just because I knew that a book holder for handlebars existed, doesn't mean I use one. I play XBox instead.

In defense of Lorena (who asked the question), she placed 2nd in the MABRA Women's BAR and kicked some major tail at NRC races as well. If she reads while she rides the trainer, maybe we all should try it.

[sc]

maybe is she didn't read, she would have finished first.

[sc]

kidding of course, congrats Lorena, I am sure you're wicked strong and could kick my butt.

[Lorena]

Wow - it exists! Thank you Mike!
Now I will try to ignore the fact that Performance is the only company that would manufacture the item I want. There's gotta be implications in that....

To the haters - here is the secret to getting really fast. I like the "burning matches" analogy. Don't ever go hard while training. See, every time you go hard, you burn a match. And then that is one less match you have to burn when at a race. So if you burn all your matches while training, then you have less left to make you fast in a race. Haha. Seriously though, not all of my indoor time is spent on hard intervals, and when I'm spending any amount of time indoors in recovery/z2/z3, it's best to let the body find a rythm and then occupy my mind elsewhere. I've spent my best endurance zone time on the trainer while simultaneously learning/practicing Swedish -the hours melt away like butter and I kill two birds with one stone.

[Rob]

Well, if you hate having your mind focus on something else while on the trainer, you could always go old school with the East German method..and I quote:
"Grabsch confirmed a story that the former East German coaches demanded they ride hometrainers, in front of a brick wall without music or entertainment, for four or more hours, to toughen them mentally."

[Pete Cannell]

I love it. That is actually the core premise of the "cannell" training plan. LOL

[Chuck Hutch]

I lock my bike into the trainer. Then I get my book. Once I have found my spot in the book, I sit on the couch and read. Occasionally I glance over at the bike on the trainer.