Turbo training

[Jon2412]

Hey folks,

Hope this is the right place to post....

I'm struggling somewhat to get a decent time in with the turbo trainer. Dark, wet nights have meant that I'm now spending more time 'spinning' on my turbo. I'd like to spend an hour or so on the turbo to feel that I've had a good session - but I seem to suffer from a numb bum more than I do when out on the road (its the same bike) and after 20 mins or so the boredom is a real issue.

I have music and sometimes a film to watch but it's just not like being in the great outdoors
What do you do to make it through a solo turbo session? (that sounds slightly wrong! )

 

[jdtate101]

Sufferfest.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

trainerroad.com

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

trainerroad.com

This is of interest as keen to keep in good condition through winter. Do you have first hand experience with the software?
In my instance i have Garmin 500 with Heart rate and cadence/speed sensor.
Interested to know your (and anyone else's) thoughts on this.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

This is of interest as keen to keep in good condition through winter. Do you have first hand experience with the software?
In my instance i have Garmin 500 with Heart rate and cadence/speed sensor.
Interested to know your (and anyone else's) thoughts on this.

I do indeed

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/any-trainer-road-users-within.109266/

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

I do indeed

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/any-trainer-road-users-within.109266/

Thanks for that. I'll have a good read and go from there.

 

[black'n'yellow]

I'd like to spend an hour or so on the turbo to feel that I've had a good session - but I seem to suffer from a numb bum more than I do when out on the road (its the same bike) and after 20 mins or so the boredom is a real issue.

You don't need to spend an hour on the turbo to get a good workout. If 20mins is your limit, try a Tabata session..

10 mins warm up, followed by
5 mins worth of 20sec hard sprints followed by 10sec rest - sprint 20s/rest 10s/sprint 20s/rest 10s, etc
5 mins warm down

The idea is that 10 secs is insufficient recovery before starting the next set, so the first couple will feel easy, but the sprint efforts become increasingly difficult the further into the 5 minutes you go. If yo do them correctly, 5 minutes of tabata intervals will be about all you can manage anyway. Do a couple of tabata sessions each week for a few weeks and your fitness will see some big gains.

 

[Rob3rt]

You don't need to spend an hour on the turbo to get a good workout. If 20mins is your limit, try a Tabata session..

10 mins warm up, followed by
5 mins worth of 20sec hard sprints followed by 10sec rest - sprint 20s/rest 10s/sprint 20s/rest 10s, etc
5 mins warm down

The idea is that 10 secs is insufficient recovery before starting the next set, so the first couple will feel easy, but the sprint efforts become increasingly difficult the further into the 5 minutes you go. If yo do them correctly, 5 minutes of tabata intervals will be about all you can manage anyway. Do a couple of tabata sessions each week for a few weeks and your fitness will see some big gains.

Not done those intervals before, sound's interesting! Will have to give those a go sometime when I am pressed for time. Maybe even give it a go at the end of a steady base ride when fatigued a bit, to help develop my sprint/kick a little at the end of a ride.

My go-to, quick but brutal turbo session is 1 min on, 1 min off, for 30 mins. Feels easy at the start but after a few intervals you will still be fatigued by the time the next interval comes and you will suffer nicely!

 

[Jon2412]

Thanks for all the ideas :-)

I'm going to give the tabata intervals a go to see how I get on - I suspect I'll be knackered! I've also looked at the other ideas sufferfest and traineroad...not come across these before so having a close look into them. Really glad I asked - intervals I can get in now without spending ;-) I suspect I should be more structured on the turbo anyway....I've always found it harderwork than the open road.

Strangely I managed a 50 min turbo session this afternoon...think it was a pysch thing after posting this thread...heh!

 

[black'n'yellow]

I'm going to give the tabata intervals a go to see how I get on - I suspect I'll be knackered!

that's the idea. If you can walk in a straight line after a tabata set, then you haven't ridden them hard enough...

 

[Monsieur Remings]

You don't need to spend an hour on the turbo to get a good workout. If 20mins is your limit, try a Tabata session..

10 mins warm up, followed by
5 mins worth of 20sec hard sprints followed by 10sec rest - sprint 20s/rest 10s/sprint 20s/rest 10s, etc
5 mins warm down

The idea is that 10 secs is insufficient recovery before starting the next set, so the first couple will feel easy, but the sprint efforts become increasingly difficult the further into the 5 minutes you go. If yo do them correctly, 5 minutes of tabata intervals will be about all you can manage anyway. Do a couple of tabata sessions each week for a few weeks and your fitness will see some big gains.

I have to agree with this - 1 hour on the turbo is a limit and as the OP says, a sore arse is the result usually.

I have music on in the background but also work in different heart rate zones. One of the things I've started doing is a 2 mile warm-up in and around the 60% effort zone and then 5 miles at pace. What does that pace constitute? Well, for a start, the hardest pace I know I can maintain for 5 miles and as on a normal outdoor ride I often find I go really hard and then less hard but each successive mile I record the time and try to do better with the next one. This is a motivational factor but also trains my ability to gauge effort vs distance without blowing up too soon.

What I like about this training is that you have to use your judgement on how long you can keep up the pace you are doing, just as in a real race/situation. Although it's not interval training I often end up in the 90% + zone.

I then have a 1 mile warm-down at much the same effort as the warm-up. The maximum time on this round 8 miles is around 30 minutes.

I sometimes take sessions to an hour using the same philosophy as above (and double the distance and maybe more) but working strictly in the aerobic HR zone so as the pace is steadier.

However, I'll try the workout above black'n'yellow, nice one.

 

[Norry1]

I'm a Sufferfest man myself as well. I've put my TT bike on the turbo and expected bad numbness etc but have found it okay so far. My longest session so far is 1hr 20 - as one of the Sufferfests (Local Hero) is that long. I find I can work much harder following a vid that I would just telling myself to work hard.

 

[jdtate101]

Just tried sufferfest - Angels for the first time last night....boy that was hard work!!! I must have sweat out about 1.5L, think I need a better fan to keep me cool. Having my 5yr old cheer me on "go daddy, go daddy" as I attempted the sprint on the last 'climb' was odd.

 

[jazzkat]

, think I need a better fan.......... Having my 5yr old cheer me on "go daddy, go daddy" as I attempted the sprint on the last 'climb' was odd.

Sounds like a good enough fan to me