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turbo trainer training

hi just bought my first tracx turbo trainer and got a free training dvd of the alps thrown in. this was great for the first few rides but now bored stiff of it. anyone got any good training tips or programs to keep me motivated.

Comments

  • RobRob Posts: 209
    tc, got any mates you can swap it with? Try a radio, or mp3 player & download some turbo sessions from the net. I've got a feeling TACX have some on their website. Print them out & then stick a film on & watch that while doing them.
  • Yeh i struggle with motivation too! At 6.30am i have my bike facing the open window with the radio on my i-pod but i'm getting bored of that (i started out watching breakfast, but that made the time go so slowly because they just keep repeating everything!) People driving past (outside is a 6 lane busy road) must think i'm insane seeing my head bobbing up and down, esp when i stand up!



    Anyway, I've been looking for a good dvd for ages and haven't come across any - so would love it if anyone could recommend one!



    Thanks [:)]

    Barbs
  • pigletpiglet Posts: 86
    I got the Chris Carmichael (of Lance Armstrong fame) time trial training DVD- thrown in with the Cycleops Fluid2 I bought. It is a very good workout- but don't use it every session- too hard! I think they put out a whole range of training DVDs which concentrate on specific training goals.I think you need variety so probably get a few DVDs and then set up a few programmes for yourself based on music. My trainer is now in storage as I am heading to NZ, but I used it exclusively when recovering from knee surgery. The trick is to keep changing your programme to keep your sanity and motivation.
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    See my posts on Winter training and turbo training for my thoughts - basically I honestly believe follow the tradition of race rate and distance at race speed until the end of Winter and the do appropriate intervals - the DVD'sare good but basically read up about intervals that will suit your target and start doing the bastards 3-4 months before your target date
  • triNicktriNick Posts: 14
    You might want to check out some of the Spinnerval DVD's that are out there. There are over 20 DVD's in the collection. What's nice is that on some of them you can turn off the music and then listen to your own music while watching the workout. Yeah, I know, it can get boring after a while, but when you do this with friends in a group setting time flies by.



    Also there is a book out there with some cool workouts, a good variety, 60 workouts. It's called Workouts in a Binder For Indoor Cycling by Dirk Friel and Wes Hobson. What's nice about the book is that it coated so you can sweat on it and you don't have to worry about ruining the pages.
  • the bellythe belly Posts: 125
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  • semerysemery Posts: 27
    Hi all,



    So I’m a fan of outdoor riding even through the winter. But there seems to be many many people on turbos. Can someone tell me the added benefit please. (As well as staying dry and warm)



    S
  • What i find is that during the winter its far more dangerous on the roads, and the only accident i have had was during the winter....Also you want to experiement most with your gear and setup during the winter, and the best way to do this i find is on the trainer as you can jump on and off whenever you want to change bits and sizes...Also its easier to see how these changes affect your speed with a far higher degree of accuracy, as all the variables you would have outside (wind, gradient, traffic, dogs) do not affect you... Its a bit Geeky but its worth while! Hope that helps,

    Johnny
  • the bellythe belly Posts: 125
    [:)]semery im with you[:D][;)] i train outside throughout the winter.. i think the bennefit shows in the summer... those soft turbo riders cant hack it when it gets a little windy or wet in the summer ..... the wind and rain are your friends .....embrace the storms....[:D][:)]
  • topcattopcat Posts: 6
    top man belly cant wait to try those programs can feel the burning lungs just reading them
  • triNicktriNick Posts: 14
    Can someone tell me the added benefit please. (As well as staying dry and warm)



    I think on the Spinnerval DVD's Coach Troy states somethign like this every so often, I'll have to ask my coach to make sure, but I think every hour on the trainer is like 2 hours on the road. Besides, staying warm, dry and away from cars is all worth it in the winter.



    Starting in late Nov. or early Dec. I get together with some fellow triathletes here in Minnesota an we bike indoors on our trainers. We open the windows to stay cool, we watch the DVD on a huge tv and after we are done we have a beer or two.



    CORRECTION: Our training plan called for a turbo training session tonight, so we did 1:40 minutes. I was asking one of my friends what the ratio was of time on the bike versus the road time. She corrected my but she wasn't 100% either, she thought it was more like 2 hours on the trainer is like 3 hours on the road. So, I was wrong in my previous statement above. When I get a chance I'll ask my coach.
  • hound doghound dog Posts: 293
    Nice one belly, I have just been given a practically new turbo trainer to try with the option of buying, although I too far prefer outside training, I cant affford awinter bike at the moment and wasnt sure what I was going to do with the trainer. i now cant wait to try the sets you posted.
  • pigletpiglet Posts: 86
    I'm with most of you- outside riding can't be beaten. I used my turbo when recovering from knee surgery as I could keep the rpm high and stay in very easy gears (not always possible on a road circuit).

    But now I am all better I would mainly use the turrbo once they start salting the roads in winter- I really don't like the idea of getting salt all over my precious bike. (I can't afford 2!)

    What's anyone's experience with salted roads? Am I just being paranoid?
  • hound doghound dog Posts: 293
    Yeah road saltings a necessary evil Im afraid and like you piglet, the first hint of a gritter and my bike is parked up for the winter.
  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    Piglet and hound dog; staying away from the salt is a great thing to do for your bike.

    This stuff really harms metals, it litterally eats it's way through them.(cars also suffer a lot by them, but without the salt, much more worse things could happen!).

    I usea very cheap ATB to ride outside in winter times, just so i dont forget what biking outsideis.
  • semerysemery Posts: 27
    I to do not like taking the ‘dale’ out on bad weather and salt, unless it’s a club ride. So I spent £200 on second hand custom made touring bike with cow bars and single speed. It’s amazing the difference of not having to worry about pot holes, getting it dirty, getting it nicked! It just allows you to get on and train! If anyone is interested I can email the number of the guy that custom makes these bikes to order? (BTW Its all legal)
  • chrisechrise Posts: 1
    not wishing to sound out of place but the best motivation I get for winter training is knowing that I'll be on my bike grinding out the hard miles regardless of the weather whilst others are inside on their turbo's. For the cost of a turbo trainer you can kit yourself out for most weather. The only true value of a turbo is to allow you to do top end speed work that wouldn't be possible on the road due to safety, ie its all well and good gritting your teeth and closing your eyes on a turbo but its a whole other story on the road! at this time of the year shouldn't it be all about the long steady/ tempo rides building both aerobic base and strength anyway? Just think god forbid it could be cold wet and windy on race day!
  • rpopper65rpopper65 Posts: 171
    For me, the added benefit of turbo training is that it gives me another flexible tool for training and another good reason not to stop training in cold, wet or dark conditions. I certainly would prefer to do all my training on the roads all year round, but I have time constraints, safety concerns and logistical problems, too. Sure, it means I'm not the most hard-core of triathletes, but that's not my goal. My goal is regular training sessions built around a plan that works for me, in my own time.



    The ways in which a turbo helps me are:



    (1) I don't have lights on my racing bike and on the days that I can only schedule some training time when it's dark out (early morning or late night), it's good to know that I can just put the bike on the turbo and still get a good work-out.



    (2) I have to ride about 30 minutes start-and-stop through traffic lights and East London traffic before I get to some nice open roads where I can really settle into a groove or practice the specific skills I choose, in an uninterrupted fashion. That's not so much of a problem if I am heading out at 8am on a Sunday morning. But, at other times, I like knowing that I can put the bike on the turbo, do 10-15 minutes' of progressive warm-ups and then get straight into my training routine.



    (3) There are those occasional super-cold days of winter (and I would guess I only experience 2 or 3 of them each year in London) when my gloves and winter clothing still don't keep me warm in those crucial first 20 minutes of the ride - my body isn't warm yet, but the wind is cutting through all the clothing I've put on - that just don't seem to justify spending extra money on extra-warm gear becasue they happen so infrequently. But, it's nice to know that I can do the turbo training, get warm much faster (even thought I do my turbo training in the back garden, there is no wind cutting through my clothes when I am on the turbo and so I get warm within 5 minutes or so).



    (4) Being on the road, at least the roads I train on on North and East London, means that I can't always do the training routines in exactly the time, speed and cadence that I want to. I mean, if I am supposed to be doing speed training where it says go at a time trial pace, at the anaerobic threshold for 3 to 5 miles, then it can be frustrating if I am frequently interrupted by roundabouts, hills, or potholes or other obstacles?



    Yes, I know we have to deal with obstacles when we are racing on the roads, but when we are racing, it's usually under more ideal conditions, anyway. We often have the road to ourselves, or at least a lot more space to avoid potholes, etc.



    Don't get me wrong, I still love being out on the road and I'll always choose road training over turbo training, but every now and then it's nice to know that I can sit on the turbo, train when I want to train, worry less about weather or safety issues, go at a specific pace for the specified time and not have any disruptions.
  • AlfAlf Posts: 2
    It's not the cold or wet that bother me, i don't imagine it bothers most triathletes either to be honest, otherwise you probably wouldn't be a triathlete. It's the fact that drivers try their best to hit me on bright, clear, sunny days, never mind dark, wet, slippery evenings after work or early in the morning.
  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    ok Alf,

    welcome here, and a good entrance that is; you just said some wise words.

    So, i guess there are pros and contras to this turbo training. I guess that mixing it up, road and turbo practice, could benefit us all.(but i guess that is what most of us do.
  • pigletpiglet Posts: 86
    I'd agree with you there Alf. In a an ideal world we would have endless sealed cycle lanes with hills is the right place and sweeping bends and no dog walkers-but.... on a dark wet windy Scottish night the roads are bad enough with nil traffic- let alone with tired commuters who just want to get home to their warm houses and really arent looking out for the one or two "mad cyclists"" out there. That's when I have to wimp out and go for a spin class or turbo session. I do agree with rpopper- there is heaps to be gained from a turbo session if it's planned and focussed not just hopping on and idly spinning while watching the news- anyway that's my 2p worth[;)]
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