Indoor traininng

[sunmonkee]

Hi guys,

I am a busy Dad who works full time studies full time and wants to ride my MTB full time.
I often supplement my limited riding time with indoor training, mostly I use sufferfest videos. I am starting to notice that the landscape is changing for indoor trainers with the addition of the Wahoo Kickr and computerised trainers as well as online platforms such as Zwift where you can compete against other people in a virtual race.

Does anyone ele use a indoor program? I am interested to know what you use such as trainer, videos, personal workouts as well as how you measure intensity I am using heart rate, does anyone use power what are the pros and cons?

Thanks,

 

[Ky1e]

I don't anymore but used to run a kickr with trainerroad pretty much every day. I found it hard to stay motivated, but used to watch music dvd's or whatever when in the hurt.

If I were to start up indoor again I'd switch over to todays plan and incorporate my outdoor training too

 

[Ivan]

I use a kickr with trainer road. I haven't used it seriiusly in a couple of months due to health issues, but trading with power and the kickr was real easy. Not having to focus on achieving a power output means you can watch or listen to other things and know your going to train properly at the same time.

I find it really difficult to spend an hour on the trainer though. Boredom really sets in at the 20 and 40 minute mark.

 

[Plankosaurus]

I had to start using a trainer after knee surgery, started out just spinning while watching TV shows, but once I gained strength back I found myself bored with it very quickly aswell. Sufferfest was the answer to me, boredom went out the window when I started really pushing myself.

As for measuring performance, I use a certain gear/minimum speed for each difficulty rating and try to beat old times. Works well enough for my purposes. Started using a hrm recently, but havnt really done anything with it other than go "yep, that's high now" and keep riding like I always do

Still prefer to head out for a ride wherever time and weather permits though...

 

[Lurkin]

Random youtube video workouts are generally the go, coupled with pressups and squats
Weights at home are also the go
dips and chinups at the parks

this is only when I am really, really motivated...

 

[SneakyBacon]

indoor is excellent for targeted sessions and short time frames

Sufferfest videos are great, but training blindly doesn't help you target weaknesses and improve strengths

I use indoor training for really targeted sessions (mostly for road but has improved my riding overall anyway)
Watt bike and Lemond style trainers are the best (or Wahoo) much better resistance and don't wear your tyres out!

I use a power meter on my roadie and it has given me excellent data to identify areas I need to work on and train specifically for things I need to improve (eg. 30s efforts for crits, 5-10mins efforts for climbs) I don't use one on my mtb, but thats cause I like to keep mtb for fun and not serious racing.

HR and power together is much more reliable data than just HR (for short efforts especially) and HR vs power gives you a good indication of how you are on the day compared to normal.
power is obviously expensive, but there's a reason its the standard measure for elites now and there are cheaper and cheaper power meters every season, like stages that can go on your bike and be used on and off the road/trails (but beware the water resistance issues!)

Have a look at the 'training peaks' website for great info on using power.
A 20 min power test is the best starting point for using power

Rule #5 Training is a good coaching service who can write you a program and guide you though testing and using the data it gives you. (check them out on facebook- I don't work for them, but i do use their services)

 

[rsquared]

Hi guys,

I am a busy Dad who works full time studies full time and wants to ride my MTB full time.
I often supplement my limited riding time with indoor training, mostly I use sufferfest videos. I am starting to notice that the landscape is changing for indoor trainers with the addition of the Wahoo Kickr and computerised trainers as well as online platforms such as Zwift where you can compete against other people in a virtual race.

Does anyone else use a indoor program? I am interested to know what you use such as trainer, videos, personal workouts as well as how you measure intensity I am using heart rate, does anyone use power what are the pros and cons?

Thanks,

The landscape is definitely changing! Technology is changing the way we train. 'Enthusiasts' can now easily access scientifically backed training and coaching that professionals use which is great. I use wahoo kickr + trainer road and have it set up at my gym to use between clients which is super handy. Trainer Road breaks down the training into different disciplines, phases and volume to give you a structured weekly progression which is amazing ie. You can select 'off road', 'gravity' and 'low volume' and boom, you have 8 weeks of training in front of you. Alternatively, there is road, cyclocross, triathlon, xc etc that you can choose from.

Improving you performance in cycling comes down to improving your technical skills, your Functional threshold power (FTP) plus your ability to sprint (obviously each discipline of mtb or road cycling will prioritise each of those differently). Improving your FTP can be done by using a structured progression of threshold workouts (intervals, over-unders, sweet spot are all terms you may here) plus simply improving your aerobic base. Without going into all the physiology, your body adapts differently to high and low intensity training and cyclists need both. Training to power indoors using a set up similar to wahoo + kickr enables you to train with the most accuracy and specificity which obviously leads to the greatest improvements. Your first starting point with power training is doing a FTP power test (I started off the year by doing mine yesterday. Warning: These are brutal and never fun!). This gives you the power you theoretically can put out for 1 hour consistently. Your power zones and all following training sessions are based around this FTP number and should be designed to see that number increase over time. The balance though is that most of us didn't get into cycling because we love to sit inside on a bike and spin, so structured training needs to be balanced with outdoor rides for fun, socialising and training in order to stay motivated.

I recommend my clients do a combination of the below depending on goals, phase of training and abilities:
1. Strength & Conditioning work in the gym to focus on muscular balance, injury prevention and power base.
2. Structured power based training indoors to focus on specific training adaptations for them (you don't get this as much on a social group ride)
3. Outdoor solo or group training rides. These can be a combination of specific event/goal based rides, social group 'shop rides' or 'coffee loops' etc or low intensity recovery rides.
4. Sprint work. Sprints are a great way to maximise neural adaption and muscular recruitment efficiency in timely way eg. Do 10 x 20s 100% effort sprints with 2 min recovery for a great 45 minute workout (w/warm up and cool down). These can be done indoors but I prefer not to. Tracking your power in the sprint overtime is useful but you don't need to track each one, they are simply 100% effort so you don't need to do them on a trainer, plus you can't sprint properly on a stationary trainer.

Apologies for the long winded post but hopefully it's of some value. Feel free to PM me with any questions if you like. If you are in Brisbane, happy to put you through a FTP test on the power trainer as well at anytime if you wanted.

I've got a bunch of trainer road promo codes for a free month access to the app if anyone wanted to try it out also. Just PM me.

 

[Calvin27]

I use my track bike on a basic mag trainer setup. Previously had an elite (forget model) with zwift but sold it.

Pretty much I find it boring as anything even with the 'games' to make it fun. There is a reason why I prefer mtb over road biking, trainers are another step down. But having said that what it is good for is when I have no time and need to spin the legs up for a bit. I probably ride max 30 minute sessions which consist of sprint intervals or recovery ride (cruisy). It mostly gets used in winter when the days are shorter and trails are wet. It's also handy in winter because there is no chill factor, horrible in summer without a fan though.

 

[Hamsta]

I belong to a gym that has a good spin studio. I ride there and home as a warm up/warm down dpending upon how hot it is. Wear a Garmin HR strap that syncs with the computer on the bike. The beauty of this is that I can track my HR, power output and cadence whilst in an air conditioned room.

The only down side is that some of the music that is used to set the tempo/intensity is really terrible and annoying. What balances this out is that time wise, it is hard to find better cardio training without resorting to running/timed sprints. Several of the instructors are keen cyclists and offer motivation to push through physical pain that I wouldn't endure if I was at home on a wind trainer.

 

[GazzaPops]

I use my trainer a lot over winter during the week. I use it as part of a structured training plan. Recovery rides are a nightmare on the trainer because they are so boring but the interval training is really good. I can smash the legs a lot harder on the trainer because I don't have to worry about falling off when I'm in oxygen debt.

I use a Jet Black Fluid trainer, which is pretty good on tyres, and HRM. If I had the cash for one of the fancy new trainers that don't need a rear wheel I'd be all over it.

 

[orco]

Can anyone share what their stationary bike training programs are and how they have helped to build mtb endurance?

 

[slippy]

Can anyone share what their stationary bike training programs are and how they have helped to build mtb endurance?

I rode on my indoor trainer a few times during bad weather or when there were other reasons I couldn't leave the house on my bike. If I can endure that level of boredom I can endure anything riding a bike can throw at me.