Trainer question ?

[zealot66]

I posted I got my first trainer. Its a mag and not fluid. I dont have the bucks to buy the fanciest. I know nothing replicates the road. I was suprised that I had to use my heaviest gears to get going. It has definately been an odd transition from the feel of the road.

I do 60 minutes with bursts when I feel I can go and hold them for 1-3 minutes.

Considering its not really possible to replicate the road what should my main focus be on the trainer ? Keep in mind I dont have a power meter. My guess at this point being new to the trainer is that this is mostly an aerobic activity designed to maintain your endurance and increase your pedal RPM. Which Im staying at 90'sh for most of the hour. Its a great sweat. It mainly feels like I'm time trailing on a flat road.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[CritCross]

I'll let more experienced folks talk about the training benefits, but something to try to allow you more flexibility with the gear choice is to tighten down the force on the roller. This will increase resistance, but will also wear out your tire faster. When I'm confined to the trainer I put on the junkiest tire around and tighten it down hard so that if I want to do a few 'interval' type efforts I'm not spinning out my 53x11.

 

[Stephen D Aalderink]

I posted I got my first trainer. Its a mag and not fluid. I dont have the bucks to buy the fanciest. I know nothing replicates the road. I was suprised that I had to use my heaviest gears to get going. It has definately been an odd transition from the feel of the road.

I do 60 minutes with bursts when I feel I can go and hold them for 1-3 minutes.

Considering its not really possible to replicate the road what should my main focus be on the trainer ? Keep in mind I dont have a power meter. My guess at this point being new to the trainer is that this is mostly an aerobic activity designed to maintain your endurance and increase your pedal RPM. Which Im staying at 90'sh for most of the hour. Its a great sweat. It mainly feels like I'm time trailing on a flat road.

Any input would be appreciated.

Get some DVD's ...Spinervals, Carmichael Training etc. Learning how to use and implement a heart rate monitor into your training would be beneficial.
Establish some goals for your riding and then come up with a training "plan" and then stick to it. It's like building a house, you need a blueprint before you start to pour the foundation or put up the walls.
A periodization plan might be an option for you to look into:
Two too three months of base mileage (high volume, lower intensity), a couple of months of build (more intensity less volume), hit your peak, then maintain and have mini peaks throughout your season, then go into a transition (active rest) month and finally back to your base building again.
Joe Friel's book "The Cyclist Training Bible" has a wealth of information about this sort of training protocol as well as diet, weights and sports psychology.

 

[zealot66]

thanks for the input. I got a junk tire on the back. I went thru two tires over the riding season and put a tire that is irreparable on it from a slash on the side but works fine on the trainer.

 

[usedtobefast]

keep yourself as cool as you can:a fan. an HRM is still a great training tool.
and put a mirror in front of you. watching your form helps a lot. there are
sources on line for training programs. Polar has some among others.

 

[BikeBreath]

The beauty of the trainer is specificity. Steady riding is fine, but it could really start to drag on your mental state. A good interval program will make the time go by a little quicker and also ramp up your fitness. More coaches are advocating intensity to keep fitness and even boost endurance. The trainer is also good for one-legged pedaling. It's a nice warm-up and will help your pedal stroke. Start w/ 30 seconds on each leg w/ 1 minute spinning w/ both legs in between. Do 5 to 10 on each leg.

I've had some good experiences w/ programs from Roadbikerider.com

This one looks cool:
http://www.roadbikerider.com/bookstore.htm?sessid=nopJryw9BjksM#101_Cycling_Workouts__

I used Power to the Pedals last season. I thought the results were pretty good and for $3.99 you can't go wrong:
http://www.roadbikerider.com/bookstore.htm?sessid=nopJryw9BjksM#Power_to_the_Pedals

 

[PainIsYourFriend]

I agree with some of the other posts, you can really focus on specifics with a trainer. Mines got a tension adjuster which helps. I've done a few carmichael 7 week programs on the trainer and whilst quite hard, yielded good results. The thing i really like is that it's dead easy to keep heart rates steady.

 

[zealot66]

my intervals are going thru the roof. I mainly n the past focused on lasting the long rides. I dropped my 10k run time by 4 minutes. I attribute this to training my heart rate in higher zones. Cant wait to see the results when I can get the bike on the road. Another 6-7 weeks.

 

[cooperoaf]

Hill intervals

I bought Tour of flanders DVDs and do hill intervals when the race hits the climbs, these will keep you fit.

 

[zealot66]

Well, I finally got back on the road today and did a 60 minute time trial. I did 18 miles into a headwind and some small hills. my previous hour best was 15 mph. I know, its pretty slow but The interval work I did over the winter work definately paid off. Im already ahead of where I left off in october !! I feel good about this riding season and am planning on getting a respectable century time this year !!!