trainer observations

Shaggz

A strong 7
a few things i've noticed after putting some steady trainer time over the past few weeks:

- new cycling shorts rule;
- bourbon is not a good replacement for beer - i'm off the sauce;
- Roam is a fantastic DVD. However, it is not good to watch when you are trying to keep a steady cadence and your heart rate in the aerobic zone. But, the Moab sequence will get you psyched for this;
- I crept back into the 180s again some time this week :D;
- the trainer is not so bad once i came to peace with the fact that it is the only way to get my ass i the saddle these days
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
However, it is not good to watch when you are trying to keep a steady cadence and your heart rate in the aerobic zone.

I find drama movies the best for this. Like crime drama, maybe LA Confidential type stuff - stuff that occupies your mind. Comedy is right out. Bad trainer stuff.
 

walter

Fourth Party
a few things i've noticed after putting some steady trainer time over the past few weeks:

- the trainer is not so bad once i came to peace with the fact that it is the only way to get my ass i the saddle these days


Dude, you're tellin' me.

Glad to hear you are using it

I need the guidance of workout tapes or some of the workouts posted here by ChrisG and others. I find if I try to just watch tv, my mind wanders and I just end up pedaling for an hour.
 

walter

Fourth Party
are you spinnin walt? what's your take on the CMT vids?

I like them and need them to guide me. I do feel that once you cycle through them enough and learn the workouts they may become a bit mundane. Like any other workout you do, once your body gets used to it, you may need to up the anty a bit.

For guys like us, a definate help. For an advanced level rider, I dont think they will enjoy them all that much.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I like them and need them to guide me. I do feel that once you cycle through them enough and learn the workouts they may become a bit mundane. Like any other workout you do, once your body gets used to it, you may need to up the anty a bit.

For guys like us, a definate help. For an advanced level rider, I dont think they will enjoy them all that much.
I have three training videos which I once used a lot. One thing that I found was the watching part was mostly irrelevant- what made them useful was having someone telling me what to do and encouraging me. To this day, getting hollered at by a coach or respected fellow rider will get me to put out the deepest possible effort, quite a bit further than I might push myself otherwise.

Back in the day, Coach Troy was selling audio tape workouts and I always thought that made sense, but I'm not surprised that few others agreed, because he stopped peddling them a long time ago.
 

walter

Fourth Party
Chris, thats what I like about the Carmichael dvd's. Your pedaling along, and the coach tells you how long to pedal, at what cadence, when to rest, when to pick it up, etc. There is an effort/rpm gauge and a time clock on the screen so even if you wanted to mute and listen to tunes, its possible.

Like I said, if I'm in there just watching tv I don't really feel like I'm achieving much. If I have the dvd on, I know I am going to get a good, solid hour long workout that is going to make me suffer a bit.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I've watched 2 of the CTS videos and I'm not that stoked so far. This morning I chose no TV and used the second hand of the clock as my guide instead. I'm finding TV less and less enjoyable on the trainer these days.
 

Wobbegong

Well-Known Member
I'm happy the time change is just around the corner. I'll have daylight for after work road rides. I hit the trainer for 45 minutes tonight, it seemed more like 2 hours. I swear that time slows down when I'm on that thing.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
I hit the trainer for 45 minutes tonight, it seemed more like 2 hours. I swear that time slows down when I'm on that thing.

Trainer time seems to be slower because you're actually working the WHOLE time and it usually hurts a lot more. Kinda the same reason a dentist appointment seems to take forever. When's the last time in the woods you pedaled for an hour straight? It doesn't happen, no matter who you are. You coast downhills, through corners, stop to pee, talk to your buddies about the new 2 gram uber-blinging semi-co-molded-forged carbon-ti valve cap you just bought on Ebay for $1 that's gonna drop your Hartshorne lap-time down to 4 minutes etc, etc, etc...

The trainer is just what it is, training, and training is hard and sometimes not a lot of fun. If it were easy everyone would be fast...

-Jim.
 

Mike679

Active Member
I've learned about the affect that human sweat has on my '96 Tassajara that resides full time on my trainer.

Guess one of those bike-thong, sweat catcher thingies would have been a good idea.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Trainer time seems to be slower because you're actually working the WHOLE time and it usually hurts a lot more. Kinda the same reason a dentist appointment seems to take forever. When's the last time in the woods you pedaled for an hour straight? It doesn't happen, no matter who you are. You coast downhills, through corners, stop to pee, talk to your buddies about the new 2 gram uber-blinging semi-co-molded-forged carbon-ti valve cap you just bought on Ebay for $1 that's gonna drop your Hartshorne lap-time down to 4 minutes etc, etc, etc...

The trainer is just what it is, training, and training is hard and sometimes not a lot of fun. If it were easy everyone would be fast...

-Jim.

Word. Well said. One of my aims this year is pedaling 100% of the time on the road. If you leave out the big fat downhills, it can be done. On gradual downhills sit up and push the biggest gear. In the woods it's hard to do. On the trainer there's no free lunch.
 

Maurice

New Member
I dread trainer sessions worse than getting my bikes stolen.

The other day I had the choice between riding the trainer, or the local park at night, 20* and in the snow for 2 hours. Extremely easy choice.

I don't buy into the "it's a better workout" thing though. If you don't have a choice, that's fine, you can still get a ride in, but to me it's always better to actually ride outside.

With that being said, I rode the trainer exactly twice this winter. Both times I felt like I missed a training session. That thing's just not for me.

Maurice
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Maurice - you don't do intervals in the trainer, do you?

I don't think it's a matter of better or not. It's harder, but that means mentally harder not necessarily physically harder. I think if you're trying to structure your intervals, it's easier to do what you want, and thus better. I find it hard to really get that stuff done outside.
 

Maurice

New Member
Norm, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the trainer is useless. It's just not for me.

I've tried doing intervals on it. Well I think I'd rather shoot myself in the foot. I usually don't do intervals much anyway, I just ride the singlespeed at RV. CR also has a great loop for that: just hit a particular climb and go up it as fast as you can. Repeat. Still loads more fun than the trainer.

And how on earth do you simulate riding hills on the trainer?? You're never working against gravity...
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Which loop at CR do you do?

Gravity merely means you have to put more power into the pedals. To simulate hills you need to have a higher output for a shorter time (the duration of the hill).

You obviously can't simulate a loose gravel climb on the trainer. It's only concerned with power output, not anything else like technical skills, gravel, wind, balance, horse shit, etc.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
the trainer is as the trainer does. i hate it, just like i hated the spin bike last year, just like i hated the treadmill for my entire life. it's a never ending hampster wheel. 40 minutes on the damn thing is torture. i always thought that it was more "work" than actually riding, but since i try to ride the road the way norm described, it was about the same.

and, to be 100% honest, there is ZERO difference between the way i rode the spin bike and the way i ride the trainer. none. spin class = useless for real world riding. spin bike, A-ok. so a-ok, infact, that this little gem is currently sitting on the floor at marty's:

http://www.cycle-ops.com/p-325-club-pro-300pt.aspx

sure, it's $2000, but who cares! if it's ten times the cost of a trainer it MUST be ten times more better, more effective, more gooder!

anyway, back on point: i do intervals that last about 3 minutes (depending on the length of the current song) where i drop into the big ring and hammer as hard as i can, then rest, rinse, repeat.

of course i've been doing nothing the last few days b/c of illness but that's another story.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
I just got the free trainer from flat friggin tires, you guys are really getting me excited to try it! I have been holding off to try and bump a cold though...
 
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