Thinking of taking the plunge and getting a turbo trainer, especially after the skies let out more water than a burst pipe this weekend, but how do you guys structure sessions?

I don't have a HRM or wheel mounted bike computer so would just be spinning. Any tips or regimes you can lay out for me?

My turbo routine, like most people i know who have one, is use a couple of times then put in the shed and ignore. Sweaty, boring, noisy and you can't be bothered once you've had your tea.

never, ever even think about using a turbo

Everyone had a few beers / wines tonight then?! 😉

What is your goal??? (mine is too lose weight and up my power and stamina). (3months of winter means lose 15kg for me-or am I dreaming?)

My turbo is cheap £140 (got it for half that) and it's used for when it's raining-which is every ride day so far!

It's winter-get rid of injuries, lose lard. Improve fitness in Spring to avoid burnout!

I try to get outside as much as possible but with my work and the shoddy weather I ended up purchasing a T.T.

My training is split normally between 3 methods:

Hill power for an hr with intervals of tough and super tough and using my cateye to monitor my heart and cadence rates.

Sprint power and high cadence sessions.

Stamina training which I do once a week and try not to use the TT so you don't bored!

I have captured some videos from youtube, peoples cam rides from all over the world and added music so I can ride in Germany, Italy, France, U.S. and Australia. All I need to do is delete the commentary, wind noise and add my fave tunes!

I have also purchased fitness DvD from Chris Carmichael 2nd hand and also downloaded 2 training vids from a site for £5 and £30.

Ok I have plenty of stuff I will never use so I never get bored but I do have my winter roadbike nearly kitted out.

Add some freeweights for my core and back-cyclists have shoddy backs.

Basically condition yourself, up your lactate threshold and have fun.

If its not fun you won't train!

Keep a training diary, calendar and change your workout every 2 weeks so you don't get bored and body never adapts to your workouts!

Try to get some commutes if you can? use as your recovery slow ride!

Make it fun and after a month you should be addicted!

Do some research on conditioning for cyclists.

See it can be boring as hell, just use it when it rains as a noob or go mental as serious athlete?

You can't beat social rides either!

use turbo trainers wisely.

very easy to use and very easy to overtrain

It's winter-get rid of injuries, lose lard. Improve fitness in Spring to avoid burnout!

I couldn't bear to give up riding for the winter 🙁

I got mine out of the shed this w/end.
Now I'll just need to do some time on it.
I've never really mastered the technique.
I tend to use a metronome and have a 25-30 minute beasting session that's both cathartic but very hard graft.
I used to employ a HR monitor which seemed to way to do it (for me)- but can't find the chest strap!
There are some books on the subject, especially HR training.

Thanks all, looking to use as an additional way to keep general fitness over the winter in addition to riding, not instead of. Let's face it, do we all ride as much as we like in the summer? Let alone the winter!

Similar training regime as rusty trowel. Plus putting it in the loft is a good upper body workout.
How about running notter? less crap to clean up, get's you outside and is a good complement to cycling.

Running's for weirdos 😉

Seriously though, I have previously tried running but just don't get on with it as a training thing at all, I get bored very easily with it and don't have to argue with myself very long to not go out!

Oddly i think i may use mine more in the summer, when i can't go out riding because of baby sitting duties, but can set it up in the garden and get a sun tan.

15 mins warm up.
3 mins full effort, 3 mins recovery.
" " " " " "
" " " " " "
" " " " " "
" " " " " "
10 mins warm down.
Only twice a week, sometimes I only manage 3 x 3 sets.

Eh?
5 X 3 mins on 3 mins off.

I don't have a HRM or wheel mounted bike computer so would just be spinning. Any tips or regimes you can lay out for me?

without both it's hard to structure a "regime"

without a "regime" you will probably use it only intermitently and not get the full potential out of it

most of the time trial specialists sem to base around 3 sessions/ week doing a variation of 10 mins warm-up, 20 mins at 85% of FTP,5 mins recovery, 20 mins at 85% FTP, 10 mins warm down. Add in sessions working on cadence and power, recalibrate every month.

Good luck

So what are your turbo regimes?

I avoid it like the plague!
Seriously though they're good *if* you have a proper structured training programme and you stick to it. If you just get on there and pedal for 30 mins you may as well not bother.

I begin with threshold;

10 min warm-up get heart rate to 85% of max

20 mins at 85% of heart rate max, keep cadence above 90rpm.

5 min cool down.

Then immediately I move on to hill intervals;

Standing

1 minute standing out of the saddle in a gear hard enough to turn a cadence of 60rpm followed by 1 minute easy spin, repeat 10 times.

Sitting

1 minute sitting in the saddle in a gear hard enough to turn a cadence of 70rpm followed by 1 minute easy spin, repeat 10 times.

10 minute cool down spinning in an easy gear.

It's a great workout but I wouldn't recommend doing it more than 3 times a week.

Calorie burn for the entire session is 1000 – 1200.

Thanks for the opinions guys. As mentioned before I'm not considering it a full on crack the whip training thing, I don't race or aspire to but I want to keep up regular sessions of being on the bike, even if it means not going out into the filth all the time.

To that end oldgit's structure looks nice and simple for me! Liking the alternatives though so keep them coming if you've got 'em…..

notter,
use mine like i think you wish to use yours, only when wet wet wet outside and i plonk it in front of the tv, either programme or dvd and ride for an hour or two if really keen. try to keep to a regular pace and now and then sprint. dont stand up as it feels sketchy as fek. find this is a reasonable way of keeping my legs turning and has to be better than just sitting on the sofa bloating??

Keep the intensity up and the time spent to less than 1 hr or you'll get bored.

I warm up for 5 mins then do 2 x 20mins intervals at threshold (hardest effort you can keep up for an extended period, you should be breathing hard and just able to carry out a conversation in short bursts) with 5 mins recovery in between.

I use a stationary exercise bike at the gym which allows me to adjust the resistance to give a set power output. I just try to increase the power each week.

HRM is not a satisfactory way of measuring intensity as it is a lagging indicator e.g. my HR for the second interval is generally 10 bpm higher than the first interval so use perceived effort or ideally power output.

Wormhole's got my intent absolutely spot on! Was nervous for a second there, thought I'd have to go all anal if I bought a Turbo… 😉

Im borrowing a set of rollers at the moment and would like to get an idea of training sessions you can do on rollers before i invest in a set of my own? do folks do similar on the rollers as on turbos?

Let's face it, do we all ride as much as we like in the summer? Let alone the winter!

I'm currently doing more than I did in the summer:

1 x midweek evening road ride (90-120 mins)

1 x midweek track session (120 mins, but really more like 90)

1 x weekend steady chaingang (3 hours)

1 x weekend long road ride (3-4 hours)

Don't need to touch the turbo. Or the rollers I recently bought. 😳

You've clearly got far too much time on your hands then, no jobs ooop North?!
😉

You've clearly got far too much time on your hands then, no jobs ooop North?!

A lot more than iused to have.

I make a point of getting out of the office early on Tues and Thurs (6pm on Tues and 5pm on Thurs) to do the midweek stuff.

Weekend rides are 9.30-12.30 Sat am and 9-1ish on Sun am.

I'm only jealous, don't worry!
🙂

I use mine quite a bit. I've been doing single leg drills recently working on pedal technique and cadence (as part of an overall training plan)

Also use mine to do lactate threshold testing over 30 minute session, and a 4 minute test as a benchmark to improve on over the winter.

30 mins at full-on is shocking torture!
Takes a few minutes to get up to speed but then the sweat pores open up.
Consider a rotating fan if you find, as I do, that when you get off the bike it looks like you've been crying your eyes out so, red with sweat are they!