I have a turbo trainer. It's a pretty basic but 'smart' thing that I got from CRC a few years ago.
I want to get back on it but what do I do with it?
My fitness has suffered from a mixture of having a kid and buying an ebike. I only really get out on a bike once a week and although riding my non e bike is helping, I want to do some work on the turbo to help with strength in my legs for punchy climbs. That's the biggest thing that I notice is bit having the power that I used to.
I used to ride a lot. I now can't so turbo it is.
I'm not really interested in the social or gaming elements of zwift etc.
I have the time and enthusiasm to stare at the wall in the spare room for an hour or two if I'm getting some benefit from it.
The trainer is fairly basic with it's own app. The app works but isn't great. It has ERG mode. The app allows you to structure workouts based on time and ftp so I can set it to say, warmup for 10 mins at 30% then 100% for 2 then back off to 50% for 10 mins etc.
Basically programming intervals.
How can I use that to get some strength back into my legs?
It does allow me to load a .GPX into the app and the trainer adds resistance accordingly based on elevation data. It kind of works but when you're riding down hill, there's zero resistance and you have to spin the pedals at a million miles an hour to make it advance you along the route. I gave up on that idea fairly quickly.
Cardio wise, I could do with some improvement but the real aim is power and I figure that using the trainer will help with cardio anyway.
Any tips?
If you want to improve leg strength, are you doing any weight training? If not, on a trainer, create or use high intensity intervals and start the "on" interval at a very low cadence and then "explode" your power for, say, 30 to 60 seconds then rest for 60 seconds and repeat about 5 times. Spin gently for about 5 minutes then repeat. That should be a good starter.
Which trainer app are you using? Many of them already have similar workouts built in so if you can, just follow something similar. The key to leg strength is low cadence and explosive power, not spinning easily for hours on end 😉
Spinning easily for hours on end is basically what I do at the weekend when I get have the opportunity to go out. I'm pretty good at it.
I'm not doing any specific weight training. That's probably the next phase. I've got some weights at home but we're talking adjustable dumbells and a couple of bars with weight plates. I haven't got the equipment for squats or deadlifts which I assume to be fairly beneficial all round.
The app I'm using is the native app for the trainer. Is an Xplova which CRC were selling as their Lifeline brand. I haven't looked at it for a while to be honest but a lot of the built in workouts seem to be aimed at long sessions with varying resistance. There wasn't much in the way of sprints or explosive stuff.
I can use it to program my own workouts though so I can target low cadence with high resistance easily enough and then chuck in a minute at 150% ftp or something.
What you say makes sense so I'll give it a go. Thanks
I don't enjoy zwift either. So I use Trainerday. There is a free and a pretty cheap premium version.
It's a ERG trainer where you follow a routine of power normally based around your ftp. Create your own or use thousands of available on the platform either by users or baked in by coaches.
There's also another mode I really rate which is heart rate based - essentially it adjusted the resistance to get you to the heart rate you requested. I use it use if for some zone 2 riding and netflix binging.
The biggest indoor training tip I got was to point a fan at my bum. Game changing.
There's a few of us on here that use Trainerroad. It's great, no faff w avatars, just a clean interface, and lots of room to watch Netflix. Works well to build fitness.
I couldn’t be bothered with Zwift, or indeed trainer road.
In the end I started using the free training programme function on Garmin connect and just let my Edge drive the trainer for 3-4 sessions a week.
It’s sort of structured, adapts if you skipp a session or two, mixes up intensity based on your stated goals and seems to factor in recovery…
I'd get MyWoosh for starters (it's free) and there's a lot of specific workouts on there (some you can choose to have a guided video of someone doing it with you if that's your thing). Personally I only do interval sessions up to an hour as anything longer bores me and if I'm not doing intervals time seems to drag on. I only do fairly short intervals to (1-2 minutes). There are workouts for strength, cadence etc. but not tried them
Which trainer is it?
A friend of mine also bought a "smart" trainer from CRC a while ago, it wasn't actually smart and was guessing power from speed and a made up resistance curve. Was all a bit of a let down. Only cost a couple of hundred quid and is now used for warm ups at the track and CX races.
Has been replaced by a Tacx Neo.
I'm not doing any specific weight training. That's probably the next phase. I've got some weights at home but we're talking adjustable dumbells and a couple of bars with weight plates. I haven't got the equipment for squats or deadlifts which I assume to be fairly beneficial all round.
Bit of a tangent but I'm seeing good results just with basic Argos/ Aldi weight sets. Granted I'm only squatting 15kg at the moment (because I've been particularly prone to back spasms in the past, no doubt bad form or muscular imbalance) and deadlifting 30kg, but a) it still leave me with DOMs in the muscles I am targetting (glutes, hamstrings), which in my book is a good thing and b) I'm noticing improved muscular engagement on the bike, my pedal stroke feels 'proper' now instead of this weird wobbly pedal stroke that I had in the past.
Point being, just start with what you have and learn good form, I swear there are gains to be had just doing that.
Re: the turbo, my issue is that I've set mine up with my outdoors summer road bike, which I just find to be purgatory on easy, long workouts, however I think I've burned out after a whole winter of short hard workouts, so now I just can't face any more indoor training 😆 See if you can adapt your indoor bike for comfort, even cheap aero bars, flip the stem up or fit something shorter, comfier saddle, etc. etc.
If not using a training platform check out the gcn training videos, plenty of good stuff in there to get started with
Bit of a tangent but I'm seeing good results just with basic Argos/ Aldi weight sets. Granted I'm only squatting 15kg at the moment (because I've been particularly prone to back spasms in the past, no doubt bad form or muscular imbalance) and deadlifting 30kg, but a) it still leave me with DOMs in the muscles I am targetting (glutes, hamstrings), which in my book is a good thing and b) I'm noticing improved muscular engagement on the bike, my pedal stroke feels 'proper' now instead of this weird wobbly pedal stroke that I had in the past.
Point being, just start with what you have and learn good form, I swear there are gains to be had just doing that.
Ditto. I've got a pair of cheapo 10kg Aldi/Lidl adjustable dumbbells, and I've found that an 'all-over' workout of pretty much my own devising a couple of times a week has made quite a difference.
I don't enjoy zwift either. So I use Trainerday. There is a free and a pretty cheap premium version.
Again, ditto, I even forked out for the premium version as it was only about £30. I got it to devise me a training plan (it uses AI, obvs... *eyeroll*), and I'll sit on the trainer for 90 minutes doing whatever it tells me to do whilst watching a couple pf episodes of Better Call Saul.
Cheers guys!
There's a whole load of things here that I'd never heard of so I'll take a look at trainer road/ trainer day. I didn't realise there was something on Garmin Connect either. I've got a 530 do I'll see what they can do between them
As for the trainer itself, it's an Xplova Nova which at the time, didn't have a great deal of info online. It was mega cheap with an unrealistic rrp. I knew it wouldn't be great for the money but equally, it was cheap enough that even if I never used it, I wouldn't have cried too much.
I'm not sure whether it measures power or not. I had to add a BT cadence sensor though.
The ERG mode seems to function fairly well. It takes a bit of getting used to because I'm conditioned to make life easier by clicking up the gears. The trainer is mean and just adds resistance to counter my attempt.
The 'bike' that's on it is my old HT frame with just enough random garage spares to function on the trainer. I built a wooden stand to use instead of a front wheel. Apart from the saddle, it's about as comfy to ride as my current hard tail.
I'm not sure whether it measures power or not. I had to add a BT cadence sensor though.
The ERG mode seems to function fairly well.
If it's got an ERG mode, it measures power (ERG basically holds you at a given power setting)
I do workouts on MyWhoosh, they're OK and the app is free. Shorter ones work for me.
There's a whole load of things here that I'd never heard of so I'll take a look at trainer road/ trainer day. I didn't realise there was something on Garmin Connect either. I've got a 530 do I'll see what they can do between them
Yep go on connect tell it what you want to do (train for an event, general fitness, etc), over what time frame (8/12/16/wks) and which days of the week you can commit/when you would do your "big workout" each week, then fire up the edge and connect should push workouts directly to it.
The interwebs suggests that the Xplova Noza S (that the one you have?) is a proper smart trainer and should be able to pair with your Edge 530 and away you go... No need for a PC, tablet or a paid sub, just periodically connect your edge to your phone and then let it gently bully you onto the trainer.
I've tried turbos twice. Both times I've got rid - if I've got time to sit looking at a wall on a turbo then I've got time to go for a run which is far more interesting/"fun".
I'm not sure turbos are supposed to be 'fun', more of an efficient way to train when time/weather etc. is limited.
Personally I nearly always need purpose to keep things interesting, structured workout or one of the pace bots etc in TPZ/Zwift etc.
Replacement for fun/social outdoor riding it isn't!
I've tried turbos twice. Both times I've got rid - if I've got time to sit looking at a wall on a turbo then I've got time to go for a run which is far more interesting/"fun".
I'm heading this way too, won't help very specific pointy-end fitness but in general going for a half hour run feels much better value than anything but the hardest workouts on the turbo (the type that I've found unsustainable beyond a few weeks specific training for a race or something).
My hierarchy of exercise, based purely on my enjoyment:
1. Cycling off-road.
2. Walk
3. Gym session.
4. Swim
5. Run
6. Road cycle.
7. Indoor cycling
That's how little I like riding indoors, it is a bit poo.
I do use mine a fair bit, mainly in the colder/darker months.
However there is one key thing about the turbo that works for me - I can do it without leaving the house. Or in other words, I can do it whilst the 7year old is in bed, ands Mums out. Thus any single one of the alternatives (night ride, go for a run, go to a gym) is not available.
You can also combine turbo time, with other time consumers - we all know that you shouldnt spend hours watching netflix/youtube/doom scrolling if you want to get fit.
My Turbo time is literally 3 things at once - screen time, parenting, AND exercise, all at once. Thats why it works for me.
You’re similar to me in that you have limited ride time for fun rides and want to get your fitness better for that 1 time a week you’re out for fun.
Regardless of apps I’d suggest starting with some sweet spot interval sessions if you can beat the boredom of just looking at graphs / bars. I didn’t for a year or so using TrainerRoad and it really gave me a much better base. I spin faster than I used to do and have a much better burst of power when needed on climbs etc. if you use something like trainrrroad and put in what your aim is it’ll normally give you sweetspot sessions for a chunk of time, then start adding in some more vo2 type stuff as time goes on to build more outright power.
I’ve moved on from that now and use Zwift - I like races or group rides - I find the actual workouts a bit dull and only use them for zone 2 stuff whilst watching tv. If you’re a competitive person then Zwift will motivate you to push a lot harder for longer - although clearly it’s not structured training if you were planning to actually race your bike.
(the type that I've found unsustainable beyond a few weeks specific training for a race or something)
Unsustainable through effort or boredom?
I've tried turbos twice. Both times I've got rid - if I've got time to sit looking at a wall on a turbo then I've got time to go for a run which is far more interesting/"fun".
Yes and no - If you want to get fit for cycling they offer a very structured way to get fit quickly and controlled
IN the past I would definitely have gone for a run over a turbo session - however my running days are over with hip issues.
Right, I've looked Garmin Connect and found the workout feature. It's very similar to the native app for the trainer but a bit nicer so I'm going to set up some intervals give that a go. I need to get my FTP in there somehow though to use the %power target. The device tells me to just track a activity to get FTP data. I've tracked hundreds of rides on it so far so I think I need to do some reading.
I also saw the training feature where you give it a goal (x distance in y time) and it structures a plan for you. Might give that a go too.
key thing about the turbo that works for me - I can do it without leaving the house. Or in other words, I can do it whilst the 7year old is in bed, ands Mums out. Thus any single one of the alternatives (night ride, go for a run, go to a gym) is not available.
This is why I want to use it. I can jump on for an hour or so once little madam is in bed which is otherwise dead time.
The 'bike' that's on it is my old HT frame with just enough random garage spares to function on the trainer. I built a wooden stand to use instead of a front wheel. Apart from the saddle, it's about as comfy to ride as my current hard tail.
I love this. More wooden frames in turbo training I say.