I'm struggling back to fitness after a period of injury and illness which has resulted in an excess of "fatness"!

As I am reluctant to ride when it is very cold, foggy etc (recurring chest infections) the bulk of my recent riding has been on the turbo. I started off with regular gentle sessions of an hour with 2 hour sessions at weekends. I then moved up to intervals in the week but then I had time off again owing to work and the death of a family member (an uncle who I only ever saw a handful of times). I started on the hour long sessions, level 2 only, just to get back to square one and to move the flab. Meanwhile a roadie mate of mine started giving me a hard time about wasting my time not doing structured sessions. My argument was that to shift weight and get myself used to riding again, time on the bike is better than no time. He wouldn't budge though which left me wondering…. am I wasting my time after all?

If you're sat on a bike turnign the pedals and raising your heart rate then it's all good surely?

Yes, doign stuctured sessions may lead to results that they're designed to help with (strength/aerobic fitness/whatever) but it you don't enjoy them you won't persevere.

To my mind if you can bear being on a turbo trainer for two hours then you're doing alright!

Anything is better than nothing.

Great site for structuring you training if you have a laptop or pc near your bike:

http://www.turbotraining.co.uk

There is a good website that will help you have stucture to your sesions.

http://www.turbotraining.co.uk/

I use it every time i go on the turbo, it gives somthing to look at as well.

Shred – Snap 🙂

Both are right.

The thing about riding bikes is that real value only seems to come after, say, 2 or 3 hours riding. Hopefully no-one other than a snow-bound pro (I spoke to a GB dev squad rider recently who had to do a minimum of 20 hours a week on the turbo during the recent snow) is sane enough to spend north of two hours on the turbo….

Anyway, for a long base session, I would do 10 mins warm-up and then 90 minutes in zones 3-4, followed by 10 mins warm down.

For intervals, I never do more than an hour, but I am completely battered when I climb off, and often find walkiing up the cellar stairs tough.

If you're trying to build fitness, then steady sessions where you are working at up to threshold (without a heart rate monitor, this is approx the point when your breathing becomes laboured and your legs start to burn) will be better than short, interval, sessions where all you do is develop a sort of "explosive" strength without the underlying fitness.

However, ignore all the "fat burning zone" nonsense.

I know what you mean about a bad chest and the cold weather. One thing to consider for riding outside is, rather than MTBing which is often stop/start (opening gatres, etc.) steady road riding might be beneficial without the downside of illness. Try not to go so hard that you're breathing in great lungfulls of cold air. Oh, and ride wearing a buff over your mouth.

…the other under-rated problem with using a turbo is that you develop power/speed whatever but you really neglect the actual act of riding a bike, with all that it entails.

I had a friend who spent a winter on the turbo, came out in spring as fit and lean as anything, very powerful, but he got dropped on every road ride we did in anything other than straight flat roads.

I think there are lots of additional skills that develop quietly alongside fitness, and there is no substitute for actual riding..

crikey, you are right but the state of my health is such that if it is too cold/damp I just can't ride outside. I have been outside when the weather has permitted but if I only climbed on a bike when the weather was right, I'd hardly have been out this winter!

Turbo training is dull but MUCH better than nothing – so get some loud music, some great videos (cycling or MTB related ideally!) and get some hours in. Do use a fan to cool yourself down and you will sweat buckets so get a towel for you and a bike thong. It's a nice and simple way to train – and will help your fitness whilst you look forward to working on your skills in better weather! Just do it!

For steady riding indoors you are far better off on rollers

Strangely enough MikeWW I'm using a roller turbo. Don't know if these are still around but they are the bastard child of a turbo trainer and a set of rollers. Small rollers at the back and a turbo-esque frame with a fork clamp at the front. Best of both worlds IMO and there's no chance of me falling off!