Training & Nutrition - For those stuck on a trainer...

How many days per week do you ride on the thing? This is the first winter that I’ve resolved to dedicate myself to the agony of indoor riding for the full duration of the season, and for the most part, I’ve been doing a pretty good job. I manage 45 minutes to an hour per day, but I seem to have reached a plateau where 1:20 minutes is just a tad more than I am comfortable doing. Every day I ride along to Spinervals disc #25.0 (Aero Base Builder V), which is supposed to be easy. I had hoped by this time to have been able to complete the whole two hours of the work out, and to have moved along to the second disc I purchased (22.0 Time Trialapalozza). It’s looking like I might not be able to tackle the more difficult disc until April (if at all). Very discouraging.
My question is this: Is an hour on a trainer significant? Am I over-reaching in my desire to be able to do the full two hours of training on 25.0? I’m kind of bummed that I can’t as of yet. Also—I manage about five days per week as of now. Am I wrong in thinking that I can do intervals every day as long as they’re aerobic intervals? As I’ve already inferred, as easy as it’s supposed to be it’s still challenging.

5-6 days a week, approx. an hour each time.

Monday - 1 hour spinning class (interval-type workout)
Tuesday - 40 minutes on the stat bikes in the gym, on their hill climbing workout, which I ride like the hills are intervals, and 20 minutes on the rowing machine
Wednesday - 1+ hours on the stat bikes, hill program
Thursday - 40 minutes on the stat bikes in the gym, on their hill climbing workout, which I ride like the hills are intervals, and 20 minutes on the rowing machine
Friday - off
Saturday and Sunday - 1+ hours at a more relaxed pace on my trainer at home.

Do different stuff on the trainer. Way too boring otherwise. Plus you get used to doing the same thing and don't improve as much after a while. Vary it. Do TTs, one legged pedaling, fast pedaling, muscle tension intervals, tempo intervals. Mix it up.

I dunno. I've been doing 30 minutes at 5 am every morning and then usually another 30 when I get home from work. It's awful =P I actually changed my work schedule so that when it gets warm in a few weeks (here in texas) I can ride OUTDOORS for an hour every morning... with a nice light of course.

How many days per week do you ride on the thing? This is the first winter that I’ve resolved to dedicate myself to the agony of indoor riding for the full duration of the season, and for the most part, I’ve been doing a pretty good job. I manage 45 minutes to an hour per day, but I seem to have reached a plateau where 1:20 minutes is just a tad more than I am comfortable doing. Every day I ride along to Spinervals disc #25.0 (Aero Base Builder V), which is supposed to be easy. I had hoped by this time to have been able to complete the whole two hours of the work out, and to have moved along to the second disc I purchased (22.0 Time Trialapalozza). It’s looking like I might not be able to tackle the more difficult disc until April (if at all). Very discouraging.
My question is this: Is an hour on a trainer significant? Am I over-reaching in my desire to be able to do the full two hours of training on 25.0? I’m kind of bummed that I can’t as of yet. Also—I manage about five days per week as of now. Am I wrong in thinking that I can do intervals every day as long as they’re aerobic intervals? As I’ve already inferred, as easy as it’s supposed to be it’s still challenging.

I generally do 2-3 hrs, 4 days a week. I did 4 hrs a couple of weeks ago. For me 1 hr is not long enough to accomplish my workouts at this time of year. 1.5 hrs would be my minimum.

"Aerobic intervals" is somewhat vague as to the intensity. I will usually do 3x30' @ 92-95% threshold power, or 2x20' @ 100-103% threshold power followed by 30-40' @ 88-91% threshold power. For my longer rides, I will do 3 or 4x40' @ 85-88% threshold power.

How many days per week do you ride on the thing? This is the first winter that I’ve resolved to dedicate myself to the agony of indoor riding for the full duration of the season ... until April (if at all).

Another thought ... why do you have to ride inside 5 days a week until April? Won't you have some nice days over the next month-and-a-half where you can ride outside?

I do what I mentioned in my post above, but for the Saturday or Sunday rides, if the roads are remotely rideable, and there isn't a blizzard or something going on, I'm outside. I think it is beneficial to supplement indoor training with real outdoor riding.

If you can get out 1 or 2 days a week, that makes cycling indoors so much more bearable.

One hour a day using this:

http://www.amazon.com/Workouts-Binder-Indoor-Cycling/dp/1931382751/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202955673&sr=1-23

I do a minimum of an hour on my rollers. 20 miles or more each time. I just did a century on the rollers on Sunday. I called it The Bourne Century +, as it was 115 miles of rollers while watching the Bourne movies.

Getting past the first hour the first time was the most difficult, but now it is not that big of a deal. For being a fat man, this was something I needed for the winter.

I am on the Trainer 6 days a week, 2 rides a day, at least 60 min per ride, but never more than 90 min. I have found that 90 min is my threshold anymore and I start trying to find a really good reason why I should not continue the ride. Always ride to a movie, Just finished all 6 Star Wars movies, have to decide which movies to tackle next (I new all those $$$ I spent on the hundreds of DVD's would eventually pay off). I do mix up my rides currently doing 1 legged stuff, cadence spin ups, TT's.....


Oh, and for the Century on the rollers.....you are my hero, I would never even dream of something like that

It really was not that bad, and my wife thought I was losing my mind when I told her what I was going to do. She needed to study very hard for some tests, so I needed to leave her alone, so I went to the basement and worked on the rollers and she got some her study time. I really had a hard time with the last 20 - 25 minutes of The Bourne Ultimatum, because I knew I had already hit the 100 mile mark quite a ways back, and was just on the rollers to finish the movie.

It's primarily mental. First thing you need to do is determine your goals. Then come up with some sort of plan that gives you day to day workouts. Then you just have to make up your mind that you're going to do what it takes. After that, you can figure out what passes the time best for you... reading, music, movies, training DVDs, etc. You can mix them up too, music for the warmup and cooldown, training videos for intervals, movies for tempo/endurance, etc. Whatever works for you.

If you stick it out, it will be worth it. You'll hit the ground rolling instead of spending several weeks just getting back in shape.

Az

currently its an hour each session 3 to 4 times a week. once i get a freaking tv in my basement i will extend the sessions. later.

If I am only going to do an hour, I will throw in a few CD's and just listen to music.

If over an hour, it is usually two hours, so I throw in a DVD and watch a movie. Not watching all of it, because I am on rollers and not a trainer, so it takes a little attention.

If I am only going to do an hour, I will throw in a few CD's and just listen to music.

If over an hour, it is usually two hours, so I throw in a DVD and watch a movie. Not watching all of it, because I am on rollers and not a trainer, so it takes a little attention.

When I ride the stat bikes in the gym, I just ride. There's no music, and I guess I could grab a magazine, but I'm too busy riding to read.

At home, on my long steady distance weekend rides, I watch TV.

Again, my workouts are at home on rollers and not a trainer. I would probably read or something like that if I was on a trainer for an hour.