Training & Nutrition - heart rate on a trainer just can't get it up

I find it hard to stay in my aerobic zone 153-167 (I'm male 28 and 220) when on a trainer... out on the roads or on my mountain bike i have no issues getting my heart rate up but indoors I'm sweating my butt off and having quite a bit of difficulty getting my heart rate up where I want it lately. It takes me about 10 minutes to even hit 140 consistently and feel warmed up

I have my trainer on the highest resistance setting and I'm in my middle ring up front and in the lower portion of my rear cog (usually the bottom 3 cogs).

how can I make it more difficult so my hear rate jumps besides pushing my big ring.....I'm attempting to really concentrate on spinning rather than mashing so I fear going to the big ring will be counter productive for that

I have the same problem. Outdoors on my mtb, my threshold hr is about 165. Indoors on the trainer it seems to be about 145. could be less. but the RPE feels the same. maybe its a mental thing.

Try a lower resistance?
What time of day are you doing this? In the morning it might take a while to warm up.. at night you could be too tired.
What time of day are you cycling outdoor?

I ramp up to full resistance and get out of the saddle. By the end of the winter I am able to do 30 minutes out of the saddle. HR goes way up, especially when you push your cadence. A good song on the radio helps the intensity, too! :)

i have experienced the same thing as well. so i decided to have two different HR zone setup - one for indoor trainer and one for outdoor cycling. or perhaps i should just use RPE (rating of perceived exertion) to measure effort ...

Try a lower resistance?
What time of day are you doing this? In the morning it might take a while to warm up.. at night you could be too tired.
What time of day are you cycling outdoor?

Have not tried a lower resistance

I bike at night after work the majority of the time.... and the same with my trainer

I've always been slow to warm up though regardless of the sport... in the gym I need 20 min of cardio doing to get my body feeling warm enough to stretch it out well and avoid injuries

I usually suffer a bit too in the first 20 mins of a ride if I have to push the pace

Nothing against trainers, but I don't think you can ever replace the effort it requires to take on a good hill on the road while on a trainer. I usually warm up 20 to 30 minutes on the trainer and then try to do some kind of intervals. I'll spin hard, but I never seem to get the heart pumping like I would on the road. I think it is a mental thing. It's just to easy to back off on the trainer and your sitting there with nothing else to think about but your breathing. When your on a hill you don't have a choice, it's make it to the top or get off the bike. :eek:

It sounds like your trainer is not up to the task. Maybe it's time for a better model.

IMHO it's just that it's hard to get excited on the trainer. There's nothing like the sight of a distant jersey to get that HR up. Also, you may be trying to go too hard too soon. Try warming up for 30 minutes, then doing a couple of 90 seconds power intervals at high cadence, a few minutes apart. Then try your workout. On the road, I find it hard to put out a decent, sustainable amount of power during the first hour.

Im gonna keep trying I like the idea of doing some intervals to spike my heart rate
I can keep up with the people I ride with maybe even pass a few more of them