Training & Nutrition - Question about posture while using a Trainer

What difference (if any) does it make if you are riding indoors on your trainer and you are:

A) Just sitting on the saddle in a hands free postion

vs.

B) Being bent over your bars as if you were actually out riding

Thanks in advance for the info,

Tim

Major difference...

Is there a difference in the way the muscles are used when you standup riding on the pedals or are in the drops or hoods on the road? Yes

When you get up on the saddle and do not hold on to the handle bars I find I can drive the pedals more then with sitting in the areo position. Also my HR goes up a few beats per minute and my cadence tends to get faster.

It all depends on what you are doing, for fitness, cardio only it should not matter. For base miles, patricular training, etc yes it does because you train particular muscles a particular way.

Why use a bike on a trainer if you want to sit up and ride... just get a stationary bike...

(Of course all this is just MY opinion... others may vary)

I just wanted to make sure. Thanks for the feedback tallguy

Major difference...

Is there a difference in the way the muscles are used when you standup riding on the pedals or are in the drops or hoods on the road? Yes

When you get up on the saddle and do not hold on to the handle bars I find I can drive the pedals more then with sitting in the areo position. Also my HR goes up a few beats per minute and my cadence tends to get faster.

It all depends on what you are doing, for fitness, cardio only it should not matter. For base miles, patricular training, etc yes it does because you train particular muscles a particular way.

Why use a bike on a trainer if you want to sit up and ride... just get a stationary bike...

(Of course all this is just MY opinion... others may vary)

A great question. I assume there is a bit of a difference but am not certain I really care. Then again, my purpose on the bike or on the trainer is cardio fitness and weight control. I do however, hope that the trainer makes me a better rider.

The way I figure it, as long as I am "in the zone" and proper posture for my minimum exercise time all the extra stuff doesn't really matter.

That is true assuming you are doing it for weight loss. For those doing base miles it can be important for other reasons including getting your body used to breathing in a certian posistion, etc.

Riding on my trainer in my riding position has improved my breathing for when I get out on the road to ride. When I first started riding, in September, I could only stay in my drops for a very short amount of time because I felt like my breathing was constricted. After training on my trainer, in my riding position, I no longer feel the constricted breathing when I get out and ride on the road. Every now and then I might sit up to take a break for a minute or two. I use my trainer for cardio and base miles.