ColaJacket

I don't have a smart trainer or a power meter, so the Smart Apps are out for me.

Just curious if there are any videos that are good to use without either a smart trainer or a power meter.

I did discover that playing some songs that have a BPM of about 90/180 (give or take a few BPM). I've found a site (https://cycle.jog.fm/workout-songs/at/180/bpm) that has listed the BPM for most popular songs.

While I was listening to some Sports Radio while training, it wasn't too bad until it got to the commercials, and then, the time seemed to pass sooooooooooooo slowly.

I know that my cadence is probably lower than it should be (<80-90 RPM), so I figure while I'm on the trainer I can work on getting my RPM's up to a better range for spinning. I've only done one trainer session with songs, but it did seem to help. I'm not streaming from the site, but I did use the site to make my playlist. It's a little eclectic, which includes songs from the 1950's to today, with the emphasis probably in the 1970's/1980's. It has punk to pop, with metal. So, the music has two functions. 1) It helps me pass the time better. 2) It helps me get my cadence up above 80 RPM. I figure that this way, when winter is over, hopefully my cadence will stick above 80 RPM.

Anyone else have any hints for making a Trainer session seem to go quicker? Like videos that have music similar to what I've described might be good, also.

GH

unabowler

I wish I had the exact quote from Carbonfiberboy, but he basically said if you're bored on a trainer you're not working nearly hard enough.

IBOHUNT

Sucks but if you can't ride outside then you do whatcha can. This past weekends 3' snow made it so I won't get out until Feb sometime

I've only done 15 hours inside this month

CliffordK

Get outside and ride on the street?

You could park the trainer in front of the TV.

Black wallnut 

The Sufferfest if you are looking for the whole package. If you are a race fan watch past races on You-Tube while listening to the fast tempo music of your choice.....

chaadster

My tip is to get sensors, and ride to a plan.

Get heart rate, speed, and cadence.

Create or copy workouts which target development of various capabilities and which vary your target goals through the course of each workout. In other words, do interval workouts.

A quick search of Youtube for cycling workouts will find you a wide variety of workouts coupled with visual distraction.

The ultimate trainer experience is with Zwift, which you download to your computer and that allows you to do real-time, virtual rides with hundreds of other riders.

2manybikes

Honestly, I have two nice trainers collecting dust in the cellar. I can't stand them. I have big studded tires on my MTB, and I ride on ice and snow as much as possible. If one is a skier you have most of the clothing already. Big tires in deep snow is just like a trainer, the second you stop pedaling you just stop.

DWhitworth

I use the CTXG interval videos on YouTube (with the sound down) and listen to a radio. Watching the watts and doing the intervals keeps me just busy enough.

DaveW

ypsetihw

put some hybrid/conversion tires on a disc brake MTB frame and ride outside

largefarva

Zwift.

customsound79

+1. I don't know why but it works really well. The new workout modes are awesome. Just like outside, seeing a goal in the distance or the constant feedback makes it a lot more interesting.

MikeRides

I find if I just ride hard enough it's not too "boring" and to help I also use the time to catch up on some movies/TV seasons.

DMC707

Old X Files episodes on Netflix ---- 1 episode for a 45 minute workout, -- 2 for a 1.5 hour workout

dagray

get heart rate, cadence, and speed sensors, and an ANT+ dongle to plug into a USB port and use apps like Zwift or BKool. Both will work with a regular trainer as long as you have the sensors

camcrobe

+1 for the Sufferfest videos. A bit cheeky, but makes doing intervals kinda fun

dr_lha

TrainerRoad + Netflix for me. I found Zwift boring on a dumb trainer.

Wittyname

The CTXC videos on YouTube are my bread and butter for actual workouts, easier stuff is just whatever DVD/Netflix show sounds good and has the right duration. Been meaning to try the Sufferfest stuff, though, it looks very well done

GravelMN

In addition to several good online training videos, I also watch a lot of concert videos on my Kindle Fire. I even got an amplified BlueTooth speaker so I can really rock out. I can also pair my old MP3 player to the speaker. I like to mix music to match different paces and mix things up.

TrojanHorse

OK, seriously, Raleigh isn't exactly land of ice and snow. Unclip your bike wheel from the trainer and go outside, that's what I would do.

ypsetihw

I can't believe nobody else suggested this . . . go to a spin class and sit behind a cute girl

Drew Eckhardt 

A large fan and streaming media.

I have a Roku 3 which works with all the major streaming services (Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, etc.) except Apple iTunes and has a WiFi remote with a headphone jack (stick it in a jersey pocket) so you can hear over the fan noise without disturbing the rest of your family. Most recently I watched Game of Thrones.

While you want to ride six days a week, you don't want more than one or two hard rides a week like training videos will have you doing. You need easy rides to leave you fresh enough for that, and to increase your performance over longer distances. Even if you have the fitness for them, more hard rides don't produce quicker performance improvements - they just add to your fatigue so you're not as fresh for other rides.

A trainer is not my first choice, although I'm more willing to get on a trainer than to start a ride in rain, moved my weekly 3-4x10 minute session indoors after being gun-shy from crashing, and had no alternative for a month after being side-lined with a broken collarbone.

If it's cold I just dress warmer. When I lived in Colorado sometimes that meant ear warmers and ski goggles.

cyclist2000

I watch TV, ride in the saddle during the show, crank up the gears and stand and climb during the commercials

Zoxe

I ride in the spin room at the gym when there's no classes going. It helps keep me motivated if I stay on a particular schedule and I'm less inclined to skip a ride if it's a "gym day" and I stop on the way home from work. And I like to people-watch.

If I'm going for a particular cadence and indicated distance, I bring the mp3 player and have a playlist of my favorite songs in the appropriate bpm zones.

Usually tho, I am replaying youtube videos on my phone. There are plugins for Firefox that will let you download youtube as a video file. These go on the phone for re-watching without eating all my data limit.

I like the GCN videos in particular. This hill climb is one I used a lot last season:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQxo1lZ8H1Q

ColaJacket

Yeah, the past 3 trainer rides, I've been using songs at the BPM/RPM that I want to go.

I used the URL that I mentioned to find songs with the correct BPM, and then I used Firefox (and the plugins) to download the songs to my computer (.mp4), and then I used a converter to convert the .mp4 to .mp3.

I can tell a big difference between 85 RPM and 89 RPM (I just restarted biking in April 2015, so I'm still building up my fitness). Last night I did 89RPM for 30 minutes without a break, and I felt really spent afterwards. If I had had a power meter, I probably would have considered it a FTP test.

I'll probably treat 89+ RPM like a HIIT session, and only do them 1-2 times a week. And do the rest around 85 RPM (+-2RPM) for my more other sessions. Hopefully, by the end of March, I can treat 89 RPM as more of a regular training session and use the 90+ RPM for HIIT sessions.

I have been looking at some of the YouTube training sessions, but I'm trying to find some that are interesting enough to use with the tunes.

GH

jsigone

I don't get bored while I stare at timer app on my phone which is on the ground.

10min warm up (boring part so watch TV)

On the Minute mark pedal @95% for 40 seconds,

Click two easy gears and easy pedal at high cadence while drinking and wiping sweat off your face and arms in 20 seconds, Jam again at the minute mark

Repeat for 20-30 mins

10 min cool down at 80-100rpm in very easy gear w/ some resistance felt

change out of your soaking cycling clothes and drink a