Gav888

Hi,

Ive been using my new Elite fluid turbo trainer for about a month now and every time I use it im puzzled as to why my heart rate takes a long time to get up to the required zones?

For example, I did a 1 hour zone 2 session yesterday on the turbo and it took 20 minutes to get to zone 2!! I was riding at 16mph on the trainer which is normally what speed I need to do to get my heart rate to high zone 3!! Today I went out on the road, kept the same gearing as I used yesterday and rode at the same speed with little wind and my heart rate was in zone 2 within 3 minutes!!!

Riding on the road feels easier than the trainer yet my heart rate increases so quickly compared, reading other peoples posts on the subject they have the opposite problem, so im puzzled as to way it takes so long for my heart rate to rise indoors?

Any advise?

jrobe

There could be no other explanation other than your work effort on the trainer is lower. A powermeter would prove this.

It is definitely more difficult mentally to put out the same work effort on the trainer. That is why I find good training videos invaluable. It helps me alot to have a coach pushing me.

Atol

Go faster. Stop limiting yourself to 16 mph.

KeDo

wind and road resistance = greater effort.

pdedes

speed and distance are not equal between a trainer and the road.

don't look at your speedometer. don't look at your odometer. if you are not using a powermeter, hr and a stopwatch will suffice.

umd

First, it's advice...

Second, as others have said, don't try to relate speed on the trainer to speed on the road. It will just drive you nuts.

Finally, your actual and percieved effort won't correlate the same on a trainer as it does outside on the road.

StefanG

This doesn't explain your descrepancy, but if you are looking to get your heart rate up faster while on a trainer, standing up always increases my heart rate at a quicker rate.