Woke up this morning (always a pleasant surprise ay this age) and had this thought.

First , some Background. I'm having trounle with Achilles Heel, and stretching and strengthing it. I use trainer slowly and one of those rubber ropes given to me from a PT session. (hook my toes around it, and flex my foot back forth). Worse, I'm an Engineer by trade and am going into work today so experiments are on my mind.

As trainer gets boring, and though its nice compared to Colorado, I still can't get out-doors all I want.

So..
If I attached one of 'those rubber ropes' used in PT - to my waist and then to something solid behind me acting as a spring - would that represent uphill or just wind?

If I remember correctly, we used something like this back in high school training for track.


HHmmmmmm. thoughts?

Of course skeptics would just say I'd fall flat on my A**.

I don't think it simulates any real-world condition in biking. After all, what hills (gravity) and wind do is resist your forward movement and increase your effort; same thing for running. But there's no forward movement on a trainer.

(Hmmmph...and you call yourself an engineer! )

Maybe, depending on where the band is attached, the resistance in maintaining the typical bent-over road bike stance would strengthen core muscles. Just a guess.

If you do land on your a**, try to get it on video for our amusement!

Will Do.

I'm in middle management is my excuse . technical skills long ago antropied.

Figure I have to lock the bike down to trainer somehow, and..... aw heck think I'll just go outside. Its not as bad and Denver F. has it!

3rd storm I hear?

Somehow I keep visualizing the Roadrunner and the Coyote.
I see Coyote opening a box...ACME RUBBER ROPE.

Actually, I think you're on to something. However, I think you'd need to take the bike off the trainer so you're actually working against the resistance of the rubber band. To do that in your house you'd need to rig up something on rollers how about riding on a treadmill ???? Just make sure your insurance is up to date and you have lots of helments and crutches close by. You also need to have videos for Youtube.....or better yet maybe you'll be the $100,000 grand prize winner on Americas Funniest Videos.

Seriously, they use the same principles for runners who are nursing themselves back from injuries/stress fractures and are running while in a pool.

Engineer here as well......I'm much better at taking things apart than putting things together though. Probably like you, the only engineering I've done the last 20 years is "human engineering".