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Attended my first spin class last night...
So not wanting to lose fitness during the winter months, I decided to join a spin class. Wow. Talk about having my ass kicked. The class is focused on training in and around 85% of your maximum wattage output. I have never trained with watts before and the whole 'keep your cadence HERE and your wattage output THERE" was certainly new for me.
The other issue was the lag between the cadence/wattage reading on the bike computer and what I was doing. I spent a good chunk of the class just trying to figure out my peddle strokes and then having to figure out the tension mechanism. Anyway. All this is to say it was a good class. I was a sweaty mess after it and I had a good workout. If this is what training with a PM is like, I am looking forward to getting one next summer. |
Yea, I got a Wahoo Kicker Snap to train with power over the winter....it's a workout.
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It sounds like you had a great workout. Yes and no about power training. I doubt that you trained at 85% of your maximum power. Generally, power is associated with a unit of time. It is feasible to train at 85% of ones 1 hour power but not ones 5 second power. In power training, one determines the maximum power that one can sustain for one hour. That number is used to set training zones.
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I just picked up my first trainer a few weeks ago. It has taught my how little I have actually been doing on the bike all of these years. I got into road bikes in my 30s, never raced and therefore never was interested in buying a power meter or heart rate so I had no hard data on my bike. But I've quickly found that 30-45 min of focused trainer regiment work out is kicking my ass more then 20-40 mile 2000+ feet of elvation rides I was doing on the road all of these years. There is no coasting on the trainer
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Originally Posted by NoWhammies
(Post 20655471)
So not wanting to lose fitness during the winter months, I decided to join a spin class. Wow. Talk about having my ass kicked. The class is focused on training in and around 85% of your maximum wattage output. I have never trained with watts before and the whole 'keep your cadence HERE and your wattage output THERE" was certainly new for me.
The other issue was the lag between the cadence/wattage reading on the bike computer and what I was doing. I spent a good chunk of the class just trying to figure out my peddle strokes and then having to figure out the tension mechanism. Anyway. All this is to say it was a good class. I was a sweaty mess after it and I had a good workout. If this is what training with a PM is like, I am looking forward to getting one next summer. |
I took a spin class a couple of times I learned 3 things. This was back in the day before power meters and such. 1 take water 2 take a towel 3 get a bike in the very, very back of the class. (The embarrassment factor is much less back there) |
Originally Posted by Hermes
(Post 20656072)
It sounds like you had a great workout. Yes and no about power training. I doubt that you trained at 85% of your maximum power. Generally, power is associated with a unit of time. It is feasible to train at 85% of ones 1 hour power but not ones 5 second power. In power training, one determines the maximum power that one can sustain for one hour. That number is used to set training zones.
Originally Posted by caloso
(Post 20656192)
What Hermes said. Also, how did you set this wattage target? Did they have you do a baseline test first?
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Awesome. That’s my kind of spin class. |
The watt meters on most gym spin bikes aren't very accurate, but if you add a heart rate monitor to the mix you can start to see when you are really working hard (which means gaining fitness) vs. just burning a few more calories per hour than taking a walk.
Echo the others who got trainers with power meters at home - I got a Kickr SNAP 2 years ago, ride over the winter using the Zwift application and having a blast - and can essentially do 45 minute spin class workouts and intervals at home if I don['t feel like driving over to the spin class. I have not put a power meter on my road bike - when I ride outdoors I'm not going to do training rides really. With a heart rate monitor and bike computer (Wahoo Elemnt) I can see how hard I'm working and if I'm improving my times on common rides and segments - but still focus mostly on just enjoying riding outdoors! |
Headband, I highly recommend a good headband.
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Sounds fun...enjoy it ! |
Originally Posted by firebird854
(Post 20660996)
Headband, I highly recommend a good headband.
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Oh yea. Just started back with the Zwift FTP builder on a wahoo kicker, as the weather has driven me indoors. There is a reason why they are called "pain-caves"...."suffer-feasts....etc. Any other witty names???
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I do a bit of training of cyclists. Try this...do eight sprints of 30 seconds a piece. These all have to be at max. So figure out what gear you can max out at 120 rpm a or more. If when you get to 20 seconds you still feel fresh you need a bigger gear or if your trainer is adjustable more resistance. Mine has an interval band. Between sprints a full recovery of 90"seconds of easy pedaling. Usually can go to inside front gear but easily keep legs moving. This will not only release growth hormone, it will work your fast twitch muscles and train you for faster pedaling for your outside rides. Only 3 times a week. Same workout can be done running outside or on a treadmill. you will see dramatic improvement in your cycling doing this workout. The other three days do not max out. There are a ton of workouts to fill that time. That's six days...one day off to recover. on the eight sprint deal...if after eight you are not totally wasted you didn't go hard enough. You should need three to five minutes of recovery at the end and be totally spent. you will get more out of this than riding easily for an hour or so. Trust me. It will make a huge difference. Whole thing takes 20 minutes. |
Crit racer...warm up. Eight...20 seconds as hard and fast as you can go. 10 second rest. Do that 20 on 10 off eight times. |
Originally Posted by roadwarrior
(Post 20662429)
I do a bit of training of cyclists. Try this...do eight sprints of 30 seconds a piece. These all have to be at max. So figure out what gear you can max out at 120 rpm a or more. If when you get to 20 seconds you still feel fresh you need a bigger gear or if your trainer is adjustable more resistance. Mine has an interval band. Between sprints a full recovery of 90"seconds of easy pedaling. Usually can go to inside front gear but easily keep legs moving. This will not only release growth hormone, it will work your fast twitch muscles and train you for faster pedaling for your outside rides. Only 3 times a week. Same workout can be done running outside or on a treadmill. you will see dramatic improvement in your cycling doing this workout. The other three days do not max out. There are a ton of workouts to fill that time. That's six days...one day off to recover. on the eight sprint deal...if after eight you are not totally wasted you didn't go hard enough. You should need three to five minutes of recovery at the end and be totally spent. you will get more out of this than riding easily for an hour or so. Trust me. It will make a huge difference. Whole thing takes 20 minutes. |
Phil trains a boatload of track and football athletes. Multi time national Masters track champ. His book is worth reading. You can connect to him via social media. thanks for posting this. |
Originally Posted by roadwarrior
(Post 20662529)
Crit racer...warm up. Eight...20 seconds as hard and fast as you can go. 10 second rest. Do that 20 on 10 off eight times. |
B
Originally Posted by Dan333SP
(Post 20664122)
This sounds awful, but from experience racing crits... it'd be a good representation of having to surge out of every damn corner.
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Originally Posted by roadwarrior
(Post 20662529)
Crit racer...warm up. Eight...20 seconds as hard and fast as you can go. 10 second rest. Do that 20 on 10 off eight times. I also recommend 30s on 30s off. I will start with 3 min blocks and increase the length of the blocks as fitness improves. |
It is crazy that 4 minutes of intense training, or 8 minutes if you do 8 one minute intervals, is so effective. And in that training .... to not over do it. So 12 - 24 minutes of training a week and you are good to go ;)
-Sean |
Originally Posted by caloso
(Post 20664143)
I have always heard of these called Tabata Intervals. a friend of mine is a marathoner has a training partner. The partner dos his sprint work religiously. My friend nah...sounds dumb. He can't keep up with his training partner now. do not pace to get to eight. Max out and if you only do four that's ok. You will have to work to eight. Max and if you can only do a couple starting that's means you are doing them right. |
Originally Posted by Wilmingtech
(Post 20664147)
It is crazy that 4 minutes of intense training, or 8 minutes if you do 8 one minute intervals, is so effective. And in that training .... to not over do it. So 12 - 24 minutes of training a week and you are good to go ;)
-Sean second...as my friend likes to say the neglected muscles are the ones that win gold medals and score touchdowns. you can't ride along at 20mph and then get in a race and suddenly go 30mph. Three days a week train in the red. Four days recover. In recovery you'll be faster. |
Originally Posted by roadwarrior
(Post 20664175)
two things...first by riding steadily at a certain speed you leave your type two muscle groups out., sprint training conditions them. Eventually you get faster. Riding longer miles does not do that. second...as my friend likes to say the neglected muscles are the ones that win gold medals and score touchdowns. you can't ride along at 20mph and then get in a race and suddenly go 30mph. Three days a week train in the red. Four days recover. In recovery you'll be faster. |
Originally Posted by roadwarrior
(Post 20664175)
two things...first by riding steadily at a certain speed you leave your type two muscle groups out., sprint training conditions them. Eventually you get faster. Riding longer miles does not do that. second...as my friend likes to say the neglected muscles are the ones that win gold medals and score touchdowns. you can't ride along at 20mph and then get in a race and suddenly go 30mph. Three days a week train in the red. Four days recover. In recovery you'll be faster. |
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