Trainers use different muscles?
 

Just bought a Kurt Kinetic this week. I've got four rides on it so far and around 120 miles.

What I've noticed is my hamstrings are KILLING me! They are really sore. I've been averaging around 17mph for my rides and nothing else really hurts.

I've got almost 4000 miles on my CAAD9 since April 1st so I thought I was in biking shape.

The only thing I can think of is that I tend to sit up more and ride with no hands on the trainer as opposed to outdoor riding where I only do that very occasionally.

Bike is 100% level so it shouldn't be fit related. Anybody else notice this?

I notice that the bike feels harder after a winter riding it on the trainer. Not the other way though.

I know that the rowing ergo machine kills me pretty hard in ways that rowing in a boat does not.

Probably something to do with the fact that these machines are not forgiving (not as much natural coasting feeling) and you work harder the whole time.

Two million meters on my Concept2. I hear you.

I thought we had the same trainer, but after 3 hours on mine, I'm still stuck in the same place. How the heck did you manage 120 miles?

But do you know how to ACTUALLY row...

I usually only ride the trainer for recovery rides, and I didn't feel like riding at night in the rain so I decided to do intervals on it for the first time and I actually got the same feeling. I woke up today with sore hamstrings. I also got that feeling you get when you hop off a treadmill, as if you're floating, for the first time. I think that it does tend to work out other muscles you normally don't use or use as much then you normally would when out on the road. But still works out your quads, calfs, etc.

I also found that I have to work A LOT harder to achieve a specific heart zone when I'm on the trainer then when I'm on the road.

Most rowers don't actually know how to row. If they did I would be out of a job!

train less, ride more

4000+ outdoor miles in 6 months. I think I'm riding as much as I can.

Four years in high school on the crew team. College was all football and I haven't been on the water since. And that's a lot of years.

You can't coast, stand efficiently (can't rock bike on anything except the rock n road or rollers). Those two combine to emphasize different muscles.

Also if your front wheel isn't "blocked up" about 2 inches, your bars will be low.

cdr

I've noticed this too. I never coast and have never stood on the trainer. I use the Kurt Kinetic front wheel stand and it keeps my bike level. Rode again this morning and hamstrings are still sore. Weird.

It's good for riding outside. If you do trainer stuff for a while and then go outside, you'll notice you don't coast nearly as much. But then you'll do some jump out of the saddle and feel like you haven't ridden for years.

Not sure it uses different muscles but I think it uses the same muscles in repetitive and restrictive ways that don't match what I do on the road.