Training Suggestions?
 

I know, HTFU.

Beyond that, I just broke down and got a trainer. I figured better to be riding the trainer than sitting around moping about how I'm not out on the road actually riding. I've never used one before, and I was surprised at what a good workout it is. It's different than riding on the road, of course, but now I can see how a trainer can be used to become a better rider.

I'm looking for some suggestions on training routines. The past couple of evenings, I've been getting home from work and spending a half hour doing intervals, which is to say a minute of hard pedaling, followed by a minute of easier pedaling, etc. I'm using cadence as a measure--hitting 80 rpm for the "pushing it" part in close to the highest gear--probably 53/14. I suspect that I'll either start getting into a higher gear or kicking up the cadence as I get stronger.

I'm just a rec rider--no interest in racing or crushing any souls if I can help it. My goal is to hit the road next spring as strong or stronger than I was. I plan to train a little every day and ride when I can.

So, any general suggestions on a training program? I don't mind the intervals, but I'd like to mix it up a bit for variety and building different muscles. Half an hour is a good workout, but I could certainly go longer.

I would recommend netflix or watching something while on a trainer.

Trainers are torture to me, 15 minutes feels like 500. SDR's blog reccomends action movies. They tend to have a creshendo of action every 15-20 minutes that will amp you up and help you push your workout rather than a comedy or drama that will keep you entertained but not in a "warrior" type mood.

For me, it's all about books on tape. I just enjoy the book and try to give myself an aneurysm when the stopwatch says "go go go."

A fan is really nice as well, little things that keep you sane.

If you have a TV/DVD at your trainer set up, you might want to consider spinnervals training DVD's. I have two that I have been using recently-heading down to the basement in a few minutes actually-and I find that they provide good structure to what would otherwise be a bore fest.

Agree on the fan-need to have some air moving.

I'm in a similar situation. I'd set a more specific goal than being a "stronger rider", and work toward that goal. In order to work toward that goal, you'll have to do some research and find the workouts that support your goal. I'd suggest checking amazon.com for books by Joe Friel and/or Chris Carmichael. IMO, Carmichael does a better job of addressing the needs of non-racers.

Living in the Adirondacks, I'd personally be inclined (no pun intended!) to work on my climbing, but I'm not you. ;)

Just pedaling aimlessly will help somewhat, but being focused yields better results - even for us non-racing recreational riders.

Thanks, Chuck. I did a little research after starting this thread and I can see what you're saying. A book or DVD to provide some constructive direction seems like the best approach. I do plenty of hill climbing when I ride, and I've certainly gotten better at that--to the point where now I'm actually inclined to do it as much as possible. Plenty of opportunities for that around here. It occurred to me though, that if I'm going to spend time on the trainer this winter trying to stay in shape, might as well take advantage of the opportunity to make some improvements--stamina, mostly--so that I can hit the road spinning next spring.

I missed my goal of riding at least 4,000 miles this past year thanks to surgery, but I did come close. On top of that, about 200K feet of climbing. I'd be out riding right now if it was warmer than 10 degrees. Correction--4 degrees.

Well, you just made me think of another goal for next year - 4,000 miles, up from the 3,000 miles I did this year. I'm retiring from the National Guard, so I'll have an extra weekend per month to ride. :D

The climbing remark above was projection on my part - don't get too much of that in south Louisiana, and I have to drive an hour and a half to get near decent hills.

I'm waiting for it to warm up to 40 degrees before I ride today - I'm a native Northeasterner, but have been down here for 20 years now, and at 59 don't warm up as quickly as I used to...

I use a trainer a LOT. In fact, in the fall/winter, pretty much 100% of my miles are on the trainer. I vastly prefer riding outdoors, and would give my left nut to do so more, but life and nature simply makes it impossible for me during this time of year.

I'm pretty "die-hard" on mental toughness - I'll crank out workouts at 4AM (even 3AM) if I have to, and I've run 20+ miles on a treadmill, with weeks on end of 90+ minute sessions with zero music, zero entertainment.

Still, riding a trainer with no stimulus is mind-numbingly boring. It'll literally kill you and any passion you have to get out and keep doing it over and over, which is the whole point. Anybody can do a week of hardcore trainer work, but to do it for months on end requires more than a hardcore mindset. I can't last more than 3 sessions in a row on it without my "setup."

Now though, I really enjoy my trainer sessions. In fact, I think if it weren't for the lack of group riding with friends and competitive others, I actually enjoy the workout part of it more than being on the road, since it's so efficient and so consistent. (I very well may find a way to suck some of my friends into doing these with me on a semiregular basis.)

The keys for me:
- Good training DVD or video. The two sets I use are Spinervals and Sufferfest. Sufferfest is an online download for $11, and is completely worth it - the music tracks alone are outstanding and would cost nearly the entire DVD if purchased separately. Spinervals is sold on DVDs, costs $25ish each, and are videos of a coached gym class, which means the scenery is of other cyclists suffering on the trainer like you are. Spinervals though benefits from having Coach Troy yelling into your ear the entire workout, which is surprisingly motivating, as most of the interval sets are hard enough so that I have a hard time even looking up at the computer screen. I've got about 10 total, and by rotating them, it's a great mix. I'd start with Sufferfest, as it's cheap as heck to buy, and every bit as quality a workout, with much better music - the whole set is completely worth it.

- Speed/cadence computer, and preferably HRM. (Powermeter is best, though!) You seriously need some sort of feedback on the trainer, or it's death. The speed sensor serves as a "poor man's powermeter" and is very accurate for comparing your efforts between workouts. You work harder, you go faster. Slack off, and speed drops. After you do enough workouts, if you can download them (Garmin), you can actually get a good sense of how fit you are for road riding by comparing your tempo efforts/HR for trainer and road sessions done days apart. I know if I can hammer one of the Spinervals DVDs at a certain speed/HR, I can hammer most of a hilly 50 mile loop here fast enough to keep up with the local roadie crew.

- Good workout space. Having to setup and break down your bike and computer/DVD every time you use the trainer will kill your already low motivation to ride on it. Clear out a good permanent space for it (at least for the season you're using it). Most folks have found that a 20 foot headphone extension cord (can get at Radio Shack) works better than wireless headphones if you want pumping music without deafening the place. Having a good trainer is also a given (KK or Cycleops Fluid). I just have my trainer/bike in my garage, and it doesn't look like an inviting space at all, but it's great for working out - I can sweat buckets and not worry about damaging the floor or disturbing the family.

I ride pretty hard on the trainer - usually hard enough that I can't even watch an action DVD because it's too distracting from focusing on my workout. As a nonracer, you'll probably be able to enjoy movies (to some degree) on the trainer, but I'd still do dedicated workout videos regularly to keep yourself improving.