i have been having an ongoing argument with a buddy of mine, and would like to hear your feedback.

the question is this: over the winter months, will riding on the trainer 45 to 60 minutes 5x per week be beneficial or harmful if you do the following -

-ride with a fair amount of resistance, cadence 90-100
-15 min @~21mph, 5 min downshifting a few gears to ~24 mph, keeping cadence around 95, repeat.
-once or twice kicking it up to ~27-28 mph for 2-3 minute bursts throughout the ride.

one side of the argument says any time on the bike is good. the other says doing the same thing over and over will be harmful when done for 3-4 months.

any thoughts you could share beyond yes or no would be great.

thanks

harmful compared to?

normal outdoor riding , Id guess

well, I know it was an epiphany for me once when my trainer (hunter/jumpers) told me "look, their legs only have so many jumps in them...don't use them up overpracticing the same thing over and over"

I think I'd at least mix it up a bit more with some cross training, but I don't know your short term/long term goals. (Wouldn't that be boring, anyway?) Bad weather must be frustrating. Have you ever considered rollers?

Personally, I'd mix it up a bit. After all, you wouldn't do the same thing 5 days a week for month after month outside, right? You'd ride different routes, different distances, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, sometimes a day of hill repeats or intervals.

So do the same sort of thing inside too. Ride intervals one day, do whatever it is you're currently doing one day (sounds like it's some sort of hill simulation), ride at a moderately fast, steady pace for a longer time one day, etc.

My inside training routine looks something like this ...

Mondays - 50 minute spinning class (basically intervals) on a spinning bike
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays - 30-60 minutes on the stat bikes in the gym doing the hill programs
Fridays - off
Saturdays and Sundays - longer rides at a moderate pace on my trainer

The variety keeps me active and keeps me from getting bored.

Or just go outside and ride If the roads are clear why would you want to rot in a trainer inside?