Trainer Miles - Do they Count?
 

For the first time I am using a trainer in the off season, twice a week at my local LBS during all of January and February. I ride my bike using their trainer. The "spin class" is 60-90 minutes and the first class was last night and we rode approx. 22 miles. My annual mileage goal is 6,000 miles and have ridden over 25,000 miles the past 4 years. Do miles on the trainer "count?"

One member of our local bike club says, "Hardly." My argument is....I am riding my bike, I am wearing out my components. I bought a 2011 Madone 6.5 in May. If I only ever road it in my basement on a trainer would it still be "brand new" after 10 years? No. It would have 10 years of miles, wear and tear, couple of new chains, cassette, seat, etc.

My best analogy....A runner (which I am not) runs on a treadmill during the winter. I would count those miles, for he is running (using his own legs). Doesn't matter if it is on a rubber track, grass, cement, whatever.

Please decide this issue for me as I am waiting patiently for spring.

Thank you

"miles" are a poor way to track your training load. That said, I post my mileage total every year when those "what was your mileage this year" threads roll around. But if my software didn't make it easy I wouldn't bother figuring it out.

Use time to track your training, not miles. 10 miles up an 8% grade is a lot different from 10 miles on the flat. 10 "miles" on a trainer could be very easy if you set the resistance low.

But if you keep track of your miles, it's your choice whether you count trainer "miles".

Time on the trainer counts as exercise. Spinning classes and riding the trainer or rollers are a good way of keeping in shape when you can't ride outside.

But I don't include the time I spend riding my trainer or spin bicycles in my annual kilometre totals.

I include miles and time indoors and out. Indoors, I use a KK trainer and the miles end up being a little harder than outdoor miles but at the end of the year it doesn't really matter since I ride mostly outside.

You should have some consistent way of tracking duration and intensity. Duration can be miles or time. As long as you're consistent it doesn't really matter which you use.

It is very flat here in Allen County Indiana, there are a few small hills north and southwest of Fort Wayne; east of here was known as "The Great Black Swamp" in the 18th century...very very flat. I'd probably bonk going up an 8% grade. So my time on the trainer is just about as flat as most of my rides.

Good point about using mileage to measure training load. My log does show significant improvement in avg. time over the last four years, about a 3-4 mph increase. I've found group rides greatly increase my avg. time (helped I'm sure by the peloton) and I'm forced to push myself to try and stay with the stronger riders.

Agreed! I did a 29 mile group ride in 1:35, and a couple of days later did a 52 miler. I bought a Cycleops Jet Fluid Pro and have trained on it 3 or 4 times in the last two weeks. It's brutal compared to the road. If anything it'll hurt your MPH, LOL!! I don't see how you can't count those miles! It's seat time!

I do count time on the trainer. The impact on heart, lungs and legs is real. There is no statutory rule on this though.

bikejrff, i do believe you answered your own question on whether or not they count. :lol:

Obviously time on the trainer helps maintain your fitness. But "miles" on the trainer aren't equivalent to miles on the road. Stick to measures of time on the bike and intensity of effort.

Incidentally, for running "miles" on the treadmill aren't equivalent to miles on the road, either. Try it some time. You'll find that running a 5k on a treadmill feels significantly easier than on the road.

Depends on you trainer, but KK trainer miles are harder than outdoor miles so if you're being conservative, including trainer miles is fine.

Back when I had my KK, trying to crack 30 mph was just as hard as doing it on a flat road with no tailwind (that is, I could barely manage it at all). So I'll vouch for the difficulty being the same.

I don't think it's as hard as getting out there and dealing with winds, weather, and climbs, although it's easy to get more resistance on a KK -- just shift up a few gears. You can suffer just as much if you want to.

Sorry, I was too succinct. Riding on the trainer can be just as strenuous as riding on the road. But one isn't handling the bike, dealing with the wind and other conditions, and so on. In any event, if one sticks to counting time and intensity rather than miles, the issue becomes moot.

Use your heart rate as an inicator. Get a heart monitor, or just take your own pulse. Whatever you find to be "average heart rate" or best heart rate on a road workout, just adjust your trainer to get you to that pulse level. Whatever energy you burn up getting there on the road will be the same amount used on the trainer. I used one at a sports rehab and you could set it for hills. I found it too easy. (Think ,Happy Customer's come back) So I set it to challange my heart.
You could just about duplicate your road ride. Just make the trainer do the same thing to you as the hills and wind does.
Good Luck
Dave.

^^^^ If you really want to dig into it, get a CompuTrainer, which automatically changes resistance according to pre-written routes. When the route hits a climb, it gets a lot harder, and you MUST grind through it -- no option to wuss out or even get off and push. :D

I am the complete opposite. if I run outdoors, I don't even know I am running till mile 2. If on a treadmill, I am praying for death at mile .5

Its all a mind game for me...moving scenery vs my garage...no contest.

I count time/miles on the trainer for sure. There is no wind, no hills, and no traffic but there is absolutely no fun. Every mile is a chore, even with something good to watch.

Keep track of both methods (trainer and bike) and for distance and time. Then add them up to arrive at an overall total. Then calculate the percentage of time and of distance between the two methods.

Isn't that what you wanted to see?

Rather than add another Trainer thread to the mix, I'll ask my questione here.

How do you guys deal with it? I just started riding last month and have been very proud of the work I've put in to it. I was trying to ride at least 10-15 miles each ride outdoors every other day. Rather than worry about the miles I was putting on with a daily trainer session, Im shooting for an hour of time each day, which I thought would be relatively close to the work I was putting in on the road. Holy crap was I wrong. I did 40 minutes yesterday and it was a struggle. Today I hopped on again to keep moving and 30 minutes was all I could take. I'm sure it's all mental, as my bike fit hasnt changed since I rode outdoors on Tuesday. But when I get moving I start wondering if my seat slipped, if my feet are where they should, etc. I put it right in front of the tv find something I enjoy watching and that will burn a few minutes of my attention, but not enough.

Any new ideas? Tips? Tricks? Man up and deal with it? I'm slightly discouraged, but not going to quit. It's just going to be one long winter.

I believe you are missing the intensity.
I focus on time and intensity as it correlates to my training plan along with the items I am working on for that period.

It's different. IMO the biggest difference is in the lack of rider momentum combined with the flywheel momentum and continuous resistance. That changes pedal resistance so the you may feel greater resistance in various parts of the stroke to which you are not accustomed. There's also the factor of never getting a break. It's harder to keep up a steady effort with no breaks.

IOW, yes it's hard, but you'll get used to it. IMO it'll make you a better road rider come spring. I usually figure that I get the same workout on a trainer or rollers w/resistance in about 3/4 the time of the road. So if I'm scheduled for a 1 hour road ride, I'll do a 3/4 hour trainer ride at the same intensity. 1.5 hrs. of zone 2 on the trainer is plenty for me.

I count my roller miles, since I have a fluid unit that gives me about the same speed for the same effort as the road, but I schedule all my rides by time, not miles.

Even in Ohio, I'll bet you couldn't find a place to just "plug in" on the bike and pedal nonstop for an hour without any change in scenery, elevation, turning, etc. Those things keep both your brain and your body interested during the ride.

Watching TV may keep your eyeballs distracted, but it's not going to change the workload for your body, though.

I'd say to get a hold of some Spinervals DVDs or Sufferfest videos. Spinervals are like having a coach and a roomful of snowbound cyclists, so it's useful, if a little dry (like a lot of home workout videos). Sufferfest gives you a varied workout with highlights from great bike races (such as Greg LeMond's epic TdF TT with his new aerobars).

After a while, as you figure out what you want to work on, you can develop a plan of your own like what DataJunkie mentioned. Sustained efforts, or sprint-recovery-sprint-recovery-etc.

Who the heck cares and why on earth do people care what other people think about it??

keep track of whatever you want, however you want. It's your business, no one else's.

Thanks guys. That's encouraging. I had heard it was a lot different, but dismissed it as something that was being made out to be worse than it really was.

So in essence, while I'm not going as long as I do on the road, I'm working as hard or harder. Correct? That would make sense, because although I feel that I'm working hard outdoors, I'm drenched and whooped when I climb off the trainer.

There is no question that working on the trainer indoors is not as pleasant as riding outdoors but you aren't necessarily working any harder. You're drenched because you don't have a 20mph wind cooling you off.

Generally, I ride from 60-80 min on the trainer. I do a couple of 20 min intervals, occasionally preceded by a 5min interval. Every 5 min I stand up and ride at 70rpm for 30 seconds. This helps break up the ride and gives my butt a break. I also have a playlist tailored to the intervals so the faster songs coincide with the harder intervals.

Ok. Thanks!