Turbo trainer and lacking motivation

[doug]

In 2012 I bought a turbo trainer so I could use it in the dark winter months, when the conditions outside are dark, sub zero and less easy or pleasant to cycle outside.  During these winter months, I get back from the office, eat and have some family time.  After that it's so easy to simply "flop" on the sofa. 

It always seems so difficult to bring the trainer and bicycle in from the cold garage, set it up, possibly get changed and then pedal away.  I find it so hard to motivate myself! 

The times I have managed to do it have been a bit mixed.  Yes, I do get some exercise and work up a sweat BUT ITS SO BORING!

Anyone have any 'top tips' for overcoming this?

[ians]

Doug

I have a turbo trainer which I use a lot.  I have health issues which means getting out on the road is difficult, so I've tried to make the turbo sessions into something a bit special.  I'm lucky I have a spare room which makes life a lot easier. 

I built a 'turbo' bike from spares and bits I found on the internet (you don't need many components for this).  I also have a bike computer with cadence function.  So I have the turbo and bike set up ready.  I treat each session as if I'm going out for a ride, so get changed, fill the water bottle, snack.  I try to vary the sessions - I have a couple of training rides I used to do before I became ill and so I  visualise these routes - I recall the hills, the turns etc and imagine myself on the road.  I don't do this continually - perhaps every 5' or so.  It may sound daft, but it works for me - the time passes very quickly.  Other times I use music - I have a couple of playlists on my iPod for these turbo sessions.   

Don't fight it - it is (or rather, can be) boring.  So you have to accept that.  Make the turbo sessions into some special or different.  Building a turbo bike for this was a big part of my motivation (an excuse for some more fettling).  I look forward to taking it for a spin even if we only travel in my head.

ian

[jags]

Oh the dreaded turbo i think the most time i ever spent on one was 20 minutes pure torture.
i swapped mine for a skipping rope much more effective, but even better again a good walk.

the turbo or rollers is fine if your going to be racing and your 18/ 20 years of age.
Doug if your not in the right frame of mind for training on the turbo then your just wasting your ime, you have to get in the zone as my son would say,but he's right you've got to be tuned in to training for it to work.
if your set up like Ian then yeah it will keep the legs in good shape.but i would sooner go for a walk to be honest.

have fun no matter.

jags.

[mickeg]

I am not sure what a "turbo" is but I have a trainer with magnetic resistance.

Found a bike in a neighbor's garbage a couple years ago, a very good shape 1980s mixte frame 7 speed.  Re-greased everything, new balls in one side of the bottom bracket, new pedals, cleaned it up, I might have put on a new chain.  That is my trainer bike.

I use it to watch television.  They make little FM transmitters that send your ipod or mp3 player music to your car radio.  I have one of those transmitters that sends the audio from my tv to my FM radio and headphones that I wear on my trainer, so the noise of the trainer does not bother me while I watch tv.

The bike was for a small woman and had an odd diameter seatpost, it took me a while but I found an old style (with separate clamp) tall seatpost at bike shop that I could shim to fit proper in the frame that would get my saddle high enough.  The shim I made from a mushroom can.

I had a cheap wireless computer I was not using, I put that sensor on a crankarm and mounted the computer on the downtube.  I mathematically calculated what wheel diameter setting to input into the computer so that it lists a speed that is exactly one tenth of my cadence - so the bike computer is simply a cadence meter.

I find it much easier to use the exercise bike at the health club than the trainer at home.  There are too many distractions at home.  But the exercise bike at the health club, once I have entered 60 minutes into it I find that I can force myself to stay on it for 60 minutes.  At the health club, I use a 7 inch tablet with their wifi internet connection to read the news.  Read several news articles yesterday afternoon on that tablet with an average heart rate of 141 BPM.

[Danneaux]

Hi Doug!

I too found trainers to be boring, but not so rollers! For the thrill of your life, try standing while pedaling or riding no-hands on rollers!

Though one may be talking about one training device, the proper term is still "rollers", which makes for interesting sentence construction when writing about them.   

My rollers are by Minoura dating to the early 1980s and have aluminum drums, sealed bearings (adjustable-preload cartridge bearings with shields), and levelers along with a resistance unit (a rubber-coated wheel also on sealed bearings, whose pressure against the drum can be adjusted), a large rubber drive belt, and mounting steps. I also have a fork-mounted stand to use with them if I wish, and I use cut-down step-stools for initial mounting (the rollers are above floor level so the stools helps with standover clearance). They fold for compact storage. A near-duplicate is available here: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/minoura-action-roller-advance-rollers-prod29885/ ...and a variant here: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/elite-ghibli-parabolic-rollers-prod19416/

Unfortunately, I have only one bike with a wheelbase short enough to use with them properly*, but it is a lot of fun and really gets the adrenaline pumping when the tires go a bit sidways on the slick rollers. The real benefit, however, is the difference it makes to one's riding skills. Nothing indoors is better for developing a pedaling style with souplesse, and a challenge to get the fast-smooth cadence right. Anyone who has tried them is subsequently amazed at how much more "quietly" they sit on the bike and how arrow-straight they tend to ride when outside. Balance improves greatly, and I found myself riding with visions of actually balancing on a knife-edge. The benefits really do carryover to making one a better, more accomplished cyclist in form as well as fitness. Depending on the resistance dialed-in or the diameter of the rollers, it can be *hard* work and a great workout (be sure to place a folded towel on the top tube to catch the sweat and it isn't a bad idea to wear a helmet). Time does seem to fly by, and I found the task at hand sufficiently entertaining to keep me from getting bored...at least till I got really good at it, then road-work was a breeze.

A set of rollers might be worth a look. 

Best,

Dan. (...who grew tired of the neighbors betting he'd shoot through the far wall if the wheels dropped off the roller drums at speed)

*Real Excitement ensues if one uses a long-wheelbase touring bike on short rollers and the front axle is *ahead* of the front drum center. 

[doug]

Thanks everyone for your replies.  Inspired by these I decided to get the trainer out for a ride tonight in the dining room. I can tell you it was quite an experience, including my wife who came into the dining room and shrieked "pooooo you smell!".  Well, that was the polite version for the purpose of this forum.

It turned out to be a really good training session. I did about 35 minutes. After 10 minutes I had worked up a real sweat and I could feel it running down my face, down my nose and then dripping onto the bike and to the floor below. Although never the same as being on the road, I could feel my heart was working nicely and I knew that I was having a good workout.

What made it easier was listening to my iPod and I can tell you choosing the right music makes a world of difference.  For your interest I find the best tracks were "Young at heart" by the Bluebells, "Kingston Town" by UB40 and by complete contrast, Mahler's 5th (used for Death in Venice) which is an incredibly haunting piece of music.

I had changed into a jersey and put some shorts on before, together with my cycling shoes.  That felt really weird, as I was staying indoors.

I'll keep you posted and once again I appreciate all of the replies.

[jags]

Doug be sure to cover the top tube with a towel your sweat wont do the paint work bike any good seriously.turbo training will blow out your rear tyre over time so stick an old tyre on.

[Danneaux]

Hi Doug!

Agreed on both of jags' recommendations. Schwalbe make a tire specifically optimized for use on home trainers: http://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-Insider-Performance-Trainer-Bicycle/dp/B0050R8B0E

There are also triangular guards made to loop between the brake hoods and seatpost to protect the top tube from sweat. It is amazing how the salty perspiration can penetrate both paint and powdercoat in time.

Happy training; glad the workout went well! Great tunes to ride by as well.

Best,

Dan.

[mickeg]

I put a beach towel on the floor under the bike and trainer. 

If you find that you are using it on a regular basis, a fan mounted on a pedestal might get on your shopping list.  I find that is very helpful.

I also put some pink color construction styrofoam (with small pieces of plywood on top of the foam) on the floor under the trainer feet.  I suspect my neighbors in my condo complex are less likely to wonder what that low frequency rumble is with the foam.  Not sure if it helps, but it can't hurt.

[ians]

 a fan mounted on a pedestal might get on your shopping list.  I find that is very helpful.

+1 to that.

ian

[doug]

Thanks again for your replies, suggestions etc.  This is all incredibly useful and helpful.

Towels etc for sweat: yes, will do.  Tyre wear - yes I can see this is a possible issue.  Two things on this:

Firstly I have set the roller's pressure on the tyre to the minimum needed to get traction.  Even so if I were to push hard and accelerate quickly the wheel would slip (hey I could do my own spinning class here!)

Secondly I kept my old Panaracer Pasela's for this purpose.  They are too puncture prone for use on the wet British winter roads (hedge trimming still happens in January!) but at least I won't need to worry about that on the trainer.

I think I might have another spin this evening, otherwise I think I will be missing it.  Besides one of my cycling friends (we're doing the Coast to Coast in June) has rigged up some power meter on his indoor bike and he wants me to try it.  Might be for calibrating purposes, or simply comparing fitness levels, or simply because I'm always "up" for these things.

Onwards and upwards....

[Neil Jones]

Hi Doug, I'm afraid turbo trainers are not for me, a ride in the rain beats indoor cycling for me any day. I work 12 hour shifts so my commute to work on my RST is ideal as I know I would struggle to find the motivation to get out afterwards. I am fortunate that I can indulge my madness as I don't have a wife and kids vying for my time after work,
Neil.

[jags]

here you go Doug.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiDD_aqdnK0&list=TLhh_SHYJIJLI5o9iZ0zshNIQ7aemnVlSJ.

have fun.

jags

[nztony]

Doug,

I used to ride a Turbo Trainer back in the early 1980s to early 1990s when I was very heavily involved in track racing, which also included a lot of road riding to build up the miles. Even when it was pouring with rain, if I had a five hour road session planned I still did it, but there were times I used my Turbo Trainer at home.

I used rollers too, but these didn't give a good solid workout, although they were fun to ride and good for a warm up or warm down, but not for hard core physical training.

Most of the time I used my Turbo Trainer (or wind trainer) I did 60 minutes, although now and again I'd go over that.
I would get bored too if I just sat on it and pedaled away for 60 minutes non stop, so I added differing levels and efforts to
keep the boredom at bay.

I did several things: first of all set up in front of your TV and get ready to playback a favourite pre recorded TV Show. Back in the 1980s it
would often be Magnum PI - I remember one weekend with very bad weather I rode the wind trainer for three episodes back to back!
(Other times it would be The Bill - UK and NZ readers will recognise this.)

Sometimes I'd get straight into it - fairly easy at the start, one minute on 53 x 18, then one minute on 53 x 17, all the way
to the 53 x 13 etc, then back up again to the 53 x 14, then 15 etc at one minute intervals.

Other options include warming up then something like a 53 x 17 or 16  then 100% for 12 seconds, then one minute rest, then another 12 second burst etc, but each time dropping into the next hardest gear, working my way down to 53 x 13.

Or 53 x 13 for one minute, hard for one minute, then 53 x 18 easy for one minute, then x 13 for one minute etc.

Or do a 2 or 3 minute Time Trial through each of the add breaks (so don't fast forward through them!) Make it a hard effort though so you're gasping by the end of the add break and chill until the next add break - but not too easy.

Or if you really want to ramp it up, my all time hardest efforts (both on the velodrome, the road, or wind trainer) is do 100% efforts over 30 seconds then ride gently for 10 minutes - 5 or 6 of these over your one hour will be more than enough! If a 10 minute break between efforts seems too much, then you haven't done your 30 second effort hard enough I'm afraid!

Hope some of the above may be of help - these are efforts I used to do myself, so I'm not suggesting anything I haven't subjected myself to.

Regards
Tony
NZ