November 5, 2013

Kelly's blog for Cyclists..why train indoors?

UGHH! Not the Indoor Trainer! 

by Kelly Ellis

When the weather turns wet, cold and icy most of us reluctantly turn to indoor training. I'm no different. Why would anyone want to ride indoors without the sun, the wind and the road?

Riding inside doesn’t have to be torture: the key is to adopt a get-on, get-off attitude and build more intensity into your workouts so you can spend less time pedaling to nowhere.

However, indoor training isn't necessarily something that should only be looked at as an alternative when outdoors is not an option. It's all about 'bang for your buck' and training specificity. In 60-90 minutes you can get a solid workout that hits your precise training zones without needing to stop for red lights, deal with gradient or wind changes, or search for a mountain climb that doesn’t exist.

Here are some simple guidelines for making the most of your indoor training sessions at home or in the studio this season:
 

1. Be Consistent:

Follow a plan with four rides a week and build intervals into three of those sessions. That might work out to two midweek and one longer Saturday endurance ride on the trainer indoors and then if road conditions are good a fourth ride outside solo or with a group.
 

2. Build in the fun-factor:

Music, visual scenery and friends can make time on the indoor trainer go by a lot faster. Find a studio like Come Alive Fitness that offers cycling specific classes or get your group of roadies together in your garage.
 

3. Go Hard, Not Long:

Indoor training is all about working at the right intensities without wasting time idly pedaling. The C2C cycle & core workouts at Come Alive Fitness might be tough, but you’ll complete them during a trainer session of just 60 to 90 minutes.
 

4. Then Go Harder! 

Your interval rides will have a bunch of hard efforts, but you will also need to incrementally increase the workload if you want to emerge in the spring a fitter/faster/more efficient rider. Focus first on building aerobic intervals (tempo), then on harder workouts that will raise your maximum sustainable pace (steady state, climbing repeat) and then boost your top-end speed (power intervals).

A good training plan for the off-season that includes time on the trainer will allow you to save time, create more intense rides, be more precise with your training, improve your pedal stroke and promote recovery.

See you on the trainer this winter!  

Kelly teaches popular Cycle 2 Core classes Monday's & Thursday's @ 6-7:30pm (1hr of cycling, 30 min of core work), and a 90 min Endurance ride on Saturday's @ 8:30-10am. See our class schedule to sign up!

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