Me too. Never understood why.

Trainer work is way harder mentally - especially as you are getting used to it.

I don't think many people can equal HR numbers inside, but you can get pretty close. One of the biggest keys to learning to working hard is setting up a good cooling system with one or more fans. I get away with just a small desktop fan, even a little airflow on my face makes a big difference. There is a thread or two here on ST around 'Show me your pain cave' and you will see people who have rigged up 2 & 3 mega-fans to keep cool.

I find some of the Spinervals DVD's are helpful - although it seems like the cool kids are doing Zwift now - but anything that is more structured and engaging than a jotted down list. I have developed a crush on one of the girls in a Spinerval DVD and I make sure I work hard because I don't want to disappoint her ;-)

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" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978

Hmmm.. strange.. i was expecting the opposite question: 'how to keep your HR low'.
When I get on the trainer it's always 10beats higher than outside. Not sure if its just the heat or what (i do use a fan).

There's a difference due to temp and conditions, but if you can max out that HR outdoors, you need to just HTFU to get the same suffering indoors.

Some folks who are weaker on the bike than run/swim ride more steadily on the trainer (no stops/hills) and actually fatigue their legs before they can hit the big power that can be required to get the HR up to near-max (for example, if you're a really good runner but very lightweight.) Still, with training you should be able to get your cadence up enough to max out that HR on the trainer. I find it hurts more than outdoors!

I vaguely remember hearing (7-8 years ago, so I could be wrong) that there is a level of excitability that your body naturally has when out on the road in the open environment that is removed in a static environment like the trainer. That excitability causes a natural increase in HR. It's one of the many factors beyond just effort that affect HR.

Yep, I find that too. HR vs. perceived effort is way different outside than on the trainer, with the trainer feeling harder.

it s very different from athletes to athletes. some have no problem pushing hard on the trainer and producing good watts and high hr while others will suffer mentally and find there RPE completely out of wack vs outside.

There is many factor like equipment you use, Fans, temperature of the room and the nature of the workout you are doing.

for athletes that struggle to get hr and watts up....i get a lot more success in giving them shorter high watts set with a lot of rest period between intervals. You need to explore see what works for you. there is many ways to use inside training to improve.... 2X20min on trainer isn't everyone cup of tee....and should not be!

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Jonathan Caron / Professional Coach / ironman champions / age group world champions
Jonnyo Coaching
Instargram

This +1

I am the complete opposite. I find riding on the trainer much more enjoyable and I can push more watts and higher HRs than I can outside. Also I can do much better sustained efforts on trainer than outside. I will partially attribute this to the ERG mode where I literally cannot cheat. When I'm climbing outdoors I can switch to a granny gear and just ride up at 200 watts -- cant do that on an ERG interval.

That makes sense, I'm a strong runner and struggle on the bike. I'll try some fans and keep plugging along and see what happens. Thanks everyone.