Kickr power/resistance level can be controlled from your smartphone, which can obviously be mounted on your bars or held in your hand. I find it much easier to do quality intervals on the Kickr than the "dumb trainer" because it is easier/quicker to dial in the resistance to a specific power range.

In my case I would be using trainer road to control the kickr.

Once I start an erg workout, I just gut through it, even if it is ridiculously painful. I can think of only two times over the years that I have paused the workout, rested a moment, the started it back up. But, even in those cases I finished the workout.

If you find you can't finish, you might want to look at your training schedule and highly consider more recovery days.

I actually find somewhat the opposite. I can hold wattage that a CT/KICKR sends me all day long. But holding a wattage outdoors on the real road during a race/training effort? For me that's more difficult.

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My tiny little slice of the internets: dcrainmaker.com

Any training that has sufficiently high quantity or frequency of de-motivating elements won't be sustainable. Occasional set backs are normal but constant stream of negative feedback is not helpful. Likewise, recognising what is and is not negative feedback is also very helpful. Some assign negative value to things that are not really negative.

Motivation is key. Lose that and you're screwed. But learn to recognise what really is de-motivating, versus false negatives.

As for the specific issue of using a trainer and hitting power targets, I suggest:

#1 focus the session on what adaptations you are seeking to enhance and then set targets and train accordingly.

#2 seeking to bang out PB power numbers, or maximal power for the duration all the time will burn you, and is unnecessary to effectively achieve #1. Set appropriate targets and recognise that day to day there is variability and you may need to adjust

#3 if you are unable to reach the minimum power target that is required for #1, then you need to recover. So recover. That in itself is positive information about your training and response.

If you hate the indoor trainer environment, then look for ways to help alleviate that, being it watching video, listening to music, doing a session with a friend, visit a studio, get better cooling, or even shorten the session to just do core elements with an adequate warmup etc.

I would personally use it as a challenge not to quit. I think it's a bad habit to bail on intervals/workouts. I can't remember one time I did a structured workout that caused me to quit on TrainerRoad. If your FTP is set correctly, you're only trying to hit the targeted power, and you're not perpetually run down you shouldn't need to bail on intervals very often.

I'm going to use this opportunity to plug an exclusive feature I integrated into CompuTrainer's RacerMate One. Please don't pummel me. Just offering some perspective to the OP's question. : )

In the 3D Cycling app, which allows 8 riders (in this case 1 rider and 7 pacers) the 7 pacers can be set as SmartPacers™ and can be controlled by any metric you choose, be it FTP, Watts, HR. By setting these pacers at differing values the rider is able to - in wind-load, which functions like riding on the road - call these pacers into play at any time they choose by altering their output (gears/speed/etc) to cause their metric to coincide with that of one of the pacers. They'll react instantly to this and pace you. You can use any course you want with them to mix it up. By doing this you can move in and out of any pace-set you want and any point in time you want. It is not time controlled, except as you decide. Unlike ERG mode, which forces you to hold a wattage with a torque-load opposite of actual riding (slower=harder versus faster=harder, respectively) the pacers react immdiately to your "readiness" to push the wattage, or whatever, you set the pacer to. And you get the benefits of slope-based wind-load, just like you get on the road.

Also, one of the long-loved aspects of a pacer is when working against your own previous performances. With a SmartPacer™ set as a performance, which can also be adjusted to +/- of as-ridden, you have a perfect benchmark opponent to compete against. This function was the basis of how we could offer a money-back guaranteed performance improvement.

Pushing watts is important, but pushing it with cycling specific physics is what you do when riding on the road. Having this function replicated by using a road course as opposed to a time/watt course is something users have historically valued about the CT, but prior to SmartPacers™ and while using only one [not-so-smart] pacer was not so easy to do.

Anyway, just putting this out there. Maybe it will help someone who didn't realize this was available.

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Roger Moore
Software Development Mgr.
RacerMate Inc. http://www.racermateinc.com

If I could just use on my velotron. :o)

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

We're onto it...looking promising.

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Roger Moore
Software Development Mgr.
RacerMate Inc. http://www.racermateinc.com

You can do it with our software. It can use KICKR in either ERG or SIM modes. If you choose ERG there will be no let up. SIM mode will let you control your efforts
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Seriously.....you're plugging Racermate one ? LOL ........LOL......LOL.......

Not exactly, just describing a feature that perhaps one of the 11,000+ owners of the software might be interested in. I can appreciate it when or if others aren't. Seriously, I can.

Have a great day.

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Roger Moore
Software Development Mgr.
RacerMate Inc. http://www.racermateinc.com