Check out Trainerroad (http://www.trainerroad.com) and you will improve dramatically.

I look at the trainer as a substitute for the road, when I am not able to actually ride on the road. For example, if my ride on wednesday would be 1h and for whatever reason I need to start a little later and I can't complete my ride before it gets dark, I will just do that ride indoors. I'll do exactly the same indoors as what I had planned outdoors so if the plan said X watts for Y minutes I'll do just that.

Because of this, there is no typical amount of training time on the trainer. Last week I rode it twice (once 45' and once 1.5h) because the circumstances dictated it. This week I didn't need to ride it. You can easily imagine once it's winter I'll be doing almost all my weekday rides on the trainer and my weekend ride(s) outdoors. That's because I live in SoCal and I can ride outside in winter, but until a few months ago I lived in Cleveland and I would have had to do my weekend rides on the trainer too. In other words, nothing typical and depending on where people live their trainer time will vary greatly.

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Don't forget to attack!

Training on a trainer allows you to avoid traffic, weather, road conditions etc... It also allows you to focus on keeping at a certain power more easily since you wont have hills, wind, etc. The other factor is that you are constantly under force and don't get to "coast" as much.



As for heart rate and all that I think you should look into a training plan. There are several free ones out there for first Ironman races... Asking ST for what they do might not be good for you.

Good luck

It's very easy to maintain a set power target on a trainer compared to the road.

Trainerroad really has to be the most hyped up waste of time I have come across. Still amazed people pay money for it.

I do a total of 3-4 rides a week.. 1 long ride on the weekend, and the rest are trainer rides.. I go to work at 8am and get home at 5PM, so in order to ride safely, I ride on the trainer during the weekdays.

For IM training, I just use TrainerRoad and ride about 1 to 1.5 hours for each ride.. Its hard and takes lots of focus to ride a high level with a trainer.. Also gotta have a fan blasting at you or u will be dripping in sweat!

I canceled it for a while but I'm paying for it again. I think they're a lil expensive for what you get but there's no other alternative for a good structured workout.. There's PerfPro but I don't like their UI and they cost an upfront fee too.

One year subscription still less than one month with a coach. Pretty good bargain for me.

If I understand this correctly, I can't just throw my bike on my trainer and expect to get results?

Because cookie-cutter programs are *just* like having a coach.

Basic training book is even cheaper.

You should feel better getting your sanctimonious, superior post out on the internet.

What is "superior" about it?

I call trolling and not even very good; i'll give you 2/10. You've been on here over 2 yrs so you have to have read at least 50 threads on bike training on the trainer:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Your called. This was no bluff.

Yes I have seen the marketing videos... keyword is marketing. And I have read a couple... I know a couple people who have done nothing but ride the trainer and then do ironman. I have complete 2 Ironman and got destroyed on the bike. And my marathon is destroyed as well because of it. I don't know if it is me or my bike that is the problem.
I run a 3:30 marathon outside of IM. But with the bike, I have run 6:30 and a 5:30 in IM over the last 2 years... far from the typical 1/2 hour addition. I swim 1:10 at IM. So the issue is the bike or me or both. My bike is 20+ years old... with aero clip ons. 1 of the wheel sets is 13 years old and the other is 8 years old. It's the old 9 speed, I have to make due.

If you have a power meter, do a 5-6 hour ride and at the end have a look at how much time you spent at 0-50 watts. For me, this is nearly an hour. Lots of stop signs and big descents in my area.

For me, that's the bottom line - better use of my time and more pedal strokes at my goal wattage or above

This is what get me. When I get on one of those spin bikes at they gym... I am at 200 watts for a half hour. I peak at 700 watts. I really don't want to get a new bike. I have been fitted to it recently with the aero-bars. I replaced the bottom bracket with a new cealled 9 speed dura ace. The cassette was replaced... dura- ace and chain. It's an old Trek 5500. Maybe the hubs in the wheels go bad after some years. Maybe the bearings in the pedals. Anything that moves, I am looking at.

Riding on a bike is simply spinning your legs in tiny circles. Your legs don't actually care what your eyes see or where your body goes when they are spinning in tiny circles. The more you spin in tiny circles, the more your leg muscles will adapt to the motion. Sometimes you add resistance, making it harder for your legs to spin in tiny circles, thus increasing leg power and adaptation to the resistance. What makes riding on the trainer more clear is some sort of device that will quantify your effort. Power meters help. If you have a trainer with fixed resistance, speed will also help. Heart rate may or may not be of value, depending on who's philosophy you believe. Trainers reduce the variability that can come from external sources (such as wind, temperature, and obstacles along the way) making one workout to the next a more accurate comparison (assuming you're the type of bloke that likes to compare such things).

As far as duration and frequency, it really depends on what your IM goals are and what your base/ strengths are in IM endurance. The higher the goals or the weaker the base, the more saddle time you need (assuming you've done this sort of thinking in the other disciplines and are capable of calculating a balance). Tough to answer without any specific information about your training levels and goals.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

For me it helped with endurance as well for speed. Doing some TT's and when it's windy it doesn't bother me and I'm not as tired when going flat out. My muscles are able to go further and longer and my TT times backs this up.....

You can't just put it on the trainer. You have to put it on the trainer and then get on it and ride.

Ride hard and ride often and you will get results whether riding outside or riding inside. Your legs don't know the difference.

I kinda agree w/ this. I write my workout on a piece of paper( watts and time) turn on my ipod and get it done. However, my wife needs the interaction of Trainerroad and has a year long subscription. I only activate my TR account for the Tour of Sufferlandria.

Damn! I was hoping my wife could ride for me.

Not that tiny. I'd describe them as pretty big circles. Also,successful bike racing encompasses a wide range of skills, of which physiological adaptation is just one.

Ask me to do a 5-6 hour ride on the trainer, and at the end look at how much time I spent at 0 watts. For me this is nearly 4 hours. Not gonna do it. I can do a targeted 60-90 minutes on the trainer. That's the limit.

People who do 5-6 hour rides indoors when outdoors is a viable option, in my view, don't understand how to live life properly.

It's amazing how closed-minded and judgemental people can be here. Everyone has their own goals with their own ways of achieving them. I certainly wouldn't do 5 hours on a trainer, but if someone feels that they can benefit from that, then great for them. Saying that such a person doesn't "understand how to live life properly" is just asinine. Why so intolerant? Relax and worry about yourself.