I have owned a CompuTrainer since 2004. Was wondering if any CT owners have tried the P.I.G. (Performance Improvement Guarantee) 20 week program. I am looking for some type of structured cycling program for a specific block of time. I have about 1 day a week that I can plan on an outdoor ride right now. The rest will have to be indoors. Anyone with any thoughts on this program? Other suggestions or alternatives? Thanks in advance.
Nobody has tried this? Not one person? You guys do the 100 runs in 100 days and P90X and weight loss challenge and epic training weeks and not one person here on the twitch has anything to say about this?
I had REALLY nice improvements from using Hunter Allen’s CT programs.
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/training-and-nutrition-plans/training-plans/hunter-allen.aspx
I am currently in Week 8 of the 20 week program. My results are probably of little use to you though as I started with basically zero cycling background. My initial CP30 produced 192 watts, 20.5 mph, and 87 RPM. After the first five weeks, my CP30 averages were 219 watts, 21.4mph, and 91 RPM. I typically do three of the P.I.G. workouts per week on the trainer: long intervals, tempo, and endurance. I’ve done one or two of the endurance rides on the road and will do more of them outdoors once the weather improves.
This is what I wanted to hear. Thanks. Please keep me posted on your progress thru PMs if you have time. I am going to start the program next week. Are you doing any run training along with the P.I.G. program?
My experience with the CT is not very helpful–one technical problem after another. I am not quite ready to give up on this thing but it is definitely not the most user-friendly thing I have used. It certainly is more entertaining than the standard trainer but I don’t see myself using it much when the weather is coonsistently greater than 50F. Check out the RacerMate forums. http://www.racermate.net/forum/index.php
I haven’t used their 20 week program but our Computrainers in the store run almost constantly. Frankie Andreu is just back from the Tour of California and is riding our our multitrainer system right this moment.
To me the Computrainer works best for someone who likes lots of telemetry and feedback. If that “engagement” helps keep you on the bike- and keeps getting you back on the bike- you’ll gain fitness simply by virtue of time on the bike. Now, any trainer can do that, but the uniqueness of this system is that it may serve to keep you mentally engaged to a greater degree than other trainer experiences. Also, the data could be useful in planning your workouts. And finally, if you’re competitive, then riding against your saved workouts is really cool. You have no chocie but to be faster.
One potential pitfall is that there are no easy days if you keep trying to race your previous workouts, so you have to plan your easy rides in there too.
Tom,
how much do you charge for CT riding time? Do you have any athletes that have come in to ride/test them and turned into sales?
Ciao
I have had my CompuTrainer for four weeks now. It is awesome. It is not that difficult to set up. I highly recommend it.
I’m a new user of the Computrainer, and bought it because an age-group competitor/friend I met while doing some of the Nationals races kept kicking me on the bike, and he said a lot of his success was the result of the structure and consistent training over the winter he was able to do on the CT. I like it, though I can’t really ever see myself as the kind of person who would spend 5 hours on that thing, even with all the feedback (and a separate DVD player going).
That being said, if you’re at all competitive (and you probably are!) you’ll get sucked into that racing prior performances thing, which is WAY cool and will make you want to kick your own ass worse everytime you get on there. I’ve had days when I’ve been tired, lagged behind my “other” self, and then went to redline to catch and then pass my ghost before the finish line (thumbing my nose as you go by…). Good and bad parts to that if you should have been resting.
It does seem to take too long to get it ready to ride (pump the tire, wipe the tire, adjust the press-on force (wonder if you got it right), do the Erg warmup, set the final press on force, then pick your course (pick the wrong one perhaps and start over), get the right one, find a background and hit Race Now. I’m getting more familiar with that cycle; it’s a little cumbersome when you first start going through it.
So, I’m happy and now just trying to find the right kind of work out sequencing. Sorry if I got off topic…