Getting paid to ride (Work from home + trainer)?

Triathlon Forum
1

Hi team,

I’m reaching out to gather feedback and advice on combining working from home with bike trainer sessions. I’ve recently signed up for the Cairns Ironman and have a young child, which means I’m quite time-poor. I’m looking for ways to integrate my training with my workday to make the most of my time.

Context
Long outdoor rides are challenging to fit into my schedule, so I’m considering using a bike trainer during work hours. The idea is to multitask and get some training done guilt-free. Additionally, my location is predominantly flat, and I enjoy climbing, so a trainer setup could be ideal (Kickr Climb + Rouvy etc.). I’ve got a tri sutto - advanced 16 week - 20 hours a week training plan I used in 2021/2015. I’ve got til June 2025 for that event.

Current Setup
Workstation: Sit-stand desk, Bluetooth keyboard, Bluetooth mouse, and a 38-inch widescreen. Devices: MacBook Pro (work laptop), PC/Windows, Garmin 840, and Garmin 6S Pro Sapphire. Proposed Setup
Trainer: Kickr Wahoo Move. Accessories: Kickr Climb, a dedicated Wahoo desk for riding, cycling mat, and Wahoo Kickr headwind fan. Workspace Configuration: Debating whether to get another screen for the trainer setup on the side or keep the bike/trainer in front of the main screen and sit-stand desk. Key Considerations
Efficiency and Ease of Use: If the setup is cumbersome to switch between work and training, I might not use it as often. Need to be able to jump on and more or less ‘go’. Zoom Meetings: I plan to avoid being on the bike during meetings but can see myself riding during other tasks that don’t require camera participation. So likely ‘sitting up’ most of the time pedalling, whilst using the mouse & typing etc. Is this even feasible? Or do-able? Or not really - if I need to actively do things (besides just listen into a meeting etc.) Training Mode: Considering using ERG mode to maintain focus on work while recording stats on Strava/Garmin Connect without the distraction of platforms like Zwift.
Questions

  1. Experience: Has anyone tried a similar work and training setup? How did it work out for you?
  2. Pro Tips: Any suggestions to streamline the setup for quick transitions between work and training?
  3. Learnings: Lessons learned from your experience that you wish you knew earlier? Or you tried and have pulled the pin? If so, why?
  4. Advice on Training Mode: Is ERG mode the best choice for my needs? Any recommendations on recording stats seamlessly? Best trainer for this?

Thank you in advance for your insights and advice. Open to hearing recommendations/critiques (e.g. don’t bother, find the time outside of work, get up earlier, use X instead of Y etc etc.) and any pro tips about training whilst having kids etc.

2

I’ve played around with working while on the trainer. In general, my experiences/conclusions are as follows:

  • Getting actual work done on the keyboard isn’t really feasible… like you can do it but it’s horribly inefficient
  • Works great for times when you have to read lots of stuff, watch videos or sit in on conference calls
  • I’ve successfully participated in conference calls (though generally with the camera off) without issue for Z2 stuff
  • I did once make the mistake of doing a VO2 max session during a call that I thought I wouldn’t have to actively participate in… needless to say that was awkward (the camera was off and I’m sure they thought I was furiously masturbating)

It depends on the nature of your work, but for me during the darkest days of “work from home” it was more like I took opportunities to get in trainer time when I could (ride on lunch break, eat while working; have a bunch of material to go over? do it on the trainer) rather than attempting to regularly work productively while simultaneously riding.

3

I really can’t do meaningful work and ride my trainer.

I’ll very occasionally listen to all hands meetings or webinars, but I’ve learned that I don’t do a good job of actually retaining the information because my brain is too distracted from riding my bike. Typing would be nearly impossible.

My trainer rides are super focused and generally harder interval work. It’s fine for before work, during lunch, after work. I just have everything set up and ready to go so my time is used efficiently. But to actually get work-work done, I’d basically be doing a Z1-2 ride, and that’s not the typical trainer sort of ride for me.

4

I mean, if you don’t have the time, why sign up for an Ironman? Because the training is not hard enough, so you add up mental mandatory duties and tasks to do during the workouts. I just don’t get it. I would rather 100% of the time either work or train. Trying to do both you will perform poorly and enjoy neither of them.
Wake up really early, get job/workout done. Breakfast. Get workout/job done. Lunch. Work. Done.

5

When you applied for your job - Do you think you would have been hired if you told them you plan to ride your bike while “on the clock”

If the answer is yes, probably stick to easier rides. If the answer is no, then probably don’t do it.

6

I train during work hours every day. It’s not an ideal from a career progression point of view or from my employers point of view, however I complete my job as expected and do not go above and beyond so that I can get in my training and also have a good family life. If I wake up early or train late I do not sleep enough to recover and also give up valuable time when my family is also available. This has worked for me but I also realize I am not giving 100% at work so you have to have the right mindset to accept that.

I try to mostly schedule my rides during meetings that will require me to listen but not speak. I can speak decently for a sentence at a time in z2 or less. I will stop pedaling if I have to make a more dedicated speaking portion, however that also causes the trainer to freewheel which creates more background noise. It’s more stressful to train during work hours. There is always the possibility of needing to stop mid-ride to take a call or reach out to someone. It also can be tough to schedule time in between work meetings. If you get a 5-10min late start, you may have to cut your session short. Or, more likely the case, you are always in a rush. Rushing to swim, rushing to ride, rushing to shower. A minute or two late to every call. It’s super stressful.I would not be able to train for triathlon without using work-time. If I used personal time it would be a non starter for me. Travel during work calls, train during breaks. This is for swimming. Take calls from the car but try to have a nice solid window for the actual swim that is free, ideally during early morning before meetings start or during lunch. Ideally the pool is also very close by (<10 mins).
In terms of your specific questions.

No, I would not be able to do any meaningful work even at z1 on the bike with a keyboard and mouse. I can answer slack messages and attend zoom calls, but nothing further. I find I can actually retain and listen to information better on a call because I am not distracted by other things. If the bike is in erg mode it’s pretty mindless.

I have my treadmill and trainer in my office so I can hop on a minutes notice. I also have all of my training gear here to change as needed. Good bluetooth earbuds that minimize outside noise are required to be successful, aka airpods or similar.

7

I wouldn’t dare to do it.

I might intentionally block certain hours in the calendar, skip a meaningless call from time to time or say “no” to some drinks after work etc., but I believe in transparency - I post all my workouts while having work colleagues on Strava. Everything is 100% reconcile-able to flexible work hours, which is anyway just secondary to real work results.

If I didn’t have that flexibility or if I couldn’t deliver to work expectations, I wouldn’t be signing up to race.

8

I might intentionally block certain hours in the calendar

This is what I did back when I was working and doing IM training. Most of the time it was a longish lunch such that would give me enough time to get to the pool and back and grab a quick bite at the desk.

9

I might intentionally block certain hours in the calendar

This is what I did back when I was working and doing IM training. Most of the time it was a longish lunch such that would give me enough time to get to the pool and back and grab a quick bite at the desk.

I WFH 99.9% of the time nowadays, I’m an EE and all of my work is on the computer designing, emailing, chatting on teams, or teams calls. I do a mixture of things to train from home without feeling guilty or affecting my work:

0.- Lock out my calendar every day durint lunch hour. Some people like to do meetings at 12pm.
1.- I take a 90 minute lunch, from 11:30am to 1:00pm, or other days I do it from 12:00pm to 1:30pm, it depends on whether I have a meeting at 1pm or not. I use this time to go to the gym, it’s a 15 minute walk from my house so I count that as warm-up.
2.- I don’t do work while on the trainer, I don’t think I can be on the mouse and keyboard, laying out a PCB, or going Bills of Materials while doing work on the bike. No way.
3.- I know which meetings I have to (or may want to) say something, so no go on getting on the trainer.
4.- There’s other meetings where I know for certain I will only be listening, I can use those to get a session on the trainer in.
5.- I eat while I work after the gym.
6.- For the days I was super busy, it is very rarely that I will have a meeting all the way to the end of the work day, so I will most likely do the trainer at 4pm or 5pm.

Important to note that I am only go to the gym and ride the bike. I don’t run or swim anymore. Don’t have the time.

10

I’ve got two young kids at home and if I want to do my training it has to be before they are up or after they are asleep. Sometimes I am able to sneak in a short workout during lunch, but that’s a rarity.

11

Young father here, working from home half the time.

Either do your IM on much less training, or change your goals, 20h a week is the perfect key to getting burned out mentally, give up the sport in two years because you lack sleep, you fight with your partner and you feel stressed at work.
As others said, there is no way to work efficiently and train at the same time.

Use all you lunchbreaks to train, 30-40 minutes swim or run, and a short session right before the kids wake up and/or after the kid go to sleep/and or past kid bedtime. You don’t really need long sessions all year to be competitive, especially if you spend your time on zwift.

Plan well in advance your long sessions on the weekend with your partner so that your couple doesn’t suffer from your hobby.

I bought a running stroller, I only use it for my “long” runs, it gives my wife some time to do whatever she wants, the kid loves it and I can cash in the “joker” card to go on a somewhat long ride the next day.

That’s just my experience of course.

12

Do the training early before everyone wakes up. Use the lunch break to take a nap.

13

I agree with the other posters - find it very hard to do anything on keyboard, let alone mouse, effectively while riding. And even at Z1 hard to concentrate on anything at a professional level, quite aside from the practical considerations.

I’ll be ready to respond if needed, or sometimes catch up on work-related podcasts, but that’s about it. In my view, much better to focus on training as a break and hit work with 100% focus.

To answer the other part of your question, there are no brilliant hacks for training with kids in my experience (mine now 5 and 3) except:

  • early starts
  • longer, fewer sessions
  • longer lunch breaks (no one will notice)
  • stacked sessions (may be easier to arrange 4 hours 5-9am one morning to swim then bike say, than four separate 1-hour slots)
  • being active with the kids (backpack them on hikes etc)

Also remember your kids will only be young and needy for a short time. I personally try to minimise time I lose with them and mostly train when they’re asleep or at school/nursery.

Good luck!

14

Setup:

  • if you buy a cheap height adjustable side table on Amazon (preferably with wheels) you could work on your laptop while sitting up on your bike. It’s the kind of table they’d sell to people hospitalised at home for use in bed. It’s key that it can get to the right height and that you can slot it in from the side so it goes just behind your front wheel. The one I had looked like this one https://www.amazon.com/...pital/dp/B00QMNTMXA/ although I can’t tell exactly how tall it needs to go.
    I’ve tried this a couple of times. It works but you can’t get any work done over Z1, possibly low z2, and you’d be in a position that you’d never be using during a race.
  • with the same desk or any desk in front of the bike (like the decathlon van rysel table) you can easily keep a laptop or iPad in front of the bike at a reachable distance for occasional input.
  • if you have a triathlon/tt bike, because the weight is on your arms and elbows, you can easily do a lot of stuff from your phone, like answering emails, without any equipment besides a place to hold your phone when not in use.

Working while on the trainer
In general, I’d say working while on the trainer doesn’t work well for anything above Z2. The higher the intensity the more your mind opposes to it and eventually you can only focus on your effort and nothing else.

As others have said, if doing Z1,Z2 stuff you can easily watch videos, read stuff, participate in meetings where you don’t have to talk much.

Logistics and calendar
The main avenue for creating time to do more training is, in my opinion, logistics and optimizing your calendar. Do a zero calendar that includes everything including morning routines, eating time, commuting, etc. Then try to optimise and think critically what could be changed.
The best areas of opportunity are in my opinion around minimising commutes and moving in general. Could you commute to work by bike or running instead of public transport, car, etc. Can you find a gym or pool next to your home or workplace so that you can go at lunchtime taking a longer lunch break? Etc. Can you stack training so that you minimise changing/showering? Can you run/bike to the pool?

Training hours
You are referring to 20 hours, which is a fairly heavy load of training. When you train this much you have additional logistical issues caused by the number of sessions and how much more you’ll have to eat. Therefore it will be key to find a way to eat enough that works with the new schedule (how do you get food if you’ve commuted to the office and are super hungry). You can pay somebody to do it for you or you’ll have to get into meal planning and make time for that. Or maybe you’re lucky and there’s an all you can eat food court you can go to.

You can also question whether 20h really are what’s needed for your goal and if it’s needed for the whole year. Your target race is pretty far into the future.

15

I have been fairly successful with riding on trainer. This is the desk I have that has 2 separate surfaces that are both adjustable. https://a.co/d/0fOSxt4Z

If you are able to do the majority of your work using the mouse and not as much keyboard typing, what has been really beneficial for comfort and efficiency was getting an XBOX controller (I have a PC, not a Mac) and downloaded Gopher360 app that allows video game controller to control my mouse. I ride in aerobars and hold the mouse. I would bet there is a way to connect a phone or something to your laptop to be able to use it an in input device for keyboard, but I haven’t tried that.

I also have a projector stand that I have next to me with a wireless keyboard on it for when I do need to type- it’s also adjustable to be able to make it as comfortable as possible with your bike setup: https://a.co/d/0bVUZLS7

16

How this will go… https://www.facebook.com/...&mibextid=Nif5oz

cant find original vid, but she got fired after the zoom meeting

17

How this will go… https://www.facebook.com/...&mibextid=Nif5oz

cant find original vid, but she got fired after the zoom meeting

What’s wrong with that? She still was on the call right? Maybe she even worked early or worked late to make up for the travel?

Also another side note to those blocking your calendar. That’s basically the same thing as we are all talking about. And also, blocking my calendar has never worked, people schedule over it all the time. Something to keep in mind.

18

bro she defintely made up the extra hours and is the firms hardest worker for real
.

19

Ultimately this will be heavily dependent on the nature of your work and the culture of your workplace/company.

I’ve worked from home 100% since COVID, initially as a “temporary” thing like everyone, but I loved it and got myself reassigned permanently. So roughly 4 years.

Bike

I will frequently do morning bike sessions that partially overlap with standard work hours. If it’s low intensity ~Z2 I can get a few things done, like inbox + chat triage, figure out my rough plan for the day, send a few easy mails/chats. Maybe even tick off a handful of “real” work tasks that happen to be simple/rote. I will do this on my phone or work laptop set up on a Kickr Table knockoff in front of the trainer. Occasionally I will even prop the laptop on my aerobar pads.

Anything with hard efforts and I can’t concentrate well enough to do even simple work tasks. Also if I’m doing work I need at least one hand free using a device/keyboard – sweaty palms and no longer able to brace myself against the bars: yuck.

The only meetings I’d take while training are all-hands type things where there is 0% chance I need to talk, camera can be off, and it’s not critical that I absorb the content that well. Long boring internal training videos are another good opportunity.

Personally, it sound awful to sit fully upright on the bike and use a mouse/keyboard/monitor two-handed. Uncomfortable and recruiting different muscles than “real” riding. And now your trainer is surrounded by substantial work gear even when you want to do an off-hours bike session. Definitely a personal choice, but I prefer sticking with my phone or just a laptop on a side table + one-handed typing while the other hand supports me on the bars.

Run

If you have a treadmill at home, you can even get a little work done while running. It’s definitely awful, but it’s possible to do a bit of chat/email on your phone in a pinch while running at easy pace.

If you have a TV set up in front of the treadmill, you can use a Chromecast and cast your training video or all-hands livestream to the TV for viewing while you run.

Swim

Most of us need to drive to the gym to access a swimming pool. Sometimes I will take a work call from the car during that drive.

I keep my phone on the edge of the pool deck so I can read the session, folded in a towel next to my water bottle + swim toys. A few times I’ve managed to handle work chats/email from the water, during rests between intervals.

20

I’ve recently signed up for the Cairns Ironman and have a young child, which means I’m quite time-poor.
…
I’ve got a tri sutto - advanced 16 week - 20 hours a week training plan I used in 2021/2015.

And forgive me, but I have to ask – what are your expectations for the race? Unless you are in the mix for a podium/KQ (maybe you are!), 16-20h/wk is way higher volume than anybody needs in order to have a strong finish, or even a very solid front-ish-pack finish. As someone who is self-described “time-poor” with a young kid, why are you trying to train 16-20h a week in the first place?