Is there anyone out there who has tried learning a second language while riding their bikes on an indoor trainer during the winter months? We are signed up for an Ironman next year and riding the bikes indoors will be unavoidable even with fat bikes and a large pile of skis. We have always wanted to learn another language but with full time jobs and marathon/triathlon training, it has never worked out. But alas, what about the long hours on the trainer? Instead of watching Gossip Girl and other mindless tv shows, we are thinking of trying to learn a new language? Any programs you recommend? Rosetta Stone? Spanish would be our first choice.
I know this is a strange post, but isn’t it a great idea?
I would recommend a Pimsleur program over Rosetta Stone if you are trying to learn while on the trainer. The interactive menus in Rosetta Stone are somewhat a pain in the butt to try and work through while on a bike. Pimsleur is 100% audio based and based on my own experience, Pimsleur seems to provide better guidance on how to actually speak the language closer to a native speaker. I have had luck learning Russian through a combination of car commuting and trainer rides (I did Rosetta Stone for a while as well, but went back to Pimsleur).
I would recommend a Pimsleur program over Rosetta Stone if you are trying to learn while on the trainer. The interactive menus in Rosetta Stone are somewhat a pain in the butt to try and work through while on a bike. Pimsleur is 100% audio based and based on my own experience, Pimsleur seems to provide better guidance on how to actually speak the language closer to a native speaker. I have had luck learning Russian through a combination of car commuting and trainer rides (I did Rosetta Stone for a while as well, but went back to Pimsleur).
Thanks so much for the recommendation! Very cool you are learning Russian! I will check out Pimsleur.
I can confirm that Rosetta Stone while on the trainer is a no-go… in general this effort will take a lot of mental fortitude but if you grind it out through the winter months you’ll be jumping with joy once you can ride outside
I’m currently learning French and Spanish, I personally would find it difficult to do on a trainer ride much as I wouldn’t study for anything whilst working out. I think it’s best if you lend your full concentration to it.
That being said you can have your cake and eat it so to speak with watching TV on the trainer. Try this - start learning Spanish NOW! Loads of good free apps that can help you with this, get a little bit a day every day and it’ll start to come quickly. Then in winter you’ve already learnt a bit you can now kick it up a notch by watching your favourite TV series whilst on the trainer in Spanish (But NO subtitles allowed!) For a new series go online and get the gyst of the plot before watching in Spanish but you should be able to pick up quite a bit from body language etc and all the while you’ll pick up bits and pieces of Spanish natively which is a good way to learn.
Also pick up a copy of ‘Fluent Forever’ that’s where I’ve pulled the Spanish TV idea from and it has loads of useful bits and pieces for language learning.
I’ve never tried it on the trainer, but I use Babbel on the computer (for Dutch) and I have used Pimsleur cds. Both are good. Babbel is more fun - I learn better by seeing things than just hearing it, so that may be my Babbel preference
agree that you might find the lessons tiresome/impractical on the trainer. sometimes simply watching stuff if a good start - cooking shows can be great. they point to things and say their names often, slowly, and there’s lots of common vocab used.
alternatively, find a nice fat audiobook and decide you’re going to really dive in on learning about something interesting or obscure. i did kenneth clark’s “civilization” this way, years ago - was a very edifying way to spend several hours. . .
Do you get a Spanish TV station ? Pick some movies / shows you’ve already seen. If they have kids shows watch them. Watch and learn. It’s kind of fun. You’ll pick it up in no time.
It’s the way most people who speak Spanish learn to speak English when they get to the U.S. watching English TV
Do you get a Spanish TV station ? Pick some movies / shows you’ve already seen. If they have kids shows watch them. Watch and learn. It’s kind of fun. You’ll pick it up in no time.
It’s the way most people who speak Spanish learn to speak English when they get to the U.S. watching English TV
Haha, great idea! Now I wish I spent more time as a kid in front of the Spanish Sesame Street tv shows
I’ve never tried it on the trainer, but I use Babbel on the computer (for Dutch) and I have used Pimsleur cds. Both are good. Babbel is more fun - I learn better by seeing things than just hearing it, so that may be my Babbel preference
I tried to use Rosetta Stone on the trainer but it found it very annoying to set up with my laptop and mouse and the headset. The speaking lessons aren’t great anyway; on the trainer I could never get it to accept my pronunciation, and it was for a language I used to speak semi-fluently. So no I wouldn’t recommend it for the trainer.
I would recommend watching a film you like a bunch of times, and then saying the lines of dialogue after the actors. You’ll want to speak (I presume), and this is a very good way to get a somewhat natural speaking voice and a feel for the grammar and rhythm of the language. Easy enough to do while on the trainer too.
Just don’t do it with Almodovar films, or you’ll end up speaking like a Madrid housewife…
+1 on watching movies in other language on a trainer. Maybe with English subtitles.
In general I find it difficult to do things that require focus while riding (so don’t expect stellar results). For example reading a book is pretty impossible for me. Long bike races are great on the other hand (TdF, Giro, etc) - I can zone out for 10-15 minutes and come back without losing too much of a “story”.
I can recommend the Michel Thomas language courses which are very good and audio based only. You would just need a small MP3 player like an iPod when sat on the bike because you need to stop and start the recording a lot. I am doing his French course and like the way it is structured, him sat with a male and female student teaching them and you are listening in to their conversation. When he asks them a question you stop the recording, work out the answer, then listen to their answer followed by Michel repeating it for the correct pronunciation.
I haven’t tried using it while working out as you’ll have to do some simple interactions to get to the next screen, but https://www.mangolanguages.com/ has an app that you can use on your smartphone free - just check it out digitally from a local library. It’s pretty enjoyable to use and they have many languages to choose from.
I majored in Spanish (just finished in May) and second what was said about not being able to study something like a language efficiently while riding indoors. Learning vocabulary and verb tenses requires focus and I felt like I couldn’t remember things as well if I learned them while trying to multitask. That being said, once you have a grasp of basic Spanish it becomes much easier to do things like listen to podcasts, watch Spanish language movies, etc.
I would recommend using the next few months to study up on the introductory concepts, then using your indoor workouts to build from that foundation. “Slow News in Spanish” is a podcast I used to study, because you can adjust the speed of the podcast based on your Spanish comprehension/listening skills. I read the news in Spanish every morning–BBC Mundo is great for this. I also watch tv shows and movies in Spanish. I started with ones that had subtitles, then moved onto movies I had seen frequently in English (ie: Harry Potter) where I already knew the plot, which made it easier to pick up on some of the vocabulary. Netflix also has a great selection of Spanish language films and documentaries.
Another thing that has helped me recently is learning vocabulary that is based on a certain situation. My major was focused on literature and history, which isn’t always practical for the real world. Since I’m nearly fluent at this point, I now pick a situation–for example, working in healthcare, which is where I will eventually end up–and I learn vocab/grammar that are associated with that setting. This may help if you are learning Spanish for traveling, doing a destination race, etc. where general vocabulary may not help you as much.
Also, don’t forget the conversation aspect of Spanish. Learning to read and write Spanish has been so much easier for me than conversing with others, because I hate making mistakes and being corrected. Make sure you’re practicing speaking to someone else in Spanish at least 5-10 minutes a day. Practice with your husband, but also try to practice with someone who’s fluent/speaks Spanish as his or her first language if possible. This will help you pick up on different accents and syntax, which will improve your comprehension.
I wouldn’t consider it ‘studying’ but while learning french I watched a ton of races with french commentary. It’s far from perfect but it gave me hours and hours of exposure to develop my ‘ear’. There are lots of Tour stages on youtube and some decent torrent sites if you are into that.
I think it’s a great idea as a supplement to a tutor or some other organized program.
