Finally decided to suck it up and add 2 trainer rides a week (in the morning before anyone else is up, so I can grunt and sweat in privacy). I’m training for Spokane 1/2IM in Aug (rolling) and IMWA in Nov (dead flat course). My biggest limiter is not climbing, but that long sustained effort on flats into the wind (I can do it for a 40k TT no prob, but not for a 180k TT ;-)) .
Any suggestions for a good trainer session? I have max 1 hr each session, and I want the biggest bang for the buck. Thx!
one of the hardest trainer workouts I’ve done is the 5 minute climb in hard gear, 5 minutes spin. by the end I’m whipped and exhausted. it’s an endurance/strength builder for sure and it goes quickly.
also–pyramids–you can use the hard minutes as a climb or sprint…
I. 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy
2 minutes hard, 1 easy
3 hrd, 3 easy
4 hard, 4 easy
5 hard, 5 easy
II. 1 hard, 30 seconds easy
2 hard, 1 minute easy
3 hard, 1:30 easy
4 hard, 2 easy
5 hard, 2:30 easy
III. then finish up with a repeat of segment I. if you have the time. but segments I and II will wear you out.
this is a super hard workout IMO.
have fun!
kc
I feel your pain. I rode 2.5 hours on the trainer yesterday, it was of dubious quality until I inserted a spnervals dvd for the last hour. I find that it’s very hard to make myself work on the trainer without the aid of spinervals.
I also go to spinning classes, sit in the back of the class and do my own thing. I guess I feed off the energy in the class and am able to crank a quality workout.
Does this mean I’m mentally weak?
Andy, a good power ramp ride is to do 10 min warm up, lifting your heart rate with easy spinning, incorporating single leg drills for the middle 5 mins (30 secs per leg). Then get into your easiest gear at the back and your big chainring and maintain 90-100rpm for 1 minute. You now have 1 minute recovery in the small chainring. Back into the big chainring and move up a gear at the back for 2 minutes, changing back into small chainring for 1 minute recovery. Big chainring and up another cog for 3 minutes then 1 minute spin. Keep this progression going until your cadence drops below 90 rpm (as it will) if you have time pyramid back down and finish off with a good colldown to allow your HR to drop back down before stretching the muscles.
Enjoy.
I have 2 Carmichael Trainright videos; “Time Trial” and “Climbing”. Each is an hour long. The videos are good but sometimes I want to watch something else on TV so I wrote the workouts down. However, it is much easier for me to stick with the workouts while watching the videos. Another nice thing about investing in a few videos is they will give you lots of ideas for putting together your own workouts.
“Climbing”
5 min warm up
2 x 5 minute “muscle tension” intervals w/ a 5 min easy spin in between. Shift up to a really big gear and grind away at 50-55 rpm for 5 minutes. Don’t worry about your heart rate.
Do a 5 min very easy spin 90-95 rpm
2 x 10 “climbing” intervals w/ 5 min easy spin in between.
The first is a straight 10 minutes at 60-65 rpm keeping your heart rate near but not above your lactate threshold.
5 min easy spin
For the second 10 minute interval, change your cadence every minute alternating between 65 for one minute then 95 rpms for the next minute. Keep your heart rate the same (near but not above your lactate threshold) throughout the interval.
5 minute warm down.
“Time Trial”
5 min warm up
3 x 5 min “power interval” w/ 5 min easy spin in between
A “power interval” = spin at 100 - 110 rpm at above LT or well above your TT pace.
12 minutes of “steady state” intervals. This is done as a continuous ride - 2 minutes at 80-85 rpm then 2 min at 90-95 rpm then back to 80 -85 etc.
Keep your HR just below LT and keep it the same as you change cadence.
5 min warm down.
Hey, I have done the most incredible improvements during this winter with the workouts from www.tacx.nl
They work with the Tacx trainers but should easily be modified to others.
You can choose between different types.
To avoid boredom: Watch your TdF video tapes and ride with them up the mountains.
A fan helps against sweating, by the way. And after riding indoors you will not have any mental problems to solve during 180k TT outdoors.
Have in mind: 1 h indoor = ca. 1,5 h outdoor
Thanks, kittycat, et.al. This is exactly what I’m looking for! Unfortunately, I’m not in front of a TV (will be in July for TdF) as I’m stuck in the basement for now, so vids are not a possibility - thank god for MP3 players tho!
AP
Check Gordo’s forum. there was some suggested 1/2 IM bike workouts on there last week. There’s also some good ones in the back of “going long”.
10 min spin,
5x(1 min on(100-120 rpm), 30 s off),
6x(5 mins on(60-75 rpm)-1min off. 1 standing, 1 on bull horns, rest on aerobars)
5-10 min spin c/d
If you haven’t done Troika before, it’s got a bit of an uphill for the last few minutes of the ride, and absolutely zero shade on the run. It’s on my schedule for this season as well.
I also did Troika last year. There were 2 or 3 fairly significant climbs, but the course was really fast, maybe short? There was a kid I bike raced against (pretty fast Cat 2) who did it as a relay and went 2:06. I had a half IM split PR and was a solid 6 minutes faster than half IMUK which is fairly hilly and twisty. I like the bike course and the run course for that matter. I totally agree about the sun issue, wear a hat and drink lots. The swim was fairly nasty.
Trainer is the trainer. I’d hate to do it without Spinervals videos.
Part of the reason it’s a fast course is it’s a net elevation loss of several hundred feet. I think it was pretty accurate as far as length though. Most people think the swim is long. Everyone who does Pac-Crest and Troika seem to be 3 minutes slower at the Troika swim.
Thanks, i;ve done it twice, love that race. Climbing is my strength, so I’m not so worried 
I wondered about that too… but I can live with a few minutes extra on the swim. First year I did it (2001) it was about 95degF and super sunny, had to put ice in my hat and in my shoes on the run to keep from overheating (worked remarkably well actually, esp. the ice in the hat). Second time was warm, but nowhere near as hot. Almost pleasant. Great race.