Entertainment on the "nowhere bike"

[zoom-zoom]

When you are indoors riding the trainer, what do you like best to distract yourself?

I like zombie movies. When the movies are extra suspenseful I pedal faster. :D

[WindingRoad]

ROFL. :D Zombie flicks are awesome.

[zoom-zoom]

ROFL. :D Zombie flicks are awesome.

I totally don't get the vampire thing. Zombies are funny...I like funny.

[ginny]

....tee hee... zombie flicks! That's great! I just listen to my ipod. I like to sing off key and loudly with my favorite songs... my dogs have not yet started howling at me ;)

[Thorn]

How about foreign films? The roar of the trainer cannot drown out the subtitles.

Since putting on movies (thank you Netflix streaming video), the long rides have been more interesting. And, we've found some really great foreign flicks.

But a movie with chase scenes and suspense are the best for keeing the cadence up.

[channlluv]

NCIS reruns or The Food Network, especially Alton Brown - he's a hoot and I always learn so much from him.

Roxy

[redrhodie]

I would love to watch movies (especially Zombie flicks!) but my trainer is in the bedroom, and there's no tv in there. So, I amuse myself with music. I also try different things on the trainer. Lately, I've been trying to balance for 10 seconds while standing on the pedals with no hands. I do this at the beginning or end of my workout, just for fun. I've also been riding no hands from the drops and hoods (from either position, I take my hands off the bars for maybe 10 revs, then put back on for 10, without changing my body position). It's a fun way to break up the time. I also do a lot of single leg pedaling and standing (not no hands!).

That makes the first half hour go by fast. Then it gets boring, and I move on to the stability ball. The thing I like most about the trainer is I'm more inclined to do some other stuff (like weights and core work) that I won't do after an outdoor ride.

[TsPoet]

Audiobooks. Unfortunately I'm half-way through the last Harry Potter book, I don't know what I'm going to do when I have no more Potter to listen about.
I pedal slowly when I listen to books, though. The only way to keep my pace up is using broadcast TV and doing "commercial sprints" or Spinnervals.
Commercial sprints are just about right for me; 2-4 min of sprinting, 10-15 min of keeping a reasonable steady pace, 2-4 min of sprinting... Sometimes I had a "climb" when a certain character is on screen and set a high gear until they are off screen.
It's not the show that counts, but the bike mental games instead.

[tulip]

My heart rate monitor keeps me entertained...that and some very loud salsa!

[zoom-zoom]

Audiobooks. Unfortunately I'm half-way through the last Harry Potter book, I don't know what I'm going to do when I have no more Potter to listen about.

I LOVE audiobooks...that got me through the longest runs while training for 3 marathons. I "read" all of David Sedaris' stuff, as well as Chelsea Handler's books. Though laughing out loud really makes the legs turn to jello.

[lo123]

I do the 'Glee' workout watching it on Hulu (not now though since there's no new episodes).

Warm up during the 'previously on Glee'
Cruise or do single leg drills during normal dialog
Sprint through commercials
Up the resistance and climb when they're singing.


I've recently started watching Dexter through Netflix On-Demand, but I haven't found a good routine with that show yet. At first I thought I'd sprint through crime scenes, but that proved to be a bit much. :D

[TsPoet]

I've recently started watching Dexter through Netflix On-Demand, but I haven't found a good routine with that show yet. :D

Try swear words. I sprint from f*** to any other 4 letter word. I climb from s*** to any other 4 letter word...
That works pretty well for a completely random ride session. The sprints are sometimes ~2 pedal revolutions.

[malkin]

I started listening to music regularly after I fell off the rollers while trying to remember the Lord's Prayer in Norwegian. I got stuck on the '...Forgive us our debts" (or sins or tresspasses) part and wiped out in the hall.

[ny biker]

At home on the trainer I have to be watching a spinning tape. Regular tv or movies don't do it for me unless I'm just softpedaling.

If I use the stationary bike at the gym, I leave the tv off and just listen to music. I pick a good song and repeat it over and over.

Either way, I find doing intervals is the best way to make the time go by. Always easier to focus on 2 minutes than 45 or 60.

[zoom-zoom]

Sin City is a really good movie for riding the trainer. Hubby and I just did that this afternoon. :D

[HillSlugger]

Usually Netflix TV shows or On Demand: Dexter, Burn Notice, Battlestar Gallactica, etc. One year I watched all 5 seasons of Babylon 5.

[zoom-zoom]

I really need to check out Netflix, but it seems to have gotten more $$. They used to have a cheaper plan, but now it looks like just one standard plan.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Have you guys ever tried 'Spinervals'? My husband swears by them to kick his ***! They even have one video called 'Have Mercy,' haha. I've been lucky enough to continue doing long rides outside, since we are having mild weather here. But I did use the trainer on two different occasions - I watched 'Up' one time and 'The Proposal' the other time. I must say they weren't very intense workouts!

-Jessica

[Thorn]

Spinervals? An ECT groupie, here. When I'm doing intervals, it is the only thing going on. But, when I'm doing a long ride, Spinervals isn't enough to keep me motivated. So, Spinervals without volume on one screen (I've got them all memorized :) ) and Netflix movies on a second screen.

[gnat23]

Try swear words. I sprint from f*** to any other 4 letter word. I climb from s*** to any other 4 letter word...
That works pretty well for a completely random ride session. The sprints are sometimes ~2 pedal revolutions.

This is hysterical, I love it! Unfortunately, the only thing I could think of then was trying to do the same trick for Deadwood and dying of exhaustion. :D

-- gnat!

[channlluv]

Audiobooks. Unfortunately I'm half-way through the last Harry Potter book, I don't know what I'm going to do when I have no more Potter to listen about.


I love audiobooks, too. DD and I listened to the Harry Potter books on our cross-country drive two summers ago, and for a similar trip last summer, we bought the entire Tamora Pierce catalog from Audiobooks.com. I highly recommend them, but listen to the various trilogies and quartets in order, because they share characters and they are progressive. I think we've listened to a dozen or so books by now. They're fantastic. Full of strong women warriors and leaders.

We're almost through them now. I want to write to Pierce and ask her to write faster.

Roxy

[PinkBike]

I'm with Thorn - I have Spinervals or CTS on one portable DVD player with the sound low, and a race video on the other. Right now I'm going thru last year's spring classics, it's just nice to reduce the monotony.

[WindingRoad]

ohhh yeah, Sin City good one! Dark, mysterious, scary, angry, kinda demented... everything I need to be motivated indoors.:)

[andtckrtoo]

I love audiobooks, too. DD and I listened to the Harry Potter books on our cross-country drive two summers ago, and for a similar trip last summer, we bought the entire Tamora Pierce catalog from Audiobooks.com. I highly recommend them, but listen to the various trilogies and quartets in order, because they share characters and they are progressive. I think we've listened to a dozen or so books by now. They're fantastic. Full of strong women warriors and leaders.

We're almost through them now. I want to write to Pierce and ask her to write faster.

Roxy

LOVE Pierce!!

I just do Spinervals, although I usually rock out to different music. Right now I'm into Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I simply cannot pedal soft to swing.