Got a trainer...now what?

[abejita]

So, after being obsessed all summer long with cycling, I decided to get a trainer so that I could ride indoors this winter. I tried riding it today, OMG is is boring!!! I think I went 2 miles before I called it quits and just brought the dog for a walk. To save my indoor cycling season (and defend my $400 trainer purchase with hubs) Can you give me your suggested spinerval/video rotations? What videos should I cycle through this winter that will keep me interested and help me get stronger?

[Kiwi Stoker]

I HATE Chris Carmichel Train Right DVDs. Boring! People sitting on windtrainers in a barnlike building wearing the same outfits? All super fit? Yuck!

I prefer the Rides series http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=46154 which is an actual ride filmed by several helmet cams and a motor pace with local music (not the same boom, boom, boom) and lots of nice scencery.

There's 4 versions available and has made me think about making my own versions of some of my favourite rides- we have a handbar mount video camera now.

I also found windtraining while watching music videos was fun as well.

[abejita]

LOL!! I was toying with the idea of filming my favorite rides too!

[PinkBike]

i do both trainright and spinervals. but it is indeed boring, even with tunes. so i have the training dvd set up on one player and a race video set up on another, and just watch racing videos while keeping an eye out to the other one to tell me what to do next. helps kill the time and keep me motivated.

[smilingcat]

Zone out and listen to music.

I've tried watching a TV no good.
Tried reading a book can't concentrate.
Doing intervals on the trainer was about the only thing to break the boredom.
warm-up
ride hard for 1 min in the lowest gear
rest for one minute
shift up a gear ride hard for one minute...
till you are on the smallest cog.
Then go reverse but with two minutes hard one minute off.
An hour will go by if you do this.
then cool down. spin easy for 10 minutes. and roll off your bike.

Doing interval is the best way to break the boredom. IMHO...

[Selkie]

I don't think Spinervals are necessarily boring. Depends on the Spinerval--I have my favorites. You might do a search, myself and others have posted reviews of the many Spinervals releases. Spinervals got me through many a cold/snowy/icy/rainy day and actually improved my riding technique/fitness.

All that said, being inside on a trainer is definitely not as much fun as riding outside. It's better to ride, even if it's inside, than not ride at all.

[alexis_the_tiny]

If you're willing to pay for training videos, try Sufferfest out. http://www.thesufferfest.com

Apparently, they're different because you'll see footage with actual cyclists in it and maybe some nice views around. I'm too cheap to pay for training videos so I go with watching 'No Reservations'. =D

[roadie gal]

I use Spinervals a lot and like them.

For the virtual reality rides I like Endurance Films' Rides series. Good music and good scenery. www.endurancefilms.com

[colorisnt]

Last winter when I was home and had the wind trainer in my parent's basement, I would watch really bad politcal schtick and yell at the tv. I kid you not. But that makes me happy so I pay attention. Probably raises my BP, but that is the only thing that worked.

Good luck with everything. I will be watching this thread for more info.

[Tri Girl]

I like the Chris Carmicheal Iron Girl video (I'm at work so I can't remember what it's exactly called).
It's about 8-10 on the bike, then quickly off the bike for weight training. Do that 3 x's. It's HARD and a great workout. I do it once a week for strength training. Not boring like all my other Spinervals... :rolleyes:

I should film a few of my favorite rides with the camera- even if in the car. Would be interesting to see my own scenery at a time when it's warm. Will make me long for the warmer weather even more. ;)

[out_spokin']

The idea of sustained indoor training gets me out happily commuting in 9 degree F temperatures in the dark. Really. Still, I gotta give some love to the Sufferfest. I found them somehow a winter or 2 ago when they were all you tube (crappy video) loops and low production values...and FREE. Even then they made me want to kick it up about 100%, and the snippets I've seen of the upgraded and now $10.99 videos (per hour-ish of workout) have convinced me to ante up when I need to get in some workouts on overly challenging weather days.

Granted, if you're not much into road racing, they might not do it for ya. But the intervals are tough, the music is surprisingly good (and you can always just turn it down and mix in your own tunes to the video, since the instructions are all visual), and the little bits of 'editorial comments' on screen are cheeky and hilarious. And even though the main race footage is the big guys in the big road classics, he also throws in footage from track, cyclocross, MTB, and yes, a bit of women's racing. Plus a bunch of weird & cool other stuff.

I have a Spinervals compilation, and will try some Carmichael ones this winter, but I have a feeling my best indoor workouts will be Sufferfests.

[redrhodie]

Let the torture begin! :D

[makbike]

DH and I have our bikes set up in front of the TV and ride during college football or basketball games. I typically set my goal to "ride" through a complete half and half time. I listen to my Ipod and typically time goes by fairly quickly and I'm not too bored.

[Miranda]

This is part of why-how I became a Spinning Instructor lol. I can't make myself do it alone at home in soitude. And I don't want to drag my bike and gear out in the winter.

I own a trainer. Couple dvds... one Chirs C., and other Spinnervals I think. Been on it couple times maybe... since 2007:o.

There are a couple of our local bike shops that host an indoor ride. Some have rollers available to use (& will teach you how to ride them). The others you bring your own trainer, bike, and you ride as a group to a dvd. One shop has a CompuTrainer class (computerized in their trainers) for a fee (like a Spinning class).

My riding partner did not like the bikes in Spinning (no gears, etc.). So, she drags her bike and trainer out just to have the fellowship to ride the dvd with the bike shop. Which would be fun to be with the people... but I'm teaching my friends inside at the same time, so I've never been.

It's pretty painless for the bike shop to provide this type of class. Maybe you could even suggest it to your shop to start a ride if there is not one near you. And... you could mix in a simple / inexpensive pay as you go membership to ride Spinning just to mix it up... as well as maybe get some ideas to ride in your trainer from the Instructor's profile... but hey, I'm partial there lol.

Good Luck:).

[DMC]

so glad I read this thread. I was about to plonk down the money for a kurt kinetic. Now I think I'll just do the trainer classes at my tri group and see how it goes.

A road racer friend has the e-motion rollers and he says I can come try them a few times to see if I might like those.

Given how much I hate running on the dreadmill during the winter, Im not holding out much hope for the trainer/roller option.

[colorisnt]

I think if I only trained on one I would be bored out of my mind, but since I commute in the day, I think I will get my happiness and outdoorsy-ness that way.

[marni]

My favorite music to zone out to is podrunner intervals. Go to Podrunner.com. They have various workouts of various tempo and another that is interval training for various running distances. Gets me through treadmill, stationary bike and elliptical trainer hours at the gym on my non riding days.

also anyone who rides a trainer/ stationary bike etc. should definitely read Stephan King's short story " the stationary bike" and listen to or read Memory of Running by Ron Mcclarty.

[Norse]

I have several spinervals and like them well enough. While nothing beats being outside, I also have several Bike-O-Vision DVDs that are just scenery (the music is lame so I mute the sound and listen to my MP3) and my favorites are the CA coast and wine country - especially when I am sitting on my bike, on the trainer, in the basement, in Minnesota, in January.:eek: My latest faves, which combine a focused bike work-out with gorgeous scenery, are the Global Vision DVDs (http://www.amazon.com/Global-Ride-Hawaii-Virtual-Cycling/dp/B001OQQKOO). I have a couple of the Hawaii videos but I would like to get the Italian ones too. I also like that they feature a different off-bike work out at the end of the videos such as yoga for bikers or strength conditioning....

[kaseyloramar]

I don't think it matters much which video a person gets just that there is a bit of variety. I like to have a few that I can rotate throughout the week. If I'm unable to bike outdoors I have a few videos that keep me entertained. So my advice is get enough to be able to rotate them. JMO

[Bike Chick]

I prefer the Rides series http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=46154 which is an actual ride filmed by several helmet cams and a motor pace with local music (not the same boom, boom, boom) and lots of nice scencery.

There's 4 versions available and has made me think about making my own versions of some of my favourite rides- we have a handbar mount video camera now.

We have an collection of Carmichael and Spinnervals but we also have 2 of the Rides series--the Rockies and Vegas and like them best of all. We have to mix them up to keep it interesting. The Sufferfest videos sound interesting!

[Owlie]

When I went to the gym and used the exercise bikes, I'd bring along the iPod with a playlist specifically for the purpose. I used to match cadence and resistance to the speed of the song. Drove me crazy when the shuffle feature gave me two fast-paced songs in a row!