Passing time on the trainer

When I'm on the road, there's no limit to how long I can ride, mentally anyway. But when I'm stuck on the trainer it's another story. I don't have any cycling videos, so I usually just watch TV while I ride. But I've been finding that I get bored and am all too aware of how long I've been riding based on the commercial breaks. I had yesterday off from work and daytime TV wasn't cutting it, so I picked up my self-teaching Italian book and before I knew it, an hour had gone by! I wasn't trying to do a real hard ride, just going for cardio. Maybe I'll lose those last 5 and become fluent in Italian:D Got me wondering what some of you do to pass the time when you can't be outside?

I don't have a trainer, but I do take spinning classes. The music makes the hour fly by, so maybe music would help. I like the language idea, though, as I'm plowing through Rosetta Stone spanish these days.

Do you wear a heart rate monitor? I like them because I can focus on being in a target zone for a certain amount of time. It breaks up the workout into sections and it's not so boring.

Like tulip when I ride indoors it's in one of my gym's spin classes. They are a blast! The instructors always have some great tunes playing on their ipods. They just plug their ipods into the gym's sound system in the spin room and off we go! Many times, to mix things up, our instructors will divide the class in half and we "compete" against each other. But when the side that's doing intervals or sprints is going all out the other half has to cheer them on! The instructors claim it helps to build up the lungs! LOL The hour and sometimes extra minutes (20 - 30 sometimes) zoom by quickly! I come out dripping wet wondering where the time went!

Before I joined the spin classes at my gym this winter I had been using my at home trainer but like NoNo I was bored after 10 minutes. I guess I need the "crowd" to keep me motivated. So far it's working and I've noticed on my outdoor rides on the weekends that my legs feel strong and powerful. I think it's safe to say that I owe this to my spin classes that I've been taking since late October four times a weekday!

I also found I got to bored and timed crawled by when I road on the trainer in front of the TV. I do better with just my mp3 player and some good rocking music. Time goes by much faster!

My limit is 10 miles with music if there is nothing good on TV. One night a week my best friend comes over and we ride trainers together watching TV. That is when it is least boring and the time flies. Sometimes we ride 12 miles.

My idea is to keep it consistant at least a few times a week. This has worked well for me during the years and once I hit the road I was in decent shape, not top shape, but at least I wasn't starting at the beginning again. I also use a treadmill this year for fitness walking and use it on the days that I don't use the trainer. Like the trainer, I walk to music if there is nothing on TV.

~ JoAnn

I actually just got a HRM for Christmas, but I haven't been aiming to stay in any one particular zone. Perhaps I can try that on the days when I'm pushing harder. I really need to work on controlling that more, I spike with the least bit of exertion. I'll try some music, that generally helps when I'm on the elliptical, but my brain isn't really engaged, so eventually I go back to looking at the time. I can see how being in a gym and having people around would help move things along.

Ohh I appreciate all of your comments ... have been there several times myself! I have been riding the trainer for the past 23 years... that's the fun of living in the Northeast HA! I have tried several different approaches,and have finally come up with something that seems to work.(at least for me) I have turned a spare bedroom into a trainer room. On the walls, I have posters of riders, races/rides that I have either rode in or plan to in the upcoming season. If I'm trying to lose an extra 5 pounds then perhaps I'll find a photo of what I want to look like... all of this of course is for motivation. I also have plenty of trophies or ribbons hanging around to keep the motivation up as well. I do NOT watch regular tv while on the triainer... it's too boring and my pace drops off to that of a snail. Instead, I will watch pro races, use training tapes, watch old cycling movies(Breaking Away, American Flyers)... nothing like seeing others on bikes as well! And finally, I have the trainer set up next to a a window... it reminds me how I need to keep working so that I'll be ready for when the outdoor season starts. The last step is to write down all of your workouts... it seems to give some credibility to all of this madness!

Like someone else has mentioned, it's great to have others join in on rides with you...much more fun and more motivating!

Keep up the good work!

I have a whole collection of Spinervals. Coach Troy can be annoying, but it does make the time go quickly. I also find that I work a lot harder with him than I would myself.

I've used one spin DVD twice - and really didn't like that one. Of course, there are a million out there, need to get around to buying or borrowing more to find ones that motivate.

I'm fine with music - so long as the music list is custom & inspires me to work hard and harder. I'm able to manage 90+ minutes this way... but it's a stretch. The best trainer rides for me are when I have a specific HR or Watt goal, and time, and a great DVD that I can pop in. That way I can be aware of my body & work hard, while giving my mind something to easily distract. Putting in a movie that is longer just than my goal helps keep me going thru the end, and not cut the cool down short. Of course, my husband likes to jump on the trainer next to me - and it's helpful to have that instant accountability sitting there, motivating me to keep going.

There is another thread going on podcasts. Podrunner has started putting some together with interval training though I haven't tried one yet.

Before I bought a Spinervals DVD, I used to listen to my iPod while watching t.v. with the sound turned down. I tried to read lips. :)

Maybe I can learn to read lips while I'm learning Italian!:eek: Then I'll be doubly skilled:D

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Originally Posted by NoNo

Maybe I can learn to read lips while I'm learning Italian!:eek: Then I'll be doubly skilled:D

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Netflix and Netflix on-demand have movies in Italian....you could be reading them Italian lips :rolleyes:

Seriously, when I was learning Spanish, I'd put on Univision or Telemundo with the closed captioning for the deaf subtitles. I've also put on my Pimsleur tapes, but after an hour those get old. Now, I'm a Spinervals fanatic. ECT--I just love to hate him.

But, NoNo, what are your good Italian learning references? I'm finding Italian to be really difficult. I've done my usual...used the Pimsleur tapes, worked my way through Harry Potter 3 in Italian, surfed Italian web sites, rented Italian movies, but the language just seems out of my grasp.

I have the Rosetta Stone software, but find it difficult to sit in front of the computer after being parked here all day. I'm borrowing my dad's Berlitz Self-Teacher book and that seems pretty good, though I get a little confused at times with some of the tenses. I think my dad let me borrow some CDs that I never got around to listening, I should look for those. It helps that I'm 100% Italian, though :p I'm familiar with the cadence and we still use certain words for everyday things, so it's not totally foreign to me. I also took 4 1/2 years of Latin, which I'm finding helps occassionally. I find that I'm getting good at reading Italian, I can pronounce things correctly, but it's still hard for me to follow what a native-speaker is saying or to put together a sentence on my own. Now, if you want a tough language, try German! I couldn't make ANY sense of that!:confused:

If you know one Romance language, the others will be easy...but I've found that to be only partly true. I'm fluent in French. I've dabbled in Italian and Spanish, and I put in a good effort with Portuguese several years ago. Now I'm working on Spanish again, and I'm finding that I must have retained alot more of the Portuguese than I thought.

When I get going fast, French comes out.

I like Rosetta Stone alot, but I'm not stuck in front of a computer all day since I work from home and can easily distract myself (too easily sometimes:rolleyes:)

I find the trainer really boring, too. Sometimes a movie helps. Sometimes the Spinervals.

But, for me, the one thing that makes trainer time go a LOT faster than anything else is this audio cycling-breathing-spinning stuff I ordered from Ian Jackson called Breathplay Zooming. It comes on CD, and I put it on my iPod. It is all perfectly timed for 90rpm spinning, and it is all about the breathing.

It is not easy...hard to really, truly breathe from the diaphragm for a full 90 minutes (for me, anyhow). But, I really like this workout, and the time flies by.

Spinervals. I don't think I could do it w/just the TV or Tunes. When I row, I watch TV and it can get DEADLY. I have to incorporate intervals into my rowing to make the time pass faster. LOL.;)

Seriously, if you focus on the "good work" that you are doing while on the trainer, it can be motivating. Also, mixing it up by standing, sitting, doing drills. Maybe by doing some circuit training, like Coach Troy's Ultra Conditioning DVDs, can keep up your interest level. One-legged spins are now my "thing" and I sometimes will stick some on the end of a Spinerval session. Used to hate them but since they've made a difference in my power/leg strength, I love them. You will notice yourself improving, both inside and out on the road. Makes it worth the grind.

I should look into that breathing CD, I was actually wondering if there was some "trick" to learn. I remember when I tried running a few years back, I had read a book that said to inhale 3 steps, exhale 2, and I found it helped keep me from getting too winded. I didn't know if there was something similar to do for cycling to help control both my breathing and my heart rate.

I found a couple more podcasts that I'm just downloading.

I can make it for 60-90 minutes on the trainer but it is an exercise in mental strength.

MP3flex podcast
Pedalradio podcast
http://www.technosweat.com/podcasts/podcast4_view.php

First rule is that I never do more than 45 minutes on the trainer, maybe a bit more with a warm up. If I'm doing 45 minutes, then usually I'm doing one of the rides from the Graeme Street Winter Training for cyclists. It's not on a DVD, except for one very difficult intervals and yoga workout, it's just in a book. I keep very focused on what I'm supposed to do next, looking at the very big clock with a second hand that I bought to keep track of each section of the rides. I also put on the radio very loud. Even though the bpm of the songs doesn't always match the cadence of my ride, it does keep me going.
Sometimes I get on the trainer for 20-30 minutes of an easy spin to warm up before a core work out or yoga. I watch TV during these rides or again, put the radio on. Once in awhile my husband and I are on the trainers at the same time, so we talk.
I mix this up with spin classes at the gym, but not so much this year and winter sports. I also ride my hybrid bike outside on the road whenever the temperature gets above 35. These are short rides, sometimes just 7-8 miles, not more than 20, but on a heavy bike, I get a good workout.

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Originally Posted by NoNo

I should look into that breathing CD, I was actually wondering if there was some "trick" to learn. I remember when I tried running a few years back, I had read a book that said to inhale 3 steps, exhale 2, and I found it helped keep me from getting too winded. I didn't know if there was something similar to do for cycling to help control both my breathing and my heart rate.

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I think you will love it. It is just a cardio workout, no intervals, but if you do the breathing the way he leads you, it is not easy (maybe it would be easy for all the yoga folks, etc, who have been doing real breathing for a long time, but for me, it is not easy). You do get a lot of practice doing a nice 90rpm for 90 minutes. Also, the way he leads it, you also get guidance on stretching the spine with each breath, etc. I really like it.

I ordered the 3-disk pack...one for walking, one for running, one for cycling.

Well, I just started riding a trainer in Jan 08. So I'm still a newbie.

My training schedule has been:
Monday- 1.5 hour ride
Wednesday- 1.5 hour ride- intervals
Saturday- 3 to 4.5 hour ride- outside if the weather is nice, inside if not.

The TV can keep me entertained for a long time. I just store up my shows on my DVR and watch them while riding. This makes me look forward to being on the trainer.

When it gets tough, I turn on the music. That motivates me to finish my time off.

This past Sat. I did a 4.5 hour trainer ride (my longest to date)... and for the last 1.5 hours I watched the rerun of Kona 07. Very motivating.

I always brushed off the idea of using a trainer as I can normally cycle year round in Perth (after the rain showers..)..Until i was injured.

Since using the trainer, i've not found it boring..:o I have my MP3 player with my fave songs and just keep moving. I don't do any hard work outs on it as i've viewed it as a way to get my legs used to being on the bike. My hard workouts are saved for the pool.

I'm happy I purchased it!

My gym has DVD players on all the bikes. I catch up on movies. I rent one I haven't seen and only watch it on the bike. It keeps me motivated to go everyday.

Kim

I've been googling up helmet cam rides and ny bike messenger races and stuff like that. I find some decent ones around 10 minutes long each and have them set up to go. I do have to stop pedaling to start each new one but at least I can afford it. The races are the ones that really get me moving.

I did get a free month trial at a local gym-some sort of birthday promotional-so now I'm trying spinning. By the time the trial is over it should be warm enough for the kid to go outside more.