A watt is a watt is a watt......right?

Could partially be your attitude toward the workout.  Some people are just not as energized to put out a good effort on the trainer.  As with anything in life...if you're not having fun or enjoying what you're doing...it's going to seem harder than someone doing the exact same thing but enjoying it.

There is no coasting or downhill on a trainer.

No breeze (other than the fans), no speed up/slow down from traffic, no hills to coast down or soft pedal.

With the rain this week I've been inside most of my rides. I'm with ya on the why can't I do what I should be able to do part.

What temp is your training room?

How much airflow is there?

Do you like riding inside?

What type of trainer are you on?

type of trainer, cooling and just general like/dislike of the trainer most likely are the culprits. If you can wrap your head around the trainer and embrace the pain it will be very beneficial.

It made a huge difference for me when I moved my fan from about 5 feet in front of my bike to directly in front of me - practically touching the ends of my aerobars.  I have it at a height so that it points up and blows air through my arms onto my chest.  The amount of cooling increased dramatically and felt soooooo much better and I felt like I was able to get a better workout out of it!!

This is a nice write-up on some of the answers to that question

http://alex-cycle.blogspot.com/2009/01/turbocharged-training.html

+1
great blog in general.

i have not read the article yet, but i will...

however just to give you an idea.  on wed. i had 1x20' interval in my set...i only manged to do 10' @ 90% on the trainer...

i was so pissed on thur i went riding again...did 1x20' @ 105% no issues.  i ride in my garage it was open.  no fan when i am on the trainer i think my trianer is a cheapy...

sorry florida is flat there is no coasting here...

Dude that's death! A fan is a must regardless of the time of year. Last year with the brutal FL winter we had and it was 45-55F in the garage I even turned on the fan on low after 20 minutes.  I had a problem though keeping my toes warm!

OP, on the bright side, you'll be so much faster on the open road next year!

Everyone is spot on.  Its wind, mental sanity, etc, etc, etc.  

The best thing to do is to have two power charts.  One for indoor trainer workout and one for outside.  What you are seeing is very common.

 

Two power charts, or an indoor and and outdoor FTP and subsequent training levels is a stop gap solution, but IMO, not the best long term one.

The thing to do is figure out from where the discrepency is arrising, and fix it.  Most riders will see these numbers come together over time.

Always keep in mind that the power you produce is the stimulus that causes your body to adapt and become more fit.  How hard something feels is important at all times, but it is more of a response to a stimulus than the stimulus itself. 

Perceieved exertion and HR are important and useful, but they are also more of a gauge of the total stress on the system, and not just the stress of the workout itself.  For example, heat.  Heat makes your HR go up and makes things feel harder.  This is not  indicative of a more effective workout if the idea is to increase your aerobic capacity.

Hmm....two power charts you say?
Then what about testing for FTP?
I will eventually get around to doing some testing, get a coach etc etc.....when i am all recovered from my knee surgery.
In the meantime I am just goofing around.
But when I DO test, I was under the impression that its best to do so indoors?  Correct? In correct??

i usually do my FTP tests outside.

i have a golf course with a nice 4 mile loop around so the route is always the same.  the only thing that might change is wind conditions but i always try to shoot for a morning when roads are dry....best i can do....

3 tests so far...all were showing increases...

It takes me about 3-4 weeks of CT rides to get to be able to push the way I do outside and have similar watts. I ride in sun room and often open all the windows and doors and have a fan so it can be 40-50 degrees in there. I also bring a spray bottle of water to squirt myself with and two wet wash clothes and lots of dry towels to wipe off the sweat.

Testing do it outside Helen, but the two sets of zones that ideally morph into one is a good idea. It may take a time or two of testing to learn to execute it well.

It's depressing how many watts I lost after knee surgery & Lymes so I get not doing it before.

Here is my belief

I think you do an FTP test periodically (let's say every 3months) and set your training levels based on that FTP.

Say you do one today, (indoors) hit 200, train for the next 3 months based on that. Then you do one in January, hit 210, you have improved. Adjust your training levels.

Then april rolls around. Do one outside. Wow, you hit 240, train outdoors based on that. July 1st do another, you hit 250. Continue outdoor training based on that

Fall rolls around, back indoors, Oct 1st, re-test indors, you do 225. You went down, but up from the previous year....

This is exactly what has happened to me this year.

I can hit much higher levels outdoors on a hill than indoors on a trainer.


PS : Canadian Tire has a huge fan that costs $70 but moves a ton of air....

Read this:

http://alex-cycle.blogspot.com/2009/01/turbocharged-training.html

Enjoy!

Edited by JorgeM 2010-10-01 10:44 AM

By the way aquagirl, if you want a great spot to do a 20minute ftp test, start at the parking lot at the entrance of the gats and go for 20minutes full tilt on the way up to Champlain lookout.

I bet you anything you will hit the highest number you get do for a CP20 test.

Mostly uphill, no downhills to bring your average down.

Yes, a Watt is a Watt - a measure of the rate at work is done.  Perceived exertion is another real thing.  I have noticed a big difference between the trainer and riding outdooors.  Perhaps it is the heat and its dissipation, but perhaps it is just feeling the speed you get out of every push of the pedals that makes riding outdoors seem so much easier.  Riding indoors and how hard it is to hit the same Wattages is real.  Either way, I would not allow myself to create an illusion based on my perceptions.  If it makes you feel better, accompany your power numbers with a heart rate monitor.  After a couple of minutes the correlation between HR and steady power output is extremely high (after the first minute or two).  Do an interval outside and look at your power number and heart rate, do the same inside.  Unless your fatigue or hydration is substantially different, that should convince you.  For me, the perceived difference is on the order of 20Watts!  I love the road!

On the other hand, I am convinced that training on the trainer is the best way to go - most consistent (measurable), safest, time effective manner to train. 

Ugh. Yeah, that would do it I guess.........and if you turn left and climb Blacks up to the lookout its even more horrid than doing the loop and climbing Fortune. 
Once spring rolls around and I am recovered maybe this is what I will do.  Wanna come along? You can yell at me, crack the whip so to speak.  

But isn't it kind of cheating to do a FTP on wicked climbs?
Or again.....I suppose a watt is a watt is a watt......... 

Sure, but I wonder who will be yelling at who. A few extra watts may not be enough to push those many more pounds I have.