Indoor trainer really hard!!

I think the trainer is harder both physically and mentally.  I don't know what the conditions are where you live but remember when outside you do actually get a little coasting in and wind can help you at times but on the trainer you just have to stay steady with no help.

Keep at it.  The above post is correct, you will be much stronger come spring.

I used a trainer for the first time last year. Yes, it's a royal pain and it's nothing like being outside. However if you work through it you will end up better, stronger, faster come spring.

Oh, get a or multiple spinerval DVDs and work out with them. It helps.

Edited by DanielG 2010-01-05 8:19 AM

I'm with you.  I bought a set of rollers a few weeks ago and it's much more difficult to ride than it is to be outside for the same amount of time. I'm hoping it pays off this season.

X2 on the spinervals. Makes the trainer much more fun and you get a better workout.

Trainers should be harder.  There is no coasting with a trainer.  I find that the resistance is usually higher on the trainer as well (compared to how I ride outside).

The mental part of it is tough too.

I agree it's harder, but not a 7 to 1 ratio harder.
Have you tinkered with the resistance settings? The part that actually touches the back wheel? On my (not fancy) trainer, I can make my bike computer read-out of 15mph be REALLY hard, or REALLY easy. I had to mess with it the first few rides to get where it actually "felt" like 15mph. Just a thought, if you are struggling that much with it.

 

 

Edited by lisac957 2010-01-05 9:13 AM

yup, and it makes the time go by faster.  granted, you are suffering more during that time, but that's kind of the point. 

Mentally, there is no question that the trainer is much, much tougher.

But physically, I don't notice too much difference between the two for a given type of workout in terms of impact on my legs if I maintain a similar RPE for each.

Edited by wiky 2010-01-05 9:37 AM

Just kidding about the 7 to 1...but sometimes it almost feels like it!

Just adding my $.05.  Yes the trainer is harder, but for me it's more mental than physical.  Even with the TV on, it's just darn boring.  But to help me fight that, I have several Tour de France's on tape, and I have probably 10 or so Kona Tri's on DVD that I'll pop in and watch to help the time pass.  Then there's always a movie or sports on TV...

Scout

As was mentioned above, it shouldn't feel soooo much harder than actual riding (unless you want it to).  The key is to play with the tension settings and "calibrate" it to what you want.  For me, I want it to closely simulate outside riding....so I use HR and perceived effort along with what I am seeing for mph, and then adjust the tension accordingly.  I mark my tension knob so that I can take the bike off and on the trainer and always "re-set" it back to my baseline calibration.

As further clarification in terms of calibrating....

Assuming a flat course, no wind...I know what gear, cadence, and approximate effort and HR yield a certain mph.  For the trainer, I dial the tension to give me the same numbers.  It takes some playing around but once I have it, I'm good to go for my inside trainer rides.  When I go to put my bike back on the trainer I know what tire pressure I need on the back tire and what gear the bike needs to be in.  From there, it's just a matter of counting the number of turns of tension I dial in (I start counting turns just when the tension roller makes intitial contact with the tire).

Hope this makes sense and helps.

Despite the higher perceived effort on a trainer versus outside, those who have power meters find that they often generate less (not more) power inside.  There are a number of reasons why this might be true.

There is a good discussion of the issue in this blog entry:

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

I don't think the effort expended is any higher on an indoor trainer.

It probably "feels" harder since you get a tad more overheated since you are not moving, it's mentally tougher, and unless you are doing a time trial outside, most people probably take a moment or two to coast, sit at a stop light, freewheel down hill...  You don't get that on the indoor trainer unless you intentionally take a break.  The trainer is just a constant output of energy without a break.

I cant say that theres much of a difference for me when it comes to indoor vs. outdoor bike training. One thing I havent been able to figure out is why when Im indoors, I tend to get saddle sore in half the time vs outdoors.

YES! I use much more chamois butt'r indoors compares to outside.

I'm in the minority in that I find the trainer to be a lot easier mentally and physically than riding outside.  I find the hills to be physically taxing and mentally draining and I somewhat obsess about traffic.  Plus it's been cold so I keep tweaking the gear I bring (I know, just HTFU!).  Inside, I jump on and go. 

Well, if I'm doing a structured workout (like spinervals) I find the trainer to be taxing.  If I'm just watching a dvd for an hour, I tend to just get my HR to a certain point and stay there regardless of gear or cadence.