Slow Grind = No Resistance

Originally posted by runningmon

Hey all-- hoping someone can help me wrap my brain around a trainer question: I get a workout that says to do high-resistance, low-cadence work. I go to my highest resistance gearing and trainer combo, but if I'm at the prescribed RPM for the interval (say, 50), I can't generate the high power that the workout prescribes. I have to keep my wattage at about 150, otherwise I'll end up spinning way faster than the interval prescribes (like, I could end up at 80-90 RPM just to hit the power output). It *feels* like I need way more resistance to end up at the power and cadence combo I'm supposed to hit. And this isn't humblebrag-- I'm a bike weenie. I just can't get anything out of a slow-resistance workout because I have to pedal so relatively light that it's a bonus recovery day.

I'm on a Saris Mag+, on the highest resistance setting. I'm on the stock chainring combo of my bike, so I max out at 52 chainring/11 cassette. What I wonder is if this is a sign of a really inefficient pedal stroke, 'cause the only other thing I can think of is that my trainer just doesn't have enough resistance, which would make me really sad. Because, again-- bike weenie.

Thanks, and be well, everyone--