Indoor cycling

[babysteps]

With doing training on the bike inside during the winter, I obviously can't keep track of distance, so I guess it's going by time. I have some workouts from some of the triathlon sites, but I'd like to get a rough idea of of how "far" I'm going so as to not be in for a rude awakening come spring. Considering my newness, I'm thinking that 1 hour = 20 km might be a good rough estimate for me for just straightforward cycling on my trainer.

Today at the gym on the stationary bike I did 20 minutes, with my cadence between 85-105 with levels between 4-8 (I know this doesn't mean a lot - each machine is different) and it said my distance was 7.38 "km or miles" (personally, I'd prefer them to pick a unit of measure for cripes sake!!) So I'll assume its km.

Does this sound at all reasonable?

[scrumhalfgirl]

I think 1 hour equals 20 km is probably a good, conservative estimate for indoor training. No idea about stationary bikes though, sorry!

[ROW]

No offence but I don't think 20 minutes on a stationary bike will help in much way. Just my opinion. But it seems like a start for you for cycling.

I haven't been in triathlon for a long time at all. But just it makes sense to me right now since your just starting to avoid the workouts and intervals and just spin. Just warm up and then build up to a gear and try to hold it. Maybe next time try a harder gear. I've been told to do this and I have had amazing gains in my bike fitness on riding 3-4.5 hours a week. I'm cranking out harder gears than I was consistently on the trainer that I would dream to hold in the summer. I hope this helps in some way.

And your guess that 20km= 1 hour i'm guessing that it is kilometers since 7.38 miles is roughly 11.8km.

[babysteps]

The 20 minutes was not my whole workout. I'm not avoiding anything - I've done other bike workouts with intervals, isolated legs etc., and plan to continue to do them. And, no offense, but explaining math to me, and then "winking", is kind of rude - considering I'm pretty sure I have much more math experience than you do. I know how to convert kilometers to miles.

[fe.RMT]

The 20 minutes was not my whole workout. I'm not avoiding anything - I've done other bike workouts with intervals, isolated legs etc., and plan to continue to do them. And, no offense, but explaining math to me, and then "winking", is kind of rude - considering I'm pretty sure I have much more math experience than you do. I know how to convert kilometers to miles.

You could buy a bike computer with a rear wheel sensor (astral cat eye is one). This way the wheel on the rear tire will spin and the sensor can track distance via revolution.

[babysteps]

I'll look into that. Thanks!

[CinC]

I'll look into that. Thanks!

I picked this one up at MEC (for $15) and rigged it up on my bike to my rear wheel for the trainer. It's quite easy to install.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_deta ... 4302693003

back to your original question, conservatively I'd say 20km=1hr (prob is more around 25k in all honesty!)

[babysteps]

I was looking at this one too...

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302693003&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442623585

[CinC]

I was looking at this one too...

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302693003&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442623585

an extra $11 for cadence is a good investment I'd say!

(my Polar bike computer that I have on my bike all the time measures my cadence, so I saved those $11! )

[babysteps]

Now I just need to find a cute hoodie so I get free shipping.

ETA: ordered it (without the hoodie)

[ROW]

The 20 minutes was not my whole workout. I'm not avoiding anything - I've done other bike workouts with intervals, isolated legs etc., and plan to continue to do them. And, no offense, but explaining math to me, and then "winking", is kind of rude - considering I'm pretty sure I have much more math experience than you do. I know how to convert kilometers to miles.

I never said that you were avoiding anything. I said that bike intervals are kind of useless in my opinion unless you can spin in a hard gear. Bike intervals do help you get faster, but building into a higher gear will show bigger gains right now. But you do what you want, it is just my opinion. And i'm sorry about that, it was rude. And you probably do unless you failed grade 10 academic math. Which I doubt you did.

[Wu wei]

The "distance" you bike indoors is irrelevant. The EFFORT at which you cycle is.

Climbing the 14km of Alp D'huez is not the same as cycling 14km on flat prairie...

[jonovision_man]

The "distance" you bike indoors is irrelevant. The EFFORT at which you cycle is.

Agreed! It's almost a negative indicator - if you went really far in a session, the tension was too low.

jono

[Cupcake Girl]

Do you use a heart rate monitor? I like it for spinning in the winter. I don't use one running or while cycling outdoors. The HRM will give you a good idea of how hard you are/aren't pushing yourself.

I saw in your other thread you started going to spin classes. That'll do you a world of good come the summer. Not the same as outdoor riding but better than a stationary bike IMHO.

[Wu wei]

the HRM will give you a good idea of how hard you are/aren't pushing yourself.

Sort of.

Doing something like Tabata intervals, short bursts of maximum intensity, your HR will lag behind exertion. You will not reach a high HR before the interval is over.

Or... my favorite sessions... intervals or long steady periods at lower cadence, with high tension, have a high muscular load without a high aerobic load. Very effective for building cycling power, but a HR monitor addict would think they weren't doing any "work".

[shaggytour2005]

Baby Steps,

I would say Heart Rate is your best indication of effort on a trainer to start out. Power Meters take the cake but are very expensive.

I would find out would your different HR Zones are and then you can mimic those on the trainer. The problem with many of the other tools is that you can spin the wheels without much resistance and create false speed that you would not be able to duplicate on the road. Don't worry about distance on the trainer and just key on time spent in certain zones. You will find that you will be able to hold your bigger efforts for longer periods if you get consistant rides in.

If you have a HR Monitor, try this field test...
Bike test protocol:

The warm-up is 15 minutes of cycling, moving through the different gears (or levels), always keeping the cadence above 90 RPMS. Do a few short sprints to get your heart rate up and ready for the test!

You should start out in a gear that you can maintain 90 RPMS in. Make sure you remember what gear you started in.
-The 30 minute TT begins.
-At 10 minutes into the test, hit the 'Lap' button on your heart rate monitor, to get the average heart rate over the final 20 minutes of the test.
-The average for the final 20 minutes is your Lactate Threshold or LT.
-You should finish knowing you gave it everything you had.
-15 minutes easy cool down.

This is a pretty easy test to show you your Lactate Threshold and set up your HR Zones.



Once you find that our you are sailing. Try to start your workouts with a warm up and then build into your main set. Follow with an easy warm down period.

For Example - 5 minutes of easy spinning, 20 minutes of zone 3 effort (about 65% to 75% effort), 5 minutes of easy spinning. A very simple 30 min workout that over time can get longer or more intense, depending what your desired fitness goal is.

If you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask. larrybradleytoronto@yahoo.ca

Good Luck!
Larry

[babysteps]

My options for cycling are:
1.My bike on the indoor trainer
2. spin class
3. stationary bike at gym

This is how I would rank them in terms of how often I can get to them. I know the stationary bike isn't great, but sometimes, anything is better than nothing.

Thanks for all the advice. I don't currently have a HRM as my old one died, but maybe I'll consider getting one for my cycling workouts.

ETA: the spin class last night had me sweating a lot more than I've ever done on my own on a bike. It's the first non-running workout I've ever done that felt like I'd had as hard an effort as a good run. Any other time I've done a class, I always feel like I need to go for a run after to get my real exercise in! Not so with spinning. It lived up to its reputation!

[shaggytour2005]

You can always save some money and go by Perceived Effort as well. Nothing is perfect so if you know your effort levels decent enough then just push your body for the main set.

I never used to use all the gadgets but improved my cycling speed in a big way in the first year (+5km/h faster in my first riding season). I knew how much time I had and would do a warm up then paced myself to burn out just before the end of my ride. A quick cool down and I was home. Nothing special but it worked. Next day off or just a very light spin and then do it over again 2 or 3 times a week.

Have fun with it!
Larry

[La]

My options for cycling are:
1.My bike on the indoor trainer
2. spin class
3. stationary bike at gym

This is how I would rank them in terms of how often I can get to them. I know the stationary bike isn't great, but sometimes, anything is better than nothing.

And I think that's how I'd rank them in terms of which one is going to give you the best workout! The caveat is that you push yourself as hard on your own trainer as you would in a spin class. The other bonus is that you can make the workout as long as you want on your own, which you can't necessarily do in a spin class.

I also agree with those who say that distance on the trainer is irrelevant. Seriously - track your effort (whether you use HR or perceived exertion), your time, and I'd also suggest monitoring cadence (since you have that). Cadence is a great tool to use during training, especially on a trainer. After a while you won't need it because you'll just "know" what your cadence is. I find it interesting to see how my HR/PE changes for different RPMs in different gears.

[babysteps]

Do you think there is any benefit to tracking distance and time on the trainer in order to look for improvement over the winter? That is, the distance is irrelevant other than in the context of how much I can cover in a given time, all things being equal (as they would be on my trainer). So 20 kph now, 25 kph by April and then who nows what that will really mean outside? ( even if it's only 10 kph!! )

[La]

Do you think there is any benefit to tracking distance and time on the trainer in order to look for improvement over the winter? That is, the distance is irrelevant other than in the context of how much I can cover in a given time, all things being equal (as they would be on my trainer). So 20 kph now, 25 kph by April and then who nows what that will really mean outside? ( even if it's only 10 kph!! )

Somewhat, as long as you know for sure that the resistance on the trainer is set at the same level for every ride. Make sure your tires are always pumped to the same PSI, too.

[babysteps]

So much to learn.

[eme]

the HRM will give you a good idea of how hard you are/aren't pushing yourself.

Sort of.

Doing something like Tabata intervals, short bursts of maximum intensity, your HR will lag behind exertion. You will not reach a high HR before the interval is over.

Or... my favorite sessions... intervals or long steady periods at lower cadence, with high tension, have a high muscular load without a high aerobic load. Very effective for building cycling power, but a HR monitor addict would think they weren't doing any "work".

My coach has me do these - they are a very good workout.

[jonovision_man]

My options for cycling are:
1.My bike on the indoor trainer
2. spin class
3. stationary bike at gym

You missed one...

1+ Bike outside

It's not everyone's cup of tea - it takes a bit more preparation and you have to get the clothing just right or it can be hell... but I've got it down pretty good now. I'll take a 2 hour ride in -5C any day over the trainer!

jono

[babysteps]

My options for cycling are:
1.My bike on the indoor trainer
2. spin class
3. stationary bike at gym

You missed one...

1+ Bike outside

It's not everyone's cup of tea - it takes a bit more preparation and you have to get the clothing just right or it can be hell... but I've got it down pretty good now. I'll take a 2 hour ride in -5C any day over the trainer!

jono

Maybe next winter.