Biking on the trainer...
Beneficial, or time better spent elsewhere?
I seem to have conflicting advice coming at me from differing sides of the coaching spectrum.
On the 'Beneficial' side of the rainbow, we have the fact that you are getting time in the saddle, and that you are on your bike, something that Spinning can't provide. You're upping your comfort level on the bike and improving your biking muscles. Plus, trainers are good in that you have to keep turning those legs constantly... there is no 'glide' on a trainer.
But, near the 'Time Wasted' pot 'o gold, we've got the claim that aerobically, it would be better to simply up your running mileage, and wait until Spring to hit the bike. If you're in good aerobic shape, and do some weight lifting (ahem, squats), you'll be in good enough shape to get in some real biking when the weather breaks. In other words, riding on the trainer is just kind of biding your time, and you can do better things with that time...
So, coaches and coachees, what do you think? Any more advice for the unwise? I would love to be convinced either way, because right now I'm floating somewhere in no-man's middle-land, and I'm not one to tolerate that for long.
10 comments:
Once we factor in the damage running does to you knees, doesn't that clearly weigh the balance in favor of the trainer?
I sure hope it is beneficial in that I spend hours and hours on the trainer during our cold, snowy winters.
Of course, in response to your comment concerning "riding on the trainer is just kind of biding your time" riding is what you make of it. One can certainly waste hours watching movies and just spinning away.
On the other hand I have put in some brutally hard workouts on the trainer that I must believe are doing some good.
Post this on the CTC forum, I think you will get some valuable responses!
As a coachee -- not a coach at all -- I'd throw in there the benefit of work on the trainer being relatively low impact. True, ramping up your running mileage would also improve your aerobic base...but it also may lead to preventable injuries. For me, an Athena, running is often a careful balance between volume and knee problems. But my time on the bike allows for injury free aerobic work for hours at a time. It's also an excuse to abuse your Netflix subscription!
Almost anything you can accomplish on the roads you can accomplish on a trainer.
Per Spokane Al's comment, note the opportunity for "reverse periodization".
As a coachee, i've learned tons from my coaches over the past 30 years. The value of biking on the trainer can not be denied. How you bike on that training is your key to gaining beneficial fitness or being able to recite good lines from movies. You get what you give.
so when my coach tells me to ride 214 minutes on the bike, i divide that time by 1.2 if i am riding on a trainer bc it is harder to ride on the trainer than outside. ability to do speed workouts, power increases, hill repeats... i dont know, i just listen to whatever he tells me. damn puppetmaster that he is!
i have never been huge on the trainer aspect of training, loving more to do more running, swimming or so....but i will say...biking is the worst of the three disciplines for me in racing, so i think there is something to my lack of time on the trainer.
true confession, huh??
I think Spokane Al is on the right track. If you ride the trainer hard it's bound to build strength. Also, time in the saddle must build the neurological pathways (muscle memory) towards an effective cycling stroke, eh?
I'd like to know more about this too.
Stay tuned...
Ride the trainer - running and cycling use different muscle groups. That reminds me - I need to get my trainer back form the friend I lent it to 2 yrs ago
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