Trainer Questions

I've set up my Elite Trainer for the winter just to keep up some fitness level during the crap weather

I do 30 minutes every night on the 52 chain ring and 14 rear cog, the trainer is on its lowest 0 setting.

I could do with making it a bit harder. Which would be best, should I increase the time to 45 minutes or up the resistance to level 1 on the trainer and carry on with 30 minutes.

Generally in progressive weight training you would continue with 30 minutes and increase the resistance. When you reach the highest resistance increase the time and start at the lowest resistance again until you back upto max resistance for the new time then repeat.

For cycling I'm not 100% if this approach would be suitable....

I used to get bored beyond belief so making it longer might make it worse.....how about "interval training" to improve the 30 mins you spend?

Shaun

Thanks guys. I think I'll up the resistance and carry on with the 30mins. There is a big increase in resistance so I'll guess I'll have to work my way up through the gears again. I can cope with 30mins ok, I must admit another 15 would be a little boring!

Shaun I looked at some interval training on YouTube, the only problem with that is it looks............................a bit hard

I'm new to trainers and I can appreciate it helps with fitness, but it doesn't seem to bear any resemblance to being out on the road. Its very smooth and if you can maintain the cadence rate, although it gets the heart and lungs going I cope with it fairly easily.

Does anyone find a big difference when they first get back out on the road after a winter on a trainer?

Try doing pyramid sessions. Warm up and then do one minute hard. Follow with one minute easy. Then two minutes hard and two easy. Repeat for three minutes. Or, just do a series of one minute hard/easy. When downloaded your heart rate graph should look like Bart Simpson's hair style.

You need to do 10 mins warm-up on a lower gear, 30 mins intervals (look around the web for schedules etc., there's lots to choose from) and then 10 mins warm down. When I'm in 'serious' turbo mode I use a Heart Rate Monitor and build the 'beats' up during the warm-up period. Recommended is to 'train' at approx. 80% of max during 'on' periods. However, as I haven't a clue what my max is (please don't say 235[?] minus age which is b*ll*cks) I work on c.160/165. and during warm-down allow it to get below 100 before stopping. I don't think I've ever used higher than 52x16 building up resistance to 5.

With the weather like it is I reckon I'll be out there in the shed for the next few days. Doing intervals and keeping note of the time, watching heart rate, counting revs etc. makes the time go quick.