I cringe when I think about grueling away hours in the garage on the trainer in the winter. There’s no quicker path to burnout than putting in mile after mile of mind-numbing pedaling with no scenery, no turns, and no feeling of speed. But, there are times when an indoor cycling workout is the best choice and, done right, it can even be enjoyable!

Why Ride Indoors?

I live in the Ohio Valley, where the summers are hot and humid and the winters are cold and humid. The drivers here aren’t exactly bike-friendly in the summer, so add in adverse road conditions and limited visibility and they are even worse in the winter. Once it threatens to snow, the road crews will lay salt down all over the roads and that stuff is really rough on the bike finish. So, weather and safety are probably the two biggest reasons to complete an indoor cycling workout.

However, there are even times when it might be possible to ride outdoors, but it still might be better to complete an indoor cycling workout. In the winter, with the time change, it’s getting dark here before 6 PM. If you are working a typical 8-5 job, it just isn’t possible to get a daylight ride in after work. And it is definitely not advisable to ride the roads in the dark at rush hour! Riding indoors can really be a time saver, particularly if you have a plan and focus your efforts.

When it comes to measuring progress, there is no better way to duplicate an exact effort than with an indoor cycling workout. Riding indoors eliminates the variation inherent with outdoor training such as wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity, traffic, hills, stop signs and lights. It is easy to put in a steady effort on a flat course for a specific duration on the trainer. You can record your performance and then later you can duplicate this effort exactly in order to compare performance data with your previous efforts.

Check out Online Fitness Log for a free tool that will help you record all of your fitness data including heart rate and power.

I also like to use the trainer as a quick warm-up before leaving to do a cyclocross race. Cross season is typically cold and often wet and with the short, intense race format, you need a long warm-up. Completing a half-hour or hour on the trainer before travelling to the venue gets my heart pumping, my muscles loose, and allows me to do a shorter warm-up at the race location.

Get the Most Out of Your Indoor Cycling Workout

The key to making your indoor cycling workout as productive as possible is to go into it with a plan. You should know how you are planning to spend every minute of your workout and I recommend never spending more than an hour at a time on the trainer. I personally like to use rollers as opposed to stationary trainers because it feels much more natural and you are unwittingly improving balance and form. You can even purchase rollers with resistance in order to get a very intense workout with a realistic feel to the ride.

Here are 3 different types of indoor cycling workouts that focus on 3 separate areas:

• Isolated Leg Training – Using some sort of platform for your off foot, spin the pedals with only one leg. I typically will do this for no more than a minute at a time per side, then rest with easy spinning of both legs before another set. Single leg spinning will quickly smooth out your pedal stroke by forcing you to strengthen the part of your stroke where you pull up on the pedals. You really have to focus to get through the dead spot at the top of your stroke. This will equate to more efficiency, which is translated into more power and speed.

• High Speed Spinning – Perform intervals with low resistance and high revolutions per minute (RPMs). Spin the pedals as fast as you can without bouncing you rear end on the saddle. Start with 30-second intervals and work up to as much as 5 minutes. You can either count your RPMs or use a cycling computer that tracks cadence. Start around 100 RPMs and work up to as high as you can go comfortably. This workout will again improve your form and efficiency while increasing your aerobic capacity. By spinning faster, you will be able to achieve the same speed by pushing a lower gear, which takes some of the stress on your legs (muscular system) and moves it to your heart (aerobic system).

• High Tension Climbing – With the bike in a large gear and seated, turn the pedals at 40 – 60 RPMs, stressing the muscles in your legs. Be careful with this workout as it can be tough on the knees. If you feel stress in your knees, cut the tension back a notch. When your form starts to go it means it is time to stop. This is essentially a strength workout on the bike and will help you make huge gains in your climbing ability and muscular endurance during the off season. You can do short intervals of 1 minute up to long sustained intervals of 30 minutes to simulate long mountain climbs.

Check out Indoor Training for Cyclists by Coach David Ertl for over 50 indoor workouts covering leg speed, threshold, endurance, anaerobic intervals and even strength and power.

Make it Enjoyable

First, let me say that I prefer to be outside on the bike regardless of the weather. It may be difficult to get myself out the door on a cold or rainy day, but once I’m out the fresh air energizes me. There’s also something to be said about the mental toughness that is acquired through training in adverse conditions. But, when I do wind up having to ride the trainer I must have a distraction to keep my mind occupied on something other than “Damn, this hurts!”

My personal favorite distraction is music. I just bring the laptop into the garage, fire up Pandora and rock out. It’s a great motivator when you’re pushing hard. I like to read, so I’ve tried books, but for me it just isn’t feasible. There’s too much movement, sweat, and concentration involved. TV works for some people, especially watching reruns of bike races. I’ve heard of riders who like to emulate a particular rider and attack when he does, etc. Or, some like to just watch a show and do hard efforts during the commercials. Anything to make a game out of it and trick the mind that time is passing quicker.

Something I think would be very cool, given that I’m a tech geek and enjoy gaming, is having something like a CompuTrainer. These trainers are hooked into your computer to give you a ton of data while also being able to simulate actual routes. So, you can ride a stage in the Tour or your local practice loop in virtual reality. The problem, for me at least, is that these things start at about a thousand dollars (same reason I don’t have a power meter).

Another thing I’ve heard about that sounds awesome, but I have yet to experience, is something called roller races. Basically, several riders bring their bikes to a shop or warehouse, which provides the trainers, attached to a computer and you race. You get to see where you stand and a ton of other data on the big screen and also get your racing jones in. We have a whole series here locally with prizes and everything!

One mandatory item for riding indoors is a fan. Since you are not moving forward like you would on the road, there is no airflow, which means your body is really going to heat up more and you will sweat like crazy. In addition to a fan, I would recommend keeping a towel handy and either having a bike dedicated to the trainer, or if that isn’t possible, at least using something to cover your bike to protect it from all that sweat dripping. That stuff is corrosive!

Alternatives to Riding the Trainer

Even when the weather is bad or time is at a premium, there are some alternatives to an indoor cycling workout that will help you improve fitness and have fun. This is a good time to focus on some of the areas that are often neglected during the riding season. Flexibility, strength, and balance all play a big role in cycling to help support those giant quads and keep us from becoming injured. Spend some time doing yoga, stretching, Pilates, working with weights, etc. You might be surprised at how difficult these disciplines can be, so ease into it to avoid injury and extreme soreness.

Something that’s been catching on around here is to take the cross bike out and ride on service roads in the forest. These gravel roads can be ridden even if it is muddy, raining, or snowing. The speed is a bit slower than paved roads and the effort a little higher due to the resistance of the gravel, so you can ride in lower temperatures. If it is cold enough you can even get out on the mountain bike trails as they will be frozen. Many times you will need to get out early in the morning though, because the sun will start to melt the trails making them terribly sloppy (not fun). Both of these options get you out in the elements and let you see the woods in a state that most don’t get to experience.

So, the next time you’re unable to get a ride in, remember that indoor cycling workouts don’t have to be a chore. Have a plan, focus your efforts, and make it fun!

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