Turbo training guidance

timestar

I'm coming back after a bad collision with a people carrier and so all my training is on the turbo and will be for several weeks to come. From what I have read, I know that 2 x 20 minutes seems to be a recognised "hard" session. My query relates to what are the most important indicators. Is it important to look at max' speed, or average speed, or cadence, or distance?
Before anyone says it, I know that it will depend to an extent on what I want to achieve, so it's am impossible question to answer.

BeaconRuth

timestar wrote:

Is it important to look at max' speed, or average speed, or cadence, or distance?

If you're doing interval work on a turbo, then the most important thing to look at during the session is a variable that shows your instantaneous effort. You will need to gradually ramp up your effort during your warm-up, then make a hard effort for a period, then have a recovery period at much lighter effort, and repeat.

So an overall measure of the session such as max speed, av speed or total distance isn't terribly useful. You could measure your effort with your current speed - if you are working against a constant resistance, then a greater speed equals a greater effort. Alternatively, a heart rate monitor would give you a measure of your effort for long intervals such as 20mins, or a power reading if your turbo has one.

Ruth
www.rutheyles.co.uk