HR on trainer

snedden9485

When training on the turbo trainer i find it hard to get my HR right up. On the road i find it alot easier to get the HR in the 85 - 90% max range (165 - 175), but on the trainer i find it hard to get it much higher than 165. I find that the HR seems to be around 10 lower on the trainer and i really have to push it on the trainer to get it higher. I have a ciclosport 4.2 and i wonder if there is a drama. Sometimes the HR flutters around, i wet it before starting. Any other ideas?

Alex_Simmons/RST

Power might be lower as well.

Some trainers set ups are tough to ride hard on. They feel hard but power can be down quite a lot.

snedden9485

How do you mean by the set up is harder? I am in the same position as my normal "on road" position, as i am on the same bike etc. I find the workouts tough, eg the legs work hard and im feeling like im around the 85 - 90% range, but the HR is often 10 BPM lower?? I wonrder with the HRM sometimes, as its will be sitting around the 160 - 165, then for a second it reads around the 173 (which feels more relative). Should i look at using electrode gel or something?

Alex_Simmons/RST

snedden9485 wrote:

How do you mean by the set up is harder?

It is quite possible that you simply can't produce the same power (and therefore experience the same metabolic strain) on your indoor trainer set up as you can oudoors, even though it sure feels just as hard, if not harder. That is pretty common. Read here for some more thoughts on that:

http://alex-cycle.blogspot.com/2009/01/ ... ining.html

Unless you can tell us what power you are generating indoors and outdoors, then any conclusion based on your HR and training efficacy is mere speculation.

Also, your HR response can readily be different in different training environments (e.g. indoor vs outdoor). Just like my HR is completely different in training vs racing, not that I care what my HR is doing.

End of the day, when doing efforts on your turbo, go with the "alls you can do is alls you can do" approach.

sergen

I have a CycleOps fluid 2 Turbo. 3 weeks ago I used my road bike on the turbo for the first time (the bike has a powertap). I cannot get anywhere near my power or HR levels that i can outdoors.

The week before I was doing 2x20s at 95-100% FTP outdoors but inside I can only mange 85% of FTP and each interval lasts a MAXIMUM of 12 minutes!!! RPE for these indoor efforts is very high, but the power is much lower.

I know about the 'all's you can do...' saying but I am now seriously worried about the forthcoming winter. If all I can manage is 85% of FTP in 12 minute intervals then I'm not training the physiological systems I need to in order to maintain functional threshold power at a reasonable level.

Alex_Simmons/RST

sergen wrote:

I know about the 'all's you can do...' saying but I am now seriously worried about the forthcoming winter. If all I can manage is 85% of FTP in 12 minute intervals then I'm not training the physiological systems I need to in order to maintain functional threshold power at a reasonable level.

That is of concern, so I suggest you look at each of the elements that goes into closing the gap to outdoor power that I discuss in the link I posted.