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Turbo training problems....

Simon1890Simon1890 Posts: 117
edited February 2010 in Training, fitness and health
I've just had 6 months away from the bike while my wife had our baby, and i'm just starting to get back into it....however due to the weather and temperatures at the moment i decided to get my base fitness back up with a structured turbo training plan.

I've found two problems:

1. My legs are giving out (especially my quads) well before my aerobic capacity...i'll be 40 mins into a session and my HR and breathing are in the right zone for whatever the plan is but my legs are dead and feel like dead weights. Does this mean i need to do some more muscle strength training on my legs or is will my legs get into it after a while?

2. Whenever i do a session that involves a sustained period on the drops i'm having an odd and worrying issue. Past 5 minutes on the drops and my fingers begin to tingle, then go numb. It doesn't matter if i move them about or wiggle my fingers the tingling doesn't go. Is this a common problem or something i need to keep an eye on (i'm currently wondering whether it's the result of not ever having a proper bike fit?)

Cheers for your help.

Posts

  • rjh299rjh299 Posts: 721
    IMO point 1 is lack of fitness. 6 months off the bike is going to tell. What cadence are you averaging? Try spinning bit more. 40 mins isn't bad on trainer though.

    Point 2- sorry no idea. It could be the fit of your bike. Too much weight/pressure on your hands? Maybe get friend or LBS to take a look at your position, or go for full bike fit somewhere.
  • cookiemonstercookiemonster Posts: 668
    mmm... funny, I get the tingling thing on my turbo too. Never ever on the road - in fact the only other time I've had it is when I was using diomox to help with altitude aclimitisation (up at 4-5000m), where its a well known side effect.

    Its always gone away quick enough so I've never really thought about it until I read your post. My guess is that you're stuck in one position for a long time and getting a touch of pins and needles, probably reinforced with something like reduced blood flow to the hands or similar?

    jon
  • ravey1981ravey1981 Posts: 1,111
    Regarding point 2. Are you using a riser block for you're front wheel? If not you will have more weight on you're hands...
  • rjh299rjh299 Posts: 721
    Simon- do you have a riser block for your front wheel? If not, this maybe causing you to lean forward putting pressure on your hands.
  • rjh299rjh299 Posts: 721
    jinx!
  • sampras38sampras38 Posts: 1,917
    The quad aches could be a result of you being a little too far forward on the bike, or seat too low etc, or just a lack of fitness. The tingly hands would explain the wrong bike set up though..possibly. Your hands should be relaxed on the bars, with little weight bearing on them. Try moving the seat back, see if that helps.
  • Simon1890Simon1890 Posts: 117
    Cheers for the replies guys.

    I'm averaging 95rpm on my turbo rides, which is what i'm trying to up my riding average up to (used ot be 85rpm).

    I am using a riser block on the front wheel so it isn't that causing the problem.

    I am thinking it must be my bike setup....never had the problem before on normal rides....only on the turbo!!! Bizarre!

    Thanks again
  • sampras38sampras38 Posts: 1,917
    Simon1890 wrote:
    Cheers for the replies guys.

    I'm averaging 95rpm on my turbo rides, which is what i'm trying to up my riding average up to (used ot be 85rpm).

    I am using a riser block on the front wheel so it isn't that causing the problem.

    I am thinking it must be my bike setup....never had the problem before on normal rides....only on the turbo!!! Bizarre!

    Thanks again

    You do tend to put a little more weight on the arms on the turbo as it's more constant than a normal ride, but I'd still look at your set up. Start from scratch, get the saddle height right first, then the forward/back of the seat. Then tweak to suit with very small increments each time.
  • Alex_Simmons/RSTAlex_Simmons/RST Posts: 4,161
    Simon1890 wrote:
    I've just had 6 months away from the bike while my wife had our baby, and i'm just starting to get back into it....however due to the weather and temperatures at the moment i decided to get my base fitness back up with a structured turbo training plan.

    I've found two problems:

    1. My legs are giving out (especially my quads) well before my aerobic capacity...i'll be 40 mins into a session and my HR and breathing are in the right zone for whatever the plan is but my legs are dead and feel like dead weights. Does this mean i need to do some more muscle strength training on my legs or is will my legs get into it after a while?

    2. Whenever i do a session that involves a sustained period on the drops i'm having an odd and worrying issue. Past 5 minutes on the drops and my fingers begin to tingle, then go numb. It doesn't matter if i move them about or wiggle my fingers the tingling doesn't go. Is this a common problem or something i need to keep an eye on (i'm currently wondering whether it's the result of not ever having a proper bike fit?)

    Cheers for your help.
    1. It's a metabolic fitness issue, not a strength one. For some, low inertia trainers are harder to ride and generate power on:
    http://alex-cycle.blogspot.com/2009/01/ ... ining.html
    RST Sport : Coaching - Training Plans - Powermeters -- My blog -- AeroCoach Australia
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