The official TrainerRoad thread

dw300

MarkP80 wrote:

Into week 2 of the basic 6 week planand tonight was Monitor. Six intervals at something called Sweet Spot but I found it anything but sweet, I can tell you! Really enjoying this though!
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/84033

dw, I've not seen anything in my numbers yet but even in this short a period of time I'm definitely starting to feel the benefit, so I know what you mean. I'd never train this hard on the road.

Easiest way for me to get my power/kg up is too lose some weight though - I'm too heavy!

Cheers,
MarkP

First up .. keep ploughing away at that training plan. It's just a matter of getting those hours done.

I think I've done monitor and yeh, i remember it being pretty tough, and I agree that I'd never train this hard on the road. It'd be close, but you always leave something in the bag on the road if you dont know what's round the next corner, and till you're within coasting distance of home.

Just be consistant. When your next test due?

markp80

First up .. keep ploughing away at that training plan. It's just a matter of getting those hours done.

Just be consistant. When your next test due?

Well, there's every chance I will stick with it because TrainerRoad really works for me as a motivator. I think the key is that the targets are set based on the results of my own test, so there's no excuse not to comlete a workout - you can't cheat yourself, as the saying goes. Fiendishly clever!

Don't know when my next test would be due, I presumed I'd just do one at the end of this 6 week basic programme.

- and thanks for the encouragement! I'm a long way off your FTP though and I had a really good laugh when I saw bigdave's Carson - his power during his rest periods is way above my maximum when I'm going for it! Nice one Sir!

Cheers,
MarkP

dw300

I should have said that you'll get pretty fast improvement at the start, as you get your body used to geting near its current potential.

I'd say that testing at 6-8 weeks intervals seems good to me. Not sure what the suggestions are, but it's perfectly possible that after your first few weeks that you've improved enough that you aren't doing the workouts at the right intensity. So maybe every 6 weeks until you start to only raise you FTP by single figures, then do it less often?

Perhaps more long term trainers have some advice on that.

I've been using TR for 9 weeks in which time I tested on week 1, 3 and 9, with FTP of 172, 212, 233. I adjusted position between the 1st and 2nd test, as well as having better pacing, which was also an improvement between 2nd and 3rd. Some of it was fitness too hopefully!

Anyway .. if you have a goal in the back of your head (relatively short term and achievable) that'll help you with the training too.

bigdaveskinnytyre

6-8 weeks between tests seems pretty sensible. I've got 3 weeks in Australia without the bike from Friday so will re-test on my return and get back into proper training then.

markp80

I should have said that you'll get pretty fast improvement at the start, as you get your body used to geting near its current potential.

- Funny you should say that, but already I've noticed I'm sustaining a higher cadence and I can tolerate the discomfort of intervals a lot better than when I started.

I've been using TR for 9 weeks in which time I tested on week 1, 3 and 9, with FTP of 172, 212, 233.

- now that's encouraging, as you started at the same sort of FTP as me. Interestingly you experienced a big jump after 3 weeks. I wonder if I should retest at the same time to make sure I keep the intensity up. One for me to think about towards the end of next week.

bigdaveskinnytyre wrote:

I've got 3 weeks in Australia without the bike from Friday so will re-test on my return and get back into proper training then.

- goodness knows how puny you'll make my outputs look once you're into "proper training"!

There's a warning on my trainer telling me not to touch the fins on the resistence unit as they may become hot. Not when I'm using it they don't!

Cheers,
MarkP

bigdaveskinnytyre

MarkP80 wrote:

- goodness knows how puny you'll make my outputs look once you're into "proper training"!

It's not really proper training as I have no race goals at the moment, that'll change when I return to Europe next year.

Remember we've all got to start somewhere but it's like Greg Lemond said; "It never gets easier, you just go faster".

You've seen some improvements already, keep it up and the numbers will speak for themselves.

This is my last TR session before my holiday Carillon

For some reason I was really dreading doing this one (2 x 2x10 minutes of sweet spot). It wasn't quite as bad as I feared though. I had planned on a couple of hours on the road but broke a spoke on my Fulcrum 3 after 10 miles, cue Mrs BDST to the rescue and an unplanned TR session.

dubcat

My GSC 10 arrived this morning. I have reserved a moviestick at my local Evans and will get that first thing tomorrow. Trainerroad here I come!

ChrisSA

Throwing my hat in to the ring for this.

A few teething issues, mainly due to not knowing what I was doing (wrong setting on turbo....bloody kids). Currently 2 weeks in to a 6 week session of Thunderbolt and Langley. Aiming to turbo twice a week with a real ride at the weekend.

dw300

I expect this thread might start getting more popular .. i was out today and it was 9° and I couldn't feel my fingers!

Hi to the new guys!

t.m.h.n.e.t

dw300 wrote:

I expect this thread might start getting more popular .. i was out today and it was 9° and I couldn't feel my fingers!

Hi to the new guys!

Indeed. There is a mahoosive guide all the way back on page 5 chaps if you need a little help.

jgsi

You'll all be unrepentant turbo junkies in no time!
But, I did do a road ride yesterday, honest!
Even going out on Sunday as well!

markp80

Road JGSI? Ooh no, I couldn't possibly go outside!

Yes, welcome to the new guys. And TMH, it is indeed an excellent guide, thank you!

Cheers,
MarkP

dubcat

The guide on page 5 is very useful. Thanks for that.

Can the HRM talk to the moviestick and my forerunner watch at the same time?

I am going to install the GSC 10 on my mountain bike tonight and do my training on that. Just have to wait for the kids to fall asleep

Can you buy spare magnets for the wheel from somewhere? I am putting the magnet on my turbo trainer wheel but would be nice to get one for my normal wheel if I ever buy an Edge.

jgsi

Dubcat wrote:

The guide on page 5 is very useful. Thanks for that.

Can the HRM talk to the moviestick and my forerunner watch at the same time?

I am going to install the GSC 10 on my mountain bike tonight and do my training on that. Just have to wait for the kids to fall asleep

Can you buy spare magnets for the wheel from somewhere? I am putting the magnet on my turbo trainer wheel but would be nice to get one for my normal wheel if I ever buy an Edge.

sometimes halfords are useful, spare wheel magnets I have seen on their bikebits shelf.

markp80

An hour and a half of Eclipse. Those three twenty minute intervals were tough. It's all in the mind though, that's what I kept telling myself! :twisted:

I followed the instructions on different cadences for the three intervals and found that an interesting trial.

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/84811

Cheers,
MarkP

jgsi

MarkP80 wrote:

An hour and a half of Eclipse. Those three twenty minute intervals were tough. It's all in the mind though, that's what I kept telling myself! :twisted:

I followed the instructions on different cadences for the three intervals and found that an interesting trial.

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/84811

Cheers,
MarkP

It does ask questions.. I think you know now , only to be done with fresh legs

t.m.h.n.e.t

Dubcat wrote:

The guide on page 5 is very useful. Thanks for that.

Can the HRM talk to the moviestick and my forerunner watch at the same time?

I am going to install the GSC 10 on my mountain bike tonight and do my training on that. Just have to wait for the kids to fall asleep

Can you buy spare magnets for the wheel from somewhere? I am putting the magnet on my turbo trainer wheel but would be nice to get one for my normal wheel if I ever buy an Edge.

Not entirely sure. Magnets are a basic affair, like JGSI says Halfrauds may have them in stock

dubcat

GSC 10 fitted. Back to page 5 to read up. Excited! I really shouldn't do the initial test tonight as the wife is getting steadily more angry with me. Not sure I can resist it though.

dubcat

Sod it - i will hold off until the morning and do a 1hr test. Do I have to be online when using trainerroad? Hope not - can't get wifi out in the garage

** I noticed that you can use it without being offline. Cool! **

dw300

Nope!

markp80

It does ask questions.. I think you know now , only to be done with fresh legs

- put it this way, it convinced me I don't need to do a retest yet! :roll:

MarkP

t.m.h.n.e.t

Dubcat wrote:

Sod it - i will hold off until the morning and do a 1hr test. Do I have to be online when using trainerroad? Hope not - can't get wifi out in the garage

** I noticed that you can use it without being offline. Cool! **

Only needs a connection once a month to validate the licence. Or upload WO/s to facebook

NatePearson

dw300 wrote:

I should have said that you'll get pretty fast improvement at the start, as you get your body used to geting near its current potential.

I'd say that testing at 6-8 weeks intervals seems good to me. Not sure what the suggestions are, but it's perfectly possible that after your first few weeks that you've improved enough that you aren't doing the workouts at the right intensity. So maybe every 6 weeks until you start to only raise you FTP by single figures, then do it less often?

Perhaps more long term trainers have some advice on that.

I've been using TR for 9 weeks in which time I tested on week 1, 3 and 9, with FTP of 172, 212, 233. I adjusted position between the 1st and 2nd test, as well as having better pacing, which was also an improvement between 2nd and 3rd. Some of it was fitness too hopefully!

Anyway .. if you have a goal in the back of your head (relatively short term and achievable) that'll help you with the training too.

Yes, excellent point! You can totally tweak your FTP between tests. And as you say, beginners can see a BIG bump in FTP pretty fast. Check out this post about when to raise your FTP: http://support.trainerroad.com/entries/ ... ise-my-ftp

ChrisSA

My schedule got messed up this week, so did the first weekly turbo session (Thunderbolt) on Wed. Tried Langley yesterday and gave up at 23 minutes. Couldn't hit the power target. Last week it was hard but just about doable.

Reading Messers Coggan and Allen yesterday evening they suggest a good recovery between FTP workouts. I may swap Langley for Monitor. It's all about FTP for me, as I'm using this to train for 10mi/25mi TTs and sprint/std distance triathlons. Saturdays are for longer pack rides.

dw300

NatePearson wrote:

Yes, excellent point! You can totally tweak your FTP between tests. And as you say, beginners can see a BIG bump in FTP pretty fast. Check out this post about when to raise your FTP: http://support.trainerroad.com/entries/ ... ise-my-ftp

Cool .. i think I'd read that before actually, that's probably where I remembered 6-8 weeks from. By the way, there's a typo on that page .. 2nd line, should be 'explanation'.

I did this workout today guys .. just experimenting with something different .. Peavine

I did the workout near midnight, wanted something about an hour long, but not too intense or with high TSS, as i may well be out on the road tomorrow. So I used the TrainerRoad Rides page to filter the rides .. I do this pretty much every time actually.

Anyway, the workout is basically 3 sets of 3x3mins. The first interval of the set in done at 70-80rpm, the 2nd at 60-70, and the 3rd at 50-60 .. with the target power going up in each. I ended up in 50*17 for the 1st interval, 50*14 for the 2nd, and 50*12 (my top gear) for the 3rd. It designed to test your muscles and connective tissues.

There's also a one legged bit just after the warm up which I feel my entry level road bike doesn't help me with much due to its cheap rear hub .. I've got a big neutral bit at the top of each stroke .. there was a lot of clunking! I also felt like I tweaked my right hamstring a little doing this with a low cadence and big resistance, so perform with care. It's fine now though. Also, there are instructions in this workout.

One thing this workout did give me when I was turning the big gear was that I found a great TT position, sat right on the rivet, elbows on the bars, as you can see from the final interval of the final set I got plenty more power with not that much more perceived effort. Working out on a trainer is a great opportunity to experiment, i think that's why I like it so much. Now I need to get some clip on bars so I can take it out on the road.

jgsi

Has anyone flipped for workouts between FTP and LTHR?
Does it cause any issues?
There are times when I cant use virtual power and want to have a workout logged whilst wearing my Garmin HR.

twotyred

I'm running TrainerRoad on a laptop and need a stand to hold the laptop within eyeshot. Are any of you guys using laptops and if so what arrangements are you using to keep them around eye level?

jgsi

twotyred wrote:

I'm running TrainerRoad on a laptop and need a stand to hold the laptop within eyeshot. Are any of you guys using laptops and if so what arrangements are you using to keep them around eye level?

The kitchen sink.. sorry table

dw300

twotyred wrote:

I'm running TrainerRoad on a laptop and need a stand to hold the laptop within eyeshot. Are any of you guys using laptops and if so what arrangements are you using to keep them around eye level?

Arm of the sofa.

You don't really need it at eye-level, just somewhere where you can glance at it every minute or two. Mines level with the top of my wheels. If it makes things easier for you, have your bike computer running and use it for cadence reference once you've hit the required power for that interval.

Did another today .. Mono

1:30:00 - 24 minutes at FTP. Good for getting a longer ride in, which gives you a manageable amount of time to adjust to a new FTP level. That's my 20th TR ride.

ChrisSA

JGSI wrote:

Has anyone flipped for workouts between FTP and LTHR?
Does it cause any issues?
There are times when I cant use virtual power and want to have a workout logged whilst wearing my Garmin HR.

I have a PowerCal - a pseudo PM in an HR strap, works with Garmin. I use virtual power on TR but also capture everything on the Garmin for analysis in TrainingPeaks. With this if I travel with work I can do a similar workout in the same zones reported by the PowerCal.

For steady state (FTP, longer intervals) the repeatability is good. For low power warmup or RI, then it's shite.