New to turbo

EKE_38BPM

Mrs EKE has bought herself a turbo for general fitness and I thought I'd have a go on it.

I haven't put the computer and cadence sensor on the turbo bike yet so I used my HRM to monitor my effort.
I warmed up at around 90bpm for 10 minutes then took it up to 160bpm for 25 minutes (didn't want to go too crazy for my first session). For a warm down I spent 5 minutes at 110bpm.
I still had plenty in the tank so I could turn it up a fair bit.

I'm not training for anything specific, just to increase my general awesomeness, so are my levels about right or should I make changes to timings and/or intensity?

meanredspider

I think it's a great question because it's very easy to waste your time on a turbo. It's a bit like people you see at Spinning classes who hardly get short of breath let alone break sweat.

You need a goal else your question is very difficult to answer (there are probably books on the subject)

Keith47

I bought a book (on the Kindle) called Cycling Turbo Training for Beginners by Rebecca Ramsay.
There are 20 different workouts in there that give you some structured training to work at with quite a bit of variety to delay the inevitable boredom that comes with training on a turbo!
Like you I'm not training for anything specific, just want to maintain/improve my fitness over the winter before the weather allows some decent road riding again.
Worth a look

Wrath Rob

Go to trainerroad.com, follow the instructions and then get on with it. Makes the turbo more focused, nothing makes it bearable.

velohutts

sufferfest , keeps the interest up !

Download and play , lots of choice , Mrs VH gave it a go and thought it was ok , she normally needs café bribery to come out for a ride.

itboffin

warm up 10 mins then keep pushing until you feel there's nothing more in the tank, about to pass out puke faint like a girl etc, then hold that for 20 mins and observe your max HR

if you live report back here

chadders81

Not a chance I'd use a turbo without TR. it would be painfully dull.

EKE_38BPM

itboffin wrote:

warm up 10 mins then keep pushing until you feel there's nothing more in the tank, about to pass out puke faint like a girl etc, then hold that for 20 mins and observe your max HR

if you live report back here

That sounds like a plan for tomorrow.

neilvx

I follow this on YouTube http://youtu.be/zSFYRiqodvU

I am not fittest person but have no trouble getting my heart rate to 180/190bpm

sloppyschleckonds

Neilvx wrote:

I follow this on YouTube http://youtu.be/zSFYRiqodvU

I am not fittest person but have no trouble getting my heart rate to 180/190bpm

Just looking at a turbo raises my HR 20 bpm

ariba

I'd second Keith47's book recommendation - plus the sufferfest videos. The 3LC videos are really good also - they're coached sessions and talk you through the whole session. There's no music with those.

I did a lot of turbo sessions preparing for the Marmotte last year, and they really helped. I did a mix of climbing specific and interval training. I think having a goal helped, but having decent training videos made my sessions much more productive (and more enjoyable) also than just getting on an riding hard for an hour or so.

Hardware wise - The two basic items are cadence and heart rate monitor. I started with a simple watch which just showed the heart rate, but it was easier when I popped my GPS on which showed the heart rate zone. Plus looking at the spikes afterwards was interesting!

cyclingprop

Sufferfest + Trainerroad in conjunction.