Turbo training - Indoor/outdoor

ddraver

Hi Guys

I was chtting with my club mates at the weekend and mentioned that I usually use the Turbo on my (Covered) balcony. They said this was crazy as the part of the point of Turbo training was to do it inside as the heat made the training better. I immediately called bullsh1t on that but was I right to?

It's much nicer outside, a lot less hot and I don't have to worry quite so much about noise and neighbours (I ve still sweated like a mofo in shorts and jersey only outside, below zero - my water bottle began to freeze - that was probably too cold), but am I loosing out?

Thanks

Dorset_Boy

It doesn't matter whether indoors or out. Ultimately why boil if you don't need to?

Key question though is whether you can still connect to Zwift, and whether you're on a smart trainer or on dodgy zpower!

simon_masterson

You certainly can use that to make your training uncomfortable, but I don't see much point. Being able to hit comparable numbers on the turbo to what you can do on the road makes it much more useful, and a lot less demotivational.

StillGoing

My own view would be that if it's comfortable to be outside in the first place, what are you doing on the turbo? The turbo for me is reserved for those days when the weather has me beaten and I'd rather stay warm and dry than venture out on the roads.

markhewitt1978

ddraver wrote:

Hi Guys

I was chtting with my club mates at the weekend and mentioned that I usually use the Turbo on my (Covered) balcony. They said this was crazy as the part of the point of Turbo training was to do it inside as the heat made the training better. I immediately called bullsh1t on that but was I right to?

It's much nicer outside, a lot less hot and I don't have to worry quite so much about noise and neighbours (I ve still sweated like a mofo in shorts and jersey only outside, below zero - my water bottle began to freeze - that was probably too cold), but am I loosing out?

Thanks

Of course it's total BS. Unless you're specifically training to be riding in a hot environment then it's of no benefit whatsoever and the heat buildup does significant damage to your training as your body is working less efficiently. What matters is hitting those power numbers and if you're the right temperature it means you can do that.

ddraver

Good good

Phil - It might be outside but it's out of the rain and wind. The balcony is covered by upstairs' balcony and the flat is in a courtyard so it's relatively sheltered. It's also much better for "training" (eurggh) than just an hour on the road. At normal winter temps (5-10 ish) i start in an old long sleeve jersey and before Ive finished the warm up I'm usually in shorts/jersey. There is still no wind after all. I suppose it's basically like being in a draughty garage

Every now and again my feet get cold is the only potential issue but that's super rare.

pblakeney

Sounds sensible to me.
I only use mine indoors as I don't have a sheltered outdoors. But I ensure that the heating is off and open the windows wide.
My wife has come in whilst I am sweating buckets and moaned about it being freezing. Shouldn't come home early then.

stretchy

The only thing you are missing out on is dehydration!

fenix

Build up of heat can hinder your performance anyway - so unless your mate is racing somewhere hot - you have the right idea.

And Philthy - the turbo is a much better use of time than out on the road. Much more precise training sessions can be done and in much less time too. Especially when its cold - it takes ages to get all the kit on and check lights etc. You can have finished the warmup already on the turbo in that time.

It's not cycling as we know it - but it'll be great when summer arrives and you can get out.

Bobbinogs

Yepp, this smacks of the ill-informed training that went on a few years ago when folks used to dress up in the equivalent of a Bacofoil suit just to sweat more...and used the weight loss after the session as proof of its effectiveness...albeit that it overlooked the basic fact that 99.9% of the loss was simply dehydration which the bodies recovered from by hydrating itself. As above, work out where you want and I reckon anything that is ventilated and fresh and cool is much better from a number of angles. Most of us use the biggest fans we can find (I have a Clarke's industrial one from Machine Mart).

Matthewfalle

Utter load of tosh. Train on the turbo where you want when you want. Indoors or outdoors makes no difference.

Phil: I'm also sometimes use th turbo when it's nice outside because I find that I can work harder in 30 minutes on the Rubio then I can in 45 minutes on the road - all about time efficiency, but generally a ride on the road in appalling weather is about 10,000,000 million times better than any turbo session.