Indoor riding in season?
Is there any sense out there that there is an advantage to doing the mid-week approximately hour-long bike ride on a trainer? You hear about people (Potts, if I recall, for example) who supposedly do this.
Putting aside the tedium factor, is there any evidence about the "focused I will hit my numbers" thing you can do inside vs the real life of riding outside? My guess is the whole thing wouldn't be that different in the long run, but I'm curious.
Please note, I'm ONLY asking about the shorter interval rides, not a long trainer ride.
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As far as the Pott's angle, while he's definitely somewhat famous for his indoor riding, he has also gotten some criticism for it and his not exactly record breaking bike splits on the big island. Regardless, it's fun discussion but I think we all know the dangers of trying to draw many conclusions for AG training based off of pro's habits.
Ultimately, I think this is just a very personal thing. If you can hit your numbers indoor, then there are definitely big advantages in terms of logistics and hitting your workout exactly as planned and structured. For me, I can't hit my numbers indoors. My indoor numbers suck compared to my outdoor power. I can just get a higher intensity workout outside while having a lot more fun than being on the trainer, so it's just a no brainer.
But, I also live virtually at the base of a series of 10-20 minute climbs which I can be hitting near endless repeats of within 5 minutes of rolling out my back door. If I was facing a drive, a bunch of stop lights or a bunch of other factors that interrupted my ability to get solid work in at that sweet-spot of 10-20' intervals, I'd probably have a radically different opinion on this.
The thing about the mental stuff Matt mentioned is also a good one IMHO ... even thou it becomes much more relevant for longer rides (over 1,5 hours in my case) than for short hard workouts!
Again, a point of curiosity, particularly week after week, as these small increments accrue.
But I'm That Guy whose indoor wattage is better than outdoor. Seems like it might we worth a try for me, reading your input. Thanks.
(BTW, I didn't mean to imply that we should all do as Andy does...I just meant that there's obviously a school of thought out there that it's a good idea....and of course we have no idea if AP would be better or worse if he rode outdoors all the time.)
Previously, once the OS was over, the trainer got put away. Unlike all ya'all, my FTP has been IDENTICAL inside versus outside....and I don't expect much to change this year, but I will test and see.
My work has gotten busier this year, so I am already figuring how to keep the logistics to a minimum. This mights just be one of the ways I do so.
Main advantages:
Low admin costs before and after the workout
Low risk for mechanical
Can ride early (in the dark)
Can't get run over by a truck
They allow one to still "babysit" kids (ensure that an adult is present to call 911 if needed)
Can target prescribed main sets with accuracy and reliability.
Toughens you up mentally
I generally do 2-3 rides per week on a trainer year round. For me, FTP session and intervals are on trainer, and long rides are outside in season.
I admit that I used to hate it, but have come to embrace the benefits.
I'm not a cyclist and prior to this winter have never done intervals on a bike! I am not sure I could do the same kind of FTP effort outside that I can achieve on a trainer i.e. head down, snot dripping etc, without riding off the road or into some immovable object. So, in the interest of self preservation, until i learn outside cycling, I intend to do the FTP intervals on a trainer. But what intrigues me is a suggestion I saw elsewhere to do the FTP work on the trainer then immediately head outside for the longer 75-85% stuff.
May 5 – outdoors – 230' IF 0.85 / HR 129
May 12 – outdoors – 230' IF 0.87 / HR 136
May 26 – outdoors – 100' IF 0.82 / HR 121
May 27 – outdoors – 112' IF 0.86 / HR 132
June 2 – outdoors – 200' IF 0.82 / HR 129
June 3 – outdoors – 122' IF 0.78 / HR 118
April 14 – indoors – 120' IF 0.87 / HR 155
April 15 – indoors – 128' IF 0.82 / HR 150
April 22 – indoors – 128' IF 0.81 / HR 145
April 28 – indoors – 120' IF 0.88 / HR 146
April 29 – indoors – 120' IF 0.87 / HR 144
May 6 – indoors – 120' IF 0.80 / HR 130
No question the indoor rides keep the HR higher at any given IF. And I think the consistency of that indoor HR – sustained high HR for long periods with no break – is a huge fitness-booster.
There is probably some acclimatization benefit too…the trainer experience is certainly less pleasant than riding 20mph in low-70's temps!
And the mental toughness aspect is important too – I do these in the bars, and I make the z3 sets really long…for example:
- 120' with ABP MS as 45'(4'), 30'(4'), 30': http://connect.garmin.com/activity/168517087
- 130' with ABP MS as 45'(4'), 45'(4'), 15': http://connect.garmin.com/activity/170870465
- 120' with ABP MS as 60'(3'), 45': http://connect.garmin.com/activity/173064911
(the last one I assure you was BRUTAL)
Anyway, perhaps you all have different takes on this. If so, I'd be interested to hear them.
Cheers,
Matt
Interesting stuff, Matt. Thanks for keeping this one going.
On mental toughness: I think it's a tie. But more importantly, the 'skill' of mental toughness isn't something that is passive, which is slowly absorbed by spending time in The Hurt. Instead, I feel like it's what you do with your brain when you're in The Hurt: it's the techniques, tricks, strategies, visions, hallucinations ... whatever active mental schema you are deliberately practicing. IOW, if I wanted passive mental toughness, I would just set the DVD player to "Gilmore Girls, Season 2" and ride for 5 hours ... and maninate my brain in Suffering.
On acclimatization: I agree, and I think I have experienced adaptations for racing in the heat after dedicated blocks of indoor, no fan riding. But if given the choice, I would not risk impairing the quality of a mid-week quality ride to acclimatize.
On better quality: Still undecided. After your post, though, I'm asking the question framed around economy (narrowly, as it pertains to those who have a lower FTP indoors than out): again, assuming a watt indoors is a watt outdoors, but there is a different physiological response to these, why would someone ever choose the approach that is training at decreased economy? Think of this hypothetical: I (hypothetically) run 6:00 / mile at 80% LT on a track. However, if I strap 5 pounds of butter to my waist (or wear a heatsuit, or do the run midday in 100% humidity in July, or whatever), I now run 7:00/miles at the same 80% LT. My response to the two is the same, but am i getting better quality with the latter?
I'm not sure. I do think HR is a measure of your physiology and having it elevated higher for longer and without breaks has to mean something. But I get the point on a watt is a watt and if you are generating fewer watts then you are not working as hard.
With only 3 or 4 outdoor rides i did HIM California two weeks ago and had absolutely no clue how good or bad i was, turned out my biking was much better than i thought. So in other words, something is causing a big difference in physiological response and an indoor watt is definitely not the same as an outdoor watt for me. An indoor minute is not an outdoor minute, and an indoor TSS point is not the same as an outdoor TSS point.
As to the mental advantage, it works both ways for me. Yes, beating the boredom and pushing hard indoors is a big advantage. On the other hand, not completing workouts, needing more recovery create more stress which isn't good.
I assume you're using a powertap or this wouldn't be an issue. Two ideas for you:
1. Crank-based powermeter and a dedicated indoor wheel. Expensive solution to the problem but honestly your life would improve dramatically...
2. Get an indoor/outdoor tire. My did has a powertap and once the in-season starts he breaks out a $49 Bontrager Race Lite Hard-Case (http://www.bontrager.com/model/00443). Wire bead, 60tpi. Nothing wrong with training on that outdoors and the trainer won't chew it up too fast. And you can be sure it won't flat. With the wire bead it's a bitch to get on and off the rim so changing it before races is a pain, but honestly it's a great solution and a LOT easier than changing a tire multiple times a week.
I do most weekday rides indoors and weekend outdoors. Got tired of constantly swapping out tires (I use a dedicated trainer tire after learning the hard way that normal tires don't last very long on a trainer...), so I bought a cheap rear wheel that I use for the trainer only. I figure I don't need anything fancy for my KK, and then all I need to do for the weekend is swap out rear wheel and voila!
Thanks