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Indoor training

ericterict
in General Training Discussions

Hello all,

I was just curious about indoor training (zwift, treadmill). How many train primarily indoors? Is the transition to racing outdoors awkward?

I have found one of my primary limitations in training and improving is being consistently time crunched. My thought is training primary indoors would be more efficient? Additionally, on the north side of fifty I am thinking more treadmill time may be more forgiving?

Thanks for the input.

e

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Comments

  • scott dinhoferscott dinhofer

    hey Eric - everyone has different experiences. I find that I don't do enough core work and that I suffer horribly when I first get out on the road and start using my stabilizer muscles on the bike, it shows.

    as for running, I am fine running as long as it's not icy out. I can run out my front door in all seasons and find the extra time to get on layers is just as much as the extra time needed to cool down after a Treddy session

    I am sure others will sound in here.

  • Peter GreaggPeter Greagg

    In the OS I do all FTP and sweet spot intervals on my trainer (an ancient Computrainer). This is usually Tuesday's and Thursdays. I do Sunday's ride on the road.

    In the past I have found that riding on a trainer in ERG mode didn't prepare me very well to being able to hold the same watts in a race.

    YMMV

  • Brenda RossBrenda Ross

    @erict I think that one of our members in the past did almost all his training indoors and did well. Here is an article about what he did. https://www.endurancenation.us/triathlon-execution/what-is-it-like-to-train-indoors-and-race-outdoors/

  • Peter GreaggPeter Greagg

    I am pretty sure Andy Potts does all his training inside.

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    "...I have found one of my primary limitations in training and improving is being consistently time crunched. My thought is training primary indoors would be more efficient? Additionally, on the north side of fifty I am thinking more treadmill time may be more forgiving?..."

    Between the ages of 50-62, I was working full time as a physician and entered 20+ Ironman events during that time. I had no easy access to indoor training at my home - no treadmill, didn't buy a CompuTrainer until I was 58, VASA did not exist then. I thought about my training carefully from a time management perspective. I was bike commuting to work 2-3 days/week. I would stop at the pool on my way to work on the two days I did not bike, and swam on Sundays with my wife. I ran several times a week at lunch in a park 2 blocks from my office. On weekends when I worked at the hospital, I would run to work, having left my bike there the day before, which I would then take home 24 hours later. Some rainy evenings I would head to an indoor track (11 laps/mile) and combine that with weight lifting. My point is not to disparage indoor training, but to note that maintaining a consistent workout schedule requires creativity and commitment, a re-ordering of one's life which others at home may not appreciate.

    Personally, I rank training venues on a "fun quotient" scale. If you are not enjoying the training required for an Ironman, you will probably not maximize your success on race day. At the top of my list are mountain biking in a quiet forest, running on a smooth pine needle trail, and swimming in a clear, cool lake or off the west coast of Maui or Hawaii. Next is finding new routes to bike and run on the road or on paved trails. Zwifting is s superb training tool because it includes social and gaming aspects; without that, riding indoors is drudgery to me, as is a treadmill.

    Treating training as a job, like Andy Potts or Lionel Sanders do, is fine if you're getting paid for it. For me as an amateur, I could never have had the success I did in triathlon over the past 20 years if I wasn't having fun in my workouts.

    I've found the additional admin time and work to train inside: fans, equipment and room maintainance, etc. is really not much less than simply getting dressed and going out for a run or a ride. I'd rather feel the wind in my face than be wiping sweat off my bike or body all the time.

    Are treadmills easier on the legs than running on roads? I've managed to sprain an ankle, tweak a knee, and strain my quads on treadmills over the years. Running is running, and IMO proper form is more important than the surface in keeping me injury free, along with making sure I (a) warm up sufficiently, (b) keep the small muscles of my hips and core strong, (c) don't go too long or fast too soon .

  • ericterict

    Thanks for the responses.

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