Time To Make....The Pain Cave (Suggestions Needed)

Coach Patrick

Yes, it's only been a week since Kona...but I'm talking gear, not training!!!  

Now we are in our new place it's time for me to conjure up a new pain cave. We have a partly finished basement that's about 15 x 10 feet. It has the TV down there, with cable. There's a small window above ground level.  I use my PT wheel and a cyclops trainer...

Floor Covering: It'll be a concrete floor...but I sweat pretty badly. Any mats you recommend? Something else?

Ventilation:  There's only one small window, last time I rode down there i fogged up the only mirror. I can add fans, but what else should I consider? A dehumidifier? What?

Table for Puter/Music:  I don't watch TV during the hard stuff...but I do watch cycling DVDs and put on music from my computer...but of course I sweat all over the thing...any ideas?

What else am I missing????  Thanks folks! 

Keith Wick

A dehumidifier is a good idea in a basement, especially if it's already humid down there. It will help prevent mold, mildew, etc. You can get one with a humidity control setting so it will turn off and on depending on the humidity in the basement. This helps save energy on the unit. You'll find it's running constantly in the summer and not so much in the winter.

I rolled an old piece of burbur carpet on my concrete floor. It makes it warmer to my bare feet and a little softer to walk on. I don't have a carpet pad under it, so there really isn't anything substantial that gets wet from sweat. I can also sit and stretch down there without being on the concrete. BJ's sells some rubber floor mats that are designed for basements, garages, etc. They are similar to a thin yoga mat.

Fans, Fans, Fans. I have a fan that is designed for outdoors and to keep mosquitos from bothering you. It kicks a**. Strong breeze but very quiet. It also comes with a misting hose, but I think that would be overkill in my basement.

Beth_S

I am a fan of the cheap yoga mat under the bike. When it gets sweaty, just throw it in the bathtub to clean and hang it over the bar to dry.

White board? We have all sorts of fancy beepy watches, but there's nothing like staring at your watts. Or, some days, the One Thing to get you through your workout. If you get one with cork board, you can tack up motivational pics.

If you want to get fancy, tiny fridge for water bottles and nutrition.

colinmil

Great call on the Yoga mat, I'm using one of them for the first time this week as I've just built my pain cave too. In Scotland we rarely have to worry too much about dehumidifying, just have the heating off in that room and it'll be fine! However, even with the fan it's amazing just how sweaty the sessions can be...and I'm only getting ready to start OS Wk 3.

The Cork board/Whiteboard idea is inspired...I'll be getting one of them.

astokes30

I have an unfinished basement as well with just a carpet remnants on the floor and towels under the bike to catch the sweat. A big fan,tv, lots of motivational pics and a huge plate glass mirror from an upstairs bathroom remodel. It is just propped up along the wall...I feel like I always have a training partner! lol!! It helps though, especially on those early morning workouts. Turn on all the lights and it helps to brighten up/open up the space. Is that cheating??

Nate Parady

Coach P, If I have this right, I think your watching DVDs and listening to music through your computer...
How about hooking up a DVD player to your TV which you now have and getting an Ipod (I recommend the Shuffle) for your music. I have a shuffle and its great. about the size of a quarter and believe they are under $100 bucks now. I personally love having music playing right into my ears to drown out all surrounding noise and focus on the "suffer". Also, DVD players are super cheap now a days. Might also save you from having to boot up your computer to get the DVD going and also avoid wet hands from your workout operating your computer.

just a thought..

Al Truscott

If you need to be distracted, you're not working hard enough? 

Kevin Walter

You can get carpet remnants dirt cheap from any carpet store. When it's done just replace it. Particularly good if any chance of water in the basement.

Kevin Walter

Treadmill?

I use a small two level bookcase in front of my bike to hold the computer along with DVD, books, manuals, etc.

Matt Samojeden

2X on Al's comment!. I have a tv just in front of the trainer and when the real work starts, I have no clue what I watched! May be it's just me, can't hurt and watch at the same time.

Yes on more fans the better!! 2 is a minimum!   Also some rubber mat under the bike helps for clean up. 

The white board on the wall for the work out and a motivational quote,  plus the goal for the year!!!

Trent Prough

Build a 2'X6' closet, no fan, don't paint walls, and I'll send you a big picture of me you can put behind you on wall that says "I'm coming for u". Your FTP will go through the roof. Oh and don't forget to trench a drain to your sump pit for the sweat to drain off to.

Daniela

We purchased black plastic matting from a home improvement store to put under the bikes. Our store sells it by the foot, so you can get as much or as little as you like. It's in the same area that you can buy the clear thick plastic runners that they put on carpet to keep it nice during home shows and stuff.

Like this...
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ12kx/R-100174337/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

This is on top of thicker sport flooring that covers the entire pain cave...
http://www.menards.com/main/flooring/utility-flooring/amorim-rubber-sports-floor/p-1695057-c-6614.htm

tuckerm

How bout a picture of Rich titled "This guy is too soft to ride the trainer in the OS!"

[Deleted User]

Here's a picture of my setup in my living room. 

I've put foam mats underneath my trainer to dampen the vibrations, so as not to disturb the people in the apartment underneath me. Aside from the computer monitor and fan in front of me, I've put a small laptop table (raised up on those boxes) in front of my bike so I have easy access to keyboard/mouse/headphones. There's usually a towel somewhere in the vicinity when I'm training, so that help keeps the sweat at bay.

I'm curious to see how other people have their setups arranged too!

cam2win

You need a flag to hang on your wall and only one will do.

The Sufferlandrian Flag from the The Sufferfest Guys!!!!

http://sufferfest.myshopify.com/pro...ional-flag

If you don't have their videos you need to get those also.

www.thesufferfest.com

Coach Patrick

This is great advice...thank you all so much!!!! Please keep it coming...and trent, I'll pass on the poster but I will take a bobble head doll of you!

tuckerm

Wait, what? You want Trent to bob his head for you? Not that there is anything wrong with that....

salzmadh

Like Beth, I am a fan of a mat type structure under my bike. I put one of these mats from performance under the bike, it can be wiped down at the end of the training session and helps to dampen vibrations as well.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1028755_-1_1590008_20000_400135

Shaughn Simmons

I use a matt exactly like David's below.  I am in the Al/Matt camp, you know you did the Z4 interval correctly when you have no idea what you just watched on the tube directly in front of you..................

[Deleted User]

Not mine, but here's some inspiration for those who like to multitask: 

DCorso

 Nice to you see you back at it Trent

 

Oh and did I mention - NO MORE PAIN CAVE FOR ME!!!!

Not that I ever spent much time indoors anyway.

Chris M.

Get an Apple TV for the ability to stream all of your media from your computer wirelessly to the TV.  You can rip your DVDs onto your hard drive then into iTunes and you'll also have all of your music plus whatever else you want on there, and you can control it all from your phone.  You can watch all the streaming Netflix content, anything on Youtube or Vimeo, rent movies/TV shows from iTunes, whatever.  I also can't pay attention to anything for the really hard stuff like testing but I do like something to look at for the 85% stuff at the end and for the treadmill.  

Also, with the new iOS5 you can put whatever's on your iPad onto the TV screen via Apple TV.   I know you've always wanted to have a video chat with someone while doing those 2.5/2.5s.