Kreitler_poly_3_rollers[dc]W[/dc]inter is really, truly here.  Snow, sleet and rain has been battering the North East US for weeks.  If you're anything like me, you're probably looking for ways to accelerate your base training inside on the trainer or rollers, because training outside is not even remotely appealing.  As a coach I'm always looking for new and innovative ways to make indoor workouts interesting and to motivate athletes towards performing their best while stuck inside.  That mentality has spawned some really innovative tools in the marketplace (look at Trainer Road and the Sufferfest) and of course, some really bad ideas as well (the "watch football, go full gas while the play is in action, rest during the huddle/line up" kind of workout….)  The main issue with training indoors has always been boredom: it's difficult to ride the trainer for hours on end, and even riding the rollers becomes tedious when all you can do are focus on not falling off and counting pedal strokes (or staring at your Garmin.)  Even watching a movie can be tedious, especially when your attention is divided between the screen and your workout numbers.  Add to the fact that indoor training can be extremely repetitive and you have a recipe for lack of adherence to a training program and loss of motivation.  Variety is the spice of life, after all…

Adding Variety

One of the workouts I've found myself weaseling into my base training is a music based cadence workout.  It not only helps to keep motivated while inside, but it helps to keep training somewhat unpredictable, as you're not really sure what you're going to get next (by virtue of the shuffle function, of course.)  By doing this on rollers, you'll not only get a solid workout, but you'll be training your body to handle real world changes in pace, tempo, gearing, etc.  You'll continue to build balance and refine your pedal stroke while listening to some killer music, and you'll feel worked by the time your workout is over.

The concept behind this workout is pretty simple:

Motivational tools?Cue The Music

Most of us have a smartphone these days, whether it's an Android or iPhone, so most of us have access to music (or better yet, Pandora or some other similar streaming music service.)  Music will be both our distraction and our guide during this workout.  If you're using an iPod or similar MP3 device, you'll have to manually load up some music and organize it into a playlist prior to getting on the rollers.

Once you are on the rollers and warming up, it's time to start the tunes.  The goal during the workout is to match your cadence with the tempo of the music you're listening to.  This sounds easier than it really is: most cyclists will be very comfortably in the 75-95 RPM range (and it's true that there is a lot of music written at those tempos) but when the pace picks up or slows down a bit, it can get sketchy.  During your workout, you should focus on keeping your power output at a steady tempo level.  This means if you're trying to stay at 80% FTP, you'll have to shift up a bunch of gears when the tempo slows and shift down a few when the tempo speeds up.  You'll end up working a variety of skills, from muscular endurance at low cadences to high cadence spinning techniques when the music revs up.  You'll also be able to experience and practice winding up or revving down to match a certain tempo, which is a skill that comes into play during every group ride or race.  And all throughout the workout, you'll have the metronomic rhythm of a song playing in your ears, both keeping you on track and driving you forward.

Sample Playlists

Keep in mind that you can either let a music service pick your tunes, or you can customize your workout by building your own playlists.  By building your own playlist, you can tailor your music choice to certain skills that day: for example, you can pick slower music to work on muscular endurance, or faster music to refine your higher cadence pedal stroke.  As you progress through your training, you can raise your target power output to 85% and even 91% (sweet spot) and still vary your cadence based upon your musical choice.

Speaking of musical choice, I prefer harder rock, metal and such for most of my workouts, but I'll still mix in some alt rock or indie rock here and there just to keep things interesting.  One of my favorite Pandora stations is Hard Rock Strength Training, but you can build a playlist using some of the selections below:

Song list (Tempo):

  • Modest Mouse – Satellite Skin (60bpm or 120bpm)
  • Audioslave – Gasoline (88bpm)
  • Metallica – Master of Puppets (105bpm)
  • Guns 'N Roses (The original, not the BucketHead project) – Patience (60bpm)
  • Rd Hot Chili Peppers – Californication (96bpm)
  • AC/DC – Back in Black (86bpm)
  • Yellowcard – Way Away (90bpm)
  • Of Monsters And Men – Little talks (108bpm)
  • Eminem – Lose Yourself (86bpm or 172bpm)
  • Shinedown – Save Me (116bpm)
  • Fatboy Slim – Weapon of Choice (98bpm)