Indoor Training Tips and Tricks
When a coach or friend mentions indoor training, time on the rollers, or trainer time, most riders either cringe or comment that they only ride the trainer when they “have no other choice.” But in reality, indoor training has many benefits, not the least of which is being able to fit training into your busy schedule very easily. You also have ultimate control over your workout: there's no worrying about wind, terrain, road surface, animals or traffic. This means you'll be able to do your intervals down to the second, stop immediately if you tire, control temperature and airflow and set your interval resistance precisely. What more could you ask for? Well, for starters, let's look at some of the basics of indoor training, some tips to make your sessions more productive and a couple of my favorite workouts.
Rollers or Trainer?
This topic is really one that is broad enough to constitute a post in itself. However, in the interest of giving a “Reader's Digest” version, I'll say this:
Both.
Really? Both?
Yes, both, and I'll tell you why. It's about working on different skills. The trainer will be your go-to tool for working on intervals and intensity. It provides more resistance for you to work against (adjustable in some cases) and it provides a stable platform for out of the saddle efforts, sprint efforts and extremely high intensity efforts since you don't have to worry about falling off. On the other hand, because you're bolted to the trainer, your pedal stroke will suffer. On rollers, you're forced to pay attention to your form. Keeping your upper body relaxed and fluid and your attention on your form will force you to examine your technique in search of flaws (and you'll notice them quickly.) Pedal stroke work (single leg if you dare) and cadence based intervals are best done on the rollers to allow you to smooth out your pedal stroke and increase your gross efficiency.
Those considerations aside, what else do you need to know about indoor training? Let's explore some of the pitfalls of doing your work indoors and after that, I'll give you a couple of my favorite indoor workouts.
