"Turbo" Training

No matter what you call it ... "turbo trainer", "indoor trainer", "wind trainer", "machine from hell", "road to nowhere" etc. it is most simply referred to as "The Trainer". Regardless, it's a time effective form of training through a variety of applications. Above is a photo of my titanium machine hooked to THE machine in the office.

I rode this sucker a couple times this weekend, plus the usual weekly "Boba Garage Session", and thought i would share my Saturday 90 minutes session with you. We have gotten about 10 inches of rain in the last four days and it was just easier to ride this sucker than worry about weather, rain jackets, booties, thunder, lightning, and trees in the road. The session below is one of those that i might give out to my clients. Therefore, instead of believing what it does in theory I gave it a whirl ...

Index

L1-5 are effort levels based on heart rate or power
NG = Your self selected Cadence or "normal gearing" ... this is about 90rpm's for me

FC = Fats Cadence or any cadence faster than your NG ... i like 100+rpm

ST = 1-2 gears slower cadence than your NG ... this varies for me

Value of the Session?

On the surface the main set of the session doesn't look too difficult. What makes it challenging is the 30 minutes straight, with only 2 minutes easy in the middle. The remainder is a variety of cadences and intensity levels that seem to not allow for a constant tempo or rhythm ... similar to if you were riding variable terrain outdoors OR maybe riding in a group session.

NOTE: Remember, if you are using HR as the intensity guide it may take a little time for your HR to match your perceived exertions ... be patient and let that happen. I was using a combination of a power meter and HR but the majority of the time i was relying on the power data. Using power data (real effort level) typically forces patience to be used early in the session but makes you really focus late in the session.

Warm Up:
:15 very light building to "L2" (included in here are some light accelerations and a number of single leg drills)

Main Set:

- 5min Steady L2 / NG
-4min L3 / FC
-3min L2 / ST
-2min L3 / NG
-2min EZ Spin
-2min L4 / NG
-3min L2 / ST
-4min L3 / FC
-5min High L2 / NG
-5min L1
- 5 x (30sec L4-L5 - 1:00 L1-2)
- Long Easy Warm Down

Conclusion? My theory on the value of this session is reality! It is not an easy session, it keeps you on your toes and the 30 minutes goes by pretty quick with the constant changes! I like it ;)

Stay tuned this week for: The Long Haul / Anatomy of An Attempted Comeback Part II

My Best Until Then ... DL