Those of us who like a second helping of Christmas pudding will be plotting the New Year training regime. Just leave out the turbo.
‘You look pregnant’ was an alarmingly honest assessment of my winter frame delivered just before the real business of eating and drinking got underway on Christmas Day.
If I’m honest, it didn’t come as a surprise – the winter coat has been steadily growing since late summer and the need for a thorough detox and intense training regime has developed from a minor nag to a full-blown itch.
In short, it’s time to dig out the turbo again.
Unfortunately, if you’re anything like me, your turbo trainer, bought with the best intentions, will now be gathering dust in the shed. A few frantic sessions at insane cadences enough to cement the sheer tedium of turbo training deep in the psyche.
Turbo or glass of wine? Wine. Turbo or TV? TV. Turbo or stick needles in my eyes? Needles.
Thankfully, 45-minute turbo sessions every evening are by no means obligatory for a rapidly fattening cyclist to regain a respectable level of fitness. There are other, more civilized methods, none of which involve pedaling furiously in a shed while the neighbours nervously twitch curtains wondering whether to call the police.
The fact is turbo training is boring and riding a bike furiously while remaining absolutely still is daft. Granted, cat 1 race snakes may want to rise above the tedium to gain that extra watt of power; but, for the rest of us, there are more enjoyable ways to improve fitness.
Commuting
It might sound obvious to those who already ride to work, but cycle commuting is probably the single most efficient way of improving fitness. It’s both time and cost efficient, is good for the environment and, as an added incentive, can help with the nightly wind down from work-related woes.
Dead time that would otherwise be used for travelling to work can instead become part of a training regime.
Commuting variations
As soon as you have embraced cycle commuting, the possibilities become limitless. Why not try some interval training on the evening commute? What about some extra miles by planning an extension? My favourite, however, is hill repeats – find a suitable climb somewhere on the route and ride, ride, ride.
It helps if the climb is closer to home, meaning you can go at maximum intensity.
Early to rise
Rising early and getting an hour’s intense ride in before the daily grind begins can also work wonders. The benefit over commuting is that, unless you have a shower at work, you’re limited with how hard you can push yourself in the morning. If you rise early, you can ride at maximum threshold without the risk of stinking out the office.
Again, for maximum benefit, it’s worth working out different loops from where you live, some of which should include climbs, some not to maintain variety and prevent boredom. Also, preparation is key – get everything laid out the evening before so that more time can be spent on the bike and less time getting ready.
Spinning
It probably amounts to sacrilege to a large number of cyclists, but spinning classes can really help to improve fitness and are far less tiresome than the turbo. The downsides are that it means first joining a gym and then having to frequent it, but even these hardships are worth enduring if it means the turbo gets to keep its coat of dust.
A new year brings new hope and new aspirations, but most of those – for a cyclist – will involve training. One key ingredient to sticking with a new regime, therefore, is to make training as enjoyable as possible.
For me, that means getting out on the bike – and for my bike to be on the road.
David Rae
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I achieved the ultimate avoidance technique by selling my turbo.. shortly after I bought it!
Now pass the remnants of the cheese board and port there’s a good man
Sorry old chap – I ate it all. Only cheese strings left, after the kids turned their noses up at them.
I very nearly sold my turbo, before pulling out at the last moment. That was autumn 2011. Haven’t used it in that time…
I’ve got a small bun in the oven as well Dave. Did a hoonless fest this afternoon and could feel the tightness of my bib knicks around my middle. Not good. I’ve also got a turbo trainer in the loft and that’s where it’s gonna stay. Bought it second hand and only really used it when rehabilitating after snapping my leg. Love spinning classes in the gym near work though. One hour of intense intervals taken by a super fit and not unattractive lady. Hope to see you out again soon when we can compare bumps
Yeah, I’ve got a double chin and I’m bonking on the commute to work. Bloody January…
You mention another benefit of spin classes which I failed to mention – the instructors
Hope to see you out soon fella.
Two words: Ozric Tentacles (I recommend The Floor’s Too Far Away). Two more: Carl Sagan (each part of Cosmos is about right for a decent workout and you will be amazed at what you learn). OK, OK, I admit it, I’ve only done 6 (fast) miles on the thing since Xmas, only once venturing into the cold — but I plan on much more. I’ll see if I can get the wife to play the instructor (n.b., Stephen, David!)
OK managed 35.75 miles on the Kurt Kinetic last night while I watched Blade of Kings — a silly but hugely entertaining movie, five stars — on Netflix. I am starting to rate movies based on their Distraction Value: those which allow me to “ride” harder and longer on the trainer get a higher score. I may actually get out on the road this week. I still only go out when it’s above 4 degrees C — what a wimp — but we seem to be having increasingly mild winters here in NJ. Can’t stand the rain though — British commuters are true heroes.
I like the Distraction Value concept. What type of film genre do you think lends itself most successfully to this? Comedy? Action? Horror?
It would also be nice if you could spend your time on the turbo doing something constructive, such as learning a new language or studying for a PhD.
Myself, I spent the 35 minutes cleaning bottles in readiness for my first homebrew (Christmas present from the lovely – and far hotter than any gym instructor I’ve ever come across – wife).
So, not only am I not training on the turbo like I should, but I’m using that time making stuff that will makr me even fatter…
I’m a lost cause
Hi David, I already hold a PhD and my French is passable, so I’m going to keep going with the movies for distraction (my Mandarin needs a lot of work but the kung fu is helping with that). Since the last post I’ve done only two (12-mile, hammered) commutes but 64 miles on the Trainer (22, 42), racking up more kung fu comedy knowledge in the process. My latest “conquests”, in reverse order:
Anna in Kung Fu Land (part-way through)
Shaolin Grandma ****
Love in Space ***** (romantic comedy, no kung fu)
King of Beggars **** (not quite as good as Blade of Kings but still great)
As for genre, I like films that make me laugh — but I have noticed that I pedal harder/faster when there is a big set-piece kung fu fight! So I’d have to say that action films are probably the best — anything that gets your heart rate up (no, I don’t use a monitor). If I didn’t have Netflix I’d listen to Ozric Tentacles or something similar; I cannot imagine pedalling to Mogwai, it’s just too laid back.
p.s. my wife makes me round up the mileage to an integer, so I had to up my 40.4 miles to 42 last night (I overshot 41.0!). Weird eh?
I once went to see Ozric Tentacles at Manchester Academy. They were good, from what I remember.
Thanks for all responses – I think they’re better than the original article
Oh, and by the way, 35.75 miles is an impressive session on a turbo.
Variety and distraction are key. Mix it up with warm-up, fast spins to ~150 rpm, 100 strokes out of the saddle, 25 with left-only, 25 with right-only, sprints to 30-something mph (obviously not a real cyclist, not using km!), sustained interval/recovery cycles, then ignore the computer and just watch the movie a bit while turning the pedals any way; have a drink, have a snack…
OK, it’s not like being outside — no bike movement and no hills! — but it does keep me moving and that also helps to keep the arthritis at bay. It’s mostly the movie that keeps me going. After all, I have to watch the whole thing… then another one!