Feature

Mon 30 Nov 2009, 4:00 pm UTC

Fitness basics: Turbo training

By Leanda Cave and Nik Cook

Turbo-trainers are ideal for winter bike training because of the speed at which you can get on the bike, have a good session and get off again.

Your warm-up doesn’t need to be as long as it is out on the road, you don’t have to contend with traffic or stop pedalling on descents, you can refuel with minimal interference to your session, there’s no such thing as punctures, and no fussing with the layers of clothing winter demands.

All this means you can concentrate solely on doing your training, and get more effort in on the turbo in a shorter amount of time than you can out on the road.

If you want to spend the money on an advanced indoor trainer that offers lots of feedback on your performance it can be a great tool, but you don’t have to. You can just use a heart rate monitor to determine your effort.

It's a good idea to do a bit of top-end speed work all year round, and the turbo is ideal for it. It makes getting into the new race season easier, and keeps you a lot fitter without having to put in the hours.

Chris Carmichael, Lance Armstrong’s former coach, discovered that his athletes were able to gain and hold onto much more fitness by doing short, fast and intense intervals over the winter compared to those who spent long hours just doing base miles.

The athletes doing the short stuff had a higher VO2 max – the measurement of the body’s ability to take in and use oxygen during exercise – and greater power output overall.

So you don’t need to do three-hour rides to get into shape; if 30 minutes is all the time you have in the morning or before dinner, get on the turbo.

Turbo work can also help you work the weak parts of your pedal stroke and improve your efficiency. Cycling technique isn’t simply a matter of how hard you can push down on the pedals; there is also an up-stroke, and one-legged drills on the turbo can help you develop that.

They’ll probably also show you that one of your legs is weaker than the other. Starting and/or finishing a session with a one-legged drill can help equalise your leg strength.

The five sessions listed are great for those new to the turbo and experienced riders as they all provide a great workout in less than an hour. If you're thinking of buying a turbo trainer, check out the reviews on the right.

Session 1: 30-minute time trial (50 mins total)

Not so much a training session as a test. Perform it every month or so to see how your training is progressing. Warm up for 10 minutes, starting on the small chainring, largest rear sprocket (lowest gear) and medium resistance.

After every two minutes knock your gear up one sprocket aiming to maintain a cadence of 80-100rpm. After 10 minutes shift to the big ring (keep a medium resistance and you should be in the middle of the rear block) and ride as hard as you can for 30 minutes.

Cool down for 10 minutes, reversing the warm-up routine. Record the distance you achieved in the 30 minutes and try to beat it next time.

Session 2: Threshold booster (41-65 mins total)

3-6 x 5 mins with 3 mins recovery

This session is designed to raise your lactate threshold and your ability to perform at or near it. Warm up for 10 minutes in the same way as for Session 1. Shift to the big chainring and work hard for five minutes (aiming for a heart rate 15-25 beats below your maximum).

At the end of the five minutes drop to the small chainring, drop the resistance and spin easily for three minutes. Repeat this work/recovery cycle for three to six reps depending on ability. Cool down as in Session 1.

Session 3: Power blast (37-57 mins total)

5-10 x 1 min with 3 mins recovery

The Power blast will boost your explosive strength and power, allowing you to blast up short climbs or win the sprints to town signs. Warm up for 10 minutes in the same way as for Session 1.

Shift to the big ring and your smallest sprocket. Sprint flat out for one minute (try not to rock the bars too much – your frame might not like it!), initially building momentum out of the saddle before sitting down and carrying the speed through.

At the end of the minute spin really easily in a low gear against low resistance for three minutes. Repeat this work/recovery cycle for five to 10 reps depending on ability. Cool down as in Session 1.

Session 4: One-legged wonder (40 mins)

5 x 1 min left leg, 5 x 1 min right leg

This is more of a technique than a fitness session, although it will help to even out any imbalances between your legs. Warm up for 10 minutes in the same way as for Session 1.

Stay in the same gear/resistance as at the end of the warm-up, but cycle one-legged for the next 10 minutes, alternating one minute left and one minute right. Concentrate on maintaining a high (80-100rpm) cadence and on a smooth, fluid technique.

Next, shift into the big ring and ride moderately hard with both legs for 10 minutes, keeping up the same cadence and the same feel of fluidity. Cool down as in Session 1.

Session 5: Stairway to heaven (42 mins)

3 x 6 minutes of ascending difficulty with 2 mins recovery

One for building hill strength and mental toughness. Warm up for 10 minutes in the same way as for Session 1. Shift to the big ring but select a moderate sprocket, like 22. Resistance should be at about a third of your turbo's maximum. Ride moderately hard.

After three minutes, shift up two gears and try to maintain the same cadence for a further two minutes. Finally, shift up another two gears and ride hard for a minute out of the saddle.

Drop to the small chainring, drop the resistance and recover with easy spinning for two minutes. Shift back to the big ring but this time perform the '3 mins, 2 mins, 1 min' sequence with two more clicks of resistance.

Recover for two minutes again and then work through the '3-2-1' once more, again cranking it up by two clicks. Cool down as in Session 1. Be warned, though, this is a toughie.

User Comments

There are 22 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 22 of 22 comments

  • here's a useful question to be answered.

    Is it wise / safe to use a carbon bike on a Turbo - due to the forces on the frame being different from those that it was dsigned to cope with - ie. the back wheel fixed on the vertical and horizontal axis.

    Any technical , informed answers welcome.

    Thanks

  • well this isn't a technical answer, but have used my carbon road bike on a turbo for the last two winters and it doesn't seem to have done it any harm....in fact seems to run better after being used than sitting in a cold garage!

  • @mountain-nic

    Has been commented on many times in the road forum. Apparently there was a test and claculation done by a German magazine where the results from sprinting out of the saddle had more power and energy going through the frame on the road than on the turbo

    Also less likely to hit a pot hole at 40mph on a turbo than on the road.

  • Carbon frames are fine on a turbo. All frames are over engineered to cope with big heavy people hitting pot holes, so unless your super heavy I dont think you could ever damage it.

  • Surely all the stress from tightening turbo will be on the skewer so shouldn't matter what the frame material is.

  • Just got a set of variable resistance rollers, just been out this evening for a quick 20miler and my pedal stroke, balance and work rate seemed better already after 5 rollers sessions of an hour using sufferest workout. Not sure why I have never invested in rollers before, better IMO than a turbo.

  • @ fixiebob - then when you get on and ride, this places "abnormal loading" on the frame as the back wheel is in a horizontlal fixed plane, where as useually the bike can bob side to side when out on the road ride.

    However there appears to be a concensus that no damage is likely to be done.

    Happy days! :-)

  • I broke a spoke once on a turbo.

  • Isn't it supposed to be harmful to do one legged pedalling (maybe only if your legs are made from carbon).

  • I use a cheap spare wheel, cassette and yellow training tyre to save my carbon beauties and tubs. The Fluid 2 comes with a superstrong skewer so you don't bend or wreck your usual stick so shouldnt be a problem. It does feel a bit unstable getting out the saddle, you find yourself balancing precariously trying not to pull the bars side to side but I guess thats just practise.

    I recently inherited some old steel rollers with no side stops to help me stay on them so you really do need to concentrate and I have yet to brave it clipped in, it is a more natural feeling though albeit rather dangerous. You have to respect the old pros who just jump on a pedal away!

  • I've been using a turbo with an old frame and wheels for 20yrs as well as regular road and mountain biking. I haven't had a puncture outside for over 10yrs, this includes c2c, Reiver's, Marin trail etc - I don't race so don't use thin skinny tires. However, I've had 4 punctures on the turbo in the last 5yrs. The inner tubes seem to split along the weld (different manufacturers), I assume because the small resistance roller compresses and stresses the tube more than it does when on a flat road.

    So I'm afraid the statement "there's no such thing as punctures" on a turbo is just not true.

  • Dave Atkinson thanks for your write up about turbo training it has given me the added incentive to stop using my turbo trainer as a bike stand.

    I will be using your training plans very shortly and report back on the out comes.

    What we need now is lots of advice on how to stop the turbo session being boring and how to keep doing them. Has anybody got some advice on types of music to listen too ???

  • What would be a good trainer to purchase ?

  • I cracked my R3 on my trainer. Split the rear drive side chainstay. As a result went and got a cheap winter hack.

  • The Tacx Flow is a good trainer, I have just bought one and although I am still learning to get the best from it I'm very happy with it.

    I bought mine from www.racix.com

    Si

    www.xcenduro.co.uk

  • Re comments in relation to relieving the mind-numbing tedium of the turbo, I find that a good track list on the mp3 player and keeping the intervals down to 5 mins helps. Don't do more than an hour though. They are a blessing at this time of the year, otherwise it would be a Lifecycle at the gym (bleuch).

  • i wouldnt reccomend one legged pedalling as i tried a little too hard on my weaker leg and ended up injuring my knee!!!!!!!

  • Which turbo? I've been using a Tacx and a rollerturbo for years and both have just given up the ghost. The rollers were great for cadence and pedalling. The Tacx had a great range of resistance, so it was good for high speed efforts for track sprinting, low rpm high gear stuff to build up a reconstructed knee and everything in between.

    Any recommendations for a turbo? I can't afford a power metred or virtual reality one, but would like one which ticks all the usual boxes: feels like riding on the road/track: able to take different bikes including a track bike: suitable for a wide range of sessions including 1 legged at 50 rpm to high cadence suppleness stuff.

  • Has the Kinetic Rock and Roll Trainer with Pro Fluid Resistance Unit ever been reviewed/compared with these units, or has anyone tried one out?

  • Which turbo trainer?

    I use Cycle Ops fluid (not V.2), oil enclosure kit. The one I have has the metal adjustable knob for the skewer and seems stronger than the Fluid 2.

    Ok, many say they leak oil after a few months, mine has not and it has been two winters now. One thing I do is hook up a small 5 dollar fan to blow into the oil unit because it WILL get very hot and usually heat its what kills the rubber seals. I have noticed having the fan helps keep the resistance more consistent as heat tends to make the oil less viscous.

    The Cycle Ops is very quiet, no humming, ticking sound, my bike is louder than the trainer.

    I have tried other trainers, Blackburn indoor trainer, terrible, very inconsistent, one minute a lot of resistance the next minute on easy. I tried to adjust the metal ball bearings at all settings and it never road well, hated it so went back to the local shop before the one month would expire, came out with the Fluid Cycle Ops.

    Also tried the a magneto resistance trainer, please take my word, the cheap ones are super, but I mean SUPER loud, unless you want to lose your hearing within weeks then do so, but it is terrible, returned it super fast. The power was too easy on a magneto trainer, but they are super loud.

  • CycleOps Calssic Magneto for me.

    Robust, well made, quiet enough for me and mine, easy to use.

  • Can I ask what might be a silly question? The training sessions state to use xxxx resistance. What do you do if you have a progressive turbo and do not have the option to manually adjust resistance. Is it safe to assume that because it is progressive then there is no need to crank up resistance as resistance builds up when pushing harder? I have a cycleops super magneto pro which is progressive and also has four resistance settings so I should be ok but will just have to experiment I guess.

  • 1

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