Maintaining and boosting your functional threshold power (FTP) relies on consistency, time spent in all training zones and some all-important recovery.
Historically, this required putting in the miles on the road – regardless of the conditions – or slogging away on a primitive turbo trainer.
For many, this was a pedal stroke too far, meaning form and fitness would take a hit before a frenetic dash to get back in bike shape when the sun came out in spring.
The recent revolution in indoor training has changed all that. Regardless of the weather, time of day or a cycling club’s social schedule, it’s possible to jump on the turbo trainer, log some virtual miles and keep your FTP ticking over in the time it takes to get kitted up to brave the elements.
This instant access to an alternative form of training means that, when it’s finally time to head outside for a real-world ride again, all that hard work you put in last year won’t have deserted you as you hit the early ramps of a tough local climb.
Whisper it, but indoor cycling can be a more enjoyable way to train during winter than the outdoor alternative, too, as training platforms such as Rouvy prove.
With iconic real-world locations to explore from the comfort of your turbo trainer and easy-to-follow workouts planned by some of the world’s best coaches, there’s never been a better way to get you real-world riding ready.
Here, we explore how using Rouvy can help maintain and boost your FTP during the winter, meaning you’re ready to hit the ground running (well, riding) come spring.
Consistent convenience
The biggest factor in maintaining any kind of fitness is consistency. While it’s common to dial back the volume and intensity over winter and supplement your training load with strength and conditioning work, extended periods between rides peppered with sporadic high-intensity sessions won’t be enough to stop your FTP’s slide.
Regular riding is therefore the backbone of any structured approach to training. But juggling this around work, life commitments, the weather and shorter days is easier said than done, particularly during the week.
Rouvy makes multitasking that bit easier, meaning it’s possible to train whatever the weather or time of day, without having to leave your home.
Pre-ride prep is a case of jumping on your turbo trainer and firing up the app, and once you’ve logged your virtual miles, there’s none of the post-ride faff to worry about, such as cleaning your bike (and any muddy tyre marks as you’ve walked it through the house).
You don’t have to forgo the social aspect of training with others, either, with Rouvy’s Group Rides feature enabling you to recreate a club ride virtually or meet new people and make friends as you spin in solitude.
Hammer out the HIIT
While easy miles will help, boosting your FTP requires those harder, less comfortable efforts, too.
One positive is that sweet spot, threshold, VO2 max and anaerobic workouts offer good bang for their buck – meaning you don’t have to suffer for too long during high-intensity intervals to see meaningful adaptations.
Also, by using an indoor training platform such as Rouvy, you can simply focus on the task at hand and crank out the watts using ERG mode without having to devote attention to anything else.
This makes the whole endeavour a lot more accurate – a fixed output is set for the duration of an interval rather than the equivalent road-based effort, where you can go too hard or not hard enough, and also requires investing in a power meter.
But it is also a much safer way to ride in the red, with no need to worry about other road users or finding a quiet stretch of road that meets your specific interval needs.
Focus on form
Wherever you’re at in your FTP journey, it’s possible to unlock extra watts without having to spend any more time in the saddle than you already are.
The secret is form and technique – namely, pedal stroke and cadence. Both are integral in the process of power transfer from your legs to the pedals, and riders of all experience levels have inefficiencies that lead to wasted energy, fatigue and ultimately a lower FTP than their current physiological ceiling.
When it comes to cadence, it’s beneficial to get comfortable at a range of different speeds, because you won’t get thrown if the pace picks up suddenly or you need to grind out an effort in a low gear on double-digit gradients.
Indoor cycling during winter is a great time to focus on both.
Rouvy displays your cadence as part of your mid-ride stats, so it’s easy to keep an eye on your RPM, while ERG mode enables you to ride at a steady effort but play around with cadence. Pedalling at various different speeds for set intervals can help you get used to the sensations.
Alternatively, you could pick a rolling route and tackle each climb at different bands of cadences, adjusting your bike’s gears to keep a consistent intensity.
- Want to try it for yourself? Head to Rouvy.com to learn more.
