Benefits of Investing in a Turbo Trainer or Exercise Bike to Train at Home
As endurance cyclists, nothing compares to the thrill of feeling the wind on your face and the open road or trails stretched out before you. But as seasons change and time constraints tighten, your outdoor rides can often take a hit. It’s dark when you leave in the morning and come home in the evening, and the day after day of rain means your shoes never dry out. It can be pretty rubbish.
This is where the unsung heroes of your training regimen come in—turbo trainers and exercise bikes. Let's pedal through the myriad benefits of investing in these indoor training solutions and how they can keep your cycling goals on track, no matter the weather or time of day. Some see them as a form of torture, but they are, undoubtedly, a great tool to build fitness, and a few tips can make them more bearable, and even fun!
The Versatility of Indoor Training
Weather-Proof Your Routine
Let's face it: weather in the northern hemisphere can be unpredictable. Investing in a turbo trainer or exercise bike ensures that rain, wind, or snow won't stand a chance at derailing your commitment to fitness. With an indoor setup, you can ride any day, rain or shine.
Time Efficiency
Cutting out the time it takes to get dressed for the outdoors (oh so many layers), prepare your bike, and organise your snacks, indoor training is all about convenience. A turbo trainer or exercise bike allows you to get a quality workout in a fraction of the time, making it easier to fit into your busy schedule.
Specific and Measurable Workouts
Training indoors gives you the ability to replicate specific workout conditions and measure your performance down to the smallest detail. With precise control over resistance and advanced metrics tracking on many exercise bikes and trainers, you can accurately gauge your progress and tailor your training to target your specific cycling goals. It is possible to attempt intervals outdoors, if you can find the right route, but you will always be prioritising your safety and the rules of the road or trails, and rightly so!
Adding Variety to Workouts
Indoor training doesn't have to be monotonous or boring. With the advances in digital technology, and a few other tips, you can inject variety and excitement into your sessions:
- Platforms like Zwift and TrainerRoad offer immersive experiences and virtual rides, making indoor training interactive and fun. I’m a big fan of Zwift and have been using the platform for many years now. There are other options out there, but Zwift is the most popular, and the social element is one of the best features.
- Join live or pre-recorded group classes to keep your motivation high and feel part of a community, right from your living room. Some cycling groups and clubs hire rooms for group sessions, or utilise functions on the virtual platforms to train together. For some reason, suffering with your buddies is so much more fun.
- Need to do a long endurance ride indoors? Set up your turbo in front of a laptop or TV and put on a movie, or binge watch a Netflix series. Make sure you have lots of snacks and fluids set up to keep yourself going.
- Make sure to do a variety of interval workouts to train different aspects of your fitness, from max effort sprints, to longer cardiovascular efforts. You can tailor your sessions based on your goals, whether that's endurance, weight loss, or interval training. With platforms like Training Peaks, you can pull out the workouts in your structured training plan to follow on your turbo by integrating all your tech. Check out the ready made training plan on my website.
- Find interval sessions torturous? Invest in some sport headphones and fill your ears with your favourite high energy tunes, or maybe even your best karaoke songs, to distract you. Science has proven music helps you train better and harder!
Turbo Trainer vs. Exercise Bike vs Gym spin classes
Turbo Trainer
Pros
Affordability: You can pick up simple, mechanical trainers for less than the cost of a week’s grocery shopping, though you might find the functionality restrictive. Even the top end turbos cost less, as much as 50%, than a dedicated indoor bike with comparable features. Smart trainers, with integrated power metres, are very affordable now, even with all the bells and whistles most riders need.
Authentic Riding Experience: A turbo trainer allows you to use your actual bike, with the position, saddle and gears you are used to. It’s particularly beneficial to train on the bike you’ll be using for your events. Using your bike on a turbo trainer helps you maintain the same posture, pedal stroke, and gear shifts
Flexibility and Portability:** Turbo trainers models are super compact and can be easily stowed away when not in use, making them a great choice for those with limited space.
Cons
Setting up: If you use the bike you usually ride you will need to set it up then take it off again for every outdoor ride and indoor workout. An even more complex task if you use mudguards in winter. Many use or purchase a second bike to leave on the turbo. Great if you have the space!
Can be noisy. Some turbo set ups can be quite noisy, depending on the machine as well as other factors. They cause less noise from the vibrations if they are used on the ground floor. If used on upper floors, in a flat for example, vibration dampening mats or other features can be used. Many create a ‘pain cave’ in a garage or conservatory, away from the rest of the household.
Exercise Bike
Pros
Dedicated Indoor Solution: Modern exercise bikes come with a plethora of features like built-in screens, pre-set workout programs, and connectivity to fitness apps, enhancing the overall training experience. They make it super easy to just jump on and start training.
Enhanced Comfort: Exercise bikes are designed for stationary use, often featuring adjustable seating and handlebars for added comfort during long training sessions. The top end cycling specific indoor bikes can be set up to mimic the position of your actual bike.
Quiet Operation: High-quality exercise bikes typically operate quietly, allowing you to train early in the morning or late at night without disturbing others in your household.
Cons
They need a permanent space. Unless you are endowed with an immense amount of motivation, you are not going to want to move the indoor bike every time you want to train. It will need a permanent home that’s easy to access, with the space around it to train comfortably.
Cost. Cheaper models may not have the integrated technology to record your sessions or make interval workouts easy. For those functions you’ll need to make a decent investment.
Spin classes
Pros
No need to purchase or make space for equipment. If you have a gym membership already, then you likely have them included.
They can be so much fun. With the right instructor and classmates a spin class can be disco, social gathering, and workout all in one. What more could you want?
Cons
Classes are usually designed to improve general fitness rather than cycling specific fitness. You could be doing random intervals and other crazy things on the bike that have no relevance to riding a bike.
Spin classes are sometimes the most popular on a gym timetable. Finding a spot consistently in a class at a time that suits you could be difficult
You don’t have control over the types of interval workouts you’ll be doing. If you have specific cycling goals and ambitions, you’d benefit more from cycling specific workouts relevant to your goals. The spin classes will be quite random, rather than following a specific program.
The biggest factor that will help you improve your cycling is consistency. Any one of the three options above is the right one if it works for you. Saying that, investing in a turbo trainer or exercise bike can make a huge difference when training towards your cycling goals, or even just to improve your fitness. From the convenience and time efficiency, to the ability to follow precise, structured workouts, these indoor training tools can help ensure that you're always making the best use of your time. Being able to train consistently through the winter will mean getting a head start on the next year. Perhaps ask your cycling buddies if you can borrow a trainer to try for yourself before taking the next step. It’s definitely worth asking around to hear different peoples experiences as part of your research to find the best set up for you.
There are many different types of trainers out there, it can be confusing! Hit reply and let me know if you’d like a deeper blog post just on turbo trainers.
Happy cycling, and see you on the road—indoors and out! 🚴♂️🌟
Coach Alison