Turbo training
Discussion
I used the GCN videos for a couple of winters and found them very good.
Last year I started using TrainerRoad and my bike fitness has improved quite a bit in that time. OK it’s a subscription service, but in my eyes, well worth the money, especially if you have a smart trainer and like a really structured training programme.
Last year I started using TrainerRoad and my bike fitness has improved quite a bit in that time. OK it’s a subscription service, but in my eyes, well worth the money, especially if you have a smart trainer and like a really structured training programme.
+1 Trainerroad and just watch whatever you want on youtube/iplayer/dvd etc. It's about £75/year (think it may have gone up slightly recently) but their training calendar does a lot of what Trainingpeaks does and the Podcast, blog etc. are well worth a listen. Seems like a big cost but it's only a little bit more than a decent pair of tyres and I know what's made me faster!
If you don't want to buy a smart trainer it works perfectly well with a "dumb" trainer and either a power meter or speed/cadence sensor and virtual power, you still get just as a good workout just have to concentrate a bit more.
If you don't want to buy a smart trainer it works perfectly well with a "dumb" trainer and either a power meter or speed/cadence sensor and virtual power, you still get just as a good workout just have to concentrate a bit more.
Thanks for the replies, I'm really tempted to pull the money out for a smart trainer mainly because I currently pay a gym membership and mainly find myself using the 'Watt' bike for an hour or 2 and not much else. So I think I would be better off using the money for a Tacx Vortex or similar. The only concern is my laptop isn't the greatest. Would I need to buy an ipad or is there any other cheaper options, I currently have an old Samsung tablet and my smart phone (galaxy S9) as well as the unreliable laptop? What is other people's current set ups?
youngricharduk said:
Thanks for the replies, I'm really tempted to pull the money out for a smart trainer mainly because I currently pay a gym membership and mainly find myself using the 'Watt' bike for an hour or 2 and not much else. So I think I would be better off using the money for a Tacx Vortex or similar. The only concern is my laptop isn't the greatest. Would I need to buy an ipad or is there any other cheaper options, I currently have an old Samsung tablet and my smart phone (galaxy S9) as well as the unreliable laptop? What is other people's current set ups?
Trainer Road will run on a galaxy s9 no problemo I would have thought.https://blog.trainerroad.com/trainerroad-for-andro...
Depends what app you want to use. TBH that was one of the reasons I went down the TR route rather than Zwift as Zwift wouldn't run on my laptop or 4th gen (32 bit) Ipad. It will run ok on an iPhone 5s but then I'd be stuck with a tiny screen. Currently I use an iPhone 5s for TR, then either my Ipad for Iplayer or my laptop if I fancy a DVD.
TR runs perfectly on my wife's Galaxy S7. There are desktop versions too (windows, mac) as well as a workout creator app (desktop only).
I'm not sure but I don't think Zwift will run on Android operating systems. (I think they have released a beta?)
Zwift needs an internet connection but TR can be run offline and synced afterwards.
TR runs perfectly on my wife's Galaxy S7. There are desktop versions too (windows, mac) as well as a workout creator app (desktop only).
I'm not sure but I don't think Zwift will run on Android operating systems. (I think they have released a beta?)
Zwift needs an internet connection but TR can be run offline and synced afterwards.
Edited by lufbramatt on Monday 5th November 10:32
I currently have a Tacx Neo and use a HP elitedesk G1 800 for the graphics (I5, 8gb Ram and GT730 graphics card- Cost me about £200 all in) plugged into a 32" TV.
Zwift does need an internet connection to start, but you can drop off after. It just won't show you any other riders.
Apple TV is the easiest way into Zwift. There is an Android Beta but it's full and they only release places sporadically.
Zwift does need an internet connection to start, but you can drop off after. It just won't show you any other riders.
Apple TV is the easiest way into Zwift. There is an Android Beta but it's full and they only release places sporadically.
I just got a cracking deal on a Wahoo Core and had my first ride yesterday...................what can I say?
I used Zwift and boy after 25km's I was knackered and very sweaty............a towel, a bottle of water and a fan is a must!
My gears needed a bit of fettling and I'm now thinking that every time I use the bike either way I'll have to muck about with the derailier which is a bit of PITA.
I use an iPad pro but have just bought an AV connector to connect direct to my TV via HDMI so no Sky for me whilst I'm riding. I understand Zwift is designed in 1080p so it's no issue not having it on a 4K TV or similar.
I couldn't get my first ride to sync with Strava. I had connected the account and all looked good so I'm assuming it's something I've done rather than the software.
It remains to be seen if Zwift is worth £12 month, but when you consider it's a good bottle of wine and I'll hopefully be cutting down on that hopefully it's worthwhile.
I used Zwift and boy after 25km's I was knackered and very sweaty............a towel, a bottle of water and a fan is a must!
My gears needed a bit of fettling and I'm now thinking that every time I use the bike either way I'll have to muck about with the derailier which is a bit of PITA.
I use an iPad pro but have just bought an AV connector to connect direct to my TV via HDMI so no Sky for me whilst I'm riding. I understand Zwift is designed in 1080p so it's no issue not having it on a 4K TV or similar.
I couldn't get my first ride to sync with Strava. I had connected the account and all looked good so I'm assuming it's something I've done rather than the software.
It remains to be seen if Zwift is worth £12 month, but when you consider it's a good bottle of wine and I'll hopefully be cutting down on that hopefully it's worthwhile.
I’d advise at least trying to get out on some actual road rides during the winter months, as well as using the Turbo. You risk losing a fair bit of core muscle conditioning if you rely solely on Turbo stuff, for an extended period. There are some smart turbos that have a rocking feature, which helps to mitigate this, but even they won’t help with loss of conditioning due to lack of downhill braking, and general ‘muscle jiggle’ which you can’t easily simulate ( although I believe some of the newest, high end turbos can now simulate road conditions, more accurately).
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kinetic-rock-and-roll-smar...
This type of thing.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kinetic-rock-and-roll-smar...
This type of thing.
Edited by GOATever on Wednesday 7th November 15:40
t I've pretty much given up road ridingGOATever said:
I’d advise at least trying to get out on some actual road rides during the winter months, as well as using the Turbo. You risk losing a fair bit of core muscle conditioning if you rely solely on Turbo stuff, for an extended period. There are some smart turbos that have a rocking feature, which helps to mitigate this, but even they won’t help with loss of conditioning due to lack of downhill braking, and general ‘muscle jiggle’ which you can’t easily simulate ( although I believe some of the newest, high end turbos can now simulate road conditions, more accurately).
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kinetic-rock-and-roll-smar...
This type of thing.
Thanks for the reply, to be honest I'm a mountain biker and still get out every weekend and some night riding but I use the turbo when I can't be bothered with the hassle.http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kinetic-rock-and-roll-smar...
This type of thing.
Edited by GOATever on Wednesday 7th November 15:40
However I am looking to upgrade my trainer and I do like the look of that seems well priced aswell.
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