Is riding a bike trainer as bad as running on a treadmill?
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charlie6460 posted 42 weeks ago.
I hate the trainer and rarely bring myself to get on one.
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jwillia852 posted 42 weeks ago.
I recently got a trainer and personally think the workout is better, although just about as boring. It is nice to know that my bike isn't collecting as much dust as it would otherwise.
My vote is for the trainer.
Jeff
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derek5 posted 42 weeks ago.
it is definitely boring. I use a computrainer which makes things bearable. I break it up by riding on rollers once a week in the winter. Although it is boring I strongly believe trainer riding is one the best ways to get stronger as a cyclist. No stoplights, coasting, etc... The rides are quality every time, they just make you want to carve your eyes out with spoons.
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IthinkIcan posted 42 weeks ago.
saturday I put down 5.5hrs on a trainer. mind numbing - make sure there's a tv around and preferably some movies.
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paganopj posted 42 weeks ago.
Never rode a trainer for very long. Did 6 miles on a treadmill for the first time the other night and OMG I thought I would go insane staring at the wall.....I feel your pain.
Just keep spinning....spinning, spinning....uh, do I know you?
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wannakona posted 42 weeks ago.
My longest ride on trainer so far this "off season" was 50 miles, it was painfully boring and hard but i wasn't alone and we were watching some movies.
I actually like bike trainer more then treadmill, i hate running indoors.
Bike trainer i learned to endure and actually don't mind it, as it gets colder and colder it's easier to just hop on it any time.
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lala2021 posted 42 weeks ago.
I use my trainer at least once a week and have been known to lay down 60miles! I have done 2 1/2 hours on the dreadmill before with no problems. As long as i have my Ipod or TV i think i could go longer on both!SWEATY!!!
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Anton posted 42 weeks ago.
Hate the Dreadmill...love the trainer. Better workout that you can get on many road rides.
"Embrace the trainer you must!"
Good movies a powerful fan, water and snacks and you're good to go!
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gfd posted 42 weeks ago.
I can get to a point on the trainer where it stops bothering me if I have on a good movie or TdF tape. It does take a few weeks of trainer riding to get to this point.
I have never gotten to the same place on the treadmill. I love to run outside. My mind drifts if I want it to, or I focus on a specific thing and think it through. On the treadmill, I just can't wait for it to be over.
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jwillia852 posted 42 weeks ago.
IthinkIcan wrote:
saturday I put down 5.5hrs on a trainer. mind numbing - make sure there's a tv around and preferably some movies.
5.5 all at once? WOW!! My rides last about 30 minutes at a clip and I ride at about 90-94 rpms... what do you ride at?
Jeff
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jtrimom posted 42 weeks ago.
One thing about Houston that's good, is *usually* you can get an outdoor ride in once a week year round. However, schedule stuff comes up and I may miss that great weather day, so I make myself get on the trainer. I usually end up very angry and cursing from boredom and frustration. Next time I have to do a longer ride on a trainer, I'll get a boxed set of a tv series I haven't gotten around to watching.
The longest I've gone on a treadmill is 10 miles, and I felt about the same way- angry and unpleasant. blech!
Taper Naked
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IthinkIcan posted 42 weeks ago.
jwillia852 wrote:
IthinkIcan wrote:saturday I put down 5.5hrs on a trainer. mind numbing - make sure there's a tv around and preferably some movies.5.5 all at once? WOW!! My rides last about 30 minutes at a clip and I ride at about 90-94 rpms... what do you ride at?
I go based on heart-rate and yes, 5.5 all at once. Prob 85-90rpm. I mix it up trying to spin a lot faster during commercials though (>100)
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RV posted 42 weeks ago.
I'm in Wisconsin and will run outside all winter - only find a treadmill if in the middle of a storm.
The trainer is a must.
Tho I disagree on the TV and movies. That tends to cause some people to just do an easy spin - not stay focused - easy to get bored.
A trainer workout should be structured - if so it is more effective than on the road and you have control of all the variables. There are a huge assortment and variety of workouts available to use on the bike: CTS, Spinervals etc.
RV
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swimmer52 posted 42 weeks ago.
I don't mind getting on the trainer b/c I set up my basement so the bike is right infront of a big LCD tv with 5.1 digital surround sound....and an 8" subwoofer.
I think the trainer serves a very good purpose; I love it for intervals, drills, and recovery. It helps me be more specific with my training. Even in the summer I'll be on the trainer occasionally to get in a particular workout.
It's also a nice way to hang out with friends - I'll have them over and we'll spin to a movie.
"Whether you think you can or can't, you're right"
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SueR posted 42 weeks ago.
I don't hate the trainer, we pick up full seasons of our fave shows and away we go for 2-3h on a sunday afternoon, then I go outside for a run to finish my brick. I still do my workout, it's just a matter of focus. There's a lot going on in a race and outdoors on a ride, so it's good practice for focus. I find the treadmill worse personally, though I have done long runs on it during freezing rain storms and major blizzards. I will run in pretty much anything else. It's all about a tv and company in my opinion!
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katarddx posted 42 weeks ago.
after 5 miles on dreadmill... no matter how cold is here in colorado... i would pile up all the running clothing and go outside andf ace whatever comes my way... that mind numbing it is! trainer is more of the same
CroatiaN SensatioN
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run2race posted 42 weeks ago.
I don't mind the trainer as long as I follow a training video. I hate the treadmill. When I've had to use a treadmill I find that challenging myself with intervals of inclines or speed will get me through it.
Can anyone recommend 1 - 2hr bike training videos?
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overcome posted 42 weeks ago.
Thanks everyone. I guess I will start looking at getting a trainer. Does anyone have experience with the 1 up usa trainer?
" 'I hate this day, I hate mornings, I hate the weather' You bring yourself down and others down with you. That's not the way it should be." Jens Voigt in Overcoming
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beads1985 posted 42 weeks ago.
I am okay with the dreadmill for an hour or less but beyond that it is annoying.
I like the bike trainer especially in the cold weather, so i can get my miles in all winter.
'Nothing to it, but to do it!'
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triNick posted 42 weeks ago.
overcome wrote:
Thanks everyone. I guess I will start looking at getting a trainer. Does anyone have experience with the 1 up usa trainer?
Never heard of that one "1 up usa trainer"? Why that one and not a Kurt Kinetic one?
Funny that the sell / mention the Kurt Kinetic floor mat.
They mention Watts but the computer the sell in their package doesn't have a watts measurement. Kurt Kinetic did have a bike computer but now they do, 2 new models, wired and wireless. They measure power / watts scientifically, other machines like the computrainer have it tied in with the Centrifugal Pressure Resistance / flywheel.
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TryScott posted 42 weeks ago.
treadmill - It was over 100 degrees at lunch and I thought I'd cheat by using the treadmill at the gym. My goal was 5 miles. After 2 miles at a slow pace I had to force myself to get one more mile. Never again.
trainer - At first I couldn't tolerate an hour. Now I can tough out an entire Saturday afternoon if good college football is on. Only thing is I can't go hard. If I get my HR near what it is for a hard outdoor ride, I'm mentally drained after 15 minutes.
My suggestion is don't skimp on the fan. Get a high powered fan that blows the sweat straight off and pushes the skin on your face into a funny shape. It will be loud, so you'll need a good sound system for your TV.
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Maks Tri posted 42 weeks ago.
Outdoor riding seems a little easier after the trainer where you cant really coast, since you have to peddle constantly. You can get much better structured workouts on the trainer and treadmill in my opinion.
I dont mind it.
Maks
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slwnlng posted 42 weeks ago.
Hate the treadmill but use it when weather is really bad. i watch tv when i ride my trainer and it makes time pass faster.
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csaf31 posted 41 weeks ago.
overcome--Dude, you live in phoenix. Why do you need a trainer this time of year? 99% of the US is jealous that you get to ride your bike and run outdoors for the next 6+ months. Take advantage of where you are and embrace the sunshine. I know it can be chilly in the AM sometimes (I lived there for 10+ years) but you can pretty much hop on your bike and ride any time of day. The rest of us have not enough daylight and poor weather. BTW, the treadmill is boring and evil. Even when it's cold here in NJ, running can be great. Just need to wear warmer clothing. The trainer is also boring but riding outside during the winter around here is kind of dangerous and uncomfortable, leaving us triathletes in the Northeast not much of a choice.
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jwillia852 posted 41 weeks ago.
Regardless of outside temperature - time is sometimes a factor that forces some to elect trainer time. Treadmill? No excuse, lol...
Jeff
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CreamedCorn posted 41 weeks ago.
jwillia852 wrote:
Treadmill? No excuse, lol...
1++ Definitely think this is true.
$0.02: The treadmill is just stupid. I don't feel so much that you're running as just lifting your feet when they get to the back of the belt. It's the same motion but it's not the same. Maybe it's just me. As long as you can see (and sometimes if you can't), running outside is the way to go. Municipalities are pretty good about plowing roads so you've usually got a decent place to run.
The only time I use the treadmill is when I can't get outside. Then it's highest incline I can handle at a fast walk/run cuz flat just sucks.
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jonovision_man posted 41 weeks ago.
Spinervals are the only thing keeping me from blowing my brains out on the trainer... other than that it's just as bad!
jono
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bgreinke posted 41 weeks ago.
I usually have to put in trainer rides 2x per week even during the season just due to family schedules. It's boring as hell, but if I didn't have it, I would not get nearly the bike volume in that I do otherwise. Bottom line, it was money well spent.
As to the boredom, my vote is for TdF or other bike racing...the time seems to go by much faster. That, and Black Hawk Down (I have no idea why that movie is better than others for the trainer, but it is).
Braden
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overcome posted 41 weeks ago.
I'm not in phoenix anymore. I moved to Rapid City, SD for college. I should probably change that on my profile.
" 'I hate this day, I hate mornings, I hate the weather' You bring yourself down and others down with you. That's not the way it should be." Jens Voigt in Overcoming
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jtrimom posted 41 weeks ago.
overcome wrote:
I'm not in phoenix anymore. I moved to Rapid City, SD for college. I should probably change that on my profile.
ahhh, well in that case, I guess if you wanna ride your bike, it's the trainer for you :(
Taper Naked
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sbrmultisports posted 41 weeks ago.
Sometimes a trainer is a good opportunity to concentrate on some of the more minute, scientific details of your workout. To be more "aware" of your HR, form, muscle response, etc.
Works for Lance...
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prendergi posted 40 weeks ago.
I will be trying out the trainer this year for the first time..of course that is as soon as I get one. One more month. I have vowed I will never run on a treadmill again. I thought last winter I would get in some serious running on the treadmill but I noticed my runs got shorter and shorter...just can't do the treadmill especially with heat (even if it is only 65 degree) blowing in the gym. I thought I was going to go insane!
“No one has ever drowned in sweat.” Lou Holtz
I ran about a mile on the treadmill today and it was terrible. I am thinking about trying to get a trainer for this winter and I was wondering if riding on a trainer is as bad. Any input would be great.
" 'I hate this day, I hate mornings, I hate the weather' You bring yourself down and others down with you. That's not the way it should be." Jens Voigt in Overcoming