Why train indoors?

The most popular reasons to train indoors include; poor weather, lack of time, convenience and safety. In todays modern lifestyle it is not always possible to head out every morning or evening for a training ride. By adding indoor training (be it in the gym or at home) into your training regime you will be more likely to successfully fit your training around your family and work lifestyle. In addition it is often easier to find the motivation to train indoors as opposed to outdoors in the middle of winter and the weather is fowl.

Staionary Trainers/Turbo trainers

These are simple devices that you simply clip your back wheel into that then provide resistence allowing you to ride indoors without having to worry about balance.Depending on the model or type you use you'll be able to vary the resitence against your wheels meaning you can accurately control the type of workout you are receiving.

Rollers

These evil devices are the doyen of indoor cycling. They are often only used by more experiance riders as their initial difficulty to use scares off many potential users. They consist of 3 rollers, your front wheel sits on top of the first drum, and your back wheel is sandwiched between the second and third roller. The bike is entirely free standing on the rollers which means using them requires high levels of balance which will significantly improve your on bike balance and bike handling skills.

When starting off on rollers be sure to position them near a wall you can use for balance (between a door frame is ideal) and try to have a friend there to help you. To successfully stay upright on rollers you'll need to develop a smooth pedal stoke. If not you'll find the bike will tend to move sideways more often causing you to lose your balance and find the floor rather quickly!

Spin Claases

Spin classes have existed in gyms for a few years ago. They usually involve a small room filled with fixed wheel bikes with variable resistance. When the class starts the lights are generally turned down loa and music turn ed to provide atmosphere. An instructor will bark instructions via a microphone and will try to simulate you riding up hils, descending, ridig flats etc by telling you when to change the resitance of your bike and when to sprint, stand and sit.

Many advanced riders have shunned these due to their unstructured nature and the fact that instructors are often not cyclists. However they provide a kind of fartlek training by using various intensity and technique intervals thoughout each class. In addition to giving you a varied and intense workout spin classes can help relive the monotony of sitting on a stationary trainer every day throughout the winter!

Indoor training tips

Drink plenty of fluids while training indoors. Because there is no airflow moving around you to cool you down you will generally become hotter much quicker while riding indoors. As a result you'll tend to sweat a lot more when riding indoors as opposed to outside so be sure to keep an eye on your hydration by drinking plenty. In addition try to keep the window open and plenty of towels to hand. Also if you have one, be sure to place a fan infront of you to get some air movement around you to stop you overheating too much.

Boredom can be a big factor with indoor cycling. However there are varios ways to relieve this such as by watching TV or films, reading or listening to music. Unlike outside riding you can affor to distarct your attention away from the bike with these entertainment methods without having to worry about traffic or other riders.

Try to always structure your indoor rides. Do not simply get on and ride. By having a purpose to each session (such as intervals or spinning sprints) you'll be more motivated to complete each session to plan and less likely to abondon halfway through or go to the pub instead!