Computrainer workout #2

This is the second computrainer workout we’ve posted, to find the other you can click on the computrainer tag above, or in the sidebar tags.

Depending on your desire to ride your bike inside, you can get this workout going when you’ve got that extra jolt of motivation. We like to think that an hour on the computrainer is equivalent to 1.5hrs outside – in some cases probably more, provided you keep it steady. So, if you can put together 2 hours, or even 3 hours on the trainer you’re getting yourself some good mileage. In the winter, for long course racing especially, low HR rules all so throw on that HR monitor again.  Know your Aerobic limit.

Your goal behind this workout is to start slow and build through each hour. Breaking up a long trainer workout into 20 or 30 minute chunks helps with the monotony.

Break up each hour you plan to be on the trainer into 3 separate intervals of 20 minutes each. Don’t plan a rest interval between each 20, the 20 minute mark is where you increase the effort. Moderate, Medium, Hard – Hard being where you will get very close, but not over, your aerobic HR limit. Medium being ~10-15 Beats below that.  Moderate a further 10 BPM lower.  So, if for example your MAF(Max aerobic frequency) is 155 BPM you could do the first 20 at 125-130, then go to 135-140, then finish the last 20 within 5 BPM or so of your MAF. If “hard” doesn’t feel hard and you’re riding with your HR right on the limit and hardly breaking a sweat… this is a sure sign that you need to work on your aerobic base. Keep riding away without going over.

Here’s a GREAT article to convince you that training at low HR over the long term will be of great benefit, despite the initial feeling of hardly pushing yourself at all.

Here’s some more further reading on all this HR stuff.   We couldn’t tell you the exact difference between MAF, MAP, AeT – as we understand them they are the same thing.  If you want to try and understand more TLA talk (Three Letter Acronym ), here’s a great source.