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Gym bikes ???
How crap are gym bikes ?? The last 4 weeks I've been unable to use my road bike so whilst using the gym for my swim training I thought I'd also do my bike training on the gym bikes , doing lots of mileage and also alternating on the standard gym bike and the spin bike ...............went out into Cheshire today on my road bike and really struggled to do 60 miles ??? It was pretty flat with the odd hill here and there but my average speed had dropped from around 20mph to 13mph and it's the exact route I've. Done all year ?? Not only that my legs and knees have been painfully aching all day since I got home ?? Have I been doing something wrong in the gym ??? I like to hear your thoughts on this ?
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Comments
See what happens next week - you will probably spank it!
Firstly,
for my first IM I used gym bikes a lot rather than the turbo - I could do 2 hours in the gym but only manage 40 minutes at home.
Rules of gym bikes -
1) everything they tell you is bollox - do not believe you are pushing 400W and doing 25mph - only the RPM is useful.
2) They do not fit you like your road / TT bike despite the adjustments - so you'll cycle slightly differently and get used to a new bike position and fit - this isn't great and could account for the pain.
3) They do nothing for your bike skills, there was a forumite called Grizzly that did ALL his IM training on gym bikes and despite us all saying you're fkn mental, his HR rocketed everytime he actually tried to cycle on a real bike as he'd built up such a fear of "real" cycling that he dropped out.
4) Gym bikes do not have rolling resistance, extra clothes, extra weight and colder air in winter. Do not compare summer and winter bike speeds as you'll just get depressed. The density of the air at 8 degrees is much more than at 20, this has a large impact on your speed.
Work to HR / effort / power and time on the bike during winter and just accept the speed you travel at.
I agree with 10ft
but would also add ... if there is a choice, go for a spinning bike rather than the gym bike
I do a good perc on gym bikes but thats because I spend a good proportion of general training in and around gym and pool. Use them for your gym WU (also with the rower or xtrainer to get a full body WU).
They are good for short brick sessions as you can nip from bike to treadmill in secs and get straight up to a decent running pace (with or without hills). Forces you to go hard. A lot easier than changing shoes and running in and out of the house/flat.
As said though, no indication of power on the bikes as they are all calibrated differently, incoreectly and will not take other factors into account eg road surface, wind, rider weight on hills etc. In which case just ride against HR. Do tempo (same rec) or LT (double rec) interval sessions and mix up with run-offs and it'll harden you up for duaths and tris.
If you have the equipment to yourself then you might get away with hopping back and forth leaving your bear where you like and not cleaning the equip. Otherwise, you'll have to spray and wipe.
I like to read the mags on the xbike - as dont get a chance anywhere else. So the upright ones are useful for this as a turbo with tri-bars can be awkward.
Elite Ironman, Ultra Trail Runner