Riding the Indoor Trainer Doesn’t Have to Be Mind-Numbingly Boring
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An indoor bike trainer is a useful tool, but there’s no denying that riding nowhere can be a recipe for boredom. But you’re in luck—you don’t have to resign yourself to wall staring (unless that’s your thing; this is a judgment-free zone). There are more ways than ever these days to keep yourself entertained during indoor rides. So here’s how to avoid bike trainer boredom, whether you have the latest bike tech or not.
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Use a Virtual Training Platform
Perhaps the best and most engaging way to ride a bike trainer is to pair it with some kind of virtual cycling app. There are plenty of options: Zwift, The Sufferfest, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, BKOOL, Road Grand Tours, and more. Each platform has its own unique functions and style. Some indoor riding apps feature avatars on rides in virtual worlds—like Zwift, Rouvy, and BKOOL—while others follow along with videos or simply provide planned workouts. Subscription prices vary but generally range from $10 to $20 a month.
For the best virtual riding experience, you’ll need a smart bike trainer with ANT+/Bluetooth connectivity. Some companies are starting to offer entire bikes that mimic the road riding experience too, like Wahoo’s KICKR Bike, differentiating them from traditional stationary bikes. (But stationary bikes like those from Peloton, SoulCycle, or a more affordable alternative are also great options if you’d rather go that route.)
If you have a traditional bike trainer instead, you can still utilize these apps if you pick up a speed and cadence sensor for your bike. If you’d also like to see your power output (the watts you’re cranking out) on a virtual ride, you’ll need to pick up a power meter, too.
Pace Yourself With Your TV
You don’t have to commit to any kind of cycling app subscription, though. Watching TV while riding indoors is already a pretty common go-to, but you can beat boredom even more so by pairing it with a workout plan, like the two we outline below.
The Commercial Break
The workout is simple: Match your intervals to each commercial break. After a warmup, do sets of 1:30- to 3-minute intervals of the hardest effort you can sustain for that length of time. Then dial it back for around 5 minutes of recovery. Repeat 8 to 10 times. These slightly longer intervals build threshold power—good for short climbs and attacking off the front.
Skip the Show
This one is the reverse of the commercial break: You crank up the intensity during the show, and recover during the commercials. The effort level here isn’t eye-popping, more in the 80- to 85-percent effort range, but you sustain it for five minutes or more at a time. Warm up for 10 minutes, play Skip the Show for an hour, then cool down for 10 minutes.
Are you more of a Netflix person, or have you cut cable entirely? Try for a 10-minute warmup, then go for four or five 8-minute intervals at that 80- to 85-percent effort. Cool down for 10 minutes. Done. The longer intervals are good time-trial training or for sustained climbing efforts.
Ride Strategically
Above all, aim to ride strategically. Part of what makes training apps so appealing is that they take all the guesswork out of indoor riding for you. Even if you don’t use an app, you can still go into a ride with a structured plan, like the TV-based workouts we describe above.
There are other strategies you can use, too. Bicycling spoke with James Herrera, M.S., owner of elite coaching program Performance Driven, director of physical health and wellness for the Wounded Warrior Project, and former USA national team BMX coach. He shared more ways to keep your indoor rides engaging and beneficial, instead of boring and draining.
Keep It Short
The bad news: There are few ways to keep endless hours of riding the trainer from getting boring. The good news: Those long, slow rides aren’t necessary. “You can get the biggest bang for your buck in 90 minutes to two hours per session if you put in the intensity,” says Herrera. “If you’re going more than two hours, it means that you’re not giving it the effort that’s going to bring a lot of value. You could be using that time more effectively.”
Be Intense
In other words, add intervals. Think of it this way: You could ride at a steady endurance pace for an hour. (Boring.) Or, you break that hour ride into segments, like this top-end power workout:
Warm up for 10 minutes
Ride tempo pace for 5 minutes
Push to maximum-intensity (read: eye-popping but repeatable) for 30 seconds
Recover for 1 minute with easy pedaling
Repeat for a total of 8 intervals (all 8 should be equally intense)
Ride tempo pace for 5 minutes
Repeat 8 x 30-second intervals with 1-minute recovery
Cool down for 15 minutes with easy pedaling
Play the Mental Game
“Take pride in the fact that you’re doing something that other people aren’t,” Herrera says. If you have the room, set up a space dedicated to your trainer—basements and spare bedrooms are great because you can give them a real cycling studio feel. Get some motivational quotes and images up on the walls. Then get in there and work. “I always tell people, ‘if you train slow, you race slow,’” Herrera says. “You’ve got to be willing to push.”
Make It a No-Brainer
Yes, you can sketch out your own interval plan and set up a playlist on your phone to match your workout. Or, you could find a bike video that does it all for you. “It’s really stupid-proof,” says Herrera. “All you have to do is follow along.” There are lots of free video programs out there. (Herrera did say he likes the options from The Sufferfest. “Instead of watching people ride stationary bikes, you’re watching real race footage with pretty good music,” he says.)
Just Get Out
But in the end, nothing beats the real thing. If you have the chance to ride, especially with your buddies, then do it. “Even if it’s cold and crappy outside, you’re going to get something out of riding with a group,” Herrera says. “You build camaraderie, and you need that social aspect of riding.” (Here’s how to safely ride in a group right now.) Those periodic check-ins will build the motivation to keep working out on your own. Your trainer will be waiting.
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