Indoor Trainers: How To Set Up For Success

Ciclismo

October 16, 2024

Photography by: TORWAISTUDIO/Shutterstock

With winter fast approaching, the time is right to set up your indoor training space. To make sure you get the most out of your time in the saddle, there are a few things you can do to stay comfortable and motivated.

With the nights drawing in and the temperature dropping, a decent indoor set-up is the best way to maintain intensity, motivation, and fitness through the winter months. Here are some top tips to make your winter indoor training more bearable and effective.

Ventilation

You want your space - a.k.a the pain cave - to be cool and with as much airflow as possible. Even if you have to start the session in a hoodie, arm warmers, and gloves - as I was in the depths of winter last year in my converted garage - you’ll soon be stripped off and sweating. If you’re overheating and sweating excessively, the perceived effort will rise and your watts will fall. If you’re finishing the session with a big puddle of sweat beneath you, you need to up your cooling and ventilation game.

Fan/s

Even if your pain cave is sub-zero and you’ve got all the windows and doors open, you’re still going to need a decent fan or two. There’s no need to spend a fortune, you can pick up a 20” industrial floor fan for $50-60. A top cooling tip for enhanced backside comfort (in addition to the tips below) is to have a second fan blowing from behind. This will reduce sweating in your posterior regions and, in doing so, help reduce soreness.

Backside blues

Saddle soreness comes down to pressure, friction, and moisture - all of which tend to be worse when riding indoors.

To reduce pressure, even if it’s a “flat ride”, try to stand out of the saddle for 10-15 seconds every five minutes. Pick harder and more intense sessions as the more pressure going through the pedals, the less will be on your backside - try to get out for steadier sessions if possible. A quality chamois will also reduce pressure, so avoid the temptation to turbo in old and worn-out kit.

To lower friction, slather on that chamois cream!

To minimize moisture, as indicated above, you need to keep as cool as possible. Again, using decent shorts as a high-quality modern chamois will wick moisture away better than an old, tired one.

Pick your sessions

Indoor training is best suited to shorter more intense sessions such as intervals and races. If at all possible, for the sake of your sanity and backside, I’d always try and get out and ride IRL for longer endurance-focused sessions. I’ve always found a mountain bike invaluable for this during the winter.

Avoid burnout

Racing on platforms such as ROUVY or Zwift can be addictive, but doing too much of it can lead to burn-out and diminishing gains. Keep a close eye on your Fitness/Freshness graph, ensure you’re scheduling in enough recovery and, if in doubt, just stick to a simple day on/day off rule of thumb.

Reliable broadband

There’s nothing more frustrating than an indoor race, workout, or group ride being scuppered by wifi drop-out. If possible, running an ethernet cable to whatever device you run ROUVY or Zwift on is always the best option. I’ve found a hard-wired Apple TV to be super reliable.

Don’t forget that your device needs to be close to your power meter and/or smart trainer. If you’re running an ANT+ dongle, it’s always a good idea to get an extension cable.

For Bluetooth, minimize the chance of interference by shutting off any other non-essential Bluetooth devices.

Big Screen

A decent-sized screen makes platforms such as ROUVY or Zwift far more immersive and enjoyable. It doesn’t have to be widescreen cinematic but, if you’re trying to race or hang in on a tough group ride using a phone, it’s always going to be a struggle to see what’s going on.

Kit to hand

A convenient shelf, stand, or table next to your turbo is useful for snacks, additional bottles, other devices, and remote controls. Think about this when you’re setting up your pain cave and have everything you might need for the session in easy reach.

Headphones

Decent music is a must for indoor training - the performance and motivational benefits have been proven and you may also want to chat on Discord, Zoom, and other platforms. Bluetooth headsets are great in theory but can be a bit flakey and can interfere with sensors and lead to frustrating power drop-outs. Go old school and opt for wired.

Warm-up

A warm up, even if it’s only 10 minutes, is essential to get your body, mind, and trainer/power meter (see below) ready for the session ahead. Races especially on ROUVY or Zwift start notoriously hard and, if you’re not warmed, you’ll be heading straight for a lactic pain bath.

A great way to warm up is to drop in with a Pace Partner as, not only will this get your legs spinning, but it will also help to tune in your drafting skills. I find that joining the Pace Partner one category level below that of the ride/race I’m warming up for, riding for 10-15 minutes, and putting in a few 10-second sprints does the job perfectly.

Calibrate

Another important reason to warm up is that some smart trainers (and some power meters) will read significantly differently when cold as opposed to when they’re warmed up by 10 minutes of riding. It only takes a few minutes and means you can reliably track your progress and be confident that the watts you’re producing are consistent and genuine.

Hydrate and fuel

Even if your pain cave is super cool and has hurricane-level ventilation, you’re going to sweat and, for both performance during the session and recovery afterward, you need to replace those fluids. For sessions up to an hour, an electrolyte drink is ideal and you’ll be looking at 500ml - 750ml.

Pre-ride, allow plenty of time for digestion - 2+ hours from a main meal and, if you need a snack, something like a banana an hour or so before will keep you topped up. For especially hard races or workouts, you might want to pop a caffeinated gel at the start of your warm-up.

For longer sessions, you’re going to need some fuel, and the rules of little, often, and early that apply to fueling outside apply equally. You want to be fueling at the upper end of your range as there’s little or no freewheeling inside and you’re likely to be pushing harder. Have your snacks laid out on your table.

Post-ride, if you’re having a meal within an hour of finishing, there’s no need for any recovery drink - just keep replacing the fluids. If you’ll be waiting a bit longer for a meal, a recovery drink can be useful but some milk (or soya milk) and a banana will do the same job.

Written by

Nikalas Cook

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