Questions: TrainerRoad and "Erg mode".

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Tapeworm
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Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 10:39 am

by Tapeworm

People will need to help me out here. I see on various forums a lot of chatter about how awesome TrainerRoad is and how even more awesome the "erg" mode is on certain trainers (Kickr for example).

Can people explain this to me? As far as I can see TR offer a lot of cookie-cutter programs for a cheap price, so that's a win I guess. As well as "virtual power" based on spin-down tests etc. Am I missing anything?

As for the erg mode, why do people find this so special?
"Physiology is all just propaganda and lies... all waiting to be disproven by the next study."
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Dodger747
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Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 2:44 pm
Location: Belgium

by Dodger747

You can spin in any gear without worrying about hitting various power numbers - the Kickr will just adjust the resistance automatically for you.

It's a first-world issue, as it isn't that hard to change resistance but it makes my training so much easier in that I can just get on my Kickr and pedal away. And with TrainerRoad, it adds so much variety to your training programme which I realsitically would never replicate without it.
VO2 Max - 79 ml/kg/min
W/kg - 4.9

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Tapeworm
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Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 10:39 am

by Tapeworm

So your power level is capped then? How does it go up or down (in the context of the programme)? Are the increases/decreases determined by TR, or other?

Like what kind of variety?
"Physiology is all just propaganda and lies... all waiting to be disproven by the next study."
"I'm not a real doctor; But I am a real worm; I am an actual worm." - TMBG

Dodger747
Posts: 167
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 2:44 pm
Location: Belgium

by Dodger747

Power is locked for each interval depending on what TrainerRoad tells it to do, You can make manual adjustments to this level easily enough in % increments either up or down.

As for variety, there are hundreds of workouts. Granted they're all just interval sessions - but having used a dumb trainer for years, my workout sessions were all very similar. Since switching to TR I have a much wider range of 'core' workouts and can easily chose by level - sweetspot, threshold etc.

Example from random screenshot I just found...

Image
VO2 Max - 79 ml/kg/min
W/kg - 4.9

TrevorDeRuise
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by TrevorDeRuise

Tapeworm wrote:People will need to help me out here. I see on various forums a lot of chatter about how awesome TrainerRoad is and how even more awesome the "erg" mode is on certain trainers (Kickr for example).

Can people explain this to me? As far as I can see TR offer a lot of cookie-cutter programs for a cheap price, so that's a win I guess. As well as "virtual power" based on spin-down tests etc. Am I missing anything?

As for the erg mode, why do people find this so special?


ERG mode is great because as long as your legs are moving, the trainer forces you to put out the prescribed wattage from TrainerRoad. The resistance of the trainer adjusts based on the feedback it gets from TR so that whatever gear you're in, or whatever cadence you're riding at, you will be at the target power. Check out this article: ERG Mode Explained

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