Smart trainer and coach's schedule question

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

Recently started to use a coach. He "prescribes" a dialy work out for me to follow. My situation is the folowing:

I live in Florida and can ride outside all year. However, my schedule is super full and outside of sat/sun it is impossible for me to ride outside. To circumvent this issue, I bought a Wahoo Kickr a few months ago. I started using the Sufferfest to do work outs indoors, but frankly I had a very hard time sticking with it. Indoors and me are just enemies. It seems more mental than anything, but the videos were engaging and got my attention as they "coahed me" through the sessions and changes. It also changed the resistance in the trainer making/forcing me stick to what was prescribed in those work out.

Now that I have a coach, I am having a very hard time sticking to his work outs as I need the mental stimulation to go with it.

QUESTION:

How do you use your smart trainer (set up) and what do you watch while doing intervals and work outs without using Zwift or Sufferfest or other app based stuff? In other words, give me some suggestions on how to follow my coach's work outs while using my smart trainer. Don't want to deviate from his works out as it defeats the purpose of paying someone to coach me only for me to do something different altogether.

Thanks.

Jugi
Posts: 678
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:10 am

by Jugi

For training effect through entertainment indoors, ditch the training program and start racing in Zwift. For training effect through a training plan, get Trainerroad (Sufferfest is just fine for the purpose) and think of the time onboard your trainer well spent. I mean, when going through planned workouts indoors literally every second has value and a meaning. If you are time crunched and strive for best possible development, ultimately that is the way to go.

I find it rather weird your coach hasn't built the training schedule around your life schedule, if you are paying him to coach you. Why build a plan which ends up impossible to follow?

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boots2000
Posts: 1393
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:28 pm

by boots2000

I watch cycling races on youtube during my sessions. Pretty much every classic and TDF is on there-
Or if it is race season and something current is on- I watch that.

NBC sports gold has a lot- They also have replays. Redbull TV has world cup mtb races.

TobinHatesYou
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

I don’t watch TV or anything while riding indoors unless I’m doing a Z1/Z2 ride...and that’s a very inefficient use of time... If you can actually pay any attention to video at, say Z4/Z5, other than Sufferfest type stuff where it’s part of the program, then I salute you.

AJS914
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

For longer indoor rides at lower intensities I've put on movies. Watching half a movie can make sub threshold work bearable. I have a Tacx and for higher intensity workouts I pre-program them in their software. With these kinds of workouts I might watch a race video where you don't need to concentrate so much on the audio.

exctasy
Posts: 154
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 4:34 am

by exctasy

TobinHatesYou wrote:
Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:37 pm
.. If you can actually pay any attention to video at, say Z4/Z5, other than Sufferfest type stuff where it’s part of the program, then I salute you.
This i agree!! my mind goes crazy trying to hold efforts and pay attention to anything else!

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
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Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

TobinHatesYou wrote:If you can actually pay any attention to video at, say Z4/Z5, other than Sufferfest type stuff where it’s part of the program, then I salute you.
I hear you. Even lower intensity work outs. I can’t watch a movie or anything else. It must be a mental thing, which I’m sure one improves on the more you sit on that trainer.
Jugi wrote:For training effect through a training plan, get Trainerroad (Sufferfest is just fine for the purpose) and think of the time onboard your trainer well spent.
I just briefly looked at the trainer road site and it states that one can build or customize work out, but couldn’t see anywhere how. Any ideas?????

Frisco
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Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 6:23 pm
Location: Bay Area, CA

by Frisco

Try Zwift - between the races, group rides, and erg mode programs there’s plenty to keep you busy

spud
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Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 5:52 am

by spud

get your coach to download the training sessions into Zwift, so you can execute the plan while immersed. A good friend is coaching people this way, it has the virtue of giving him an excellent distribution platform, along with the ability to monitor the workout to see if clients hit all the numbers.

TobinHatesYou
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

I know a lot of people who just use the workout mode in TrainerRoad in one window and Zwift in another window with the controller not paired. This way you don’t have to import the workout into Zwift and you get the metrics from the TR interface and the “immersion” (and XP) of riding in Zwift.

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

spud wrote:get your coach to download the training sessions into Zwift, so you can execute the plan while immersed. A good friend is coaching people this way, it has the virtue of giving him an excellent distribution platform, along with the ability to monitor the workout to see if clients hit all the numbers.
Thank you all for the suggestions so far didn’t even know one can use Zwift that way. However, while I know zwift is a great option for a ton of people I personally can’t stand it at all. The whole cartoon/computer animation is just not me. Tried it a year ago and couldn’t stand it past the first 5 min. It’s one reason I stuck with Sufferfest.

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

I don’t use Zwift for realism or immersion. I use it because it’s the best platform on which to compete against others. If you’re just free riding in Zwift, then yes, of course it’s boring.

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

TobinHatesYou wrote:I don’t use Zwift for realism or immersion. I use it because it’s the best platform on which to compete against others. If you’re just free riding in Zwift, then yes, of course it’s boring.
Makes sense. Thanks

Jugi
Posts: 678
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:10 am

by Jugi

dgasmd wrote:
Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:50 pm
I just briefly looked at the trainer road site and it states that one can build or customize work out, but couldn’t see anywhere how. Any ideas?????
Took the liberty of googling for you. Apparently workouts are built and customized in the WorkoutCreator software, which is available for Windows and Mac.

by Weenie


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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

Jugi wrote:
dgasmd wrote:
Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:50 pm
I just briefly looked at the trainer road site and it states that one can build or customize work out, but couldn’t see anywhere how. Any ideas?????
Took the liberty of googling for you. Apparently workouts are built and customized in the WorkoutCreator software, which is available for Windows and Mac.
Awesome. Thanks. I’ll pass it on to the coach as I would not be doing these anyway. Thanks again!!

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