# Indoor vs outdoor **URL:** \ **Category:** Training\ **Created:** [July 8, 2026, 9:29am UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517 "2026-07-08T09:29:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![paolodelma](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/paolodelma/32/15216_2.png) [@paolodelma](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/paolodelma)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 9:29am UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/1 "2026-07-08T09:29:36Z")
In the last couple of years I’ve become quite an indoor guy, I may say 70/30. (mostly zwift because of bikes to upgrade, points, jerseys etc, but the Sufferfest is still the real thing) What I’m realising in the last months is that when riding IRW my power is so far from what I do on the trainer. as an example, this is monday, a climb on zwift ![1](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/thesufferfest/original/3X/0/b/0b7049b846b756621127ad7d569fa01a3eb17073.jpeg) 48 min at 208, reasonably tired but I may have done more. This morning, local hill ![2](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/thesufferfest/original/3X/d/e/de496ccdef21f3ba20c7130939fc85d991e32ba4.jpeg) 19 min at 200w and I was cooked. when doing 90-120 min climbs that in zwift would be at least 190/200w, I stay at 160/170. (Z2 or low Z3, but I really can’t do more) I really can’t explain this ---
**Author:** ![sir\_james.p](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/sir_james.p/32/18843_2.png) [@sir\_james.p](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/sir_james.p)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 10:21am UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/2 "2026-07-08T10:21:37Z")
I have exactly the same thing. The result is the metrics think I’m taking it easy outdoors, so are way out at the moment in terms of fitness and fatigue levels. I put my pedals I use outdoors on my trainer bike and they were pretty much bang on with regards to the power reading from the pedals and trainer matching. My only thought is that power outside is more spiky compared to ERG mode which is less efficient, so you get a lower average for the same effort. ---
**Author:** ![paolodelma](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/paolodelma/32/15216_2.png) [@paolodelma](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/paolodelma)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 10:29am UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/3 "2026-07-08T10:29:14Z")
I’m quite sure in past years I had slightly more in outdoor, as scientifically explained. ---
**Author:** ![sir\_james.p](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/sir_james.p/32/18843_2.png) [@sir\_james.p](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/sir_james.p)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 10:30am UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/4 "2026-07-08T10:30:16Z")
Likewise. ---
**Author:** ![paolodelma](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/paolodelma/32/15216_2.png) [@paolodelma](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/paolodelma)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 10:35am UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/5 "2026-07-08T10:35:43Z")
> [@sir\_james.p](#): > > The result is the metrics think I’m taking it easy outdoors, so are way out at the moment in terms of fitness and fatigue levels. this is one of the reasons I’m doing more indoor, being a graph nerd! 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![sir\_james.p](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/sir_james.p/32/18843_2.png) [@sir\_james.p](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/sir_james.p)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 10:53am UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/6 "2026-07-08T10:53:59Z")
I found myself doing the same, then had a word with myself when on the turbo on a glorious day. ---
**Author:** ![JSampson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/jsampson/32/3148_2.png) [@JSampson](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/JSampson)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 1:19pm UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/7 "2026-07-08T13:19:35Z")
> [@paolodelma](#): > > I really can’t explain this Some ideas: 1. You are not the same athlete every day due to sleep, fueling, motivation, fatigue etc. 2. Your weight plus the bike weight may not correspond well to Zwift’s indoor climb calculations or perhaps your numbers are off. 3. Humidity, air resistance and air temperature affecting outside effort. 4. Different power meters - eg pedals or sprocket versus the trainer typically measuring from the cassette. Personally I look at power but I find the best calibration is actually RPE which really needs daily practice to perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Heretic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/heretic/32/2329_2.png) [@Heretic](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/Heretic)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 1:43pm UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/8 "2026-07-08T13:43:36Z")
This is not unusual. Another reason for the difference is that riding inside vs. outside creates different adaptations to exercise stress because the demands are different. The usual case is that outside power is higher, but it has been suggested (and you may be an example of this) that people who do most of their riding indoors have higher numbers inside because that is how their body has adapted. ---
**Author:** ![paolodelma](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/paolodelma/32/15216_2.png) [@paolodelma](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/paolodelma)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 1:45pm UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/9 "2026-07-08T13:45:51Z")
> [@JSampson](#): > > 1. Your weight plus the bike weight may not correspond well to Zwift’s indoor climb calculations or perhaps your numbers are off. > > I’m talking watts not vam > > 1. Humidity, air resistance and air temperature affecting outside effort. > 2. Different power meters - eg pedals or sprocket versus the trainer typically measuring from the cassette. > > that should give me more watts in outside, having favero pedal power meter > [@JSampson](#): > > 1. You are not the same athlete every day due to sleep, fueling, motivation, fatigue etc. shure, I aknowledge that in my comparison ---
**Author:** ![paolodelma](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/paolodelma/32/15216_2.png) [@paolodelma](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/paolodelma)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/10 "2026-07-08T13:50:06Z")
A big difference may be cadence. On zwift I usually climb at 80+, in real world on 12% or more my cadence is no more than 60 or 50. But this morning climb was at 8-9% mostly, so I was able to keep cadence 70/80 so no relevant difference ---
**Author:** ![Heretic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/heretic/32/2329_2.png) [@Heretic](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/Heretic)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/11 "2026-07-08T17:07:19Z")
That might be, but you hold yourself on the bicycle differently, and the bicycle moves differently, so your body adapts differently. Cadence might reflect that or it might not. ---
**Author:** ![Anne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@Anne](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/u/Anne)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 6:16pm UTC](https://wahoox.forum.wahoofitness.com/t/indoor-vs-outdoor/31517/12 "2026-07-08T18:16:50Z")
@paolodelma this knowledge podcast just appeared in my feed and wondered if it is useful? https://player.simplecast.com/ad998696-8d33-4526-8b2c-509c1ebd53df