Hi Everyone,
Would like to ask how do you maximize weekly training indoor on the kickr and cycling outdoor? Do you switch in between days?
I started SYSTM as the weather turned bad. Now that it’s turning good again, I’m also trying to sort out the indoor/outdoor mix. My vague plan is to do all my long rides and as many shorter, low intensity days as I can outside and use inside for 2 or 3 hard interval workouts—unless I did something equivalent on an outdoor ride.
I do indoor training when the the weather is bad, Icy, very windy, cold and wet, or its dark after work.
When it nice enough to ride outdoor after work during the week, I often take the workouts outdoors. Most of the workouts have notes on the intervals lengths, and I ride them on HR and RPE as I don’t have a power meter.
Weekend rides on my plan are mostly endurance/Z2 volume, so easy to translate into outdoor rides, with low enough gearing (30:42 on my HT or 22:32 on my FS) I can even ride into the mountains.
I have not had success with that for the interval sessions. The combination of traffic, busy bike paths, and rolling, often steep terrain is more than I can adjust to while maintaining an interval.
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Also, when riding by feel outdoors, I tend to go harder than an endurance session would demand. It is something that I have to work on, but it is an issue nonetheless.
I’m in a similar boat in that as the wx is getting good, I might do a ride instead of the scheduled trainer workout. I don’t do the structured workout outdoors but rather just try to adhere to its general intent. One thing I’m missing is how to indicate or keep track of this in SYSTM. Yesterday I did an outdoor ride instead of the scheduled “Running With Wolves.” I can delete the workout, and then I have nothing showing in the plan for that date, or just leave it undone as a placeholder for having done an outdoor ride. I think a means of adding notes to the calendar would at helpful in this regard in that I could at least put in a note of what happened. The same goes for other modifications I might make to the plan.
This is why, given the current state of the SYSTM calendar, I still use Training Peaks to track everything.
Released to this topic, here’s a Knowledge episode on the difference between indoor and outdoor power: https://the-knowledge-by-wahoo-sports-science.simplecast.com/episodes/take-it-outside-the-differences-between-indoor-and-outdoor-power
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I think I’m not typical - or at least not a typical poster, maybe a more typical user? - but I only train indoors. When I ride outside, I just ride. Basically, I train indoors so that when I go outside, I don’t have to worry about training, I can just enjoy riding.
And, depending on the riding/terrain, the group if I’m not riding solo, whether my buddy wants to really punch it, etc., I end up getting in plenty of “efforts”. It doesn’t turn into 4 hours of Tempo, and nothing harder.
But, I also don’t race, which many (I think?) here do, so take it with a grain of salt.
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That’s pretty much where I am nowadays. I’ve ridden for many years and done different things, including racing, but now I’m adhering to a training plan over the winter months so I can better accomplish the mtb rides I like to do when the trails open up. Although I’ve done similar the past few years, I must say, I’m seeing good results this winter using SYSTM. Not only have I made significant gains in the FF, but I substituted in a couple of road rides for scheduled endurance workouts and the results were very encouraging. IDK how much is SYSTM or me finally recovering from a health issue that cropped up ~5 years ago. Anyway, I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do once I start riding outside regularly this spring. I usually do three good/hard rides a week, which actually may a bit much from the TSS perspective, especially at my age.
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I guess it all depends on your shedule. All year around I use indoor apps from monday to friday workingout at least 3 days and some weeks 4 times always about an hour because I dont have too much free time in those working days due to my working hours and family needs. Saturdays and sundays are work free days so unless is raining Im always outdoor for group rides that last around 4 hours unless there’s bad wheather I dont use indoor apps on weekends.
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@barry I’m very similar to how you describe yourself. I don’t race and never have. I “train” indoors and ride for fun outdoors. Every year or two, I travel somewhere and do a bike trip with my wife (we go with a bike adventure company and stay in nice inns and hotels—I don’t much like sleeping on the ground). I do maintain some awareness of my training plan and try not to overdo it outdoors if that would screw up the plan, but that’s all.
I don’t know what’s “typical”, but you and I sound like we have similar relationships with our bikes.
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