cycling vs indoor trainer..

[ebola]

I was curious if there's any science to this.. indoor sessions feel like much harder work, & it's much mentally harder to do a long session.. wheras outdoors the same H.R's are attained far more readily, and long sessions are enjoyable.. (granted indoor training has it's uses)

Is there any physiological difference associated with the blatent psychological difference e.g. endorphin release .. something associated with the fact that actually covering distance is something our ancestors relied on to survive.

 

[MaxPrime]

The biggest difference I was told and have felt is that there's no coasting whatsoever on a trainer.

Besides that, it isn't nearly as mentally stimulating - you're not leaning into curves and pushing it hard up hills. Don't get me wrong, it's great for when you can't go out - but it can't release the same chemicals that all the things we love about riding do.

 

[gruppo]

IMHO the biggest problem with trainers is that people treat them as mindless drudgery, like a treadmill, instead of designing a real workout that includes variety.

If you have a computer on your bike or a stop watch/clock, a trainer can be used for sprints, climbs, time trials, endurance, cadence practice, etc. Once you break a one hour trainer session into a series of challenges, the time goes quickly and can actually be quite fun.

Unfortunately, most people have their mind made up that it is going to be a miserable experience before they even get on the bike.