Power - Stress (mental/emotional) response.



tomUK

New Member
Oct 20, 2003
341
2
0
49
Interested in some feedback, if anyone has some to offer.

Saturday - used the trainer. Ave Pwr 148. NP=150. IF=0.7. Time: 1hr. KJ=545.
Sunday - rode outside. Ave Pwr 129. Np=147. IF=0.66. Time: 1hr 6 min. KJ=525.

After my ride on Sat I felt really anxious and on-edge; however, after the ride on Sunday I felt great, no issues.

Does anyone else ever suffer irritability after a harder ride (I know the ride on Sat wasn't *that* much harder)? Can this be a result of more cortisol released into the system or something else? Also, I'm wondering if the 'boredom' factor of the trainer can be an issue - I'm one of these people who detests monotony. Cycling on the trainer often feels like something I want to get out of the way as opposed to cycling on the road I enjoy much more.

Just after a little feedback. Thanks.
 
I'm usually the opposite. Training indoors for me is like a videogame with the power meter. I sometimes have issues with stress from riding outside because I live in a city and the last 15 minutes of my rides are dodging aggressive traffic. Even if it was a more mellow ride, I never feel very safe in heavy traffic. Kind of silly, as cycling should be a positive stress. Overall, it's still worth it.

Maybe you take your trainer rides more seriously because there are no distractions (in terms of landscape, weather, etc).
 
Riding a trainer is like kissing your sister. A terrible task with no satisfaction
 
Best to have a definitive purpose when training on the trainer. Notice I said "training" and not "riding" on the trainer.
The trainer is for putting in necessary work, aka intervals, IMO. Riding outdoors can be too, of course, but "junk" miles (really a misnomer, aka - rides with no specific purpose) are much easier to come by and tolerate when outdoors for all the obvious reasons.
Get your work done and get off the trainer.
Have a set plan for each trainer ride. Then when you're done, you'll have a sense of accomplishment instead of a feeling like you've simply got it over with.
If you must do "junk" miles (I prefer to call them 'calorie-burners'), then I suggest you do as I do and set up a TV set so you're not constantly thinking about going nowhere...
 
jhuskey said:
Riding a trainer is like kissing your sister. A terrible task with no satisfaction
I thought kissing your sister was fun and I thought that was all the rage outthere when the weather was so bad you couldn't ride your bike or tend to the still. Ever try using grain alcohol for cleaning chains? I bet it'd remove Toms feeling of anxiousness in a hurry too... I can say that I've only felt anxious after a ride that immediately precedes a goal or target event for the year. As I know that it's going to happen I find that an 60 to 90 minute ride the day before with some really really hard efforts help calm things down and help me relax more afterwards. Maybe youre not anxious about the ride that you've just done. Maybe you're more anxious about wondering if you'll have the legs to do a 'ride' the following day.
 
Maybe I'm missing something but a 0.7 or a 0.66 IF ride are EASY rides, if they're not easy rides then your FTP is likely wrong (although don't the numbers above have a different FTP for indoor / outdoor already which could be another reason as that may not be warranted) For me an hour an 0.7 is boring, and is likely to leave me irritable, especially if done on a trainer - at least an outdoor ride with friends there'd be some company.
 
Originally Posted by JibberJim .

Maybe I'm missing something but a 0.7 or a 0.66 IF ride are EASY rides, if they're not easy rides then your FTP is likely wrong (although don't the numbers above have a different FTP for indoor / outdoor already which could be another reason as that may not be warranted) For me an hour an 0.7 is boring, and is likely to leave me irritable, especially if done on a trainer - at least an outdoor ride with friends there'd be some company.
yeah, it's just FUN to ride outside: up and down rolling hills, the scenery rushing by, leaning into corners, fresh air, good company, some spirited competition - it's a joy. Indoor trainer work is, well, work. That is the nature of the beast. getting the heart-rate up, wearing out the legs, really suffering but getting through it can bring a level of satisfaction for a tough job well-done, but it brings none of the shear joy of really riding.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jpr95

Similar threads