Using Indoor Trainers in Training (The Modern Training of Vojtěch Hačecký)

Don’t Dismiss It. Don’t Overdo It.

For most people, it’s probably a necessary evil—something to endure and survive during the less pleasant part of the year. Many would still rather bundle up and head outside than hop onto this modern-day torture device. So how can you learn to enjoy training on the indoor trainer? How do you make the most of popular virtual training platforms—and avoid burning out in the process?

Falling in love with the trainer might be a stretch—you either like it or you don’t. But there are days (and unfortunately, Czech winters have quite a few of them) when you simply have no choice. That’s when the trainer becomes the easiest way to keep up some activity during winter, without spending extra time commuting. You’re simply working out at home.

Eventually, the winter season drives most hobby cyclists to the trainer. With full-time jobs, it’s often dark before and after work. So unless you want to ride at night with a headlamp and risk hitting ice, the safer option is getting on the ergometer. Plus, winter is the perfect time to break free from your cycling routine—try floorball, hockey, or basketball with friends, or come up with any different stimulus for your body by switching sports.

You may not fall in love with the ergometer, but you can start incorporating it gradually—once or twice a week at first, then maybe three times depending on your schedule. Anything over 20 minutes has training value. For example: fasted 20-minute spins in the morning, then another short session in the evening with some metabolic “finishers,” and the hours start adding up. It’s far better than just sitting around waiting for spring.

There’s no official upper limit—sky’s the limit. My personal record is six hours. You just sit down and ride. I’ve only done that four times in my life, though—four- to five-hour sessions were more common. When the weather’s awful, you don’t have much of a choice, and without winter training, you’ll pay for it in spring. For hobby cyclists, I’d say two hours is a reasonable target.

Today we have platforms like Zwift or Rouvy. If you’re someone who enjoys beautiful views, Rouvy might be the better fit—it features real-world routes and scenery rather than the fictional Watopia universe. These virtual realities can make the ride more enjoyable and provide structured training plans, which is an extra motivational boost—especially helpful for those who have trouble getting on the trainer in the first place. You’re riding alongside other cyclists non-stop, and that sense of competition can push you harder. But that’s also the trap—it’s easy to overdo it.

That said, you don’t need a platform to ride your trainer. Back in the day, people used a Walkman or the radio—which probably built even more mental resilience. If you don’t use an app, just fire up a series, a movie, or a laptop—whatever your family allows, wherever your trainer fits in the house.

If you’re riding on the balcony, make sure you don’t catch a chill after sweating hard. It depends on the duration, but a six-hour session outside in winter probably isn’t the smartest choice—not to mention your neighbors might not be too thrilled. A better option might be the basement: no overheating like in the apartment, and no freezing air like on the balcony. One of the biggest issues with indoor trainers is cooling—air doesn’t circulate, and a single fan usually isn’t enough. You’ll notice how much you sweat by the size of the puddle you’ll need to mop up afterward.

Which brings us to hydration. You can survive without water for up to an hour, but that doesn’t make it smart. Sweat loss is huge. The trainer is actually a great way to learn how to drink. At home, you’ve got no excuse—no forgetting, no gas station needed. You don’t have to go overboard, but there’s nothing wrong with preparing two liters and sipping regularly. The same goes for fueling—aim for 30–60 grams of carbs per hour, depending on the session length.

For any long ride (two hours or more), you need to lower the intensity enough to avoid extreme sweating. Stay relaxed, keep it aerobic. “Relaxed” means zone 1 out of 5 (or zone 1 out of 3 if you use that system). So nothing crazy—though it’s good to sprinkle in some short accelerations to break up the monotony. Intervals are fine, but they need to make sense. Don’t just throw them in for the sake of surviving an hour on the trainer.

Ironically, the trainer might be the best tool for specific interval work, since it lets you dial in your effort exactly as needed—based on test results or a coach’s plan. No worrying about traffic, turns, or braking. You can execute the session exactly how you imagined it.

Even pros like Roman Kreuziger would sometimes use the trainer in summer—especially for time trial work—because he didn’t want to ride his TT bike on open roads and hunt for a suitable stretch. In the U.S., many triathletes living in cities train almost exclusively indoors. It’s safer and more efficient—but they then struggle with basic bike-handling skills. Their legs may be strong, but their bike skills are weak.

Because every aspect of fitness needs to be trained year-round, intensity work shouldn’t disappear during winter. Just adjust the frequency—maybe once a week instead of twice. That way, the cardiovascular system stays stimulated. If you spend the entire winter riding at 120–130 bpm, and then go straight into racing, what do you think your body will say? It’ll hit a wall and shut down.

On the flip side, taking two to three weeks completely off from intensity—while increasing volume—can be hugely beneficial. It’s about concept and mindset, not rigid rules like “I have to do intervals every Tuesday.” No—you adapt based on how you feel and what your goals are. If you’re stressed or had a bad night’s sleep, and you’re running on just two hours of rest, then you simply shouldn’t be doing high-intensity work that day.

Besides high-intensity intervals, you can also train low-cadence, high-torque efforts, which are great for strengthening tendons. You ride continuously for 15–20 minutes just below threshold—just hard enough to feel it, but still manageable. If heart rate stays stable at a given wattage, that means your body is compensating well. This kind of work improves FTP while reducing reliance on glycolytic fibers—but it’s not the main goal of winter training.

Mixing in off-bike strength work improves movement economy and smoothens your pedal stroke. Don’t forget that while many hobby riders can push a big gear slowly, they often lack the ability to spin fast. That’s why cadence pyramids are useful: start at 80 rpm and increase by five every 30 seconds until you hit your limit (while staying seated). Then come back down.

The goal isn’t to ride at low cadence—doing so tires the legs and damages muscles faster. On the other hand, high cadence stresses the cardiovascular system. The golden middle is ideal. Most riders naturally pedal 5–10 rpm lower on the trainer than outdoors—no idea why, but that’s what I’ve noticed in practice. Somewhere around 85–105 rpm is optimal. Anything below 80 is too low.

Rollers are better for cadence drills—especially fixed-gear bikes. They offer no resistance and allow much higher cadences. They also improve bike handling, since you have to steer and balance constantly. For most people, though, a smart trainer is the better choice: stable, safe, relatively quiet (if it’s not air- or tire-braked), and you won’t fall off.

The biggest mistake with virtual training platforms? Most of them are too intense. They’re designed to keep people engaged, but at the cost of recovery. These days, everyone says they don’t have time—so they push the intensity. And yes, that works short-term. For 6, 8, maybe 12 weeks it makes sense. But it’s not a long-term strategy. If you spend three months hammering, you’ll hit a performance ceiling.

Then what? You’ll have to double your training time to maintain progress. That means switching from one-hour intense sessions to two-hour easy rides. If you start with maxed-out intensity, will you even have time later to go from six hours per week to twelve or fifteen? Or will you peak in February and fade by summer? Still, most people need something fun—like intervals—to get through trainer sessions. Races hurt more—but the time passes faster.

Trainer Workout Tips

AEROBIC ENDURANCE BASE

Start with five minutes of easy spinning, then gradually move into zone 1 or 2 (out of 5), and keep your RPE—your Rate of Perceived Exertion on the Borg 10-point scale—around 3–4.You can monitor both power and heart rate. As soon as those two start to drift apart, either end the session or ease up—especially if that happens early in your planned workout. Why? Because a rising heart rate at the same power output is a sign you’ve reached the maximum adaptation stimulus for that intensity.

It’s helpful to mix things up by standing out of the saddle occasionally or changing your hand position on the bars—even if that temporarily spikes your heart rate. Hydration is also key. A rise in heart rate may be caused simply by dehydration, as your body reduces plasma volume in an effort to cool itself.

Finish with two or three minutes of very easy spinning, say goodbye to your bike, wipe down the puddle under it, and hit the shower. Nutrition-wise, the same rules apply indoors as outdoors—if not even more so, since it’s easier to prep everything in advance. You don’t necessarily need high-end sports nutrition; any reasonable energy source will do.

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM STIMULATION

Start with ten minutes of warm-up. At minute eight, throw in a 30-second surge. By minute ten, you begin your first interval, targeting zone 4 (out of 5)—meaning your heart rate should land about 10–15 beats below your daily max. This isn’t a walk in the park, but it’s manageable—about an 8 out of 10 on the RPE scale. After each 4-minute effort, take a 2-minute recovery—however you like. It can be passive or even off the bike—it really doesn’t matter, because your body will still have to go again.

Start with 4 to 6 reps. Once you’re able, bump those intervals up to 5 minutes—2 minutes recovery still works fine. Finish with ten minutes of cool-down: first five minutes can be moderately intense (around 140 bpm), then taper to very easy spinning. The goal here is to progressively extend your time at high intensity, because the cardiovascular system isn’t ready to go full gas right from the start. Begin with four-minute intervals and work up to eight. The longer the effort, the more effective it becomes—because heart rate takes about a minute to reach the target zone, and only then does the real training effect begin. But don’t jump straight into 8-minute intervals if you’re not ready.

PACE CHANGES

Start with 10–15 minutes of warm-up. First three minutes very easy. Two minutes before the end of this warm-up, add a 10-second all-out sprint. Recover from it, then go into your main sets.

You’ll ride 20 seconds all-out, followed by 60 seconds of passive recovery. This version is especially helpful for those who struggle with pace variability. If that’s not a problem for you, a 40-second recovery might suffice. Do 4–6 reps per set. Between sets, spin easy for 5–6 minutes to reset mentally and physically. Start with 3–5 sets. Once you’re comfortable, increase the number of efforts within each set to eight—but reduce the total number of sets to three. Never go beyond eight reps per set. And there you have it—your entire winter filled.