Indoor Training 101
This year my winter training is a bit different than in years past. The past few years I have spent my winter training in France and rarely rode inside. This year I was able to come back to Canada for Christmas and extended my stay to the end of January so that I could set up all my equipment for this upcoming season. When I arrived in Canada on the 14th of December, the weather was surprisingly nice, and I spent most days outside. Now, well into January, we are in full winter mode and with the temperatures already at -31C, I am back riding inside. Growing up in Calgary, Canada, my body is well adjusted to the cold winter temperatures. I have already spent many hours training inside and I have learned to adapt my training and mindset when I am riding inside, especially for weeks on end. Riding inside is not easy and can be very mentally and physically draining. In this blog I want to share my best tips and my non-negotiables when riding inside. I hope this helps!
My indoor training setup
Let’s start off with my non-negotiables, these are things I will always do no matter how long, short, or easy the indoor ride is. First, you need to have a fan. Most of us will probably be in our basements without good airflow. Don’t make things harder on yourself and invest in a good fan. There is nothing worse than overheating while you’re in the middle of hard intervals. Next, is water! Water, water, and more water! Not only water but I will never go on the trainer without some sort of drink mix or electrolyte. My personal favorite is the Neversecond C30 sports drink. It is not only easy on my stomach, but each serving has 30 grams of carbohydrates to help fuel my ride. With the amount of water and salt loss on the trainer, hydration is a MUST! Next, is fuel. I often see when athletes train indoors, they forget to eat. For me, I am often pushing harder on the trainer doing intervals or even just riding endurance. I am never coasting, and I am always pushing or chasing a QOM. To get through your indoor rides you need to fuel. This can be gels, bars, or homemade ride food such as sandwiches, cookies, or banana bread. My personal favorites are dates, apricots, and Neversecond C30 energy gels for hard intervals and the C30 fuel bar both for intervals and long endurance rides. I am particularly a big fan of the chocolate fuel bar; it is easy on my stomach and easy to chew before or during an interval set. Lastly is good music or a good podcast. I am not a huge fan of watching TV when I am on Zwift, I prefer to listen to music during a harder session and podcasts for an endurance ride. I will never get on the trainer without listening to something; it makes the time go faster and gives me extra motivation during a harder session. One extra bit of motivation is not on the trainer but after your ride. We all know how important it is to recover after your ride, especially if you are planning to do another hard indoor ride the next day. I have tested many different recipes for recovery and finally came up with my all-time favorite recovery that I made particularly for after riding inside or after a hot summer ride. In a blender you will want one serving of your favorite protein powder, my go to is Nerverseond P30 chocolate recovery mix with 30 grams of protein, 1 frozen banana, a couple handfuls of ice, and the star ingredient is 1.5 to 2 cups of coconut water. Coconut water is amazing for hydration and contains high levels of electrolytes and essential minerals that is ideal for replenishing you after a ride. This is the best and most refreshing recovery drink I have ever made. If you take anything from this blog, I highly recommend trying this!
Neversecond fuel https://never2.com
That wraps up my top tips and tricks to make indoor riding a little easier and more enjoyable! If you want to shop any of the Neversecond items the link is in the picture above. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next post. Happy riding!