tacx1Spending time training indoors is not as bad as you may think.

With the current crop of weather that we are experiencing it is becoming more and more difficult to get those all important miles in on the road. But its not only the weather that can put a stop to all good intentions, modern life has its own way of halting proceedings when its all so important to be putting in those valuable miles on the bike.

At this time of year all you here is how you have to keep up the miles in preparation for the upcoming season. It’s all to easy for the winter months to be gone and to feel unprepared for what you have planned. Whether it is the first race of the season, getting ready for a season of audaxes or a planned cycling holiday somewhere. Preparation is key not only for winning but for enjoying what you have worked so hard for.

There is a host of reasons why training indoors especially at this time of year makes a big difference. Your warm up doesn’t have to be as long as if on the road, your not affected by the weather so no need for all those layers, there is no traffic to contend with and when you get a set up in the garage or spare room it makes it easily accessible at those busy times.

All this roles into a great package, you end up saving time as you can concentrate on you training and make the time count. Even if you have the smallest of windows it will be better spent on a turbo trainer than on the road.

turbo01It is easy to spend a lot of money on the latest of advance training tools but its not always necessary. Although the more expensive setups do offer a lot of information which when displayed can make it easier to track and improve on your progress. Which in turn will help you in achieving your goals, you can just pair up a turbo trainer with a heart rate monitor and have great work out.

10 indoor essentials to get you training:

1: Turbo Trainer.

Tacx Satori Blue Limited Edition TacxTurbo Trainer

The Sarori is the warm-up trainer choice for the Pro Teams, with a very robust frame it will stand its ground almost anywhere. With a handle bar mounted resistance lever makes changing your workout whilst on the bike as easy as changing a gear.

2: Training mat.

Tacx Turbo Trainer Mat

Not only will it protect your floor from swear and help dampen sounds down when your going for those sprint sessions. With its non-slip coating it also help things from sliding around and prevent wear when getting on and off.

3: Bike Cover.

Scicon Sweat Protection Towel

Sweat dripping onto the frame can actually cause quite a bit of damage if you don’t wash it off. These simple but affective towels will take care of your frame and components.

4: Heart Rate Monitor.

Garmin Edge 500 GPS Unit with garmin-250x300Heart Rate & Cadence

Now a basic heart monitor does not need to cost as much as the Edge 500 but when you take into account what the Garmin offers you it actually works out as a bit of a bargain. It is currently the best cycle computer on the market, offering everything you would expect from a traditional cycle computer but with a whole host of other features that once you’ve tried you will not be able to live with out.

Click here to read the review on the Edge 500.

5: Hydration.

High 5 Clear 750ml Bottle plus Sample Sachets

It is essential that you stay hydrated before, during and after your training sessions. This little kit has some useful sample sachets which will help you hydrate and also give you a tester into just how sports nutrition can help you.

6: Training Tyres.

Continental Ultra Sport Home contitrainer Tyre

Now it may seem a little strange having a tyre just for training but when you are doing turbo sessions you can go through tyres rather quickly. These special tyres from Continental can not be use on the road, as they are made from a special compound compared to standard tyres. They have a increased life due to a special hard compound, which not only keeps cooler to eliminate tread separation but they are far quieter that n standard tyres.

7: Wheel Support.

CycleOps Climbing Block

When you have your bike in a turbo trainer it will be become quite clear that your front wheel is lower than the front. A wheel support will level your bike out and put you in the position you are familiar with. This block from CycleOps has a 3 level design so you can simulate more of a climbing position, use 2 blocks and you’ll get 12 different adjustment levels.

8: Training DVD.

Camichael Training DVD

Camichael has a range of DVD’s out to help assist you in your training programs. With workouts to suit every possible riding style from general fitness to power training with the more specific time trial and sprinting programs, there is a DVD for everyone.

9: Entertainment.

Entertainment DVD’s.

Spending any amount of time staring at a wall whilst riding can make any workout become a tiresome chore. Setting up a TV in front of you or simply listening to music can make things a lot more enjoyable whilst training. Music can help with rhythm and keep a certain pace up so chose your music wisely, may not always be your particular favourite but the right tempo on in the back ground can really help. If you do decide on a something visual to help you out make sure you set the TV directly in front of you otherwise you will find yourself with a crinked neck.

10: Fan.

Something very simple but also very useful is when your training hard you will inevitably build up a sweat. By using an electric fan and circulating some air in front of you can help cool you down and make it more comfortable to train.

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