An indoor turbo training session is one of the best ways to train for your cycling goals, whether those are to improve your sportive riding, go faster in a time trial or just drop your mates.
Our video guide will help you make your training as effective and time-efficient as possible.
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Video: tips for turbo training
This video is part of wider series created in association with CycleOps turbo trainers to give you a comprehensive fitness plan for maintaining and improving your cycling performance all year round. Stay tuned for further episodes in the coming weeks – or subscribe to BikeRadar's YouTube channel.
Warm up and down properly
Ensuring you warm up and down properly will help get you in the zone, and reduce the chance of muscle strain and injury.
Prepare yourself
Take a towel with you, as well as water, suitable cycling kit and a fan. It's important to have a training goal in mind for each session – don't just pedal away aimlessly.
Think of your tyre
Turbo sessions will wear your tyres fast. Dedicated turbo tyres will last longer than you're best racing tyres, or you can use a budget tyre that will be cheaper to replace.
Use your time effectively
Time on a trainer is different to time on the road. An effective workout will focus on intensity rather than mileage. Good cycling training programmes combine time efficiency and intensity – turbo training is great for getting the optimal balance between the two.
Mix it up
Mix up your workouts – as your body gets used to an effort, you can add more repetitions, increase your cadence or reduce recovery time. Keep your body guessing and you'll continue to see fitness gains.
Train with friends
If you find it difficult to motivate yourself, set up a turbo training session with friends and train together. The element of competition will make a dull session more fun and productive.
Find your mental strength
Turbo training helps develop mental discipline, an important skill that is often overlooked. Next time the going gets tough, embrace it, face up to how your body is feeling, and develop strategies to keep going.
Train with music
Playing music can make all the difference to energy levels during a tough session. Make yourself a training playlist – music at the right tempo for those critical pace changes might just pull you through a tough set.
