During these unprecedented times, more and more people are turning to indoor training to help keep fit and stay safe. With countless apps, equipment and pieces of software available, exercising indoors has never been easier. However when riding for 2/3/4 hours at a time, boredom can still begin to set in. Below I have listed a few top tips to keep you motivated through your indoor turbo sessions and help keep the time ticking over. Include intervals Including intervals will not only give you a big physiological benefit, it can keep things entertaining when you’re getting basic endurance rides in. After the 30-60 minutes you can keep yourself entertained by throwing in some intervals. You might do a hard 20-30 seconds every 10 minutes. This will help to break the ride down. 6×10 is a lot easier to digest than a straight 60. Plus, it’ll make sure you’re still working hard through the effort. Use Zwift Zwift is a great piece of technology that allows you to ride with other people from all around the world. You can join training rides, races, chat & so much more. There’s a whole variety of routes for you to choose from. Though it comes at a subscription cost of £13 a month, it’s worth every penny. You should check it out if you haven’t already. There’s something for people of all levels and you never have to leave the house. It’s like a healthy version of computer gaming, sign up and enjoy the scenery. Watch Netflix/films/tv If you’re not having to follow set intervals, or if you can get them onto your watch/garmin, watching something can be a fantastic way to keep you distracted as your legs turn over. As long as you make sure you’re working as hard as you should, the miles can tick by in no time. I love Netflix for this as you can get stuck into a series and it’ll switch straight onto the next episode. I’ve been through a lot of series on the turbo, it really helps to distract. You can also have Zwift on your Phone or iPad, or in the background, so you don’t have to miss out on the fun. Listen to a podcast Podcasts and music can also help you forget that you’re training. Growing in popularity over the last few years, podcasts are a great way to keep in tune with a whole host of different things. You can pick one you’re interested in or makes you laugh, and off you go. You’ll be amazed how easy training it is when you’re laughing and not thinking about how much your legs are hurting. It’s easy enough to download or stream them from your phone or tablet. You can even listen to audio books through different subscription services. Anything to take your mind off the time and keep you occupied. FaceTime a friend This one is slightly more difficult, but if you have a recovery session or an easy ride you can FaceTime or Skype friends. I’ve done this a couple of times to catch up and pass the time away. You just have to make your excuses for being out of breath and the turbo whirring away in the background. You could even use the FaceTime call to make them feel guilty that they’re not coming to ride with you. I know Ruth Purbrook has set up her turbo with a couple of friends before so they can ride together in person as well as in Zwift. If you’re training indoors on a watt bike, turbo trainer or otherwise, keeping it exciting is one of the most challenging things. But if you can find a way to keep it fun and keep your mind entertained then it becomes a fantastic training tool. Written By Jack Schofield
