{"id":177,"date":"2021-11-30T17:35:53","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T16:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.220triathlon.com\/?p=89424"},"modified":"2021-11-30T17:52:09","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T16:52:09","slug":"are-turbo-trainers-more-effective-than-cycling-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/rss_feed\/are-turbo-trainers-more-effective-than-cycling-outdoors\/","title":{"rendered":"Are turbo trainers more effective than cycling outdoors?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Nik Cook\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 30 November 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Just how beneficial is turbo training compared to cycling outdoors? With dark evenings and a limited number of daylight hours, it\u2019s a timely question. Here\u2019s Nik Cook to explain the answer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

From a top-end fitness perspective, generally work that\u2019s FTP [functional threshold power<\/a><\/strong>, the average number of watts that a rider can sustain in an hour] and above, the turbo is king. This is mainly because, especially if you\u2019re using ERG mode (where a smart turbo holds you at a set wattage), you do exactly the efforts that the session demands of you \u2013 no junctions, pot-holes or other road users to distract you.<\/p>\n

For strength work on the bike, which basically boils down to big gear\/low cadence intervals, you can certainly do these sort of sessions on the turbo and, especially if you live in an area devoid of hills, it\u2019s probably your best best.<\/p>\n

However, a big part of strength on the bike is trunk stability, providing a stable pedalling platform and controlling how the bike moves underneath you. On a turbo, you don\u2019t have to do this so, arguably, for those grind-fest sessions, IRL is the way to go.<\/p>\n