Optimizing Your "Pain Cave" (Indoor) Training

Prepare Clothing/Gear in Advance

Set workout clothes out in advance and have nutrition ready to go. For example if biking in the morning, have your cycling shorts/jersey laid out along with your water bottles filled and nutrition ready to grab. This will make it an easier transition from bed to bike. The less barriers to starting the easier it will be to get the workout started. 

Set Up Trainer/Equipment 

Similar to having all your clothing laid out and nutrition ready to go, if possible have your equipment ready. For cycling, have your bike already set up on the trainer and something on which to set your lap top, phone, towel, nutrition, TV remote, etc. Wahoo makes a fantastic cycling desk, but in reality you don't need something special. It can be a music stand, an old coffee table, or even a few boxes. This makes it really easy to keep all your important things close by.

Fan (Air Movement)

If there is one area that is required for success when training indoors, it is having a good fan. Unlike when riding or running outside, there is no airflow over your skin to provide cooling, so this is a crucial component to keeping your body temp low and allow you to complete the higher intensity sessions. Buy a couple of fans so that you are able to place one directly in front of you and then another one at the side, but honestly you can't have too many fans so experiment and see how much it takes to keep you comfortable when riding or running indoors. 

Entertainment

Training indoors can offer high quality sessions and is very time efficient. Although we all agree with this, training inside isn't always the most fun. Having something to help pass the time goes a long way to providing an environment that is not only manageable, but also enjoyable. I suggest selecting your type of entertainment based on the intensity of the workout. Anything more endurance based, watching a movie, show, or reading may be a good option for you. Otherwise, as you get closer to threshold this may require some high tempo music. You will find what works best, but I encourage you to keep experimenting and mixing things up to keep you engaged and knocking out those indoor workouts....at the prescribed intensity 

Towel

Not only is a towel needed for wiping off sweat (when running and cycling), it is also a good way to avoid ruining the bearings and rusting out the headset of your bike. Have one towel to place over your handlebars to catch sweat prior to hitting the front of your bike and the other sitting on the side to wipe it off your face and neck. 

Fueling

As many of you have heard me preach before, any workout below 75 minutes can be done with water or Nuun. The exception to this rule is if the session is high intensity and you are already low on fuel/energy going into the workout, in which case taking in some quick-burning carbs will help fuel the intervals and get you the performance adaptation we are looking for. Now anything over 75 minutes make sure to have some fuel throughout the workout. Space it out every 15-20 minutes and shoot for around 50-80 grams of carbs per hour.