Having more fun on the indoor trainer

Indoor training is not a lot of fun, especially in the winter when you sometimes are forced to also do longer training on the indoor bike. That is why keeping it fun can help you push through and enjoy it.

Here are some tips that I use to making Indoor Training more fun.

Watching series and movies

I often watch a movie or series on the bike. Which makes the time fly by. I put my Zwift on split-screen (which you can do on a Macbook, not in the Zwift app) and put the movie/series on the other side. So I can keep track of the intervals I need to do.

I love sci-fi and intriguing narratives. So got a list of those.

Here are some series I have enjoyed:

• Star Trek: Voyage

• Westworld

• The Man in the High Castle

• The Bea

• Severance

• Foundation

• Kaos

• Everything from Marvel, such as WandaVision, The Mandalorian, The book of Bobba Fett and Skeleton Crew

• Ted Lasso

• Band of Brothers / The Pacific

And some movies I recommend:

• Parasite

• Inglorious Bastards

• Everything, Everywhere all at Once

• Deadpool 2

• Gladiator II

• 2001: A Space Odyssey

• The Matrix

• Fight Club

• Forrest Gump

• Inception

• Ford vs Ferrari

I do not recommend to do this when you have a lot of intervals, which can make it harder to both focus on the series and on the interval.

Get on a discord with friends

To be honest, I love my solo rides so have not done this often. But this is quite fun for races, to be able to talk to others. Do make sure you are not breathing loudly into the mic, as this can be a bit distracting for the others haha.

Reward yourself after a while

Working towards a goal in the ride makes it more fun to tackle a long training. When I have to ride 4 hours, I make sure I have some milestones to look forward to.

I have done a ride in which I rewarded myself with pancakes every hour, or when you tackle it you can buy yourself something small but nice.

Make sure you can work towards something.

Turn off ERG

I have been turning off ERG for a while, and I love it. It makes it so easy to ride endurance rides and give me much more control. If you have ERG on you cant turn your cadence a bit down, which will make the trainer go harder. In real life you are not always 100% pushing, so why should you on the trainer. Give you legs some breathing room.

Join a race

Racing in Zwift is fun. If you have a training with big intervals, opting for a race is also an option. The races around the Volcano on zwift have 2 big pushing points every 20 minutes. And the competition is fun, calculating when you have to push on the bike to make a go for the first place spot.

I have been racing in B and think about going to A this year. Need to do more races.

Final Thoughts

Indoor training doesn't have to be a drag. With these little tricks, you can make those long winter rides something to look forward to. Experiment, find what works for you, and don't be afraid to mix things up. The goal is to stay motivated, keep training, and most importantly, enjoy the ride.

Some days will be harder than others, but remember - every pedal stroke is bringing you closer to your cycling goals. Whether it's watching a mind-bending sci-fi series, racing with friends on Zwift, or treating yourself to pancakes, find your own way to make indoor training something you actually want to do.

Ride on!