HOW TO MASTER VIRTUAL TRAINING

Follow these nine essential tips and strategies to maximise your indoor cycling and running this winter

01 get THE GEAR

To tap into online cycling games, you’ll need the basics of a bike, computer or smartphone, and a turbo trainer or set of rollers. It’s this last one where, increasingly, the magic happens with smart trainers like the new Zwift Hub wirelessly syncing to the respective app for terrain-specific, real-life-mimicking changes in resistance. If you don’t have a smart trainer, an ANT+ or Bluetooth speedcadence sensor should do the job.

02 train your iron GUT

You’re an Ironman and don’t think training indoors will help you refine your nutritional strategy? I mean, who wants to spend six hours on a turbo slurping gels? “Few people are going to spend 180km on a turbo so you need to challenge the gut in different ways,” says sports nutrition scientist Asker Jeukendrup. “Instead, ride a shorter session at a higher intensity and increase your carb intake by around 10% compared with your race nutrition plan. This’ll help train your gut to consume more carbs. Try this around 12 weeks before your race.”

03 know your modes

The two most common ‘resistance modes’ for your smart trainer are Erg and Sim. Sim mode is simulator mode and is used in all Zwift activities other than workouts. In this mode, an application like Zwift looks to replicate the feel of the VR environment via its resistance on your drivetrain. Erg mode, on the other hand, enables you to hit and hold a pre-determined wattage, forcing you to work at a certain level. This is particularly useful for pacing, especially to manage energy with the run to come.

04 KEEP UP THE CADENCE

Even running now has a VR offering via providers like Zwift. “When it comes to treadmill running, try and keep your cadence at 90 strides per minute or above,” says founder of ‘naturalfeeling’ OESH shoes Dr Casey Kerrigan. “If it’s any less, you’re over-striding, which imposes excessive forces through your joints, bones and tendons.” Zwift Run is free and doesn’t require a subscription – all you need is a Bluetooth-enabled treadmill or a Runpod paired with a treadmill.

05 RACE FROM HOME

The secret to Gwen Jorgensen’s 2016 Olympic gold? Cuttingedge visualisation. Cue Samsung’s Gear VR headset, which she used in the build-up to Rio. VR pioneer Joe Chen attached a bunch of GoPros to the hood of his car, matching it to the eye height of a cyclist, drove the Brazil course, converted it to the Samsung and voila – Jorgensen took mental imagery to the next level. While we’re not suggesting you invest in a dozen GoPros to strap to your car, you can train on Zwift courses that reflect the profile of your races in 2023.

06 FAN YOUR FURNACE

Whichever gaming system you’re running or riding to, one or more fans will mimic the air chill you enjoy from outdoor training. If you’re using just the one fan, choose one that’s at least 15in in diameter to ensure you receive the air coverage needed. It’s also worth the extra outlay for a remote-controlled fan to adjust speed as intensity rises.

07 ACHIEVE YOUR AERO

Yet to really get your aero bike position nailed down? A turbo trainer is an ideal place to refine and practise your optimum position as you don’t have to deal with real-world issues like corners, potholes and other road users. Instead, you can focus on getting used to riding on the aero bars safe in the knowledge that you won’t end up hitting the tarmac if something goes wrong. This is also a good opportunity to practise taking on fuel and hydration while in your aero position before doing the same out on the road.

08 FIND YOUR FTP

An FTP test, or functional threshold power test, should be your first port of call this winter as this figure will help you to set your training zones. (This will pay off for subsequent efforts in Erg mode). This is defined as your maximum average power over an hour. There are a couple of workouts on Zwift. The most popular is the ‘FTP Test’, which starts with a warm-up, a few intense efforts and a 5min moderate effort. After a short rest, you perform a 20min maximum ride. Zwift then subtracts 5% from your average power during this test interval to extrapolate it for an hour. For instance, if your average is 250 watts, your FTP would be 237.5 watts. Now you’re ready to train at different intensities for a variety of physiological and performance adaptations.

09 FUEL YOUR EFFORT

What should you drink and eat during your indoor session? “If exercise is longer than 45mins or so, I’d advise a carbohydrate drink with some electrolytes, but the carbohydrate may be more important than the electrolytes,” says Jeukendrup. “Interestingly, there’s plenty of information around electrolytes but not a huge amount of evidence. Yes, we lose them in sweat, but that doesn’t mean we need to replace them immediately during exercise. And not many people would spend that much time on a trainer that they’d develop an ‘electrolyte deficiency’.”