Soldato
Yup - love having all the videos to choose from, avoids getting bored of the same flogging.
Hell Hath No Fury this morning. Was Baltic in the garage and I think my legs stayed in bed, real struggle to hold threshold
The Indoor Riding/ Zwift/ TrainerRoad etc. Thread
- Thread starter randomshenans
- Start date
Yup - love having all the videos to choose from, avoids getting bored of the same flogging.
Hell Hath No Fury this morning. Was Baltic in the garage and I think my legs stayed in bed, real struggle to hold threshold
Will this work?
In my spare room I have a decent 55" TV with Steam Link attached via Ethernet to my Desktop (i7/16GB/1070) in another room, I can minimise steam and have my desktop on the TV.
Would I be able to plug in a Ant+ dongle in the Steam Link or in to my Desktop PC via a extension cable and stream Zwift? I do have an iPad Air 2 if this doesn't work
Yes it will. I've got it setup this way. Zwift isn't an easy game to stream with steam as it uses two levels of launches before you get to the game. I can't remember the exact settings I used (can dig them out if needed) but:
- enable desktop streaming on steam streaming settings.
-Enable nvidia hardware acceleration (both tick boxes)
-Disable and and Intel hardware acceleration.
-Set steaming settings to best quality, highest bitrate.
-Lauch steam on PC but leave it minimised
Launch streaming from steam link, this should bring up desktop allowing you to run applications such as Zwift as normal.
You also need to enable the streaming function on your nvidia software, the one designed for the shield tablets. Steam uses this codec to render the desktop.
ANT+ is a bit harder. You need to use a program called Virtualhere. You can buy the app for the steam link but I use the free one on an old android phone with a USB dongle.
Soldato
Thanks for the detailed explanation saddler it's much appreciated
Another option that somebody posted on the zwift Facebook group would be to plug the iPad Air 2 in to the TV via lightning to HDMI which does sound the simplest solution but would the graphics be much worse than a decent PC?
Another option that somebody posted on the zwift Facebook group would be to plug the iPad Air 2 in to the TV via lightning to HDMI which does sound the simplest solution but would the graphics be much worse than a decent PC?
New course on Zwift. Also check out zwift.community
I need to get on tonight. Crap weekend of working too much.
I need to get on tonight. Crap weekend of working too much.
Soldato
Damn, I wont get to see the Volcano stuff till the weekend
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Soldato
Link doesn't work here, but I've seen a few people run along the road on swift but thought it was a glitch
Soldato
Another 45 minute on the turbo tonight and pushed it up again. Even managed to get to zone 4 for a short stint which must mean I'm beginning to get more into it 
https://www.strava.com/activities/841994649
I know I'm lacking the strength in my legs from actually being out on the road. Hoping to get out at some point this weekend although I am away in Livingston for the football on Sartuday.
https://www.strava.com/activities/841994649
I know I'm lacking the strength in my legs from actually being out on the road. Hoping to get out at some point this weekend although I am away in Livingston for the football on Sartuday.
Link doesn't work here, but I've seen a few people run along the road on swift but thought it was a glitch
Fixed
Volcano routes should add a little more variety for tomorrow. One circuit is about 2.5 miles which makes a nice 8-10min interval.
Another 45 minute on the turbo tonight and pushed it up again. Even managed to get to zone 4 for a short stint which must mean I'm beginning to get more into it
https://www.strava.com/activities/841994649
I know I'm lacking the strength in my legs from actually being out on the road. Hoping to get out at some point this weekend although I am away in Livingston for the football on Sartuday.
You'll probably find over/under intervals more beneficial for increasing your ability to recover at higher work rates rather than increasing the recovery valley of a traditional interval.
Eventually insufficient recovery will hamper the ability to perform the interval. O/U's not only help you learn to suffer
but you also get very accustomed to effort & cadences that are sustainable and those which aren't 95% x 2 minutes, 110% x 1 minute - x 3 with 4-6 minute recovery at 50%. Repeat up to 5 times (90 mins in total with a 10-15~ warmup.)
95% x 2minutes, 105% x 2minutes - x 3 with a 3-4 minute recovery will most certainly have you blowing after 60-90 minutes.
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Well I'm going to do my first turbo of the year on Saturday. Perhaps I won't try an FTP test but a gentle 20 minutes or so to just get the knee moving again.
Still haven't decided between TrainerRoad or Sufferfest.
Still haven't decided between TrainerRoad or Sufferfest.
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'Holy Water' (from Sufferfest)
Will the iPad stream. or can that only be done from a lightning adaptor?
Your PC would be more than powerful enough for Zwift, the problem you'll find is getting ANT+ to communicate with your PC from the trainer. A USB extension cable might be the cheapest and easiest way (getting the ANT+ adaptor close to the trainer) but doesn't solve any 'interface' issues - it'll be impossible clicking on anything/selecting ride types etc when sat on your trainer with the PC in another room!
Heard it's nothing special, mostly a 'crit' course (so sprinting out of corners). No real climbs, just a change of scenery!
Sadist.
Can anyone with TR/SF tell me about their structured training programs?
I want something to help me rehabilitate my knee, ideally starting light and then ramping up. Probably 2-3 times a week for a month or so, then more.
What are their programs like?
I want something to help me rehabilitate my knee, ideally starting light and then ramping up. Probably 2-3 times a week for a month or so, then more.
What are their programs like?
TrainerRoad programs are extensive consisting of base, build and specialisation phases, with differing volume levels to suit time constraints, lasting around 20 weeks all in.
They're aimed at cultivating fitness and power gains rather than rehabilitation post op.
The base phases do include form work and pedalling drills which you might find useful. If it's a case of regaining leg strength then some slow force work might be beneficial but I can't help that think specific strength work & physio (off the bike) would yield better results and include the minor stabilisation muscles not recruited quite so heavily in a pedal stroke.
Hopefully this doesn't constitute medical advice...
I've used Trainerroad quite a bit. I think the biggest issue you will have is that doing a FTP test to set your aerobic benchmark is possibly not the best way to treat a weakened knee. You could estimate your FTP based on a previous test and reduce it by 10-15% to account for any loss in strength.
I tend to use the Sweetspot base plan at this time of year. It's much more time efficient but it also quite gnarly. I did 90 minutes on Saturday, where it had 60 mins at c90% FTP - it was errrr shall we say "focussing"
You may be better with a few weeks of traditional Base which will focus on lower intensity work but you need to do more of it. I would have thought that gaining confidence in how hard you can push the pedals is more important that aerobic adaption at this point of the year.
For me TR works. Generally its 1 hour sessions that extend you but don't destroy you therefore you can ride the next day without it affecting recovery.
Ok cool. I was going to definitely avoid an FTP session for a few months, unless its required to start a program, in which case I'll probably do as you suggest and just drop it by a percentage.
@Benny I understand they won't be aimed at op recovery - I was thinking more along the lines of if they have nice light programs that can be followed alongside a proper rehabilitation plan, or if I'm better off waiting until I'm fitter again.
I'm having physio twice a week which involves strength work so hopefully that will have things covered.
@Benny I understand they won't be aimed at op recovery - I was thinking more along the lines of if they have nice light programs that can be followed alongside a proper rehabilitation plan, or if I'm better off waiting until I'm fitter again.
I'm having physio twice a week which involves strength work so hopefully that will have things covered.
They do have quite 'light' options on each plan, 'low volume' they call it. SweetSpotBase is 3.5hrs a week, 3 rides but does still touch on 80% intensity semi frequently.
Following a plan would give you some structure and focus so it feels less aimless and you can manually reduce/increase the intensity of each workout, so if you're on a Smart turbo you don't get brutalised or you could just lower your FTP and increase it accordingly each week as strength/confidence regains or use a manual/slope mode.
If you know your old heart rate zones then I'd work off of these against intensity until you can perform an FTP or benchmark your power. Bearing in mind your HR will increase with each successive interval as you fatigue.
Following a plan would give you some structure and focus so it feels less aimless and you can manually reduce/increase the intensity of each workout, so if you're on a Smart turbo you don't get brutalised or you could just lower your FTP and increase it accordingly each week as strength/confidence regains or use a manual/slope mode.
If you know your old heart rate zones then I'd work off of these against intensity until you can perform an FTP or benchmark your power. Bearing in mind your HR will increase with each successive interval as you fatigue.
You're best to avoid an FTP test, at least until you can feel power and progress with your knee. You'll probably be able to gauge when the time is right as you'll remember what kind of strain and suffering is involved.
Most of Ben's advice is spot on, the only comment I'd make is around the 10-15% drop in FTP, I'd argue it needs to be more of a drop than that! Not only will you have lost power & fitness from the last time you measured FTP (so it's always going to drop) but you need to avoid high strain/power efforts for at least the short-medium term with it.
Check with your physio but I'd think high cadence efforts/drills will be better for your knee than anything else, intervals and climbing are just going to damage any repair going on in the muscle/joint due to the strain. Mobility is probably the most important at this early stage, so drop FTP down to 100/150 (or something) and spin, spin, spin! High intensity and low power!
Soldato
Thanks for the detailed explanation saddler it's much appreciated
Another option that somebody posted on the zwift Facebook group would be to plug the iPad Air 2 in to the TV via lightning to HDMI which does sound the simplest solution but would the graphics be much worse than a decent PC?
This is what I do but you can't use Ant+ and the HDMI adapter.