HOW TO TRAIN AT HOME WITH A BIKE

The bike requires constancy. We convince ourselves that 'a few days off won't change anything' but we know that this is not true. All it takes is to skip a few workouts and our legs immediately make us feel the discomfort....

How then? Simple. Train consistently, without letting the cold, rain, humidity, limited time and sometimes laziness hold you back.

Rollers, or home trainers, allow the cyclist to train from home, without having to dress in a thousand layers and face the elements. They are also an excellent solution for those whose minutes are limited and who perhaps train during their lunch break and, between one email and another, manage to carve out an hour or so to pedal.

Training at home offers many benefits, these are the main ones:

• time: training on rollers allows you to optimise your time, e.g. you don't have to take your bike out of the garage, go out, come home, take a shower... by simply installing the roller at home or at the designated indoor training location you avoid travel and save time.
• possibility of training in all conditions and at all times: training at home with the bike does not imply having to pedal in the rain, snow, in the fog, in the cold or even in the heat and at the time most convenient for everyone, without having to give up going in the evening even on winter evenings.
• comfort: the cyclist who trains on rollers is on and off the bike in no time at all and is... already at home!
• fun: it is commonly thought that indoor training can be boring, but you just have to know how to organise yourself. You can train with your favourite playlist playing in the background, watching a TV series, but even more, if you have an interactive roller, you can make your training as realistic as possible by setting gradients and resistance, and you can have fun participating in group rides and real competitions on the digital platforms available for indoor training.

So your training sessions on the rollers will be anything except boring!

Indoor training is recommended whenever it is not possible to train outdoors, or you do not have enough time. In terms of the cadence of sessions, this depends on the cyclist, the type of preparation and the ambitions of each individual, for example whether he or she is preparing for a competition or if he or she is cycling for the sake of sport and keeping fit.

Depending on the type of roller, the type of training changes. Even the positioning of the bike itself changes depending on the tool you are using: in fact, for free rollers it is not necessary to make any changes to the bike and you only need to pedal on the rollers, thus also training your balance, while for smart and interactive rollers you need to remove the rear wheel and attach it to the roller itself with the pivot bolt. 

Once everything is set up, all you have to do is choose comfortable, breathable cycling clothing, slip on your shoes, forget about your helmet, and start your indoor workout. To make the session more effective, realistic and fun, you can enjoy an immersive experience by connecting the roller to a TV or computer.

It's a good idea to start with an 8 to 10-minute warm-up and then continue with the pre-set workout, which can last from around 20 to 50 minutes.

And training at home with the bike on rollers will become... like playing Play!

At Cicli Mattio you can find many roller models for every need and budget. 

There are different types of rollers for indoor training, which differ in terms of assembly, use, price and pedalling experience. 

Visit the ROLLERS AND HOME TRAINING section of our website, where you will also find descriptions of the different types, or come and visit us in our shop.