So my buddy sees all the gains myself and others in our cycling club have attained through structured indoor training. He signed up for a free month of TR and did his ramp test at a fellow club member’s house. With an FTP of 272w and a power to weight ratio of 3.56 w/kg, he has potential to get crazy strong.
He had his bike and trainer all set up in his garage. But when it came to do do his first workout, he couldn’t bring himself to ride stationary indoors. He just couldn’t do it. There is some kind of mental block to pedaling but remaining stationary in space.
He knows the training works…he does NOT need an apologetic for structured indoor training. This is not a gamification or entertainment issue either. But what he could benefit from is your insight if you’ve experienced a similar strong mental aversion to indoor stationary cycling.
What helped you make a breakthrough to overcome it?
UPDATE: Thanks for the helpful responses so far! I’m adding some clarifiers:
- No one is pressuring my friend to adopt an indoor training regimen, this was his initiative
- He got mentally stuck before he could give indoor training a fair shot
- As his friend, I want to help him get unstuck, if possible
- At the end of the day, I respect however he decides to train
- I’m NOT asking you to figure out or speculate about what motivates him
- I AM asking what helped you if cycling stationary was a barrier that you overcame