Take it from someone who used to loathe indoor riding—turbo training works best when it’s frictionless. If you have to hunt for shoes, shuffle furniture, or untangle cables before you can pedal, you’ll be far less inclined to do it.
The best smart trainers will only take you so far; if you end up hunting around for your fan, laptop charger and towel before every session, you can lose big chunks of time.
Build a space that’s always as ready as it can be, always inviting, and it’ll quietly become the most productive ‘room’ in your home. These steps are principle-led, and aren’t just for those lucky enough to have a garage or basement.
Claim the space if you can
The best place to start is with territory. If you can, dedicate a corner or area that never needs packing down or disturbing. Humans are lazy in the best possible way – we follow the path of least resistance – so make that path lead straight to the pedals. Bike stays on the smart trainer, shoes live beside it, fresh towel on the bars, protein shake ready in the fridge for afterwards too.
When you are choosing said corner, it’s important to consider access to power, too. You might want to think about using a surge-protected extension with enough outlets for the trainer, fans and a screen. Even if you can’t leave your pain cave fully set up at all times, you can keep the power outlet ready so you’re not crawling around behind furniture before every ride. A few cable ties never hurt, either – a clean, inviting space makes for a better association with your training.
If you’re lucky enough to have a garage or basement, brilliant – but apply the same set of rules. A permanent home for the kit, cables off the floor, everything where you expect it.
Smaller spaces do make a permanent setup challenging, but by streamlining the setup to a couple of cables and moving your office chair from behind the computer desk, you can still make dual use of space easily.
Build a solid base
Something which might seem relatively trivial to many is getting a solid mat for your turbo trainer – but it really is something worth doing. Training mats serve a couple of different purposes, the first being deadening noise transmission. Turbo trainers can be a little loud, and the drony noise can distract you from your training, leading to disgruntled…
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