With the days being short, homework and school it is hard to find time to train. One of the most effective ways to train is indoors. Indoor Training is a great way to get a lot done in a short time. Sessions are targeted and will tend to last anything from 20 min to 1 hr. When time for training is limited getting the most out of it could be the different between first and second at your next race. Here is a quick run down on how to get set up to make the most of your time.
For successful indoor training you need to have a good set up. You can use rollers but for any serious training rollers are not ideal because they don’t offer resistance. Rollers are more suited for improving cadence and for track racing as you don’t need to lock your bike in. Instead turbo trainers are the way to go. They have resistance which is essential. There are lots of companies that make trainers however the one I 
use is made by Kurt and it is amazing. I therefore recommend Kurt. All the Kurt trainers are of a great quality. Unfortunately this quality comes at a price though with the RRP being $599. While you don’t need to spend this much it is important you get a good trainer. With some of the cheaper turbos it feels more like riding through sand than the road.
For indoor training a good speedometer is absolutely critical. This should be able to display speed, cadence and heart rate. While speedos that contain heart rate cost a premium it is necessary to have one so you can track how hard you are working. It might take a while to crack Dad but if you can it’s worth it. The best speedo if you can afford is the Garmin Edge 500 HR. It comes with speed, cadence and heart rate and much more. 
You can program the screens and it lets you build workouts so you can track you workouts. The best part though is the fact that you can download ride data. For intervals this is especially crucial as it allows you to monitor how you improve and analyse your rides. I wrote about the analysing features on this post.
Another must is a good set up to train. It is critical to have a permanent environment for training. This should be a well ventilated place as it gets hot training. A fan is a must as well. Since there is no scenery going past inside some music or company is a definite must. For this an iPod and a dock is a tool of choice. In terms of music to listen to it is a matter of personal preference. It needs to be something enjoyable to listen to but it can’t distract you from the session. So no Justin Bieber
