Could a Turbo Trainer Help Me Get Fit & Lose Weight?

If you are looking to get fit or lose weight, you might be wondering the best indoor exercise you can do to help achieve your goals, and the answer to that is – cycling!

A turbo trainer can help you lose weight, as long as you combine it with a healthy diet and a regular schedule. This intense exercise allows you to burn calories fast, especially if you do sprints, intervals or HIIT exercises on your bike. They also don’t cost a lot if you already have a bike, with some cheap trainer options such as rollers, and are easy to use no matter your fitness level!

To help you figure out if a turbo trainer is right for you and your fitness journey, we have listed out the advantages of using a trainer to lose weight, how they can help you with fat loss, accessories you might need and workout tips to use your turbo trainer with.

So without further ado, let’s get into it!

How Can a Turbo Trainer Help Me Lose Weight?

Turbo trainers are devices that allow you to cycle with your bike indoors, they can easily help you lose weight as they are a form of cardio and can help get your heart rate up, burning fat and calories.

This combined with a healthy diet and calorie deficit can easily help you lose weight and keep you fit.

You might be wondering how often you will need to use a turbo trainer to lose weight, and this depends on your fitness level. For beginners, just starting with 30 minutes around three times a week is enough to gradually build up your endurance, then as you get fitter you can increase the length and intensity of your cardio sessions.

Always make sure you include rest days as a beginner to allow your muscles to recover, as they are most likely to be sore if you are using a turbo trainer for the first time. For people with a higher fitness level, you might need to up the intensity and length of your workouts so as you can be burning more energy and fat from your sessions to lose weight.

What Are The Advantages Of Using a Turbo Trainer For Losing Weight?

In comparison to other indoor fitness machines, you might be wondering why you should pick a turbo trainer rather than anything else to help you lose weight.

We have listed out a few advantages below that will explain why using a turbo trainer for weight loss is beneficial.

• They are simple to use – These trainers are very easy to use as you simply cycle on your bike the same way you would on the road, this allows you to stay comfortable with your bike and avoid changing posture, as well as helping you be more time efficient due to fewer distractions.
• Easy to store – Turbo trainers don’t take up too much space and can be stored away easily after a workout.
• Helps with intense exercise inside – Cycling with a turbo trainer is very intense and can help you work up sweat easily, making them convenient to have inside of your house to use whenever you want.
• You can work out in bad weather – No matter if it’s raining outside or snowing, turbo trainers allow you to bring your bike inside and continue with your cycling exercise.
• It’s low impact – Unlike running on a treadmill, using a turbo trainer is low impact and easier on your joints than running and other forms of exercise.
• You avoid spending lots of money – These machines allow you to use your bike which saves the cost of buying another or an exercise machine, making it a cost-effective solution for an indoor exercise device.
• Great for tracking and tailoring your workouts – Turbo trainers nowadays come without great tracking apps to see how you are progressing each time you use your turbo trainer with your bike. This allows you to adjust the length and intensity of your workouts accordingly, helping increase your fitness level and stay on track with your weight loss.

Beginner Workout To Use a Turbo Trainer With

If it’s your first time using your bike inside with a turbo trainer then you might feel a little overwhelmed and unsure of what kind of workout you should be doing with your trainer.

One of the first things you need to make sure you know before trying this beginner workout with your trainer is knowing your FTP, or known in the long-form as functional threshold power.

What Is FTP?

FTP in simple terms means how long you can ride at full power before fatiguing on your bike, this measurement is typically shown in watts. You can take your FTP with a 20-minute test and power metre to work out how many watts of power you can produce over one hour on your bike.

The 20-minute test will typically consist of –

• Warming up for 10 minutes.
• Full power ride for 5 minutes.
• 10 minutes of easy riding.
• An all-out effort ride for 20 minutes.
• 10 minute cool down.

After completing the test you can take your average power output in watts and multiply it by 0.95 to find your FTP. Once you know your FTP you can progress every week and use it to help you lose weight and adjust your workouts on your turbo trainer.

We have put together a beginner workout for you to try below now you know your FTP.

• Start with a 15-minute warm-up.
• Cycle for 4 minutes at 90% of your FTP with a 10-second sprint every two mins.
• Have a 4-minute recovery.
• Repeat 4 times.
• End with a 10 minute cool down.

What Accessories Do I Need To Use a Turbo Trainer With?

Now you know how a turbo trainer can help you lose weight and an example workout you can perform with your trainer, you need to ensure that you have the right accessories to use your trainer with.

We have listed the essentials below to get you set-up correctly.

Use a Yoga Mat

Putting a yoga mat underneath your turbo trainer can help catch sweat and reduce the noise and vibrations that come from your trainer during an intense workout. You could also try putting your bike trainer on a carpet if you don’t have a yoga mat and want to reduce the noise.

Have a Water Bottle

Cycling on a turbo trainer is very intense, so staying hydrated is key to your health and your performance, having a water bottle near to drink is essential for this kind of exercise.

Put a Sweat Net

A sweat net is necessary for your bike, whether your bike is made of carbon or aluminum, protecting it from sweat can help prevent corrosion and damage to your bike’s parts. A sweat net will catch your sweat and cover the handlebars and seat post of your bike while you cycle, they can normally be machine washed after use.

Get Turbo Trainer Tyres

Turbo trainer tyres allow you to avoid wearing out your bikes own tyres and can help with better performance on the bike, they also last for longer and cause less noise than regular tyres would on a bike.

Use a Smart Version

This isn’t much of an accessory, but more of a tip. Using a smart turbo trainer can allow you to have a more interactive cycle in virtual worlds, making cycling much more entertaining and allowing you to pass time as you workout.

Make Sure You Have a Fan

Working out on your turbo trainer is no joke, the cycling is very intense, and you will likely sweat a lot during your workout, having a fan on hand can help with this and keep you cool as you cycle, you could additionally try opening some windows to increase airflow.

Frequently Asked Questions About Losing Weight With a Turbo Trainer

How many times a week should I workout with my turbo trainer to see a difference? 

You should start three times a week as a beginner then increase your sessions slowly as you become more advanced with your fitness. To see a difference in your body in combination with a healthy diet, try going for a session of 30 minutes 5x a week when you have built up your fitness.

What mistakes should I avoid when using a turbo trainer?

When using a turbo trainer for the first time you should avoid not fuelling properly or being hydrated enough. If you don’t eat properly and drink enough water before a session on your turbo trainer then you are likely to have a bad performance and feel weak during your cycle due to the high-intensity nature of these workouts.

Why should I go for a turbo trainer to help my fitness instead of an exercise bike? 

Turbo trainers allow you to save space and use your bike rather than a separate one, this can also save you money as you will be getting two machines out of one bike.

Last Words

Overall, there is no reason why a turbo trainer in combination with a healthy low-calorie diet, can’t help you lose weight. Just make sure you are increasing the resistance and length of your workouts as you grow fitter and keep working out on a regular schedule.

Avoid burning out as a beginner by starting with three sessions a week and using our beginner workout above to help you lose weight, make sure you fuel well beforehand and keep hydrated too to get the most out of your turbo trainer workouts.