Need a good bike trainer workout.

[thatguy1807]

Hey everyone, I bought a bike trainer a few days ago and I need a good workout for it. So far I've been riding for about an hour each day with ok results, meaning my legs don't hurt a bit right after or the next day. I've tried HIIT (high intensity interval training) and what one website calls "big gear" workout; ride in the big gears for a short amount of time then rest for a bit and repeat a few times. They work ok but I don't think they're right for my fitness level which is fairly poor, I need a beginners workout. Is it normal for my legs and in particular right above my knees to feel like they're about to catch fire and explode and to feel fine after my workout and the next day? I also need a recommendation for a good recovery drink because I really like the idea and I'm not on the most protein rich diet. Thanks in advance for your help.

[dklaiman]

For a recovery drink, I recommend chocolate milk. It's got everything you need and is relatively inexpensive.

For a beginners workout, you don't need anything fancy. You mentioned you ride about an hour. You can warm up for 10 minutes, and then on every 10 minutes thereafter do a 1-2 minute ride at high speed or a high gear. Then, if you have a DVD player, Spinervals offers a lot of different DVDs you can try--your local library may have some for you to check out before you purchase them.

As for the legs catching fire, I'm not sure what you mean by that. Is it a pain or is it just the feeling of working your muscles too hard? Frankly, an hour on a bike for a beginner seems like an awfully long time--it's not like you're outside where you get to do some coasting on downhill poritons.