Anyhow point form:
-Signed up to TR in 2018 as i was getting into triathlons
-Had a few good years of good training seasons in winter with decent gains
-Following my first DNF in 2023 (Half Iron distance) and an accidental DNS and my kids competitive sport schedule getting A LOT busier, i decided to take 2024 “easy”, had some smart trainer issues that exacerbated that rut (also cancelled TR back then)
Continued to bike commute and bike for fun on the weekend with friends in 2024 and did a good 3 month block of masters swimming late last year but i’ve been doing barely anything now that 2025 is here, and i just can’t seem to set a goal and get going on my training which has aided my ridiculous weight gain
Do you guys have any tricks to get out of a rut? What gets you back in the “indoor” saddle? Sure i’m generally active with the kids but i want to get my endurance engine back in shape a bit more before i commit to a race this year. I’ve got trainingpeaks premium so i use their virtual training platform and i’d probably get TR if i can get myself out of my lazy spell.
I think this can be very individual but here are maybe some things to try:
Just ride for fun for a bit (this can be hard if you’re in the northern hemisphere right now) but don’t worry about fitness to start, just ride
Start slow. Don’t try to immediately get back to 6+ hours a week or whatever you were doing before. That’s going to be tough, not just from a fitness/fatigue perspective but from a habits and lifestyle angle.
Block the time out ahead of time. You’re not going to break the habit of not riding by just saying “I should ride this week”. You need to say “I’m going to ride on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for an hour from 8am-9am” and have a plan for what you’re going to do on the bike (even if it’s just endurance or free ride).
Make it non-negotiable. Tell your partner, have them help you and hold you accountable. Make sure it’s at a time of day that you are sure won’t be interrupted by something else.
Maybe try something else like lifting, swimming, running, etc. Riding the trainer can be super mentally difficult if you’re already having a hard time.
I was in a similar spot recently. Coming off of massive work/life stress and being too depressed to ride much.
I decided to start slow and simple. I manually added a low volume 4 week block of traditional base to my calendar. Nothing but Z2 and no longer than an hour. And some days I dropped the intensity to ride an hour at Z1. I added some very basic strength training a few days a week (again starting slow with low-to-moderate intensity), and I started to clean up my diet.
I did that for 8 weeks and it really boosted my mood, my confidence, and it eased me into more intense training. Now I’m in a road base building phase, still low volume, but in a much better place with my mental and physical health.
My advice is to start slow and easy, give yourself some grace, and you’ll start to feel better soon.
I’ve had 2-3 strength training programs i could do at home
I started in nov and fizzled
I tried doing 3x 30 minutes on the bike trainer to ease myself in… and increase slowly, managed 2x 45 minutes and it’s also fizzled
Swimming with masters, i’ve got some people who can keep me accountable, i was supposed to start last week but they were cancelled due to snow storms. So lets try again this week.
I just don’t seem to have the same mindset anymore?!
I guess i just gotta keep trying until it sticks
For me, it helps to have an event on the schedule. Even if it’s just a fun charity ride or something, a little something to train for can help.
I also find that if I can force myself to do something (anything), good things follow. If I don’t feel like riding hard for an hour, that’s cool. But I know I’ll feel better getting on the bike for a bit. Even if it’s 15 minutes. And usually once I’m on the bike, the motivation is there and riding feels good.
Also, try coupling a ride with any downtime you have for watching TV or listening to a podcast. I know this might be few and far between with hectic life and kids, but getting a spin in while doing something else can be effective if you have any of that downtime.
yeah i coupled gaming with riding ahahah
a good turn based rpg on a z2 ride makes time go by in a flash.
but ive got tv shows to catch up on… and i’ve done that in the past “can’t watch this show, unless i’m on the trainer” type of deal
alright so i’ll try to get some events… every year i have a 120km + charity ride i try to do in june with some friends
but maybe ill also get a tri on the calendar, even if it’s just a sprint
It sounds to me like you know you should be doing it but you haven’t convinced your brain that it’s actually worth it or going anywhere. I agree with others that you need some sort of goal. I also don’t do well with just “to be healthy” or “I should exercise” as the reason for doing it. I need a group ride, race, fondo, performance goal, etc to actually keep the motivation and direction. Otherwise you’re getting on the highway but you have no idea where you’re going.
The hardest part of training, for any level, is just getting out the door. (Or in this case… on the bike). Life gets in the way, you are tired from the day, kids are going crazy… it makes sense that exercise is one of the first things to get cut.
Here are a few things that help me get out the door:
Get a routine. It is crazy how my dog knows when it is time to go for a walk every day. Whether you are riding right after work or getting up early, it doesn’t matter. Getting in a routine helps get that initial spark of motivation!
Something is better than nothing. Sometimes life gets busy and it is easy to think that 20-30 minutes isn’t worth it. If you only have 20 minutes… take it. It doesn’t need to be on the bike either. Go for a walk, run or something else. If you are constantly starting and stopping your body will never be in sync. Do something… anything and get in that routine of being active.
Start small. When I started cycling I could only manage 30-45 minutes, mostly because my butt hurt. It didn’t take long to build up to longer rides, but those shorter days helped me gradually get into it. Starting too “hot” can lead to fatigue that is a barrier to consistency. When starting out I like to finish like I could do more. Leave some in the tank for tomorrow!
Meet up with a buddy for a ride. Hard to bail when you are meeting someone. Makes it more fun too, And on that note…
Keep it fun. Maybe that means ditching the power meter and noodling around. Maybe that means doing a local race. Whatever defines fun for you that should be the top priority. It is fun and you enjoy it, you will do it more.
Accountability. This could be in the form of a coach, riding buddy, or even your partner.
I was just riding for fun. Joined in on the local fast (race effort) group rides. That led to getting into a training mood. But I’m doing all my training outdoors right now, no trainer.
I’m contemplating riding the trainer again for next season, but not sure yet.
It’s definitely tough to get out of a rut and get back into riding (or exercise/training in general)… especially if you’ve been busy and haven’t been doing it as much lately.
To me, wanting to do it seems to be crucial. I’d be wary of forcing yourself to do something you don’t really want to do – it could backfire and make you dislike what you’re doing, pushing you further away from it.
So I think trying to make training/exercising fun would be an awesome first step! I don’t think you necessarily have to sign up for an event… Perhaps you could find a cool route or ride that you’d really like to complete? Something with great scenery, good roads, mountains to climb? It could even be a destination if you’d like to turn it into a bit of a trip/vacation… Some of my best memories from cycling are from epic rides like that (and not from tasting blood in my mouth sucking in as much air as I possibly can during races, believe it or not )!
And I’d definitely agree with starting out slow and going easy on yourself. Getting out even 2-3 times per week can make a huge difference as you get started. You might be amazed at how much fitness you can gain by just doing that alone! It doesn’t even have to be anything hard, just getting out and riding is a really good start.
Planning, as mentioned by other athletes here, is also key. Try to block out some time during your day – schedule ahead of time as though it were an important meeting that you can’t skip. That should make actually getting out a little bit easier.
Alternative sports might be good as well if you have some triathlon experience – it also helps keep your exercise/training fresh by doing more than one sport. As others also said above, getting out on rides (or runs/swims) with friends or with a local group can really help motivate you as well!
And, of course, be kind to yourself as you get back into training (and just in general!!). Training isn’t easy (it’s one of the hardest things I’ve pushed myself to do, personally), so pat yourself on the back for looking to get back into it and try to talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend in a similar situation.
Good luck and I hope you find a routine that works well for you… And feel free to let us know if you have any other questions!
Just speaking to your “what makes you want to ride indoors” question…I don’t let myself watch anything but sports and the 30 minute evening news unless I’m on the trainer. So, when some new show/movie comes out that I want to watch, I only allow myself to watch it while on the trainer.
I also have a few close friends who I text with daily, and we all share our workouts, motivate one another, and talk trash when someone skips.
Yeah this used to work (for the shows and what not)
I have an online group that i’ve grown close-ish where we share everything and help each other.
I’ve got my neighbour who needed an accountabilibuddy so we share our workouts to keep accountable, ping each other if nothing happens for a few days to remember to stay on track.
And finally my wife WILL comment “i see Tim and Sam’s workouts but i’m not seeing yours in my garmin feed” LOL
I still manage to not show up though. I guess i wait till too late at night to do it, which used to be prime time for me… but with RTO and varying schedule between in offce and wfh i have trouble getting that balance too.
I don’t have as much trouble getting out when the weather warms up but i wanna skip that miserable “i’m not fit enough for my 50km roundtrip commute” in spring.
Yeah, I never found any success not doing workouts first thing in the morning. Even when I worked from home, there was always some excuse over lunch that kept me from riding, and no way I was riding in the evening when I was exhausted from work and just wanted to spend time with my family.
I never ever ever want to get out of bed in the morning. Like i’ll do it do go get a ride in with friends when i can get outside or for races but otherwise
I can go for a run at midnight and enjoy it (and still sleep like a log)
)!