Turbo trainer session

Pick a session type and get a ready made plan with the watts to hit.

Your details

Threshold intervals, 45 min

2 x 10 min at 196 W, 5 min easy between

main set

Warm up10 min building to 100 W
Time at target20 min
Cool down5 min easy
Average power143 W
Work done385 kJ

Indoors you sweat far more than on the road, so put a fan on you and a bottle within reach. If the last rep is a fight, finish it a little easier; the next session matters more.

Chest pain, feeling faint or unusual breathlessness: stop, and call 999 if it does not pass.

The working

45 minutes of threshold, FTP 200 W

Take 10 minutes to warm up and 5 to cool down, leaving 30. Threshold reps are 10 minutes at 98% of FTP with 5 easy between, so that is 2 x 10 min at 196 W. The whole ride averages about 143 W and does 385 kJ of work.

Session types

What each one does

Session	Target	Feels like
Endurance	65% of FTP	steady, chatty
Tempo	83% of FTP	brisk, short sentences
Threshold	98% of FTP	hard, a few words
VO2 max	113% of FTP	very hard, no words

Indoor kit

Make it bearable

A big fan pointed at you
A towel over the bars
Two bottles within reach
Something good to watch on the easy bits

Read with care

What this cannot tell you

Fitness levelIf you are new, start with endurance sessions.
Trainer accuracySmart trainers can read differently to power meters.
FatigueTired legs may need an easier day instead.

Questions

Common questions

How long should a turbo session be?

Many people get a lot from 30 to 60 minutes indoors. Quality beats length.

How many hard turbo sessions a week?

One or two is plenty for most, with easy riding in between.

Are kilojoules the same as calories?

Not quite. Kilojoules here are the work you did on the pedals; the energy your body used is a different figure.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.

Before you push on

New to exercise, or got a heart, lung or joint condition? Have a word with your GP or practice nurse first. Stop and get help if you feel chest pain, faintness or unusual breathlessness, and call 999 if it is severe.