Why I Ride Indoors: Josh Hageman

As a father, small business owner, and age-group Ironman triathlete, Josh Hageman is performing a balancing act 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Time is precious, and he knows he doesn’t have a second to waste.

“We are all time-crunched to varying degrees,” says Hageman. “Trying to plan and execute any workout can be a challenge. This is especially true on those training days we all have where we may not be feeling particularly motivated – the logistics of preparing the bike and equipment, planning the route, checking the weather…it becomes an easy excuse to skip the workout and just do some extra whenever I have the time.”

The problem with this thinking? Like many age-group triathletes, Hageman never has the time to “just do some extra.” That’s why he’s proactive about his workouts, taking steps to make every session as simple, efficient, and hassle-free as possible. For the time-crunched triathlete, indoor training is the best way to create more minutes in the day. That’s why Hageman does almost all of his bike training on his Saris H3 Direct Drive Smart Trainer.

“The ability to simply have your bike there, ready to ride at any time night or day, is tremendous,” says Hageman. “It becomes much simpler to simply get moving and start a workout while circumventing all those external factors.”

By reducing the hassle factor of preparing for a ride, Hageman has skipped fewer workouts. He’s also more focused when he’s training. “All I have to do is load up a programmed workout through Zwift and execute the exact wattage targets as prescribed. With the smart trainer controlling the resistance, it forces me to work harder or endure longer than I would likely be able to sustain on my own.”

Consistency and focus have become the most important factors in helping the busy 42-year-old triathlete exceed his goals for the first time in more than 20 years of racing. “The past two years has been nearly 100 percent on my Saris H3, and has resulted in my fastest racing ever – including qualifying for and racing in the 2019 Ironman World Championship.”

Indoor Training Like a Champ

Josh’s Favorite: Pressure Cooker

“This is a favorite trainer workout to really cook the legs,” says Hagerman. “These efforts done under and over aerobic threshold help build the Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and the varied cadence helps both aerobic and muscular endurance.”

Warm-up

10 minutes building from 50% to 75% FTP

Main Set

2 x 4 minutes 85% FTP, 2 minutes 105% FTP, 4 minutes recovery (For FTP sets, keep cadence at 90-100 RPM)

2 x 4 minutes 105% FTP, 2 minutes 120% FTP, 4 minutes recovery (For FTP sets, keep cadence at 65-75 RPM)

2 x 4 minutes 85% FTP, 2 minutes 105% FTP, 4 minutes recovery (For FTP sets, keep cadence at 90-100 RPM)

Cool Down

15 minutes 55-65% FTP

Saris Pick: One Hour Sweet Spot Intervals

Faster than tempo, but slower than threshold, the “sweet spot” of training allows for an efficient and effective workout.

Warm-up

10 minutes 60% FTP

3 x 30 seconds high-cadence spin (100+ RPM), 30 seconds easy spin

Main Set

4 x 7 minutes 88-96% FTP, 3 minutes recovery

Cool Down

5 minutes 50% FTP

A whole new world of indoor riding is waiting for you. Find your perfect trainer and discover the endless ways to connect by bike at Saris.com.