The problem with ERG workouts is a sore ass due to being glued to the saddle

The Archives Archived: Feature Requests
1

ERG mode is great for workouts because you can focus on putting out power and don’t have to worry about matching the workout power levels since the trainer does that for you.

The downside to this is that you never get out of the saddle, so a long ERG mode workout can really cause a sore butt. If you try to get out of the saddle in ERG, the cadence shoots really high and makes it almost impossible to pedal.

In my custom workouts, I work around this by inserting 30-second free rides, but that isn’t ideal because I mostly have to stand up and stop pedaling. Saves the ass, but drops my HR. I don’t know how people do the pre-programmed workouts without failing a segment or getting a sore butt. It’s not about how fit you are, nobody stays glued to the saddle for 60+ minutes unless they’re setting an hour track record.

What we really need are “out of the saddle moments” for ERG workouts, with high resistance, low cadence for 30-60s but no success/fail metric on the segment. Make sense?

2

What kind of trainer are you using?  I have no issues at all with standing during work-outs with my Kickr.  

3

That does seem backwards, standing in ERG mode for me drops my cadence and resistance  is higher (same power). Kai - does your power reading show something different when you are standing?

4

If your getting a sore butt, then make sure your bike fits you properly,  and invest in a good pair of shorts

5

Mark - it’s not backwards, your power output rises when standing, therefore Kickr ERG reduces resistance to keep the power level steady, making cadence increase. It’s impossible to pedal at 80 rpm while standing up. Bear in mind I’m a 170# sprinter, the absolute lowest watts I can possibly do out of the saddle is about 200. The workouts often use 160w rest periods so I’m stuck in the saddle (my “on” intervals are supposed to be high cadence).

 

6

Hi Kai,

It could be that I’m just not a good standing spinner.  I can spin all day at 90-100 seated but when I stand my best cadence is around 70. I tried to recreate your problem yesterday without any luck but I did realize a few things. When I get ready to stand I let my cadence fall first and then stand which keeps power steady. I also saw a message during warm-up that ERG mode can be deactivated/reactivated - could this be happening to you?

here is a post on the ERG deactivation - https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/204315726-Workout-Mode-Feedback