I recently signed up to TrainerDay as I was hoping for a platform where I could get customized workouts that I could follow long term. Unfortunately, I cannot afford expensive equipment, and I am limited to a “dumb” spinning bike in the gym, my heart rate monitor and my real race bike. Before getting it, I saw a lot of talk about HR-based training so I was thought it was perfect for me but it seems like that only works with a smart trainer (HR+) workouts. Could someone clarify if this is correct or are there better options for me?
Any advice would be appreciated because I feel like I am stuck with a subscription I can’t really use…
Hi and sorry, the first step is you should request a refund from apple. I love HR training and we used to have it in our app but it cause so much confusion with our users and not many were using it so we removed it and only have HR+ which requires a smart trainer. Do you have a garmin bike computer? I would take more time to discuss this with you but I am not sure how long Apple will allow you to request a refund. If you buy from us you can use it for as long as you want before I provide a refund. Its also cheaper from us.
I am not sure if going to public gym they are going to be excited about replacing the pedals or if this would be enjoyable to do this each time, but for outdoors with their bike I agree this is a great choice.
Hey, it sounds frustrating to feel stuck with a subscription you can’t fully use. Even with a dumb spinning bike, you can still get a lot out of HR-based workouts by monitoring your heart rate and manually adjusting your effort to stay in the right zone. It’s not fully automatic, but it keeps your training structured and consistent. I also came across a helpful article about corporate wellness programs and organizing routines — it’s not cycling-specific, but some ideas about planning and tracking what matters most felt relevant. You can check it out here How to Pitch a Corporate Wellness Program in 6 Steps - BetterMe
I would say a combination of HR and RPE can be very effective training but it just requires a deeper understanding of what you are trying to do. You can use our workouts with a Garmin device and convert workouts to HR workouts, or send to Garmin as HR… This is ok for any workouts that don’t have higher intensity efforts. Higher intensity would need to rely on RPE or how hard it feels.
You could also just use our app but again you would need a translation process which I am happy to help with, it just requires more thought. The key starting point is to know your maximum 40-60 minute HR average. If you have a known route especially a flatter route near you that we know average speeds we could get creative and help you fine tune your targets.
Thank you for the quick reponse! I requested the refund with apple, they should let me know within 24-48 hours.
I do not have garmin either, I just started haha. I hope to get better equipment later on but I was looking for something to get into it. I’ll come back when I have better equipment. If apple doesn’t provide the refund, could I reach out to you about it?
I am pretty sure, Apple will do it as long as you have not done it recently. I see the notification so I am sure it will. Just FYI This is like buying a tv from Amazon and trying to ask Sony for a refund, it can’t really happen but if you run into any issues I can give you credit in the future.
You can even use the free version of our app and record your HR workouts. I am not sure what good solutions are out there but if you are an outdoor rider a used garmin 530 might be the best purchase and they have hr workouts using our platform or others.