It was not too long ago that someone wrote to me with the thought that I only ride or train on the weekend, which is the way it appears if I am only known by a brief view of this blog. I typically only write about my outdoor training and recreational rides, but most of what I do that I call my meat and potatoes of training occurs during the weekday.
Since 2008 I started becoming interested in improving as a cyclist and mainly that came about from joining up with a great group of cycling friends that are above my level. In order for me to keep up and enjoy riding with them for the duration I needed to really improve. I was fortunate to have received some really solid advice concerning training principles and how they impact the metabolic adaptations or in other simple words how to improve my aerobic conditioning and endurance. In order to fine tune training it was explained how valuable training with a power meter can be and being that I am a former competitive weight lifter it suited me to follow training data and set goals accordingly.
The three biggest items are (briefly explained):
- Consistency
- Submaximal Work
- Sustained Duration
Consistency - this was one of the best attributes in my former competitive activity. I believe if there was any attribute that helped me to win the most was training consistently over many years. I rarely took a break and when I did it was a scheduled break. On occasions I did have injuries, but even then I trained around the injury until it was healed.
Submaximal Work - I was told of the benefit of training at 90 - 91% of my functional threshold. This type of training may go back to Lydiard, who believed in training just under one's threshold for intervals would help accelerate aerobic conditioning better than doing traditional LSD (Long Slow Distance) type of training. That type of training takes massive amounts of volume and required time. Most of us working class folk do not have that ample amount of time.
Sustained Duration - I was told to work in blocks greater than 15 minutes and actually better than 20 minute blocks of time in order to push endurance and aerobic conditioning.
So here is how my training appears through a typical week when work or life does not interfere.
This is only my cycling training. I am not listing my weight lifting schedule, which Monday through Friday year round.
Monday - Off
Tuesday - 3 x 20 min. @ 91 to 95% FT
Wednesday - 1 x 60 min. @ 90% FT
Thursday - 3 x 20 min. @ 91 to 95% FT
Friday - Off
Saturday - 3.5 to 7 hour rides (warmer months), 3 to 4 hour rides (cold months)
Sunday - 2 x 60 min. intervals @ 80% FT
I go to two church services on Sunday and sometimes I go to family gatherings as well. So I don't always get to train on Sunday.
Well there it is in a nutshell. It is not a great schedule, but I am a working class kind of guy with a wife and household chores so that is about the best I can do. It may not take me to race level conditioning, but since I am not racing my only hope is that I can improve enough that I will not get dropped on a lively local group ride.
References:
Arthur Lydiard's Athletic Training
The Road Cyclist's Guide to Training by Power by Charles Howe
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