Becoming a better cyclist through training

[AmpedCycle]

I'm trying to develop some sort of training plan... as it is, I don't think I know enough about cycling development to really direct my energy in the right ways.
Personal stats: cycling (road) 1 year... male... 23 years old... current riding schedule: 1 hard group ride per week (with 3 sprints/hard efforts lasting about 5-10 minutes each), 3 "alone" rides with consistent effort for 35+ miles each (average speed 20._ mph+... where my cruising speed in the flats w/out wind is about 22-22.5), and 1 long ride per week that goes about 60 miles, consistent effort.
Anyone with experience or knowledge of training with advice is welcome to post it... I hope you do!

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I'm trying to get a more structured plan together myself. The problem is on the day it's supposed to be interval day I may not feel too energetic. So what's a person supposed to do? Have a lously interval day or just do some steady state aerobic stuff? I end up going by feel most of the time because of this.

 

[YMCA]

You'll need to state your goals before we can help. Racing? Fast touring? Local stud fit?

If it's to race up through the categories, you seem to be on track already. Find as many races as possible and get at it. If there is no race available, then find the fastest group rides available. You want to learn fast, so ride with others as often as possible. Ride alone only when you have to. Remember, even easy days can be learning experiences with the more knowledgeable riders in your area. Especially as the speeds are lower and you can grab the ear of the local cat 1.

Other than that, buy books, read the internet sites, and watch videos of people racing bikes. Don't be afraid to try anything, anytime. Making mistakes helps you learn faster.

Good luck

 

[Sublime99]

Does anyone else train like this? I ride intervals days when my legs feel good, like 2-3 times a week and recovery days when my body and legs feel worn out 1-2 time a week. Each week it is different days and some weeks the intervals days are back to back.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Does anyone else train like this? I ride intervals days when my legs feel good, like 2-3 times a week and recovery days when my body and legs feel worn out 1-2 time a week. Each week it is different days and some weeks the intervals days are back to back.

Yup. I like doing intervals and/or hard efforts back to back. It seems that on the second day I can push myself harder and I feel more "in the groove" if there is such a thing.

 

[palewin]

OK, I'll be "odd man out" here. First, in response to the original posting, what you're doing works, but is counter to any structured training plan (Friel, Carmichael, etc.) I've seen. 4 of your 5 rides are constant efforts. Certainly good for health, conditioning, etc, and also if your goal is to do constant effort rides (i.e. time trials, centuries, etc.) But wrong for racing, which is full of surges and peak efforts. Any structured training will be full of specific types of interval workouts (varying lengths and HR/power/cadence targets) within longer rides. The theory is that by doing those workouts you build up various physiological systems (help - Ric or another coach please chime in!) Its even the recommended way to train for TTs and centuries.
My second difference is related to those who figure out what to do based on how they feel. In theory this makes sense. But the big difference I see from having a coach to the way I used to make up my workouts, is that the fixed schedule forces me to do a lot of work I need but don't like doing. I think its human nature for us to assign to ourselves those interval workouts we like most, and to keep the intensity/duration where we are comfortable ("sort of hard", vs. feeling like we might fall over). But the point of training is to be uncomfortable and have stretch targets. So of course if my legs are really shot, I will skip or move a workout around, but the truth is that if I do too much of that based on "how I feel" I will simply avoid the unpleasant workouts. So in general, like a good gerbil, I just do what the coach says. Usually the sore legs have worked themselves out by the time the first interval is over. My suggestion is to fix your schedule a week ahead, include enough recovery, and then do your best to follow the schedule without changes.

 

[Fixey]

OK, I'll be "odd man out" here. First, in response to the original posting, what you're doing works, but is counter to any structured training plan (Friel, Carmichael, etc.) I've seen. 4 of your 5 rides are constant efforts. Certainly good for health, conditioning, etc, and also if your goal is to do constant effort rides (i.e. time trials, centuries, etc.) But wrong for racing, which is full of surges and peak efforts. Any structured training will be full of specific types of interval workouts (varying lengths and HR/power/cadence targets) within longer rides. The theory is that by doing those workouts you build up various physiological systems (help - Ric or another coach please chime in!) Its even the recommended way to train for TTs and centuries.
My second difference is related to those who figure out what to do based on how they feel. In theory this makes sense. But the big difference I see from having a coach to the way I used to make up my workouts, is that the fixed schedule forces me to do a lot of work I need but don't like doing. I think its human nature for us to assign to ourselves those interval workouts we like most, and to keep the intensity/duration where we are comfortable ("sort of hard", vs. feeling like we might fall over). But the point of training is to be uncomfortable and have stretch targets. So of course if my legs are really shot, I will skip or move a workout around, but the truth is that if I do too much of that based on "how I feel" I will simply avoid the unpleasant workouts. So in general, like a good gerbil, I just do what the coach says. Usually the sore legs have worked themselves out by the time the first interval is over. My suggestion is to fix your schedule a week ahead, include enough recovery, and then do your best to follow the schedule without changes.

Ok, I basically agree. Here is my 2 cents
First, I have several problems with what you are doing. 1, you train to hard. 2, you train to fast. 3, your training is to unvaried.

Let me explain. I believe that you can not build up constatly in cycling, there must be ebbs and flows, the goal is to get each ebb and flow to be higher than the last. So a training program might look at a start point of A with an end point six months later. Within that program will be several aspects, a base, a Conditioner and a "Peak". The base may be split into 3 4 week periods again with ebbs and flows. eg week one 200km week two 250km week three 300km week four 350 km week five 250km week six 300km ect...these miles will generally be done in a small gear at a slow pace, just ticking the legs over comfortably. The conditioning period may be 6 - 8 weeks of shorter harder work. Intervals and Hills ect. These rides are still tempered by slower recovery rides. The Peak phase is generally sprint intervals, motorpacing ect to bring the "life" back into your legs. At the end of this a short rest before starting again at the new start point, point B...now point B should be alot higher than point A if you see what I mean.

The reason I say you train to hard is this, it is a generally accepted theory that most of the benifit of training Occurs AFTER the training ride....when you sleep and rest the body repairs the dammage done to muscles during training to a point where it can handle the new workload....Contant hard training = no recovery = constantly damaged muscles.

This is a very basic overview of a training system for new riders. In my opinion over training is worse that undertraining.....Just my 2 cents