Interrupted training

mclarent

At the moment, best I can do is 1 hour in the evening on the turbo during the week. I can get to the gym for another hour and do another hour on a spinning bike, but leaves me with my question...

Is 2 hours training, interrupted by 6-7 hours (including cycling home) significantly less "worthwhile" than 2 hours solid? I'm mainly doing endurance work at the moment, so 2 hours straight is not so tough...

Bronzie

Joe Friel reckons doing 2 x 1 hour sessions instead of 1 x 2 hours per day gives you benefits as you get 2 hits of growth hormone etc released in response to each. I'm pretty sure this question came up on here a while back, so maybe have a search.

mclarent

Thanks, I had a search but couldn't find the topic - you don't happen to remember the subject do you?

Al_38

Hmmm, I would have thought it was better to do one 2 hour session. You only get the benefit from from the latter stages of most aerobic exercise, so I suggest you would certainly have more aerobic benefit from doing the longer session. The fitter you are the longer it takes to get to the point where you are getting benefit too.

Al

Bronzie

Not sure if this is the thread I had in mind. Not a definitive answer either way, but some interesting opinions..............
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12567776

mclarent

Thanks, that kind of hits it - my thoughts were along the lines of what Al said as well. Maybe I'll get a copy of the Friel book when it comes out.

liversedge

I spent late winter training the season before last doing lower range tempo work in the morning and higher end tempo in the evening, sometimes going into SST/Threshold.

I changed from a 2hr evening session to see if it made any difference. It did. My HR at power levels dropped quite significantly in 2 months and much more importantly I sufffered less fatigue and lost more weight. early morning session was straight after waking up at 6.30am evening session was 6.30pm 'ish.

I was more alert at work from the early morning session and not too knackered when I went to bed after only an hour.

I'll be doing the same thing again from Jan.

damage36

liversedge wrote:

I spent late winter training the season before last doing lower range tempo work in the morning and higher end tempo in the evening, sometimes going into SST/Threshold.

I changed from a 2hr evening session to see if it made any difference. It did. My HR at power levels dropped quite significantly in 2 months and much more importantly I sufffered less fatigue and lost more weight. early morning session was straight after waking up at 6.30am evening session was 6.30pm 'ish.

I was more alert at work from the early morning session and not too knackered when I went to bed after only an hour.

I'll be doing the same thing again from Jan.

Good plan liversedge. What will you be doing before january?

liversedge

Hi Damage36,

Currently I ride whenever I get the chance for 1.5 to 2 hrs on the road at tempo+. by this I mean I ride at tempo until I hit hills then I tend to either juice it over the smaller bumps or threshold it over the longer ones. IF for these rides is always > 0.9. I live in a pretty hilly area. I only work 4 days a week so I have more time than some to do this.

If its raining I get on the turbo and do a max 1.5hrs at tempo or SST. As much as my computrainer is a wonderful device and is really good for me, I really hate sitting on it.

I do a round-trip commute on Fridays of 100km which has the surrey hills in it which is a great workout. It takes me 2hrs each way and I spend at least 20 mins each way in the highest zones (VO2, AC) crunching over 10 and 20% climbs. TSS is usually 170 each way.

At the weekend I take a rest or recovery on Saturday and play Sunday as it comes - which means I sometimes just do an hour or so of noodling around with the missus or gun it round the hills for 4 hrs, or something in between.

I'm taking a lot more rest days than I will come the new year. For example I have had 4 (!) rest days up till today and itching for the commute ride on Friday. I just didn't fancy riding and I'm not gonna force the issue right now - I've burned out before... and I'm not gonna be a slave to my plan or PMC numbers again.

mclarent

liversedge wrote:

Hi Damage36,

<SNIP>

I'm taking a lot more rest days than I will come the new year. For example I have had 4 (!) rest days up till today and itching for the commute ride on Friday. I just didn't fancy riding and I'm not gonna force the issue right now - I've burned out before... and I'm not gonna be a slave to my plan or PMC numbers again.

Wow, that's pretty hardcore! Can I ask what cat you race in?

liversedge

I don't race. Why do you think its hardcore? I train because I like to do lots of sportives and you need to be in pretty good shape just to finish in time! My wife likes the thinner healthier me and it inspires my kids to get outside and get out of breath seeing their old man on the bike. Its also a great de-stresser and gives me my own time away from everything. I guess training is my version of going down the pub. I think its a way of life.

Unfortunately, racing is too much of a commitment for me right now and at 41 I have other priorities. Last year I did nothing on the bike at all, got out of shape and unhappy. Maybe training is therapy too.

Oh - and when I say I've had 4 rest days I mean't 4 consecutive rest days, not in total LOL!!

mclarent

liversedge wrote:

Oh - and when I say I've had 4 rest days I mean't 4 consecutive rest days, not in total LOL!!

LOL, now I got you - I thought you meant over the winter!! Still, that's a chunky commute, although I bet it's fun!

damage36

mclarent wrote:

liversedge wrote:

Oh - and when I say I've had 4 rest days I mean't 4 consecutive rest days, not in total LOL!!

LOL, now I got you - I thought you meant over the winter!! Still, that's a chunky commute, although I bet it's fun!

I agree, I wouldn't much care what I had to do at work at the other end of such a nice ride!

liversedge

mmmm... at 6.30 in the dark cold windy morning it sometimes doesn't feel like it!

damage36

liversedge wrote:

mmmm... at 6.30 in the dark cold windy morning it sometimes doesn't feel like it!

MTFU