Improve my Training Plan

Elushion

At the minute this is my training plan. With it as is; I am finding it hard to win club races, let alone open races. What should I start to increase do more of on this current plan.

Monday:Rest Day
Tuesday: 2 1/2hours training run with chain gang (Large climbs and fast sprints)
Wednesday: Club Race (20-30miles)
Thursday: 2 1/2hours training run with chain gang (Large climbs and fast sprints)
Friday:Rest Day
Saturday:Open Race OR Club Ride (4hours with large climbs and fast sprints)
Sunday:50miles+ Alone (18+mph average)

That is my current plan and I am not sure what else to add/increase to help my fitness.

BeaconRuth

Just a general comment - I'd suggest you try to get out of the habit of doing the same thing every week. The human body needs overload followed by recovery for adaptation. A plan that is the same week in, week out risks having no overload and not enough recovery.

Ruth

CondorWill

why do you ride so hard all the time?
you must have really good anaerobic fitness, but with that, aerobically nothing....... :?

Alex_Simmons/RST

CondorWill wrote:

why do you ride so hard all the time?
you must have really good anaerobic fitness, but with that, aerobically nothing....... :?

?
just how much of the above do you think is anaerobic?

Elushion

I ride hard to strengthen myself. Also to simulate longer rides of 5+hours, I ride hard and do intervals.

Bronzie

I would have thought some decent threshold (Level 4) work would be of benefit. Chaingangs and races are great training, but you tend to spend very little consistent time in Level 4 which is what will top up your functional threshold power.

Bhima

You don't have to run things in a 7-day loop. It can be quite limiting sometimes. Most of my friends have a "cycling week" shorter than a normal week. My rotation is 8 days long but you can have any number of days you want. Just find what works best for you.

Although, if you race on the same days of the week all the time, it's probably better to have no "plan" at all and do what feels right on the day. It sometimes works for me.

Slow1972

No you don't have to run on a 7 day loop, but most people on here have this thing called "work" 5 or 6 days a week. This means that usually a training plan revolves around the 1 or 2 days a week you can get a longer ride in (albeit granted my plan is not nearly as rigid as the OPs)

I find its working 5 days a week that's much more of a limiting factor than the fact that I'm on a 7 day plan. Granted some people are on shift patterns and they tailor their plans accordingly, but its still work commitments that determine the duration of most people's training blocks not some arbitrary decision to have a 5 day plan when the rest of your life revolves around a 7 day pattern.

And if the OP's RRing, other than shorter evening races, you find most longer races happen to fall on the weekend too..... strangely enough!

CondorWill

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

CondorWill wrote:

why do you ride so hard all the time?
you must have really good anaerobic fitness, but with that, aerobically nothing....... :?

?
just how much of the above do you think is anaerobic?

errrr, i dont know anyone that can sprint aerobically?
racing too? thats anaerobic..........

besides, asking for help with a training plan from people that don't you is stupidddddddd

Alex_Simmons/RST

CondorWill wrote:

errrr, i dont know anyone that can sprint aerobically?
racing too? thats anaerobic..........

besides, asking for help with a training plan from people that don't you is stupidddddddd

While he is doing anaerobic efforts during a ride, I'll guarantee you that racing is aerobic at least 90% of the time and more likely 98% of the time. It would be a physiological impossibility otherwise.

Even an individual pursuit of 4-5 minutes duration is still fuelled 3/4 from aerobic metabolism. The longer you go, the greater the aerobic contribution.

What's stupid about posting a cycle training question on a cycle training forum?

Ruth answered it.
To go further really needs a bit more consultation, like understanding the rider's objectives, background etc

Elushion

I have started implementing track training sessions on tuesday and sunday mornings. Hopefully that helps!