Intensity - When to up it?

surferbod
surferbod Posts: 4
edited January 2010 in Training, fitness and health
Hi all, I'm a keen cyclist and have been riding on a fairly regular basis over the winter to keep a base fitness but would like advice on when I need to start to up the intensity and frequency of my rides please. I aim to start road racing in late March and carry on through the season doing hopefully 1 race per week, TLI and BCF events.
Currently I am doing 4 turbo sessions per week, mixed sessions, and a chain gang ride will my club.
I have read that doing too much too soon can mean you go in to the season not as strong/fit as you could be but how do you know what is too much? Do you need to listen to your body and adjust your training accordingly?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
(p.s. this will by first proper season racing)

Comments

  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    Good advice given to me by Shane Sutton: Go back 6 weeks prior to your event, then up the intensity over each week. 10% is probably enuff. Taper 1 week to 10 days before the event.

    Race Season: ( As you may be working, it'll be something like this.)

    Race Day Sunday.
    Rest/recovery Monday.
    Hard road ride or turbo Tuesday.
    Recovery/rest Weds. Or very easy ride.
    Chain gang Thursday.
    Easy ride Sat, include short 20 - 45 second sprints. Then reccy race course Sunday if poss.

    Hope this helps you.
  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    Sorry, Friday is Total Rest...
  • surferbod
    surferbod Posts: 4
    Thanks for the advice :)
  • surferbod
    surferbod Posts: 4
    Would a "rest/recovery" day involve spinning on the turbo or complete rest with stretches maybe? Thanks.
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    surferbod wrote:
    Would a "rest/recovery" day involve spinning on the turbo or complete rest with stretches maybe? Thanks.

    a 'rest' day to me is a day off the bike. Can't remember who said it, but the quote "resting is part of your training" always made a lot of sense to me....
  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    Rest Day is: Total rest if knackered. DON'T over cook the training, see how you're feeling.
    Core/Light weight session, mid-upper body if feeling ok.
    Swim might be good alternative, or easy trail run etc.

    As far a stretching goes, as a 1st Dan Taiho Jutsu/2nd Dan Tae Kwon Do, I've always stretched to a high degree. Cycling is in a "fixed" poition, so your body adapts to it.

    Not saying you gotta be Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, but easy Yoga, Pilates or similar stretching can help, if not physically it's a nice change from pushing pedals around.

    Each individual is different, so do what works, for YOU!
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Agree totally, do what is best for you.

    I need a long build up, i've discovered over 10 years. My first race is mid march with my first goal race a week later, my race intensity work starts tomorrow chiz chiz.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • satan80
    satan80 Posts: 48
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    Agree totally, do what is best for you.

    I need a long build up, i've discovered over 10 years. My first race is mid march with my first goal race a week later, my race intensity work starts tomorrow chiz chiz.

    hey mate been checking your blog for the last few weeks hoping for updates but you are obviously slacking! :wink:

    was very interested in your training progress, you've mentioned in previous posts that you were going to intense to often in earlier years, how are you going to phase in the increased intensity up to your races in March? (i've got similar training hours to you i think with the turbo and weekend road rides, so interested how you are going to attack it over the next few weeks 8) )
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    satan80 wrote:
    disgruntledgoat wrote:
    Agree totally, do what is best for you.

    I need a long build up, i've discovered over 10 years. My first race is mid march with my first goal race a week later, my race intensity work starts tomorrow chiz chiz.

    hey mate been checking your blog for the last few weeks hoping for updates but you are obviously slacking! :wink:

    was very interested in your training progress, you've mentioned in previous posts that you were going to intense to often in earlier years, how are you going to phase in the increased intensity up to your races in March? (i've got similar training hours to you i think with the turbo and weekend road rides, so interested how you are going to attack it over the next few weeks 8) )


    I really need to get back on that, though I do tend to put what i'm doing on twitter most days, if that's any use to you.

    My first week of intensity looks like this

    Monday: Rest
    Tuesday: 1 Hour on the Turbo going up to 95% MHR (this is either the club's Turbo sessions or a CTS video. As long as I get the intensity the structure isn't vital)
    Wednesday: 1 Hour on Turbo >85% MHR with 2x20 min intervals @ 85-90% MHR and 2 mins recovery.
    Thursday: 1 Hour on Turbo >80% (base/recovery from previous 2 days)
    Friday: Rest
    Saturday: 3 Hours on the road @ >85% MHR with 2x 30 min aerobic threshold intervals plus last 10 minutes @ 90-95% MHR
    Sunday: 3 Hours on the road @ >80%MHR

    Previoulsy, I'd have done intensity work in all 5 sessions. On my coach's suggestion, i've gone much easier leading into this phase than previoulsy and I do feel a lot fresher. No tired legs after rest days etc. If you're interested in how it ramps up in later weeks, drop me a PM and i'll send you on the spreadsheet.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Infamous
    Infamous Posts: 1,130
    Upload the spreadsheet on here so we can all see it.

    >85% MHR for 3 hours sounds like a lot, not to mention an hour of that @ 90-95%, I doubt my legs could take that without a week off first.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Infamous wrote:
    Upload the spreadsheet on here so we can all see it.

    >85% MHR for 3 hours sounds like a lot, not to mention an hour of that @ 90-95%, I doubt my legs could take that without a week off first.

    I think you may have misread (or I mistyped) that's less than 85% (in my case 145-165bpm) and the 2x 30 minutes are between 85% and 90%.

    I can put it as a google sheet or something when I get home tonight, if anybody is interested, although being a fair to middling cat 3 i wouldn't assume I have any answers!
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Infamous
    Infamous Posts: 1,130
    >85% means greater than 85%.

    Less than makes much more sense, I was thinking :shock: he trains hard! And please post your spreadsheet, it will get loads of interest.
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Infamous wrote:
    >85% means greater than 85%.

    Less than makes much more sense, I was thinking :shock: he trains hard! And please post your spreadsheet, it will get loads of interest.

    If you mean "will get lots of interest" in a Bhima/Jezmo way... I may wuss out :wink: , but if you mean people may find it helpful then i'm glad to!
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • Infamous
    Infamous Posts: 1,130
    :lol:
  • Dodger747
    Dodger747 Posts: 305
    Infamous wrote:
    And please post your spreadsheet, it will get loads of interest.

    +1

    I'm looking to be far more structured this year in regards to training, so it would be helpful to see an example... :D
    VO2 Max - 79 ml/kg/min
    W/kg - 4.9
  • shockedsoshocked
    shockedsoshocked Posts: 4,021
    You've got 3 days mid week to train (Tues/Weds/Thurs), so it's pointless using one of these as a rest day as it's just a waste.

    I'm fortunate there's a circuit race round here every Tuesday in summer, so my training midweek will look something like:

    Tues: Race - Roughly one hour (treat as training)
    Weds: Morning - Long steady ride, Evening - Weights
    Thursday - Interval session (probably hour of power) or chaingang if one gets sorted this year.

    Monday and Friday would be "recovery days". A couple of hours spinning on the road, nothing too heavy, and Saturday would be similar except a few short sprints thrown in.
    "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"

    PTP Runner Up 2015
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    ShockedSoShocked wrote:
    You've got 3 days mid week to train (Tues/Weds/Thurs), so it's pointless using one of these as a rest day as it's just a waste.

    I'm fortunate there's a circuit race round here every Tuesday in summer, so my training midweek will look something like:

    Tues: Race - Roughly one hour (treat as training)
    Weds: Morning - Long steady ride, Evening - Weights
    Thursday - Interval session (probably hour of power) or chaingang if one gets sorted this year.

    Monday and Friday would be "recovery days". A couple of hours spinning on the road, nothing too heavy, and Saturday would be similar except a few short sprints thrown in.

    I would agree with you up to a point there, all my days on the bike ar aimed at something though. The last 10 years has taught me that I can't sustain 5 hard sessions a week without burning myself out, it's counter-productive. Thus, if I can use to of them as endurance work/recovery from the 3 quality sessions, that's a better use of my time. PLus the 3 hour easy paced ride on a sunday gives me a break mentally too.

    When April rolls around I'll be TTing on a tuesday night and Road Racing/Sportif riding on sundays, I'll probably have one hard session on a thursday (depending on tapering etc) and the rest of the time will be spent recovering from those efforts. You have to know what you can sustain, and if you can thrive on more intensity work than others then hats off to you.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Here's the link to the spreadsheet of my planned training from December to February
    hope it's of some interest

    http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AobsVUw1r0AQdEdUdnRwODNLREtsUkF0TFdkcGFwVGc&hl=en
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    Just finished first ride on turbo, had about 12 minutes of efforts at 95% MHR, the first time I've gone that deep since september. Jeebus that was a shock!
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • satan80
    satan80 Posts: 48
    cheers for the spreadsheet link, looks like things will be picking up for you from now on, unlucky!

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