Need some help structuring my training

sampras38

Can any of you wise old owls offer me any advice or help with my training? My goals for this year are pretty much just to perform better in Sportives and as I'm only really able to do one decent length ride at the weekend (young family), I'm looking to make the best use of my time. This basically means one ride and turbo work in the week. Which I'm sure is the norm for most people.

A little bit of history about me to start. Been into fitness and nutrition all my life and studied sports science, and transfered to cycling on a more serious level about 2 years ago after spending years in bodybuilding and then moving back to tennis. As with everything I do I tend to throw myself into things completely right from the off, and did quite well in my first sportives and even better last year. Did a fairly quick time in the Wales Dragon and have got golds or silvers in everything since. Plus I was in the Alps for the first time last year and did quite a bit around the Northern area, Joux Plane, Colombiere got up those fairly quickly with not much difficulty. I've gone from a fit but heavy set 15 1/2 st in the beginning to my current 12st, 3 to 5lb. I don't think I've ever been this aerobically fit in my life but know I can get better. My weekend rides tend to range from 40 to 60 and 70's mainly, and I'll try and get as much climbing in as possible.

I think I've got my diet down pretty good and i think I'm looking for some advice on how to structure my turbo training more than anything else. At the moment I train 4 or 5 times a week and use a variety of training discs, including both sufferfests, Carmichael for fitness and some rick kiddle stuff. My turbo work seems a bit all over the place and I want to structure it in a way that I'm covering as many areas as I need to.

I've ridden with a few clubs 9not joined anyone) but they tend to be a little inconvenient as I can't always get out when the club does. I end up riding alone or with 1 or 2 others if they're around.

Apologies for the ramble but I thought if you had some background it might help.

Any advice most welcome

chrisw12

Since nobody else responded and given that I didn't read past the first paragraph, I saw 'turbo' so I'd say stock answer, 2x20 twice a week.

phreak

From what I've read the first thing you might want to do is a test so you can determine your fitness levels, strengths/weaknesses and so on.

Does your turbo have any means of measuring power?

sampras38

Thanks for taking the time to answer chris and phreak (nice name by the way..;-)

2x20 is the only session I haven't tried yet and so I'll definately give it a go, and no, unfortunately I don't have anything to measure power, only a Garmin 705, wtih HR and cadence.

At the moment I just do whatever disc I feel like, with no real thought behind what I'm trying to achieve. I've only recently started using the Sufferfest discs and really like them, and I'm liking the interval type work more and more.

It's just that I have no real idea when to do what sort of training on the turbo, or how much. I do try and push myself as hard as I can, but don't want to burn out. I know only too well from my bodybuilding days what happens when you overtrain. I'll keep an eye on things like resting HR etc for changes and so far all is fine.

hopper1

sampras38 wrote:

Thanks for taking the time to answer chris and phreak (nice name by the way..;-)

2x20 is the only session I haven't tried yet and so I'll definately give it a go, and no, unfortunately I don't have anything to measure power, only a Garmin 705, wtih HR and cadence.
At the moment I just do whatever disc I feel like, with no real thought behind what I'm trying to achieve. I've only recently started using the Sufferfest discs and really like them, and I'm liking the interval type work more and more.

It's just that I have no real idea when to do what sort of training on the turbo, or how much. I do try and push myself as hard as I can, but don't want to burn out. I know only too well from my bodybuilding days what happens when you overtrain. I'll keep an eye on things like resting HR etc for changes and so far all is fine.

I've just bought a 705, but not seen it yet!
From what I've read/been told, you can set up the 705 to give you a 2x20 session, and also use the 'Virtual Partner' to set your pace and act as a target to keep up with!

sampras38

hopper1 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

Thanks for taking the time to answer chris and phreak (nice name by the way..;-)

2x20 is the only session I haven't tried yet and so I'll definately give it a go, and no, unfortunately I don't have anything to measure power, only a Garmin 705, wtih HR and cadence.
At the moment I just do whatever disc I feel like, with no real thought behind what I'm trying to achieve. I've only recently started using the Sufferfest discs and really like them, and I'm liking the interval type work more and more.

It's just that I have no real idea when to do what sort of training on the turbo, or how much. I do try and push myself as hard as I can, but don't want to burn out. I know only too well from my bodybuilding days what happens when you overtrain. I'll keep an eye on things like resting HR etc for changes and so far all is fine.

I've just bought a 705, but not seen it yet!
From what I've read/been told, you can set up the 705 to give you a 2x20 session, and also use the 'Virtual Partner' to set your pace and act as a target to keep up with!

i've had my Garmin for nearly 2 years and love it.

Bronzie

hopper1 wrote:

you can set up the 705 to give you a 2x20 session

Only really works with a power meter though. Otherwise it's better to use a rear wheel speedo to guage effort level together with perceived effort or/and heart rate.

hopper1 wrote:

and also use the 'Virtual Partner' to set your pace and act as a target to keep up with!

doesn't work on a stationary trainer obviously!

sampras38

Bronzie wrote:

hopper1 wrote:

you can set up the 705 to give you a 2x20 session

Only really works with a power meter though. Otherwise it's better to use a rear wheel speedo to guage effort level together with perceived effort or/and heart rate.

hopper1 wrote:

and also use the 'Virtual Partner' to set your pace and act as a target to keep up with!

doesn't work on a stationary trainer obviously!

Yep, I have used the VP on rides before and it's a very useful tool.

Splottboy

Lots of stuff you can do on the Turbo. Use Perception of Effort levels, as HR tend to go a bit nuts on the turbo.

1. Easy warm up, then 5 - 7 mins increasing level for 30 - 40 mins or so. Repeat but do it "backwards" reducing the intensity etc, cool down and stretch.

2. Warm up, Do blocks of easy intensity, them getting increasingly harder each 10 mins. so that after 30 - 40 mins its VERY hard, cool down stretch.

3. Warm up, longer, about 20 min. The do 20-40's, that's 20 secs hard/sprint, 40 secs recovery. 6 - 8 reps will be enuff! Cool down and stretch.

Ands

hopper1 wrote:

I've just bought a 705, but not seen it yet!

Has your wife been intercepting your parcels again??

hopper1

Ands wrote:

hopper1 wrote:

I've just bought a 705, but not seen it yet!

Has your wife been intercepting your parcels again??

No Ands, I'm still away working
She's very good at describing the shapes of parcels that arrive, but under strict orders not to open them

Two wheelsets to arrive soon :oops:
I am surely gonna die :shock:

EDIT:

How's your frame search going?

Ands

I feel like your luring me in to hijacking someone else's thread! :? Yeah, saw a gorgeous white Orca on that Epic Cycles website. And have also seen a nice Basso Astra. Sigh. I'll dream on for a bit and then attack reality next week .

hopper1

White Orca?....
I can only see a white Onyx :?

I'll start a thread for you.... Push you into getting the frame you really want!

Ands

White/gold......
http://www.epic-cycles.co.uk/images/Orb ... d-1000.jpg

hopper1

Ands wrote:

White/gold......
http://www.epic-cycles.co.uk/images/Orb ... d-1000.jpg

Oooooooohhhh! That white one.
Yep, that's nice.... You need your own thread!

Ands

Yes, that white one! Been lying awake at night thinking about it 8)
Had a bike fitting yesterday - not sure what to do next now! I have a thread going on measuring bars in Road Beginners so can talk about new bikes there!

sampras38

Splottboy wrote:

Lots of stuff you can do on the Turbo. Use Perception of Effort levels, as HR tend to go a bit nuts on the turbo.

1. Easy warm up, then 5 - 7 mins increasing level for 30 - 40 mins or so. Repeat but do it "backwards" reducing the intensity etc, cool down and stretch.

2. Warm up, Do blocks of easy intensity, them getting increasingly harder each 10 mins. so that after 30 - 40 mins its VERY hard, cool down stretch.

3. Warm up, longer, about 20 min. The do 20-40's, that's 20 secs hard/sprint, 40 secs recovery. 6 - 8 reps will be enuff! Cool down and stretch.

Thanks for the tips and I'll take a look. Managed to get out for a hilly 50 on Sunday which was my non-turbo session this year. Was slipping all over the place with my Michelin Krylion Carbons but it might have been ice rather than the wet causing it.

sampras38

chrisw12 wrote:

Since nobody else responded and given that I didn't read past the first paragraph, I saw 'turbo' so I'd say stock answer, 2x20 twice a week.

Did my first ever 2x20 tonight and found it hard, but good. Here's the data and if anyone can offer any comments, suggestions etc, feel free. It was the first time I'd seen a HR of 183 on the turbo and have only had a 181 with the Sufferfest discs.

10 min warm up - to 60% MHR
20 Min (was hovvering around 80% for first 10, and 85% for next 10
5 min rest
20 Mins (went a bit mental with occasional out of saddle and hovvered around 80/85% and last 5 mins was 90-95%.
5 min cool down

ut_och_cykla

You could try to get as high as poss without going to far over your limit. Remember HR tends to wander upwards over time (depending on several factors including how hot you get!) My understanding is that 2 x 20 should be a steady effort which requires a certain amount of mental focus to finish but is not stupidly tiring. But perhaps I'm wrong ... it has been known!

sampras38

ut_och_cykla wrote:

You could try to get as high as poss without going to far over your limit. Remember HR tends to wander upwards over time (depending on several factors including how hot you get!) My understanding is that 2 x 20 should be a steady effort which requires a certain amount of mental focus to finish but is not stupidly tiring. But perhaps I'm wrong ... it has been known!

Yeah, that was my understanding also, and for the majority of the session I was riding hard but not all out and it was a fairly sustainable pace. It was only the very last 4 or 5 minutes I really went for it where I out the saddle and riding as hard as possible.