Chris Carmichael's Time Crunched Cyclist training plan
Comments
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I did this last season - starting in Jan, first race in March. Found that my 8 min power (the test protocol used by CC) had improved from 294w to 320w. First results in races were disappointing, although I felt fit. In April went on an extended tour and did 800 miles in 2 weeks. When I got back I was v fit. My results then improved and I took over a min off my 10 TT time. Then I got a coach did a quality endurance block re-introduced some high intesity intervals and took another min off by teh end of the season.
I think that I may have started racing when still a bit tired / in middle of HITs hence the relatively poor results. I did not find that I went pop however and during the endurance weeks didn't find that results would have been that different. IMO I think CC overstates the short term nature of the fitness you get. Doing an endurance block is not going to make you lose all your high end fitness and timed correctly may well support it. Having said that, the approach did see me improve over the period of the plan which is what its all about isn't it?0 -
I've been cycling for about 7 years now and despite a 20 mile round trip cycling to work 3 days a week and doing longer 30-40 mile routes at the weekend was pretty disappointed last year that I didn't seem to be getting any faster.
TCTP is my first attempt at a proper training schedule. I'm planning to do my first sportive of the year in the second week of March which is my 8 week point when I should be at peak fitness before easing off for a few weeks.
On the Saturday ride at the end of my third week I noticed a very marked increase in my speed - thought it was a tail wind until I turned and went back along the same stretch of road. I had an easy spinning day yesterday and still noticed that my times were better than I would have expected when putting in some effort before I started this programme.
I personally felt that the earlier chapters were interesting and informative - but as I said this is the first time I've looked at a proper training programme. If you understand this stuff it may just be more filler if you don't it's worth a read.
To maximise the benefits from this I think a power meter would be useful as I've found the ranges with a HRM to be too imprecise and the lag in getting your heart rate to the correct range makes it very difficult to judge effort on short intervals. I think that'll probably be my next investment when the wife's not looking0 -
Hi All,
How does everyone convert the workouts to a stationary trainer? A 90min ride on the road with SS and EMs would be ok but would be murder on a trainer.
Anyone got any sample workouts they use from the Experienced Competitor section of the book.
Thank you,
Napalm730 -
Slightly OT (though I'm very interested in the book which I'll come to in a mo) but I was discussing training with my bro. We were laughing about how, somewhere under Switzerland they're spending billions trying to find the "Briggs & Stratton" particle yet, up here in the real world, we still haven't worked out the best way to get fit on a bicycle!
Are any of the training plans in the book the sort of thing you could fit (or adapt to fit) into a 1 hour each-way commute? I'm properly "time-crunched" but would like to use my (traffic free) commute more effectively.ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0 -
If you are lucky enough to have a 'traffic free' commute then use street furniture as way points and create mini intervals. Sprint between some sections to mix it up and think of other ways to rotate your workouts.
If you have a bike computer you can start noting times and see your improvement.0 -
Garz wrote:If you are lucky enough to have a 'traffic free' commute then use street furniture as way points and create mini intervals. Sprint between some sections to mix it up and think of other ways to rotate your workouts.
If you have a bike computer you can start noting times and see your improvement.
No traffic or street furniture
(Highland single-track roads - I'd use the hairy coos as markers but the bu99ers keep moving ). I do have plenty of hills to attack however.
What I'd find useful is a recorded virtual coach (iPod stylee). I had one for running. I suppose I could make my ownROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0 -
Yeah but you get what I mean MRS. For example on most of my frequent loops I do there's always one or two sections you know you can go all out and enjoy, whether it's a flat smooth section or a wind assisted decline. A short steep hill you can try standing all the way then next commute go for a leg spinning high cadence seated attempt and see what times you get.0
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Been following one of the plans and im on the 3th week. up to now i have done most of it on the turbo but being a fine day i got out on the road and tried to do a sepi heart rate 3 mins at 182+ BPM 3 mins rest.3 mins again twice.
I tried this on a hill but could only get my heart rate up to 177bpm i felt strong and flew up the hill which was quite steep twice, but couldn't get in to the heart rate zone required though the effort felt flat out,whats this mean im i getting fitter lower HR do i have to revisit my training zones, should i stick to the turbo for the power intervals?0 -
I wouldn't worry about a 5bpm difference between completing the intervals outdoors compared to indoors. Remember that whenever you train on the turbo it's always difficult to keep cool, even when using a large fan, so you will inevitably end up with a higher degree of cardiac drift than when riding outdoors, particularly at this time of the year when temperatures are still low.
If the intervals felt the same between indoors and outdoors then use RPE as a guide in conjunction with HR. If your HR is lower when completing the intervals outdoors and they feel more difficult to complete, then that may be more indicative of fatigue. There is a saying 'All you can do is all you can do' so if your intervals are meant to be flat out, and you feel that you went all out, then you're probably doing them properly.0 -
Chris Carmichael refers in general terms to the 'Classic Endurance Training Model' - lots of low intensity miles in the winter followed by lactate threshold intervals followed by racing. OK he describes it in a bit more detail than that but not much. I wondered if there were recommended books that went into a bit more detail on the classic approach. For example, is it always the case that you do months of low intensity work before starting any intervals or higher intensity riding at all? The way Carmichael describes it, it seems too simplistic.0
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Joe Friel's Cyclists Training Bible will take you through the whole process of buidling a training program for the full year and he just love lots of endurance miles and breaks in training in the off season, etc - so pretty classical in approach.0
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Thanks. I've heard that one mentioned a few times. I must get a copy.0
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vikingdel wrote:Been following one of the plans and im on the 3th week. up to now i have done most of it on the turbo but being a fine day i got out on the road and tried to do a sepi heart rate 3 mins at 182+ BPM 3 mins rest.3 mins again twice.
I tried this on a hill but could only get my heart rate up to 177bpm i felt strong and flew up the hill which was quite steep twice, but couldn't get in to the heart rate zone required though the effort felt flat out,whats this mean im i getting fitter lower HR do i have to revisit my training zones, should i stick to the turbo for the power intervals?
Hi Vikingdel,
Do you do the 90-120 mins on the turbo or do you cut down the time but still so the SS, SEPI, 2U etc?
Cheers,0 -
Been following the the experienced century, currently on week 7. I find that for me it's motivational, once I have 2-3 weeks completed I'm less likely to skip a session than if I were just winging it myself without a plan.
I tend to split the longer EM/SEPI and EM/OU sessions, by doing a 45min EM loop and then completing the intervals on the turbo. Have tried these on the road but found that the road tends to dictate your HR too much, where as on the turbo I can hit the required HRs spot on.
Have noticed a real difference when completing the EM or Group Rides on a Sunday, Speed is up and HR down.
In my opinion its def worth the asking price, if like me, you knew what you should be doing and understood the concepts, but without a structured plan tended to just go out for a ride and just do whatever took my fancy. Ive booked several sportives this year and buying this has given me the kick up the ass to make sure i'm prepared.0 -
A few comments on what I have read here (based upon having completed the Beginners Century plan, as training for a 4 day Sportive last year)
1) One of the key messages (for me anyway), which was "buried" in the blurb was the importance of effective nutrition, both pre-, during and post training. I really found that the recommendations (which are fairly commonsensical) made a noticeable difference to my performance & recovery
2) No-one has mentioned this approach so far in this thread, but I set up the training plans on my Garmin as an Advanced Workout, scheduled them on the calendering function of Training Centre, uploaded to the device and then just followed them on the appropriate day. As some of the sessions are quite complex, I found this the easiest way of completing them correctly.
3) I did some of the sessions on the turbo (as it was Summer here and therefore too hot to ride outside :shock:) and they worked fine. I found (using the pre-programmed Garmin approach above) that as each element of the session was "counting down" I didn't see it a 90 minutes on the turbo, more like "3 more minutes of hell before the next recovery step..."
Hope this is of interest to someone....
Neil0 -
AlfC wrote:Chris Carmichael refers in general terms to the 'Classic Endurance Training Model' - lots of low intensity miles in the winter followed by lactate threshold intervals followed by racing. OK he describes it in a bit more detail than that but not much. I wondered if there were recommended books that went into a bit more detail on the classic approach. For example, is it always the case that you do months of low intensity work before starting any intervals or higher intensity riding at all? The way Carmichael describes it, it seems too simplistic.
In "The Ultimate Ride" he says "Although the aerobic system is the primary training target during the Foundation Period,... it is important to periodically add training workouts that stress all energy systems[.]... It is typically best to train this area using weekend club rides or training races because these activities include various changes in speed and power."
My understanding is that during base building, the primary goals are increased mitochondrial density and aerobic metabolism. And so a great majority (>85-90%) of your time should be aerobic training. The high blood lactate concentrations that are brought on by typical interval workouts inhibit these adaptations. However, occasional efforts of varying power and duration with longer recovery will not result in build-up of blood lactate.0 -
I like Carmichaels' approach. As he says, it's written for people with a family and and a job but who also want to perfom the best they can given 6-8 h a week. This book does that. I like the variety of drills - OU and SEPI being really good race training in my opinion. In the year since I got it and started to follow the program (albeit a bit raggedly sometimnes) I haven't overtrained, which was a common problem, and I am performing pretty well too.0
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I'm using TCTP for the first time (Experienced century) and feel much stronger on the bike than in previous years.
The only thing I don't really get is week 8, the end of which I've timed to coincide with a 100+ mile sportive. Couldn't imagine doing PFPIs and OUs on the Thurs, a 2 - 3 hr EM on the Sat, followed by the event the next day!
Common sense tells me to back off earlier in the week. Anyone got any thoughts on successfully 'tapering' whilst doing this program?0 -
Yes most articles mention to taper off the week before with only a couple of light recovery type sessions in that week to keep you ticking over.
The couple of days before and on the day you should focus on the nutrition side, loading carbs if you react to that well and getting in quality foods/supplements for the big day.0 -
I don't think a week of light recovery rides are a good idea. You need to keep the muscles primed so reduce the volume and keep the intensity up but then that's more or less what the time crunched programme is anyway so I guess drop the Sat ride and leave the rest as is. Also tellingly Carmichael says that week 8 is a great week to do that century so I'd take that at face value.0
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Thanks for your answers. Backing off to a few light spins round the block is what I usually do. Keeping the intensity up (and PIs sure feel intense for me) until a few days before event will be a new experience...ah the joys of being your own lab rat!0
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Hi
1) I have 6h available to ride each week
2) I usualy take this as 2 or 3 rides only
3) I ride exclusively on the road and dont have a turbo
4) I really really dont want a turbo, the Derbyshire countryside is all I need even at 8pm in January
5) Im a keen rider thinking about entering some hill climbs plus an annual big European sportive
Would you say this book is for me?
And is it power meter heavy? (Something else I dont have)
Cheers!0 -
I used his experienced century program as a framework to prepare for the Dragon although I didn't stick to the plan religiously. I have no power meter so I used speed cross referenced with heart rate to establish my training zones.
For his short power intervals, heart rate isn't much use so I simply went flat out. For the longer intervals I used heart rate and perceived exertion to ride at a pace that would leave me feeling fairly pushed towards the end of the 10 or 12 minutes.
Out of choice I did most of the interval based work on my turbo but I can see no reason why you couldn't do it on any suitable bit of road and it should make for a more interesting training experience.
Regarding his plans in general, I think it was the longer steady state and shorter power intervals that gave me the biggest boost and helped me to average 18mph over the 200km Dragon route, something I wouldn't have previously thought within my capabilities.
Anyhow, I found it a fairly useful read, and it seemed to work for me.0 -
I'm following the intermediate program in the Lance Armstrong Training Program, as mentioned above and written by Carmichael.
Only thing is it doesn't fit in with my weekly club run...
Oh, and I keep thinking of Obree grinding up hills in big gears and eating jam sandwiches...0 -
Hi guys,
I have a quick question about the TCTP.
I'm going to kick off the program on Monday as I've just started my first season of cyclocross racing and I'm in need of some serious help. I can hold my own in a 40k TT but the up and down of cyclocross is killing me.
I'm going to be racing every Saturday or Sunday for the duration of the program, and the first 2 Tuesdays for that matter. How do I work these 30 minute high intensity efforts into the program when I am supposed to be focusing on EM (endurance miles) for the first few weeks?
I guess my two options are to not worry about it and just replace the workouts with the race or do both the race and the workout (not doing the races isn't an option for me, I enjoy them too much).
Do he have any advice on which option, substituting or adding the races, I should proceed forward with?
Thanks,
Matthew0 -
If you are going to be riding Cyclocross races every Saturday and Sunday and the first two Tuesday's then you are not following the TCTP. Racing starts at around week 8 not week 1. Racing is not training. Go back and read the book, not just chapter 5.Live to ski
Ski to live0 -
Whoah! 13 month thread resurrection!
If you are racing on a tuesday and weekend then that will do, fitting any intense sessions around this will be counter productive. You've left it too late so you'll just have to bite the bullet and race to train!Insta: ATEnduranceCoaching
ABCC Cycling Coach0 -
Well at least the Op is actually racing.. as someone mentioned elsewhere, the fad of training is the new 'racing' without bothering actually to pin a number on. 0
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The first poster makes a good point about not really following the plan. But I am coming off a summer of triathlons so I do have some level of aerobic base. As regards the reading the book comment, there is an implication in the examples used (such as Taylor Carrington) that racing through the program, while not ideal, is doable.
Either way I guess I give it a shot swapping the first 2 Tuesday workouts for a race and then racing every Sunday.
Thanks.0
