Enough Volume for Base Training?

hugo15

Been reflecting on my cycling this year, and while I have improved I failed in my goal of riding a hilly 100 mile sportive (ran out of gas). Currently my riding has no real structure to it and I have been thinking of trying something more structured to achieve my goal.

I've been reading Joe Friel's Total HR Training book and have read Pete Read's Black book. Both are based on a diet of base endurance miles through the winter.

I will have time to do 3 x 1 hour turbo sessions a week plus a 2 to 3 hour weekend ride. Is this enough volume to generate the training benefits of following the base endurance route?

Alex_Simmons/RST

hugo15 wrote:

I will have time to do 3 x 1 hour turbo sessions a week plus a 2 to 3 hour weekend ride. Is this enough volume to generate the training benefits of following the base endurance route?

It's enough time to get some good fitness provided you are consistent, but not if you intend on just doing lower intensity riding to develop "base".

Whether it's enough fitness kind of depends on your goals.

hugo15

Plan was to spend the winter months doing the sessions between 75% and 82% of MHR.

Goal is to get round a 100 Sportive with about 3000m of climbing.

Murr X

hugo15 wrote:

Plan was to spend the winter months doing the sessions between 75% and 82% of MHR.

Goal is to get round a 100 Sportive with about 3000m of climbing.

I don't like using HR as a guide to intensity and I would generally discourage trying to find and evaluate zones based on percentages of MHR. 75-82% MHR can mean very different intensities to different people - some find that level very easy to ride at while some will find it tough for at any significant duration. Even you may find it easy some days to ride at and harder on other days, cardiac drift may need to be factored into this as well.

The idea that many have which is the need to ride at low intensity for many months before introducing high intensity training is flawed.

I am not particularly keen on Joe Friel's training books or philosophy, he has a habit of over complicating things which don't need it and recommends too much riding at low intensity when it is best not to.

I hope I haven't thrown a spanner into the works of your training philosophy and not answered what you need to know. But do take away the fact that riding only at low intensity is not needed (or ideal) during the winter months.


Murr X

danny4xboy

I thats the time you have per week to train then its not a question of is it enough time to train as thats the hand that you have been delt and you can really change that. What you need to be asking is what can i do to make the most efficent use of my time.

3 x 1 hour turbo sessions a week can be utilized to try and increase your threshold which is basically the highest pace you can sustain for an hour. If you increase this pace then any ather pace below above or below thiswill also incresae, apart from your sprint. if you acheive this, it means that he pace you are aiming to ride 100 miles at will feel easier than i did when your threshold was lower and the cahnces are you will have more in the tank and be able to complete it.

this can be done with the old classic 2 x 20 min efforts at TT pace or about 85% of max HR. As you progess you can either increase the length of the interval or number of intervals you compete.
The weekend ride can then be used as your endurance ride and if you get the cahnce to go out and ride for around 80-100 miles then go for it as this is the only way to really get used to being in the saddle for exetended periods of time. Also, these rides are good for practicing pacing and nutrion.

Hope that helps
Dan

Murr X

danny4xboy wrote:

I thats the time you have per week to train then its not a question of is it enough time to train as thats the hand that you have been delt and you can really change that. What you need to be asking is what can i do to make the most efficent use of my time.

3 x 1 hour turbo sessions a week can be utilized to try and increase your threshold which is basically the highest pace you can sustain for an hour. If you increase this pace then any ather pace below above or below thiswill also incresae, apart from your sprint. if you acheive this, it means that he pace you are aiming to ride 100 miles at will feel easier than i did when your threshold was lower and the cahnces are you will have more in the tank and be able to complete it.

this can be done with the old classic 2 x 20 min efforts at TT pace or about 85% of max HR. As you progess you can either increase the length of the interval or number of intervals you compete.
The weekend ride can then be used as your endurance ride and if you get the cahnce to go out and ride for around 80-100 miles then go for it as this is the only way to really get used to being in the saddle for exetended periods of time. Also, these rides are good for practicing pacing and nutrion.

Hope that helps
Dan

Sound advice.

Murr X

hugo15

Thanks guys. Your views are interesting and opposite to what I've read in both the Friel book and read's Black book. A bit more thinking to do..........................