My Winter Training Plan...

zoid

Obviously the best training for cycling is cycling, but with the darker evenings fast approaching this really only leaves the weekends for getting out on the roads and even then I can already feel my enthusiasm waning with it getting colder.

My training schedule goes like this…

Monday, rest

Tuesday, Gym – advanced spin class, and light upper body free weights

Wednesday, Gym – spin and abs class, heavy legs session x5 sets of squats up to 150% of body weight, x3 lunges, x1 set leg extensions (with repetitions ranging from 8 to 25 reps) stretching

Thursday, go running with the local running club, easy pace (aprox 8minute mile pace) for at least 1hour

Friday, rest

Saturday – outdoor cycling between 2 to 4 hours depending on the weather or indoor spin session for 1 to 2 hours (or turbo trainer if I buy one)

Sunday – outdoor cycling between 2 to 4 hours depending on the weather or indoor spin session for 1 to 2 hours(or turbo trainer if I buy one)

Note on the weekends I plan to do 1 day easy pace longer ride of around 3-4 hours, and the other of around 2 hours at a fast pace including some intervals and sprints.

This will be the first winter that I plan on trying to keep cycling through, along with buying the right kit to keep me warm and dry I’ll be looking to join a cycling club which will hopefully help to keep me motivated.

Be interested to know what other cyclists do during the winter or if you had any thoughts on my training plan?

Thanks

amaferanga

If its cycling you're interested in then why not ditch the gym membership and buy a decent turbo with the money you'll save? What you training for anyway?

This winter I'll be commuting Mon-Fri (only 5 miles each way, but I can easily extend it on the way home to anything I feel like) and doing turbo sessions 2/3/4 nights a week. I'll try to get out most weekends for a longish ride, but if the weather's really shitty I'll do another turbo session instead.

softlad

as above - ditch the gym and buy a turbo or rollers - and/or some lights...

bilirubin

Ditch the gym, buy yourself a turbo and a big fan, download a couple of sufferfest video's....................job done.

Tom Butcher

Last winter I did a 4 day week.
Tues - lap of the chain gang route and then do the chain gang with the steady group. Move back up to the fast group in February. 45-50 miles.
Thur - 2*20 on turbo or rollers progressing the power through winter
Sat - 3-4 hours reasonably hard
Sun - 90 minutes done early with a few sprints on way home.

I do a bit of running in the off season but tend to pack it in by December when I start back training on the bike.

Haven't really planned this year yet but probably something similar. Toying with the idea of doing more but I went reasonably well (it's all relative !) off that and avoided getting ill which has been my bugbear in recent years. Would like to stick some more sprint training in and some more rollers because I think that helps but I don't want it to become a chore and lose motivation.

On the gym/spin question - I don't but more through time constraints than anything else (if I use the turbo it tends to be sort of 10pmish). I do know a few good riders - first cat, elite mountain bike - and they do gym work. Spin classes I suppose are good for motivation - if it's a choice between a spin class or not being bothered to do a turbo session then do the spin class - again with me it's time - I can get out to the garage when the kids are in bed - if they had spin classes at 10pm I might do them instead.

Barteos

Mon usually off
Tue 3h steady, endurance
Wed 3h steady, endurance
Thu 3h steady, endurance
Fri 3h steady, endurance Yaaaawn...
Sat off
Sun 3-4h steady, endurance :roll: or 3.0h MTB tempo/fun

Haven't been to a gym in 10 years and sold the turbo ages ago.

izzy Eviel

I want to get a Turbo Trainer too, but I'm not sure if my bike will fit one. How can I tell if it'll be ok?

amaferanga

Barteos wrote:

Mon usually off
Tue 3h steady, endurance
Wed 3h steady, endurance
Thu 3h steady, endurance
Fri 3h steady, endurance Yaaaawn...
Sat off
Sun 3-4h steady, endurance :roll: or 3.0h MTB tempo/fun

Haven't been to a gym in 10 years and sold the turbo ages ago.

Are you training to ride 3 hour endurance rides at exactly the same speed you're riding them at now?

jibberjim

amaferanga wrote:

Barteos wrote:

Mon usually off
Tue 3h steady, endurance
Wed 3h steady, endurance
Thu 3h steady, endurance
Fri 3h steady, endurance Yaaaawn...
Sat off
Sun 3-4h steady, endurance :roll: or 3.0h MTB tempo/fun

Haven't been to a gym in 10 years and sold the turbo ages ago.

Are you training to ride 3 hour endurance rides at exactly the same speed you're riding them at now?

I'm guessing he's trying to build up to 3 hours every day rather than just 5 days a week.

manxshred

I'm going to try the reverse periodisation approach.

Basically instead of long and slow now, then move to increase speed later, it is short and hard now, reducing the speed and increasing endurance later.

I'm doing this as I am slow (for my goals) and climbing is not my strength. I also just don't see the point in training slow long hours. Especially over the time of year that is worst for it.

Mon: Rest
Tues: strength exercises (hindu squats, pushups, plank etc)
Wed:Turbo (mix of Sufferfests, 10X3, 4X6, 3X10, 2X20)
Thurs: strength
Fri:: Turbo
Sat: Rest
Sun: 2-3 MTB

Tom Butcher

amaferanga wrote:

Barteos wrote:

Mon usually off
Tue 3h steady, endurance
Wed 3h steady, endurance
Thu 3h steady, endurance
Fri 3h steady, endurance Yaaaawn...
Sat off
Sun 3-4h steady, endurance :roll: or 3.0h MTB tempo/fun

Haven't been to a gym in 10 years and sold the turbo ages ago.

Are you training to ride 3 hour endurance rides at exactly the same speed you're riding them at now?

How about some of those that stick their oar in posting their own training plans ?

There's more than one way to skin a cat - getting a lot of miles in over winter works for some people - if you've got the time why not ?

amaferanga

Tom Butcher wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

Barteos wrote:

Mon usually off
Tue 3h steady, endurance
Wed 3h steady, endurance
Thu 3h steady, endurance
Fri 3h steady, endurance Yaaaawn...
Sat off
Sun 3-4h steady, endurance :roll: or 3.0h MTB tempo/fun

Haven't been to a gym in 10 years and sold the turbo ages ago.

Are you training to ride 3 hour endurance rides at exactly the same speed you're riding them at now?

How about some of those that stick their oar in posting their own training plans ?

There's more than one way to skin a cat - getting a lot of miles in over winter works for some people - if you've got the time why not ?

If that's aimed at me then see my signature

Tom Butcher

I clicked the link but no training plan appeared !

A lot of people knock long rides but getting a good base of endurance (not easy touring) rides done in Winter isn't a bad idea if you have the time. Anecdotally plenty of very good riders rely on that sort of programme. I'm not saying it's the only way to train, it's not how I train, but I know people that find it works for them.

There's an obsession now with short sharp stuff - to the extent we have people on another thread recommending 2*20s in place of a 3 hour ride for someone looking to train for a sportive.

amaferanga

Tom Butcher wrote:

I clicked the link but no training plan appeared !

Oooops. Think it works now.

jibberjim

amaferanga wrote:

Tom Butcher wrote:

I clicked the link but no training plan appeared !

Oooops. Think it works now.

Shouldn't you put 1st cat races in the list for the end of season?

Barteos

amaferanga wrote:

Barteos wrote:

Mon usually off
Tue 3h steady, endurance
Wed 3h steady, endurance
Thu 3h steady, endurance
Fri 3h steady, endurance Yaaaawn...
Sat off
Sun 3-4h steady, endurance :roll: or 3.0h MTB tempo/fun

Haven't been to a gym in 10 years and sold the turbo ages ago.

Are you training to ride 3 hour endurance rides at exactly the same speed you're riding them at now?

First of all I don't race, but I'm interested mainly in MTB marathons + some sportives, so my priority is to rise my functional threshold power and improve endurance for 3-5h rides (no breakaways or sprinting to the finish line).

The purpose of my long rides is obviously to build an efficient aerobic engine and get ready for some more intense stuff later on.
I don't ride at the same intensity the whole winter but add 5-10 watts every few weeks, so by the Spring most of my riding will be mostly tempo.
Then I'll be reducing the mileage and start doing more sweet spot/threshold intervals.

Even if I had only 6-10h a week available now, at this time of the year I'd be still concentrating mostly on steady riding but at higher intensity.

jgsi

zoid wrote:

Obviously the best training for cycling is cycling, but with the darker evenings fast approaching this really only leaves the weekends for getting out on the roads and even then I can already feel my enthusiasm waning with it getting colder.

My training schedule goes like this…

Monday, rest

Tuesday, Gym – advanced spin class, and light upper body free weights

Wednesday, Gym – spin and abs class, heavy legs session x5 sets of squats up to 150% of body weight, x3 lunges, x1 set leg extensions (with repetitions ranging from 8 to 25 reps) stretching

Thursday, go running with the local running club, easy pace (aprox 8minute mile pace) for at least 1hour

Friday, rest

Saturday – outdoor cycling between 2 to 4 hours depending on the weather or indoor spin session for 1 to 2 hours (or turbo trainer if I buy one)

Sunday – outdoor cycling between 2 to 4 hours depending on the weather or indoor spin session for 1 to 2 hours(or turbo trainer if I buy one)

Note on the weekends I plan to do 1 day easy pace longer ride of around 3-4 hours, and the other of around 2 hours at a fast pace including some intervals and sprints.

This will be the first winter that I plan on trying to keep cycling through, along with buying the right kit to keep me warm and dry I’ll be looking to join a cycling club which will hopefully help to keep me motivated.

Be interested to know what other cyclists do during the winter or if you had any thoughts on my training plan?

Thanks

Sorry Zoid but if you stayed with that plan until the 'warmer' weather, you'll not be in any sense competitive on a bike come that warmer weather.
As it sounds like your 1st winter, then you'll have to take the plunge and get more bike time, be that on a turbo or outdoors.
You must venture out running so why not use that time for bike training unless you do tri's ..... cough .. spit

walsht1105

amaferanga wrote:

Barteos wrote:

Mon usually off
Tue 3h steady, endurance
Wed 3h steady, endurance
Thu 3h steady, endurance
Fri 3h steady, endurance Yaaaawn...
Sat off
Sun 3-4h steady, endurance :roll: or 3.0h MTB tempo/fun

Haven't been to a gym in 10 years and sold the turbo ages ago.

Are you training to ride 3 hour endurance rides at exactly the same speed you're riding them at now?

On your training plan you have dates for the races you will enter, where do you get these dates from because I can't find any races for 2011 on BC website yet!

amaferanga

jibberjim wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

Tom Butcher wrote:

I clicked the link but no training plan appeared !

Oooops. Think it works now.

Shouldn't you put 1st cat races in the list for the end of season?

What makes you say that? Sarcasm doesn't work so well on internet forums you know....

My goal is to make 2nd Cat next season though. Won't be easy, but reckon I have a chance.

amaferanga

walsht1105 wrote:

On your training plan you have dates for the races you will enter, where do you get these dates from because I can't find any races for 2011 on BC website yet!

The BC dates are provisional assuming the races are on the same weekend as this year. The NMRRL ones came form the organisers so I think they'll be right.


Sorry for the thread hijack zoid....

jibberjim

amaferanga wrote:

My goal is to make 2nd Cat next season though. Won't be easy, but reckon I have a chance.

I think you should have a very good chance - it was purely a cheeky way of saying you should set challenging goals. Which perhaps you have done already, it looked from the races that you were almost exclusively racing 2/3 races anyway which suggested you might've been a 2 already, if your goal is to get 2 why not race 3's and 3/4's ?

amaferanga

jibberjim wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

My goal is to make 2nd Cat next season though. Won't be easy, but reckon I have a chance.

I think you should have a very good chance - it was purely a cheeky way of saying you should set challenging goals. Which perhaps you have done already, it looked from the races that you were almost exclusively racing 2/3 races anyway which suggested you might've been a 2 already, if your goal is to get 2 why not race 3's and 3/4's ?

I'm still a lowly 4th Cat, but I did pick up points in a couple of the BC races I finished this year (did 5, crashed out in 2, points in 2 and finished in the bunch in the other).

Anyway, there are a lot of 3rd/4th races as well. It's just a list of most of the local-ish races - some of them clash anyway. I'll probably do some 2/3/4 races anyway though just for fun (did one this year - the one where I finished in the bunch).

Sheptastic

amaferanga wrote:

Tom Butcher wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

Barteos wrote:

Mon usually off
Tue 3h steady, endurance
Wed 3h steady, endurance
Thu 3h steady, endurance
Fri 3h steady, endurance Yaaaawn...
Sat off
Sun 3-4h steady, endurance :roll: or 3.0h MTB tempo/fun

Haven't been to a gym in 10 years and sold the turbo ages ago.

Are you training to ride 3 hour endurance rides at exactly the same speed you're riding them at now?

How about some of those that stick their oar in posting their own training plans ?

There's more than one way to skin a cat - getting a lot of miles in over winter works for some people - if you've got the time why not ?

If that's aimed at me then see my signature

With all due respect, i couldnt follow your plan. too many numbers! But more importantly there is a race called WETWANG! Brilliant.

inseine

I feel totally inadequate when I see the hours and structure of some peoples plans. Then I see it's to ride 4th cat road races and I feel a bit better
Make sure there's a few hours in there for just taking in the scenery.

amaferanga

If I thought I was going to be battling with 4th Cats for the whole year I wouldn't bother. Not many 4th Cat races up this way anyway - mostly 3/4.

inseine

Good luck. I was only taking the Michael and I know I'm being lazy at the moment.