Time-constrained training plan

pclark

Hi - I have about 6-7 hours per week to train (sometimes 5-6), realistically over 3 sessions. Can anyone suggest a training plan on this basis which would get me to be able to cycle for a week in Europe by the autumn (6 days, 4-5 hrs per day) - i.e., aiming for endurance rather than speed? Thanks.

KentPuncheur

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalo ... EQQ8wIwAQ#

I work in London but live in Kent so my weekly training is limited to hour sessions on the turbo trainer. I got this book and it laid out a great plan for intense interval training which increased my performance at lactate threshold which in turn has helped me ride longer (and faster...never give up on improving speed!). My performance over sportives has increased, and I'm able to ride more sportives than previously (3 in March alone). Bare in mind I compliment this with longer rides on the weekends (c100km club run and a c60km recovery ride), but the science laid out in the book supports the training plan.

What I would say, is that there is no complete subtitute for base fitness. If you're going to get on a bike for 4-5 hours per day for 6 consecutive days, then you need to have at least ridden that distance a number of times, even on consecutive days to get used to the distance, get a good base fitness level, and to accustomise your body to physically being in that riding position for that length of time (of course I presumming that you haven't recently ridden those distances/lengths of time). Interval training is a good substitute to long distance (and time-heavy) endurance training, but it is only a substitute, and having ridden in training camps and cycling tours over the course of a week for similar periods of time, interval training alone would not have been enough for me.

To sum it all up, get through some interval training sessions (as laid out in the book) during the week, but you'll have to commit to get some long rides in on the weekend, preferably on consecutive days closer to your week in Europe.

pclark

Dear KentPuncheur - many thanks indeed for this, it's extremely helpful. I've got the book now, and will also plan out some longer rides later in the summer.

bompington

As I've said a few times before, it just brings a wry smile to my face that anyone who can find 6 hours a week to ride considers themselves time constrained.

On the other hand, I certainly wouldn't mind improving my performance with some of the "elements from the same program he designed for Tour de France winner Armstrong" if anyone could tell me where to get them prescribed ;-)

KentPuncheur

No worries pclark.
It's a hard fact to stomach sometimes, but improving endurance does require time on the bike. There are certain 'shortcuts' to improving performance (such as the interval training programmes suggested in the book), but staying on a bike in the riding position for 5+ hours a day takes some getting used to.
The best investment you can make alongside the book is a heart rate monitor (if you don't already have one), I've got a cheap one from 'sweatshop' but it does the job. If you can hit your threshold zones during the training sessions it will make the workouts much more worthwhile. There's the age-old debate of power (watts) vs HR for such training sessions, but I've found focussing on performing to certain heart rate zones improved my endurance compared to focussing on sustating a certain power output. You can do the latter to focus on performance, but for sheer physical conditioning, go for the heart rate focus IMO.