Training quality

Zingaro134

I've been doing a lot more cycling recently, 5 days a week 1.5-4hrs but have noticed no big improvment in fitness or endurance. Is there something else i should do other than just going out and riding?? Is there anything i can do during these rides to improve the quality of the rides and eventually

100%

Yes. If you have this kind of time available and are just going out and riding, you will plateau sooner or later and it's quite likely all your riding will end up mid-paced - no sessions easy enough to let you recover so you will not be putting in truly hard sessions. That's what it sounds like is happening from the limited info anyway.

I'd suggest looking for a training plan to give you a definite plan and targets for these rides if you're really interested in improving.

Cheers,
Steve

cyco2

People can look 'fitter' after shedding a few stone. Is this what you mean? You could do a 'fitness' test every so often but it has to be exactly repeatable to make sense of. Speed you can increase by pedalling harder or quicker and endurance can be enhanced by going slower. But there can be so many other factors that need to be accounted for that only you know about. Such as type of bike,arodynamics,weight etc.

Herbsman

Pedal harder

JayKosta

To make big improvements it is necessary to do some riding at a high exertion level that is not enjoyable, it needs to be difficult and unpleasant - but NOT so much that it causes injury. For example, on a hill that is not easy to climb, try to ride it faster & harder. Even to the point of having to get off the bike and walk to the top.
On long flat roads, force yourself to ride faster than is comfortable for a few minutes every so often.
Putting extra stress on your muscles is what will make them respond by getting stronger.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

100%

JayKosta wrote:

To make big improvements it is necessary to do some riding at a high exertion level that is not enjoyable, it needs to be difficult and unpleasant - but NOT so much that it causes injury. For example, on a hill that is not easy to climb, try to ride it faster & harder. Even to the point of having to get off the bike and walk to the top.
On long flat roads, force yourself to ride faster than is comfortable for a few minutes every so often.
Putting extra stress on your muscles is what will make them respond by getting stronger.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

Yep that sounds reasonable to me. What I was also trying to say though is that you need to include enough rest and easy rides to allow your body to recover from those uncomfortable efforts and make gains, rather than running yourself into the ground.

Cheers,
Steve

edten

How are you measuring improvements? Are you training in HR zones? If its just endurance you want then just ride mostly at Z2 with some shorter Z3 rides. If you want to improve all areas of riding then greatest benefits will be realised by following a good structured training programme. Friels Training Bible is very good if you follow it.

If youre not training smart you could just be in a constant state of fatigue. A rest week every 4th week makes sense plus every week have a rest day being sure to have good sleep, no alcohol and just generally recharge. Rest week doesnt need to mean no riding, just no silly efforts and ease of duration and intensity. Also if youre commuting x2 a day then ride in Z1 at least one of the rides otherwise youre riding every 8-12 hrs approx and not allowing enough time for your body to recover from the previous ride.