Hello,
I want to create a training plan using Coach Jack. I would like to do training 2-3 times a week at home, but in addition to that about 2 times a week (on different days) I would like to ride what I like the most - freely outside (no training, just freeride/trips for a distance of 30-80 km). How should these outdoor rides affect my plan? If I do freeride on a day when I should do training, should I simply move this training to the day after tomorrow (to have a day of rest) without changing the intensity of the training or should I skip this day and consider riding outside to have replaced it?
Thanks for all your help and best regards!
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Hi, so there are many options here. Generally the way that CJ works is we are not killing you the entire time and it gradually increases so doing one ride instead of a specific training and just skipping that one specific training is fine. You also can do what we call is following “My Plans” which means pushing the plan to my plans and activating it there, then you can just do one workout, and once it is done you mark it as completed and do the next. This is instead of a calendar approach.
You can have 3 different sequences of workouts in a week. Some might feel hard and some not so much. If you do a longer block near the end they start getting hard. The main thing is try to limit how often you do 2 hard days in a row and almost never do 3 hard days in a row. So Hard>Z1-recovery>Hard can be ok but even Hard>z2/z3>hard is not.
Overal people should either have a good coach or self-coach themselves and so it’s more about applying logial proven general principals. Even most AI solutions make a lot of mistakes and give bad advice so understanding the basics yourself and what works for you and what does not makes the biggest difference.
Let me know if that answers your question or if you need additional info. Mostly just have fun and I say prioritize your outdoor fun over structured indoor training unless you have something extremely important you are trying to do, i.e. solve a specific performance related problem.
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Hi Skyler,
What a great question. I think this is an issue most riders struggle with: How rigid is your training plan? You have made a plan, so what would be the use of the plan if you don’t follow it!?
I always tell my clients that the plan is not set in stone. You should always check your progression and recovery to see if the plan still fits.
What I like about your question is that you want to ride outside, doing what you like, but you also want to use a plan, probably because you want to progress and know this will help you.
Alex has given you the options from within TrainerDay. It is a great program.
Let me help you with some tips on when to do what. There are 2 sides to each story. The main issue here is motivation. Somewhere, you feel restricted by a plan. If not, what is the purpose of the question, right!?
You are not the only one. The questions you need to ask yourself are:
- What is your goal?
- How bad do you want it?
If you are a pro and your goal is to win a stage or race and you know that your family and future are on the line when you don’t deliver, you have a strong motivation to train almost any schedule for as many hours as possible.
But if you are a time-crunched amateur who likes to takes his mind of work by cycling, your motivation to put in a lot of hours, dedicated on a training plan is purely intrinsic. Some have, some don’t.
It is essential to realise that both are fine.
Effectively, there is no point in a plan that you don’t follow. 
So, here are your options.
Answer the questions. Review them after 4 weeks, and answer them again. Make a choice
- You want results. It is important. So you follow the plan and don’t change it.
- You want results, but sticking to the plan impairs your motivation. Mix the plan with your outdoor rides to boost motivation. Try to mix the training from the plan into your outdoor ride, if you can. Evaluate how many of these motivational boosts you need.
- You don’t really care about the results, you just want to try things. Make a plan, ride what you want, and evaluate what the plan ads to your training.
A couple of things to close:
I would prioritise training 3 times a week. It is the minimum to stay healthy and progress.
A day of rest after a training day is a good suggestion.
If you can replace the training depends on what you do in that training. If your outdoor ride is slow and long, but your indoor ride was short and intense than it is not the same. If you did some sprints in that workout, like you would have in the indoor training, then you could skip that training.
Remember that this question is mainly about the way you want to have fun in what you are doing. Any answer to that question is the right answer.
Have fun, Coach Robert
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