I’m new to cycling (riding for 6 months) and am just getting started with TrainerDay, but used to structured training with varying intensities. I have a strength background, but have spent the last three years pivoting hard towards fitness for health/longevity, losing about 55 lbs and doing a lot more cardio (primarily running). Higher volume running is too much impact for my weight (212-215 lbs), so I’m transitioning to cycling as my main cardio modality (and because I like going fast) but still easy running once a week to maintain those adaptations. I also continue to strength train 3-4 hrs a week because I enjoy it.
I’d like to work towards joining the local group ride that averages about 20 mph over 30 miles, with the eventual goal of hanging with one that goes about 23 mph over 40. I currently can do about 18-19 mph for 30 miles, which is 185-200 watts for me on a typical route.
I have a crit racer friend helping me with bike fit/adjustments to get more aero (cheap speed!), but I need to improve my bike fitness too. I have about 5-6 weekly hours to spend on cycling in conjunction with weights and running. Could you suggest a Coach Jack plan configuration for a 6 month period given these goals and constraints? I’ve added my power curve from intervals if that’s helpful. Thanks so much!
So plans are a funny thing. Most people have some idea of what they believe a good plan is… meaning if nothing else how the feel good at the end of a workout. One main thing that happens is people get stuck. They progress for a while and stop. To break out of that rut usually requires a reset, especially if they have been going moderately hard for a while.
There is a second aspect that comes to light which is many cyclists tend to like to do more structured workouts indoors and more fun rides outdoors. So hard winters are what people want even if they are not generally the most optimum plan for maximum spring time performance but considering the other constraints beliefs you have factor yourself, beliefs, desires into this mix it might be the best option.
It’s usually best to think in terms of from the point of a reset you have about 4-6 months to slowly progress to a peak before hitting a plateau. There is a lot of different cases. With your multisport history it’s hard to know exactly where you are at and what your optimum plan is. CJ suggests starting easier and ending hard. Now intensity level 1 might not be something you are mentally ready for even though many pros start their season like this. Their level 1 and your level 1 are different obviously.
So I suggest a base, build, peak but you might not be ready for base. So just start with a 16 week plan. Mostly easy and a bit of hard seems to work best in such a wide variety of cases that it’s hard to ignore but some people do fine at least for a while with lots of hard.
So it’s as much about your desires/beliefs as it is your history. If you provide a bit more I can help a bit more. I recommend 16 weeks of serious italian starting at level 5 if I had to make a guess. Level 5 won’t feel too hard but it will slowly build you up so that level 15 or so at the end will feel very good. They you could do a peak plan that could be very hard.
Thanks so much for your quick and detailed response! You make great points. Without a history of competing in events or activities that require an off season, I have never really periodized training much instead opting for continuous incremental improvement while trying to avoid overreaching. My current typical week is one 30-45 minute anaerobic session, one or two 45 minute near threshold interval sessions, one longer zone 2 ride (2-3 hrs), and then a couple of 45 min zone 2 sessions sprinkled in. As you mention, I prefer indoors for the harder interval efforts because it’s much easier to be precise with power and duration, and prefer steady state work outside.
When you say I might not be ready for base, are you referring to mentally accepting that lower intensity does lead to progress, or that I haven’t plateaued from a peak block and so wouldn’t need to transition to base yet? What I could do is target fat loss during a base phase and more easily adhere to the lower intensity out of necessity, and then shift to higher intensity focus in a build/peak.
If you are already riding 30 miles solo at 18-19 mph, then with a just a bit of group riding craft, you will be able to ride with a group at 20mph over that distance.
I defer to Alex on plan recommendation: 16 weeks of serious Italian starting at level 5
Not ready for base, I meant mentally because if you have recently seen increases, feel great, sleeping fine and are not at a plateau now then you could get going and improving now, but really it’s best to think in terms of when do you want to be in peak form. If that is next April/may and you have gone hard now for a while they you will likely flat line and possible even lose a bit of motivation after a hard winter and hard spring. So a base period can make you hungry for intensity. If you feel you right now want intensity, you could do some intensity for 8 weeks, then do a mini base period for say 4 weeks and then start your progression to peak in the spring. There are a lot of options.
Many people don’t do base periods but most people also plateau and just get stuck. Now if that stuck happens to be at a high level it’s not the end of the word. You likely have more growth in you right now but that is highly individual and hard to predict for anyone but a real coach that really understands you. You also can do this self-analysis but most of us are optimists and don’t look at the big picture… Life is high stress, don’t sleep very well, 40+, intenseness weight training and I think I can keep going hard 12 months a ywar… Well pros are low stress, sleep 10+ hours a day and 18-24, do minimal weight training during the main season… Just because you don’t do 20 hours a week on the bike you need to look at the outsiders view of yourself and doing an annual period of zone 2 is usually the right way to approach training for most or a few times a year but shorter in duration. When you time that is based on your goals but keep in mind 4-6 months of increasing duration and intensity to a peak period.
Just because you don’t do 20 hours a week on the bike you need to look at the outsiders view of yourself and doing an annual period of zone 2 is usually the right way to approach training for most or a few times a year but shorter in duration. When you time that is based on your goals but keep in mind 4-6 months of increasing duration and intensity to a peak period.