The training thread: How was yours? (today/yesterday/etc)

[Xplora]

I like not training lol. kms are less than 100 a week for a couple months. Squat and Deadlift are coming along nicely, and I seem to be able to pull a bunch of watts in the sprint regardless. #sprintswinraces

You don't enjoy riding?

I like riding, but I'm very selective about what I'm doing - and I don't get too wound up if I miss a ride. I'm the captain of NWSCC, and I started a Saturday ride that was quite a bit tougher than most of the club rides but average speed is fairly low. Intervals and chatting stuff. The other top club rides midweek leave at 5am or 5:30am and I'm a night owl. I race selectively as well.

Weight training solves a lot of the psychological exercise triggers I need, with a lot less chance of getting hurt or making a social faux pas - I seem to make people angry on occasion. So I do what I want. Riding is a means to an end. It is not the ONLY means to that end.

[g-boaf]

Weather seems a bit dodgy so I did an hour of intervals instead of a 2.5h ride.

[cerb]

Big session last night with lots of ouch. Did sets of 4x intervals starting with each interval 2min@135% and working my way up to 30sec@200%. Legs are sore this morning!

[g-boaf]

Big session last night with lots of ouch. Did sets of 4x intervals starting with each interval 2min@135% and working my way up to 30sec@200%. Legs are sore this morning!

That's a very solid workout. I'm thinking of what that'd mean if I did it, and thinking it's going to be a lot of ouch!

I did 4x7min intervals today close to FTP and a 3 minute bit at 105%. Felt good for a few days in a row of similar and some commuting on the bike. Really starting to notice improvement. Just need to take a few easier weeks here and there as well.

[jules21]

I signed up for an academic study of lactate threshold and have been doing some graduated exercise tests to exhaustion a couple of times a week. Not doing a whole lot else at the mo' but these are hard enough

[g-boaf]

A bit sore today (commute yesterday) but happy with 145km today, reasonably quick average speed. Hopefully same tomorrow.

[g-boaf]

So a big block of riding done, over 1000km in 7 days. And some good solid efforts in there.

Apart from the roasting heat and the general aggravations of spending more than 30 hours on the bike, no other dramas.

I'll do a couple of easy rides over the weekend then rest up next week.

[cerb]

Have only been on the bike 4 times since 18th December, three times on the trainer, once on the road.

Raced yesterday and completely bombed in the heat due to dehydration as I'd forgotton my bottles... pulled the pin with 4 laps to go!

Aiming to get a few trainer sessions in this week before heading over to Adelaide for the TDU with a good portion of my race team. Expecting it will be the biggest km I've done in a week for about 3-4 years!

Good timing too, because post Christmas and holiday gorging I could really do with a solid training block!

[jules21]

that's a lot of riding g-boaf

have fun at TDU cerb.

I rode out to road nats yesterday. 118km ride into a blasting headwind was hard work. one section was gravel along the railway line, ungraded so I was snaking around as my skinny tyres sunk into the sand at 10-15km/h. luckily my club had fully catered the marquee, which I took full advantage of

[g-boaf]

that's a lot of riding g-boaf

have fun at TDU cerb.

I rode out to road nats yesterday. 118km ride into a blasting headwind was hard work. one section was gravel along the railway line, ungraded so I was snaking around as my skinny tyres sunk into the sand at 10-15km/h. luckily my club had fully catered the marquee, which I took full advantage of

Thanks - it was good and really noticing the benefits. Funny thing, the day after it, I ended up doing a 60km ride, then the day after that a 75km ride.

TDU sounds like a lot of fun. I'm not envious though, I've got my own little tour later in the year.

After a couple of fairly quick rides on the weekend and 2x20min on Friday, I just did a 55km coffee ride this morning, and took the TT bike out this afternoon for a roll because I hadn't ridden it for a while. Reminded me just how fast that thing is. And that 50mm front wheel is staying on that bike permanently now. I'm not really doing any specific training this week I don't think, just riding for the fun of it.

[davehirst]

I have been trying to improve, doing a 70, one to two 30's and a spin weekly for month now. Odd thing, so strava says, is the first half of rides stay the same, but coming home I get PR's each ride.
So I developing stamina but not speed. Why?

[g-boaf]

I have been trying to improve, doing a 70, one to two 30's and a spin weekly for month now. Odd thing, so strava says, is the first half of rides stay the same, but coming home I get PR's each ride.
So I developing stamina but not speed. Why?

You get your base fitness first, then speed comes after it with the old fashioned strength intervals that I still reckon work well. Then after that start doing your intervals above FTP.

If you like doing TT style efforts, then do 2x your intended distance, but not totally flat out. Then between each effort, active recovery (not the coffee shop) and make sure you eat something.

[davehirst]

this morning I rolled along for 20k (80/85 cadence)then did a 4 k (bobbin head) hill 2 cogs down from usual, and keeping my cadence up around 65 (all i could manage without overcooking) then a 4 k roll (80/85) then the same hill same routine, then 13k home.
would you call those 2 hills strength intervals ?.
Does your ideas on training change in relation to age (58 me).
I seem to have sore glutes and quads continuously. I try to rest every second day (off bike) but still go to gym 6 times week, for weights or yoga.
I feel strong, but eat and sleep alot more than i did.

[Derny Driver]

would you call those 2 hills strength intervals ?.
.

Sort of. If you are seated and at cadence 60 and the hill is about 10 minutes long with a steady gradient of around 4-6% then yes. You need to have that 10 minutes between sets to get the lactic acid out. And you need to do 4 of them, not 2.
You have no speed because you have nor trained for speed. If you want speed then jump behind a motorbike on a velodrome and get your cadence really ripping, and do some sprint drills off the moto.
but if all you are wanting is to get some Strava KOMs or improve your average speed on a certain favourite ride, then all that is a bit pointless.
At a guess, 6 gym sessions a week is probably causing the soreness

[Derny Driver]

would you call those 2 hills strength intervals ?.
.

Sort of. If you are seated and at cadence 60 and the hill is about 10 minutes long with a steady gradient of around 4-6% then yes. You need to have that 10 minutes between sets to get the lactic acid out. And you need to do 4 of them, not 2.
You have no speed because you have nor trained for speed. If you want speed then jump behind a motorbike on a velodrome and get your cadence really ripping, and do some sprint drills off the moto.
But if all you are wanting is to get some Strava KOMs or improve your average speed on a certain favourite ride, then all that is a bit pointless.
At a guess, 6 gym sessions a week is probably causing the soreness

[g-boaf]

6 gym sessions per week?? Are you a machine!? Ease off on those a bit and get some rest.

[davehirst]

1 day spin, then 1 body part per day.
Yoga a few times. It adds up. On days i don't ride I usually do yoga and spin in morning and weights in arvo.
Always been energetic, as a landscaper, now retired I have to burn it off somehow.

[davehirst]

It's not about Strava or the likes, just don't like every man and his dog passing me, if I could or can improve to reasonable/ average, I would be happy.
Over the last 4 months I moved from18 k. Average to 23 so I am getting there
I would like to climb better and improve distances

[davehirst]

so yesterday I climbed on a kaiser stat bike that i usually spin on, and did the strength interval.
10 mi warm up then 10 min hard ; I usually spin at about 150 wt at 90 cad (weak i know), i jacked it up to 250 wts and set off. At first i thought it was 2 hard but i persisted and adapted to the pace (65 cad). burn in quads, outside of hips.
Back to 95 cad for 10 minutes.
Then too 260 wts for 10 min, more burn in same areas plus lower abs by 8 min in, the last 2 min struggled to hold 59 cad.
then an other 8 min cool down.
At the end my legs were jelly, last night i cramped in calves, and today all legs are real tender.
I figure i can drop legs at the gym whilst i do this
How regularly would you do this interval . I think I will continue for period the change to speed intervals, the challenge was enjoyable in a wrong sort of way.
I realize these figures are prolly not accurate, but they show the percentage of increase in effort.
Today i just tooled around on the mtb for 10 km just to get some blood in the legs
Thanks for the advice

[g-boaf]

At the end my legs were jelly, last night i cramped in calves, and today all legs are real tender.

Roll out those muscles after these efforts - that will help with this.

burn in quads, outside of hips.

Quads normal, bit outside of hips, not so normal.

by 8 min in, the last 2 min struggled to hold 59 cad.

That's too low. Stay at 245-250w and stick with 65rpm. You should feel the burn, but it should be possible to complete the efforts (most important), 3 or 4 of them. You can look at the RPE scale as well to judge your efforts:

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowl ... le---RPE-0

These sorts of low cadence efforts shouldn't really push your heart rate way into the red, these are more about working your legs. On their scale at the link, you'd probably be looking at a 7. Different places have different scales and numbering systems, but they all are broadly similar at establishing your perceived level of effort. Joe Friel talks about it a bit more here: http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/labels/RPE.html

Otherwise, you really need to find out what you can achieve for 20 minutes and take that as your "FTP" and then base the rest as percentages of that. Jumping from saying 150w at 90rpm to 250+w and 65rpm or lower for multiple intervals is just too big a jump and I'd be worried about the risk of injury.



I did 6x5min on Monday, 3x10min yesterday and 1.5 hours of intervals today which had my legs burning (and wobbly legs feeling after it), but also pretty good.

[davehirst]

So I pick a number say 220 and see if I can do 20 min, then a day or 2 later try again , up or down depending on the result

[Derny Driver]

How regularly would you do this interval ...

At a cursory glance, I would say you are trying too hard. Intervals. Hill strengthies ...
In my experience, the harder you try, the worse you will get. Soon you will be on that little plateau where you think you are improving, and from there it is all downhill. Dont let me discourage you though, because this is how 90% of people think they should train.

[g-boaf]

So I pick a number say 220 and see if I can do 20 min, then a day or 2 later try again , up or down depending on the result

Well, if you feel that's realistic, then yes. If it feels too easy then start trying to go up a bit more, gradually. Pace yourself. You really do need to do these on a bike with gears though to make it most realistic.

As for the intervals and how many, you've got to have an easy day in between these kinds of intervals because they hurt, a lot. If you don't ease of, you won't get the benefits.

[davehirst]

Thanks for your input, and the links to the articles. They and you have given me a direction to explore.
I shall experiment with some of the friel tests.

[jules21]

went for a recovery 'training' ride with some of the OBE guys this morning on Beach Rd. can confirm that their recovery rides are pretty easy.