Regular Training Pattern and General Training Question

[Brenchen]

Hi all,

I've been thinking, does regular training pattern makes the results better than irregular?

When I say regular I mean sticking to the same training week-by-week, below is what I would like to and what I aim to do weekly, although they vary:

• Mondays - Rest/no riding (due to work limitation)
• Tuesdays - 40km hill/mountain climbing + 11km commuting home
• Wednesdays - 11km + 11km cadence + commuting to and from work
• Thursdays - 40~50km + 11km recovery/commuting
• Fridays - Same as Wed, sometimes also riding to the local crit to do a few loops, no particular aim really
• Saturdays - Bike wash and maintenance day with minimal to no riding, unless there are group rides
• Sundays - Endurance (distance depending on what's available and how I feel)

Like I said, these are my "aim" but they often don't get followed properly. So firstly, does this training schedule/plan sound reasonable, and secondly, will irregular training/riding cause any deficiencies in the results?

I don't really have an aim or goal as such, except to get more saddle time (I'm new to riding), and also develop my abilities to climb mountains, keeping up with people around my age-group (they can do 10-12km/h up hills on a endured time, I can do it for about 10min then drops back to about 7km/h, falling back behind)

Cheers

[philip]

Sounds good if you're new to riding. You'll want to up the distances and/or intensity eventually though or you'll find that you'll plateau.

[Brenchen]

Yea I realise that, but for now, I just want to get up those mountains a bit quicker first, and develop my endurance particularly on harder rides.

So the irregularity doesn't really impact on the quality of training?

[shann]

I am no expert, but I'd suggest that the advantage of a regular schedule is that you can make sure you are getting enough ride time, and also make sure you get enough recovery time. Compared to a situation where you might go hard for a few days because you get the chance, then do nothing for a bit because you don't have time/can't be bothered. I find that having a schedule makes it easier for me to plan other things, like saying 'I'm riding that day, but I can do it after X time, or the day after'.

[Chookman]

Yea I realise that, but for now, I just want to get up those mountains a bit quicker first, and develop my endurance particularly on harder rides.

So the irregularity doesn't really impact on the quality of training?

Not sure what you mean by "will it impact the quality of training"; however It will impact the quality of results! consistency is the #1 thing you should strive for. You are better off riding 3 x per week and do it week in week out than to ride 6 x one week and none the next.

[Alex Simmons/RST]

what matters to improve your abilities relative to your goals are:
- consistency
- frequency
- progressive overload
- recovery when necessary
- specificity

employ those fundamentals and you will go a long way.