Do you bother?

Do you take a complete day off every week?

Do you take a week off every 8 or so?

Rest. That’s when you don’t train for a day or two.

I know it’s a major challenge for you. Maybe get a book or some DVDs or something to help.

Personally I find a week of inactivity really helps, but that’s more than many coaches recommend I think. Certianly 2-4 days really helps, much more than one.

Rest on the bike by going slow

no rest/recovery means no time to make the adaptations that the training is supposed to cause.

That’s when you don’t train for a day or two.

God it sounds horrible 🙂

iDave… I can recover by going slow though, surely? Like what Barry says.

Cor blimy, I wish I could manage enough consistency in training to need to build rest periods in!

I’ve recently been bombing around London as fast as I can as training. It’s surprising how a 5-7 mile ride can leave you tired in the legs. I’ve noticed that if I don’t take a 2-3 day rest period (and eat some carbs) I still feel achey and slow, but if I do I come back full of fastness.

I can recover by going slow though, surely?

Mate, you don’t need training advice, you need therapy.

LOL! I need to exercise more 🙂

If you want to get fitter then train smarter, not more. However if you just want to be exercising, then knock yourself out.

Mate, you don’t need training advice, you need therapy.

Now that I agree with, 100 percent !.
😉

Anyway, hello chaps.

Good weekend ?.

If you want to get fitter then train smarter, not more

These, of course, can be one of the same.

To quote my man Buzz…

I believe that every human has a finite number of heart-beats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises. Buzz Aldrin US astronaut

Not really. If you train to much you put too great a load on your system and it hasn’t the energy or time to build itself up in response to what you do do. And fatigue stops you doing speed work properly at 100%

Do you bother?

It’s the only bit I bother with!

Training’s just another form of cheating, like doping. I prefer to race untainted by such things.

How do you know what “too great” is though?

Still, I’m trying to research rest… I want to know what others do.

I’ve been reading “The rider” by Tim Krabbe.
I’m almost finished, I’ve reached the part where…

Anyway, its a good read. TSY, you could read that and it might almost feel like you were in that race, or on a training ride.
But while you’re sitting still resting reading.

I’ve recently been bombing around London as fast as I can as training. It’s surprising how a 5-7 mile ride can leave you tired in the legs.

that’s not training.

just do different exercises each day, that way every day is a rest day for at least one muscle group 8)

pretty sure you’re kinda doing that with gym stuff, but maybe not with swimming?

I do.
Monday – Rest
Tuesday – Turbo
Wednesday – Moderate road ride
Thursday – Team Training or turbo
Friday – Rest
Saturday – Long ride 2-3+ hours
Sunday – Same as Saturday unless racing.

just do different exercises each day, that way every day is a rest day for at least one muscle group

pretty sure you’re kinda doing that with gym stuff, but maybe not with swimming?

Not sure about that. Its not just about muscles is it.
Its the recovery systems in the backround so to say.
When you recover all manner of processes are in action, no matter which particular muscle group you’ve focused on.
imo.
🙂

A good way of doing it is 3 weeks with increasing load, then a 4th week at 50-60% training load. During the hard weeks 1 day off and one recovery ride works well for me. If you ae a bit older (maybe >40) you can do 2 on, 1 off.

Just keep an eye out for over/under doing it. If you are honest with yourself you normally know when to rest.

that’s not training

No? Why’s that then?

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!

“A good way of doing it is 3 weeks with increasing load, then a 4th week at 50-60% training load.”

This is sort of what I do. I think I need to go harder on my hard weeks and easier on my easy week.

I think listening to the body is key… I rested yesterday afternoon as I was shattered, didn’t see any point in going out even if it was just for a gentle pootle.

If use a HR monitor you can see fatigue in the numbers. Your resting rate will be up and your max will be harder to reach. Most obvious when doing back to back hard days like stage races or day after day single races.

If use a HR monitor you can see fatigue in the numbers. Your resting rate will be up and your max will be harder to reach. Most obvious when doing back to back hard days like stage races or day after day single races

Is that a sky-n-trific fact ?, cos some on here don’t rate HRMs, unless you’re selling them, kinda, thing, like…

Anyway, is HR monitoring truely useful ?, I’d like to know, if anyone here does.

Also.

3 weeks with increasing load, then a 4th week at 50-60% training load

Now this, I think, demonstrates my point about doing things your body has evolved and adapted to do, and getting something out of your body that while not specifically designed for it, can produce a performance.

I’ve heard a few people talk about checking resting heart rates as an indicator of revovery levels or training goals on a day to day basis.

Mine was at 50 on Saturday morning after doing Tabata intervals on Friday night.

No? Why’s that then?

i guess it could be training for “bombing around London as fast as I can”
which will only ever enable you to ‘bomb around London as fast as you think you can’

if that was your target (all training needs a target or it’s just riding your bike) a coach would give you a structured program to enable you to ‘bomb around London as fast as you can’ but it wouldn’t contain just bombing around London as fast as you can.

Training’s just another form of cheating, like doping. I prefer to race untainted by such things.

😀

(imagines parallel universe where road race teams are busted for team car found full of HR monitors, turbo trainers and sufferfest DVDs)

HRMs tell you certain things which can be useful if you know what the data means. Like a barometer.

If you see a higher or lower hr than normal at a certain perceived exertion, then you know something’s up. Higher could mean you are ill, lower could mean you are tired.

Power meter is more useful still mind. I am considering getting rid of mine… you might be interested in it.

Mine was at 50

Hhhmmm.

I don’t think my HR has ever reached much below 70.
Iz I super unfit then ?.
**suspects so 🙁 **

Edit; deleted – totally useless input, must learn to read properly.

which will only ever enable you to ‘bomb around London as fast as you think you can

Fail on so many levels!

Coaches give you lots of different kinds of workout, some structured, some less so. Also stuff like intervals. Do you think they are solely to enable you to ride for 2 minutes as fast as you can?

I don’t think my HR has ever reached much below 70.
Iz I super unfit then ?.

This is why HRMs can be bad. The numbers are not important, it’s the changes in the numbers. Some people have high HRs, some low. Never compare your actual numbers to someone else’s. It’s like saying ‘oh I’m only 5’9 so I can’t swim fast’

If I could afford it I’d get a powermeter

Grips, didn’t, don’t you have one of those ?.
If so, are they useful ?.

Yes, they are, for structured and targetted training.

Expenisve though. So unlikely to be worth it unless you are either very rich or very keen and data obsessed 🙂

totally useless input, must learn to read properly

Don’t ever let that stop you on here.

Why you thinking of getting rid of it Molly?

This is why HRMs can be bad. The numbers are not important, it’s the changes in the numbers. Some people have high HRs, some low. Never compare your actual numbers to someone else’s. It’s like saying ‘oh I’m only 5’9 so I can’t swim fast’

Weeellll, may be, but Buzz seems to think I’m using up my heart beats too quickly.

So, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all and to let you know I’ve enjoyed knowing, most of y

Solo – since stopping smoking and exercising more my resting HR has dropped almost 20 BPM. I’m on a mission to get it into the 40’s.