Has anyone trained to a decent level using this?

Last year I trained with my own personal trainer and achieved a very good level of fitness which I maintained throughout the year.

I had thought about picking up last years training plan again but being that much fitter I am not sure it will be any good so I am reading through Joe Friel’s book. Can’t really justify paying for a PT again as I have other outlays that are more important, but also want to achieve an even better fitness level than last season.

So, can anyone share their experiences using this method and what they have achieved through racing compared to when not using it?

Advice form industry professionals would be ideal! 😉

I tried, but it was too detailed for me to bother following.

I haven’t found it that bad to follow. I’m at the part where I’m planing/ prioritising my racing season and goals.

Got the MTB bible, very good read for people new to training and wanting to create a plan.

However, I’d say if you have a plan that works then get a fitness test done and adapt the values for your existing one.

I started out with the training bible and it provides a good basis to understand what your doing or supposed to be doing.

Used it. It is very detailed but the premise is you tailor it around your life. Book’s not going to find the motivatoon for you.

Its a good introduction to the concepts of cycle training but you have to be either super committed / single / unemployed to follow it to a tee I.e you need a lot of time OK n your hands. I just prefer to get out and ride when I feel like it. Training plans have made me hate cycling in the past

It has a lot of useful information about training, but is quite involved. However, even if you don’t follow it in every detail, it should provide a good basis for working out your own programme.

It got ac282 to be ranked 9th Elite in the UK. I used it, but I never got above top 10 Sport NPS, mainly as they year after that I was ill with a Kidney infection and never got back in to serious training.

It got ac282 to be ranked 9th Elite in the UK.

But what was the ranking without referring to the book and using a bespoke training program from a coach? And what was the level achieved with no reference material and just ‘riding and racing your bike’

It’s very detailed and gives great insight into how to develop and use a training plan but it is a lot to take in and as andypaul99 said you have to be super commited/ unemployed/ single otherwise you are doomed to fail and get disappointed with yourself. The book IMO is great material for coaches themselves as it gives over all detailing in creating a unique and specific built year round training plan. I am a wiser man because of him but I’ve moved on in hoping it’ll make me a good racer. I’m not. You either have it or you don’t.

Jez http://www.followingthechainline.blogspot.com

Commitment, time and motivation is not a problem for me and I’m used to training 10 hours plus a week.

That’s the kind of answer I’m after footflaps. I’ve been top 10 in mountain bike and cyclocross this year and still want to improve. I will also be doing Road and TT races this year too. How were you getting on before proper training?

I haven’t followed the plans myself, but I spent some time writing plans based on the Friel book for someone else.

Although there is a lot in the book, when you start writing out plans then it all falls into place so isn’t that hard to get to grips with. The one thing that really stood out for me was that you need to be both motivated AND honest – initially in identifing personal limiters, then during the plan making realistic assessments about how it’s working in order to modify it if necessary.

Joe Friels blog is also quite good for snippets of advice that stand alone, but back up what’s in the book, like this:
http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2012/12/five-fundamentals-of-training.html

I would like to add I’m racing better since I stopped using him!

jezandu – Member
I would like to add I’m racing better since I stopped using him!

+1

How were you getting on before proper training?

Personally I’d say it made a big difference, and I followed it pretty much to the letter. But you can never answer the what if instead you had tried XYZ as you only have one life…

Pretty much all his advice is based on studies (all referenced), so it is based on science, although, again I’m sure there are many posters on here who know so much more and will disagree with everything JF says as they’ve tried doing only 3 seconds training a month, at 237% intensity and have found that to be the ‘perfect’ training method.

Personally I’d say it made a big difference, and I followed it pretty much to the letter. But you can never answer the what if instead you had tried XYZ as you only have one life…

Pretty much all his advice is based on studies (all referenced), so it is based on science, although, again I’m sure there are many posters on here who know so much more and will disagree with everything JF says as they’ve tried doing only 3 seconds training a month, at 237% intensity and have found that to be the ‘perfect’ training method.

A book is no substitute for a real coach who can assess you and structure a plan to your goals and time availability. Middle aged men who want to improve (and have read a book or 2) are the some of the worst people a coach can work with, they always know better, have trouble recognising their failures/weaknesses and never do as they are told. 🙄