General life priorities, then in the last month a leg injury then covid. In recent months my riding has dropped off. Had been running 1 or 2x a week to keep up the effort levels but even that stopped with the leg injury (tendon wrench, all ok now).
I know the last thing I should do after covid (mild, feel ok) is go out and do hill reps and big miles. And I’m in no major rush to get back to form, just thinking about how to go about it effectively.
I’ll assume my general base is down as well as my cardio fitness. Fewer miles in 5-6 months than I’d do in a typical 6 week period in recent years.

Anyone got tips on getting back to fitness after a layoff, or is it similar to any other training plan?

Got a turbo trainer, enjoy steady road base miles, got some great 1-4hr hilly MTB rides on the doorstep and quite like SSing.

Umm, little and often?

I missed about 18 months of riding with long covid. When I finally got back on the bike around a year ago, the last thing I wanted to do was train, particularly indoors, so I just rode my bike a lot and the first six months was mostly pottering, because I was still getting twinges and some weird post exertional malaise.

Interestingly my base fitness level after 18 months of doing nothing was still surprisingly high. I had an ftp of 225 watts after two or three months of casual riding, so you may find you’ve lost a lot less than you think. Training adaptations don’t just vanish, though my top-end and recovery from anaerobic efforts is still a bit pants. It’s easy to think that you’re going to be in a much worse state than you really are.

Personally I’d do some general riding for a few weeks, see how you feel, then maybe do an ftp or ramp test if that’s your thing and either train as normal or just enjoy riding your bike over summer, which is my plan. What I should probably be doing is some short, hard sprint intervals – 30 on, 30 off – a couple of times a week, but right now I can’t really be arsed. But I’d see where you are and take it from there. You’ll probably get a much better idea of where you’re at after a few weeks of riding and listening to your body. Disclaimer: I am very much not a coach / sports scientist etc.

My rule of thumb is, each week:
1× long steady session, heartrate 75%
1x hard paced, medium length session, heartrate 80-90%
1x speed/intervals session

Then work whatever circuits/strength/yoga or whatever around that. As long as I get those 3 sessions in, everything else goes well.

Little and often

I thought my days of chasing my Strava segment PBs were over after a rubbish health year last year including ~3.5 weeks of flu in early October, I was so weak when I started cycling again.

But I’ve cycled everyday now since 2nd November, typically 30-60mins. All base except literally one or two weekly sub 40min Zwift D races until mid December, since new year I gradually increased the number of sub 20min races I did until mid March. Did my best ever 20mins in April and for a change I didn’t come down with a lurgy in spring that usually hits my winter training gains.

Since then, I’ve tried to ride far more outside and it feels like I’ve cut back on the frequency of z4+ (kind of concerned I need to start doing more or I’ll lose the turbo winter gains).

I’ve failed in proper attempts to beat old PBs or get a very close second best something like three times so far since March. It’s quite surreal, typically choosing a rough route and targeting one or two segments, to usually improve on pretty decent previous efforts.

Little and often makes sense. Easy morning rides. I expect I’ll get back into the habit of longer Z2 pace rides at weekends and morning SS rides then add a turbo session 1x a week once I feel keen for it. Not totally clear of covid yet but did 90 mins Z2 on the road yesterday and felt fine, just elevated HR for the gear/effort level.

Enjoy the fun factor of rolling along on two wheels again. Your fitness will return.

I’m with @eddd – one long ride, one tempo ride, one interval/hill session. There’s nothing wrong with “little and often”, but if you want a “fast track back to fitness” intervals are the way to go.

Just smash yourself into oblivion as often as you can; I suggest entering as many XC races as possible in as short a time as you can. It might work, but then again 😉

Lots of Z2, sweetspot session on the turbo once a week gradually building up times in zone….add 10% duration each time.

Replace sweetspot with VO2 when you feel ready, again make it progressive

These sub 15min lunchtime sprint races Mon-Fri such as https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=3007355 were the backbone of my improvements Jan-Mar, uses the new “Category Enforcement” system these days, all grades race together.

Another favourite of mine are the various 1 lap smashfest around La Guardia such as https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=3007319 , treating them as social workouts and ignoring my finishing position, get over the finish line asap in ~6mins.

In the same vein, Thursday 1200 and 1815 Micro Masive TTs up Sea To Tree are a more recent addition to the calendar https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=3015130 , ~8mins of VO2 type 2 fun!

For a ramped up challenge once you’re feeling ready, do the Thursday 1200 Micro, have a few mins recovery and then see how you do in the 1215 sprint race. 😉

I agree with @qwerty. I had a really long layoff with COVID and a bunch of other health stuff and several false starts. I think that part of what held me back in the false starts was trying to chase fitness, even though I thought I was being conservative in my efforts.

What worked for me was to turn off all the performance data fields on the wahoo and head out with the intention of doing whatever felt good. It was really liberating to stop worrying about fitness, progression etc and focus on all the other great motivators there are for getting out on the bike. The fitness came back fairly quickly and I soon found myself doing intervals because I like them.

Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s worth considering that fitness is probably only part of why you enjoy your bike. It is important, but I think it’s hard to force and you might have a better time if you just let it happen as a by product of focusing on other things.

There is no fast track! Consistency is key!

Enjoy the fun factor of rolling along on two wheels again. Your fitness will return.

This

For years I chased fitness to be able to do races etc. Now I have a hip issue I kind of have an excuse not to chase fitness any more, but therefore I am so much enjoying what I do do. I go slower but enjoy it more – life is much nicer too without that constant chasing.

Yes I miss being able to compete but what the heck I just enjoy being out now

There is no fast track! Consistency is key!

I expect so. I’ve always kept a decent base though and have had good results from 3 or 6 month plans in the past. I think I could get a good bump in fitness from a more focused 3 month catch up, just thinking of ways to be effective.

What worked for me was to turn off all the performance data fields on the wahoo and head out with the intention of doing whatever felt good. It was really liberating to stop worrying about fitness, progression etc and focus on all the other great motivators there are for getting out on the bike. The fitness came back fairly quickly and I soon found myself doing intervals because I like them.

Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s worth considering that fitness is probably only part of why you enjoy your bike. It is important, but I think it’s hard to force and you might have a better time if you just let it happen as a by product of focusing on other things.

^ Agreed, 100%. No risk of me getting training obsessed. I’ve never cared much for data and riding’s always been for fun. I use a stopwatch and HRM to train, that’s it. I may get on a turbo for a plan if I want to do something that needs fitness and I do have a decent capacity for effort if motivated, but fitness has always just enabled me to do something bigger, longer etc not been an aim in itself.

For a ramped up challenge once you’re feeling ready, do the Thursday 1200 Micro, have a few mins recovery and then see how you do in the 1215 sprint race. 😉

I don’t have zwift… Just an old turbo and some thrash metal albums : )

one long ride, one tempo ride, one interval/hill session.

Lots of Z2, sweetspot session on the turbo once a week gradually building up times in zone….add 10% duration each time.

Replace sweetspot with VO2 when you feel ready, again make it progressive

That’s been the base of any training in the past, back to that kind of plan then.

I had 3 months of very little riding – no COVID or any “illness” though I did have a really sore shoulder for about 6wk.

Getting back just into the riding I’m used to left me really wiped out for the last couple of months and I’m just about getting back now

So, err, do it gradually

(edit:  if you’re a mid-pack duffer in his mid 50s)

I’ve got a bit out of shape a couple of times in the past years, with Covid and then some life changes.

I don’t like “training” so what works for me is booking four or five days away and doing decent rides every day, at my own pace.

Last week I took my MTB to Wales and did a mix of off-piste, trail centre and mountain rides.

I find that gets the ball rolling again, though it’s still a work-in-progress at the mo TBH.