Simple training plan (HR/Cadence?)

I’ve stuck my commuter on the turbo trainer and I’ve got speed/cadence sensors.

I’m looking for something dead simple for Jnr (and me).
Jnr just wants to watch fun video’s not cycling/mtb specific so I just wanted a simple set of times/cadence/HR etc. for him to try for?

Are you wanting to connect to a PC? I’m using Golden Cheetah for my workouts and it works well with a speed and cadence sensor and their virtual power curves.
PM sent too

I used to do a dead simple routine of:

Pick a middleish gear
80rpm for three minutes
90rpm for two minutes
100rpm for one minute
Repeat through a few sets

If it gets too easy, go up to a harder gear

and thats how much you don’t need tech to help you get better.
That is a good set.

Also, pick a really easy gear and go single leg for a minute, swap legs and repeat for 10 minutes. This really engages core, is bonus training for your ass and triceps.

Once you can get to 4 minutes per leg (using the same easy gear) the corona virus will be long gone and it will be time to go out and show off a new level of fitness to the club.

Target HR Zones for set periods?
Keep cadence in a sensible ballpark, say 85-95rpm? Adjust gearing/resistance to suit (not the otherway round)…

Obviously you’ll go mad staring at a garmin trying to keep HR in a set zone for hours on end though, so you can set alarms on many devices to beep at you if you go too high/low.
Then you can concentrate on netflix with minimal interruptions…

There are also GCN workout videos on YT, worth a look if you want something structured for a set time period. Basically a simple video spin class without a silly subscription.

Another variation:

80rpm in easy gear for a minute
80rpm in medium gear for a minute
80rpm in harder gear for a minute
90rpm in easy gear for a minute
90rpm in medium gear for a minute
90rpm in harder gear for a minute
100rpm in easy gear for a minute
100rpm in medium gear for a minute (if you’re lucky)
100rpm in harder gear for a minute (you never get here 🙂 )

I’m using rollers. I just put a film on, start cycling and try and keep my cadence as close to 90 as I can for as long as I can or before I get bored.

When I’m out in the real world I seem to average 78 rpm no matter what the ride, mtb or road.

If you have a speed sensor, just sign upto trainerroad or sufferfest (or others) and you can train via virtual power.

You could do the same thing with speeds (all virtual power is, is speed -> estimated power) but it’s harder to visualize.

At a really simple level, set your garmin up so it will show average speed, do a bit of a warmup, then do 5 minutes at a pace that you can barely hold for 5 minutes (it shouldn’t ramp up, but you should pretty much be passing out at 4m59s), 10 minutes easy (bottom gear, barely having to press on the pedals, just spining allong) to recover then do 20 minutes at pace that’s sustainable for the duration (about 80-90% of the 5 minute speed), if you get to 10 minutes and it’s easy add another 5-10% to the speed, and again at 5 minutes to go. It should be a constant effort (i.e. speed) but the first 5 minutes should feel easy, then if you pace it right the lactic acid hits in the last minute or two and you should barely be able to finish. It’s worth just repeating this every other day for a week to get an idea of how hard it should be, just use the last sessions figure as the starting point. I say every other day because I can barely ride the next after doing it, it’s supposed to be significantly harder than a training session!

That is then your FTP (don’t multiply it by 110%, the 5 minute effort before it knocks that 10% off).

Then use this chart to figure out approximate 5 minute and 1 minute speeds (just assume it’s a linear relationship between speed and power, it’s not but it’ll close enough for most trainers for the 5 minute power, and 1 minute and 5s power is basically as hard as you can go and it doesn’t matter if you fade it’s not supposed to be consistent.

https://www.cyclingutah.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Table4.1_PowerProfile_Clear_Version.jpg

Then you just find sessions that prescribe things like 2x20min at 95% of FTP, or 4x 5min at FTP.

Of just pay the £10/month and let Sufferfest do all the hard work and thinking for you, you just follow the instructions on the screen.

The GCN videos are good, tried one this morning. Just don’t let the boy try the first video in their playlist, it has quite a lot of female flesh on display and felt very odd to watch! The ones by the lads are meant to be very good for basic training.

PM sent too

Cheers… replied thanks

Just don’t let the boy try the first video in their playlist, it has quite a lot of female flesh on display and felt very odd to watch!

Cheers.. we randomly selected a Mallorca hill climb vid earlier…. I recknon though it will jsut be more a spin type class for him with some stupid youtube channel and I’ll stick some music on.

I really need to do something about the cranks though .. it’s hard for him to get the cadence on 170mm cranks I’m about to pull the bikes apart when the new suspension bearings arrive so I might stick on his HT BB and 142mm cranks if I can find a chainring or two though its a 96bcd so might be harder … but maybe I have an old unused sq taper crankset I took off his 1st 24″ … time to rip the shed apart ….

The initial thread was so short, simple, focussed and clear. I had to read it twice to believe that Steve was asking stuff about his son’s cycling without going into his usual monumental technical detail on every aspect of the equipment his son will be using. 😃
Then he posted:

I really need to do something about the cranks though .. it’s hard for him to get the cadence on 170mm cranks I’m about to pull the bikes apart when the new suspension bearings arrive so I might stick on his HT BB and 142mm cranks if I can find a chainring or two though its a 96bcd so might be harder … but maybe I have an old unused sq taper crankset I took off his 1st 24″ … time to rip the shed apart ….

Normal service is resumed…..

I’m looking for something dead simple….

Who are you, and what have you done with stevextc????

Sufferfest has a free 14 day trial with another 30 days free using the code ALLINSUFPLAN. Their videos are perfectly usuable with a non-smart trainer, using perceived effort (which they show you on screen as you do the workout).

The perceived effort scale runs from 1-10: https://thesufferfest.com/blogs/training-resources/rpe-why-turning-off-the-power-meter-can-make-you-faster

Junior will also probably find the videos entertaining, the humour’s not exactly Wildean 🙂

Anyway if you’re not interested, another easy workout is something like 10 min warm up, then 10×1 min on /1 min off / 10 min cool down. I’d do the first min at high cadence, the second one standing, the third at normal cadence sitting, then repeat. Just to break it up a bit.

Normal service is resumed…..

Found some cranks 😀

Sufferfest has a free 14 day trial with another 30 days free using the code ALLINSUFPLAN. Their videos are perfectly usuable with a non-smart trainer, using perceived effort (which they show you on screen as you do the workout).

Cool, I’ll give it a go… more what he will do …