training advice – oh so little time!

with the demands of life, i’m finding it really hard to get out on the bike
I can just about manage a 1.5 hour mid week and a 4 hour weekend ride

someone suggested riding like a crazed animal for the entire duration as the best training

Others have suggested strength training … i found an online program which costs $$

I’m looking to increase my overall fitness and speed
The idea of road riding or using the turbo makes me want to cry

Any advice appreciated!

I’m never better on the bike than when I’m running regularly. 2-3 times a week, 30 mins or so with intervals if you’ve the stomach for it. Much more time efficient, just keep up the long rides to know you’ve got x hours in the tank (I find I need this psychologically as much as physically).

tbh, if I have limited time to ride I tend to concentrate on making sure I enjoy every minute of it and not be too bothered about how fast I’m going.

Can you commute on the bike?

Training for what?

“Increasing fitness and speed” is a bit vague

Any advice appreciated!

Plan your life better so you’ve more time to ride?

Night riding?

Have you got any other time available outside of the time you have for the 2 rides you do ?

6hours give or take? That’s actually a reasonable amount of time if it’s quality and well matched to what you want to achieve.

I’m looking to increase my overall fitness and speed

If you’re only doing this so you can ride your 5.5hrs a week faster is there much point?

You’d just spend the 5.5hrs training for er riding the 5.5hrs.

Training depends on what for, if it’s nothing in particular try riding harder or getting further on your rides you can do. But make sure you are still enjoying riding.

I’ve been following a training plan this winter. There isn’t anything better than time on the bike, and maybe some other activities to improve the core.

Time is an issue for me at times. You work round it. I fit in some of my intervals in on the ride home from work or on the turbo. Get up early do a session on the turbo.

As others have said. What are your aims? If your time is limited on the bike just enjoy the time you have.

There aren’t any real shortcuts to improving. Time on the bike. Structured plans.

Thanks guys
I work from home

Night riding will either get me shot or eaten by a lion.. I now live in Nairobi next to the national park

I’m training for some races that are coming up
Most of my friends are like whippets and I struggle to keep up!
It’s summer all year round here, so not so bothered about a winter programme.

A turbo trainer in front of your laptop??
Edit- you need the mental toughness it will bring to your racing 🙂

“some races”? really? that’s cleared that up then 😆

If I’m ever in Nairobi will you show me your local trails?!

Double post

quade – Member 
Thanks guys
I work from home
Night riding will either get me shot or eaten by a lion.. I now live in Nairobi next to the national park

Sounds like hell. Let’s swap, you can cycle round tyneside 🙂

When you do ride, ride as hard as you can. If you can’t ride much there’s point to “just take it easy today”.

The point about ‘winter’ training is to build a solid aerobic base which means your speed phase adds power to something that is already quite substantial.

So although it’s sunny year round you need a phase of lower intensity about 4-6 months before events you’re targeting. That lower intensity gradually builds in duration before you start doing intervals that also build in intensity and duration.

Even if you’re targeting 45minute lung bursting XC you still need the base phase.

try to cram in a couple of further short sessions, either commuting, do a lap before you start work, or after work – even only 20mins/30mins per session if its over and above what you are currently doing, it will help.

how can getting chased by a lion not improve your fitness?

Although I agree to a point with adammh, 1 it doesn’t fit the OP’s question/situation 2, there is quite a strong school of thought the “long steady base” phase is a bit of a thing of the past.
I think if you have the time base training is ideal it will keep you at a better level for longer e.c.t. But if time is short look at speed/intervals, a turbo will help a lot. Try and do some very hard and frequent interval (i.e little rest in-between) sessions maybe 2 a week with some longer interval session at a slight lower rate maybe 1 a week and then a longer fairly steady but not sedate paced ride at the weekend. Throw in some strength training/stretching and/or yoga and you will be amazed at how much improvement can be made with little time.
Running as mentioned above can be a good thing to do as well if your ok to good at running if your not great I would leave it due to chance of injury.
Even guys like Nino Schurter and Jose Antonio Hermida are doing a lot less miles and more intensity to cope with the change to xc racing. A lot of split sessions, cross training and intervals, even juggling for Nino!

how can getting chased by a lion not improve your fitness?

His mates weren’t as fast as he is 8)

Night riding will either get me shot or eaten by a lion..

You’ll be a lot bloody faster if bullets are whizzing past your ears and a lion is on your back wheel.

Getting chased by a lion can only help with speed, but you would miss out on the low intensity phase. Maybe searching out the lion could provide this!

Getting caught by the lion would indicate you haven’t put the effort in to yesterday’s training session!

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the advert for training effectiveness that Nino S is.

However if my post doesn’t fit the OPs needs neither does this:-

Try and do some very hard and frequent interval (i.e little rest in-between) sessions maybe 2 a week with some longer interval session at a slight lower rate maybe 1 a week and then a longer fairly steady but not sedate paced ride at the weekend. Throw in some strength training/stretching and/or yoga

Base is not just about aerobic but also about timing. Can you maintain hard interval training for 6 months prior to an event without peaking too early?

Base miles aren’t easy – sure they’re not agony but 3 hours of Z2 power without any rest has it’s own intensity.

Finally to get the max benefit from really hard intervals it’s important to stick to the interval timings or risk not getting the required intensity for the actual intense bit?

Yes agree intervals need to be timed well and properly structured but didn’t really want to fill up a post with detailed timings!

I agree that base is important, and it will increase the chances of staying fit/peak performance for longer but if time is tight you can get good results for shorter periods on more intense training sessions.

Not sure which bit of my quoted reply doesn’t fit in to the OP’s question. The intervals and strength training could albeit a bit squeezed, into 1.5 hours in the week (Yoga/strength exercises could be easily crammed in around work or in a break). And 4 weekend ride is more than enough time.

But willing to admit I am missing something…also might have written something stupid/unexplained have a small chimp like child looming over me!

Was just thinking we were both guilty of increasing the number of sessions from the OPs two per week.

Google “Tabata intervals”, they’re short and brutal but give results.

A recent study published in PLOS ONE reported that men and women who performed three 20-secondall-out high-intensity intervals on exercise bikes three times a week for six weeks boosted their muscles’ mitochondria (the energy-producing furnaces in the cells) and increased their endurance by 12 percent. Yes, the folks in this study were fairly sedentary, but when I called study author and longtime high-intensity interval training researcher Martin Gibala, PhD, of McMaster University in Ontario, he confirmed that research shows even highly trained athletes can make greater gains when they swap volume for intensity.
So in the spirit of keeping it short and sweet and a little sweaty, here are five high-intensity micro-intervals to keep your fitness topped off while you take a little time off. You’ll need to include a short warm-up and a little recovery—in this case a two-minute warm-up, two minutes of recovery between intervals, and a three-minute cooldown. But it’s still a quick hit that can fit into even the busiest day. These are clearly easiest done on the trainer, as you don’t have to bundle up, find an open road, etc. Increase and decrease the tension as needed to keep your effort in the recommended range. Just pull on a chamois, hop aboard, and go!

http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/one-minute-workout

Wow thanks guys
Lots of good info here

If anyone is ever in Nairobi then sure thing I’ll show you the trails

My polar computer understands zones… So z2 etc is a tangible thing for me

Should I try and be training in Z4 as much as possible?

Fitting 30 mins in the lunch break is possible, and it’s quite hilly on the surrounding roads.. Not looong hills, but probably 1-3 min interval hills

I also run, and have a treadmill and weights in the office so I can fit stuff in through out the day

Do much science behind training… I’m just a flabby weekend warrior really, so not sure I need to that serious

So zone 4 training on short rides and zone 3 on Weekend?
Then some strength training??
Any suggestions on strength training tutorials?

Google “Tabata intervals”, they’re short and brutal but give results.

Indeed. It’s best to ease into them, ie, don’t try 8 reps the first few times you go out, but it’s my go-to training when ever I sign up for an event where I don’t have a lot of training time before hand.

If they’re too brutal, or you want something slightly simpler. Hill climb intervals/power work during the week, longer steady state distance rides at the weekends.

Wow tabata-intervals looks insaine
Just read a load of reviews and info… I think this is what I need… I’ll start by doing hill training to work up to it then try these on the turbo

Thanks

Base miles aren’t easy – sure they’re not agony but 3 hours of Z2 power without any rest has it’s own intensity.

and lots of people think you need to endless amounts of ‘base’ or zone 2 rides. I suppose it depends on what you are trying to achieve and what each persons definition of ‘base’ is.

I know a few years ago i wanted to have a go at this racing malarky after getting into a bit of road biking so decided to do a fitness test. Found out my endurance or rather my ability to utlise fat was appalling. at 125bpm (low zone 2) i was only using 43% of my calories from fat. Essentially i was eating into my glycogen stores even at low intensity. He said it looked as though i only ever rode hard and perhaps my diet wasn’t that great.

From that because of time constraints He told me to i do zone 2 rides at an hour at a time on the rollers. After 5 months i got tested again and that 43% went up to 85% (this was also due to a combination of diet – forcing my body to adapt to run on fats)

Don’t forget that 1 hour on an indoor trainer is worth 2 on the road. I used to keep my heart rate stuck in zone 2 the whole time. How often does that happen when on the road?

Just found my old fitness test if anyone’s interested in what you get from them

v02 max /metabolic report

and tabata intervals are work of the devil. They need masses and masses of mental strength to do them properly. I’ve ridden hard local chain gangs, countless tough cross races, road races and won a few roller racing events (1000 metre sprint anyone) and i’d say tabata intervals out do all of them.. so much so i’ve only ever managed them once and can’t face them again

The idea of road riding or using the turbo makes me want to cry

Buy a hankie 🙂

i’d say tabata intervals out do all of them.. so much so i’ve only ever managed them once

Haha, I was just gonna say I tried it once – and just the once.

I’m in a similar position to you OP. Can manage to find about six hours a week for riding, and I’ve seen my fitness increase by piling on the climbing. But appear to be plateauing a bit now.

Just not sure how to get more focused when my “goals” are quite varied – a multi-day tour, one-day enduro races, getting faster up hills and a bit of short course XC.

Probably need to bite the bullet and focus on weight loss TBH.

robably need to bite the bullet and focus on weight loss TBH.

often overlooked with all of this is diet. You have to think about what you are putting in the engine 🙂 No good all the training without looking at what you eat

FWIW i followed the idave diet when i was training. I dropped 6kg of fat and my endurace became amazing (did the kielder 100 that year too)

its all gone to pot now but in that year i learnt a lot about myself and the kind of training i needed to do

Trickydisco that’s report of yours is very interesting
I never train in zone 2, mostly 3 and 4
I guess I’m burning sugar and not fat… Think I will try a combo of zone 2 turbo rides, and intervals
Looks like. I need to find more time!

Next subject… How to stop getting bored on a turbo?