I’m pretty good at maintaining general fitness throughout the year, but I’m pretty uninspired at the moment and I’ve been avoiding the gym due to the fact that it is just too busy currently. I am however enjoying skipping and play 5 a side once a week. Think I’m going to spend the rest of the month coming up with my own training regime to follow.

So, what training is everyone up to?

Ramping up the training after the Christmas period – tri club during the week, long trail run and bike ride at the weekend. Got a couple of ultras already planned for the year, although I haven’t got my “A” race sorted yet.

Enjoyed ultras last year, fancy focusing more on hill races this year. Got a wee foot niggle just now, once clear, it’ll be training for that, lots of long slow runs, tempo lunchtime 5ks and hill repeats. Family hill walks also help.

Just got some running shoes. Snapped Achilles FTW!

There’s a beer festival coming up this summer so just been doing some long slow winter sessions and then as we get nearer the date will get in some sprint drinking and high intensity stuff.

Haha, you sound like a dedicated athlete cloudnine!

Just trying to get back into strength training and turbo after some health issues. I had a PT for first half of last year but trying to pull back on costs a bit, so just going to sit down and see if I can work out my own programme. 🤔

Enjoyed ultras last year, fancy focusing more on hill races this year.

Triathlons last year, this year it’s back to ultras 🙂

Unless you actually want to do an Ultra or tri or a marathon…. I reckon circuits and Tabata are hard to beat for general fitness. Especially in relation to MTB.

I use the gym and if not apply the principles of above, to other activity.

Using all muscle groups and limiting recovery time between burst of high intensity.

Whenever I’m on the bike (off road), I am amazed by how complete a workout a good trail session is. But I find when I’m riding with less all round fit people, that they often avoid certain obstacles due to a lack of fitness. Even if their basic CV fitness is good, the relationship between strength, CV and recovery times is their undoing.

I watched a training video from one of the team camps on the UCI circuit. It was like my dream workout.

Rowing sprints, then some body weight, then some jumps…. minimal recovery… explosive, but requiring endurance to go back to back with each set.

I still find it good to do some slow and long rides and swims though. My body also seems to need time to really warm up and get into that steady state.

Zwift every other day.

Not racing or training plans, just riding but riding pretty hard, sometimes I do a group ride which is social but also bloody hard. You can’t help that on Zwift, you just instantly try to keep up with riders passing you. No such thing as a gentle ride. No stopping, no coasting. Watts, watts!!

Currently 16 miles on a ride which I’m going to up in distance/ climbs in the next few days now I’m seeing the fitness improving.

Really enjoy it, not a chore at all. I actually look forward to Zwift!😄

I’m 46 and fat after a couple of years spent driving for hours to work, now I’ve got regular offices I can think about routine, and I’m taking small steps back towards fitness. I’m doing C25K, cycling to work a but and trying to do lots of walking (40+ miles on Strava so far this year) – I’m also being a bit vegetarieny.

Did some farmers walks with 70kg trap bar, knackered now.

Also saw the gym ‘PT’ putting his client through football dribbling drills with an 8kg slam ball, that can’t be good surely?

I’m a nearly 50 year old, type 1 diabetic with weight problems. I’ve never been into the idea of ‘training’ but I do love cycling. I lose a lot of weight in the summer, but every winter I pile it back on again, with interest.

Just before Christmas, I hit an all time low / high when I realised I’d hit 18 stone. I went into Halfords and bought a smart trainer and have been Zwifting these past few weeks. I don’t know if I’m seeing or feeling any physical benefits, but mentally, I feel so much better, just knowing that I’m fighting back!

Long walks, free weights, mountain biking trail riding/downhill and cyclo-cross distance rides. Plus calorie counting

Just cycling. Always

Running three or four times a week, usually a couple of 10km or more – and one or two 5km. Training for a half-marathon, going well.

Riding twice if I can, mostly MTB but have got back into road riding and planning to get some longer rides in preparation for an epic MTB ride this summer.

Gym two or three times a week, weights to build strength.

Planning to add yoga or pilates when I get my act together.

40 miles running, 50 on the bike, 2 trips to circuits and a spin class is my typical week at the moment.
It’s the start of marathon and ultra training so the bike will get dropped for more running soon.

I’m training the house cats not to pee outside the cat trays,if they survive this,I may try to train them in freediving.

Gym 3 or 4 times a week. Doing a variation of 5*5, which throws in some other bits and bobs. Try to do a class now and again too, 30min interval type. Apart from that hill walking, hoping to pick it up a bit and clock 20 Munro, though ideally I’d like to do a good bit more and reach 50 in total (this would mean 32 this year). Done 2 already.

Nearing end of second week of my first attempt at a structured cycling plan, namely TT Tune-Up on Zwift.

It’s really helped that I’ve been able to do some other TT/races this week due to not “frog marching” for several hours per shift at work (annual leave), as some of the work plan sessions have felt dull staying below zone 4.

Early days, but I think it might actually be doing something positive! 😮

3 gym sessions a week. Pretty much all dynamic stuff with the added extra of some heavy lifts and squats. Usually squash once a week, playing county league. Riding at the weekends.

Gym was injury recovery but just got into it and enjoying the added strength. Actually makes riding easier than just spending more time on the bike 🙂

Actually makes riding easier than just spending more time on the bike

I am riding about half as much as I was, but getting faster and more confident. Holding my shape on the bike better.

Who’d have thought all those pros were doing the right thing after all, eh?

Weights twice a week in the spare room, whole body split. Legs, chest, back. Biceps, triceps, shoulders, core.

Limited number of sets, higher reps, takes less than 45 mins. Even at 50 seeing results after 6 months.

Still need to get rid of the winter paunch though.

Was thinking of starting Tai Chi for some flexibility.

Was ramping up to a marathon training schedule but over did it – tendonitis.

Have entered an ultra, thinking of IM too.

Pilates, yin yoga and Ryan Leech’s 30 day wheelies.

Beagleboy

Just before Christmas, I hit an all time low / high when I realised I’d hit 18 stone. I went into Halfords and bought a smart trainer and have been Zwifting these past few weeks. I don’t know if I’m seeing or feeling any physical benefits, but mentally, I feel so much better, just knowing that I’m fighting back!

@Beagleboy
Whats your tag on Zwift mate, I’ll add you?

PM me if prefered?

A lot of people on the Zwift thread also put [STW] at the end of their name so we can spot each other on there.👍

You racing/ training plan or freeriding?

I mostly freeride but did a race a couple of days back and it was great/ exciting/ hard work.

Not entered one in ages as got a bit hard coming in last place all the time.lol

I’ve obviously improved with the help of zwift as this time I did ok.

Swimming. I’m trying to get to be a regular swimmer. As a watersport and outdoor leader I should be a better swimmer than I am so I’ve been to the pool and watched some YouTube.

My whole family loves to swim and I have shit knees/back/shoulders so I’m hoping to see an improvement.

Fingers crossed.

Been learning bicycle trials skills for over a year. Still at a really basic level, but slowly improving. It’s an interesting contrast to regular cycling in that you expend lots of energy covering very little distance. Finding it tough on my upper body, particularly shoulders so doing bits and pieces of yoga and other stretches to help, as well as other mobility and light-bodyweight exercises, occasionally gymnastic rings in a basic way too. Have been wanting to be able to handstand for some time, but haven’t managed to practice regularly enough. Mostly practice walking my hands and feet into chest-to-wall position. Wanting to improve my upper body strength for a few years, but been held back by weakness I guess. It’s getting better slowly however. Also Learning to swim, a half hour a class once a week, and started doing an additional practice session as well. Being taught front crawl and at the struggling with breathing stage.

Swimming, HIIT, strength training, and 3 rides a week. On a Saturday I ride with some mad people that really pushes me. Unfortunately since I stopped playing rugby and football its harder to keep the weight off. But I feel pretty fit.

@caher – that’s exactly what I’d like to be doing, but really struggle to fit it in round work. What’s your schedule?

5x bike commutes a week = 75 miles in total
2x strength sessions a week, weights room at my gym just had the same people who are always there so far this year
1x 5k usually a parkrun

Plus today heading to the bouldering wall as my wife has recently got into it and she wants to go.

From the 26th it’ll be 6 days of skiing, woohoo!

mixing up more MTB with road now that I’ve done my 2 years stint as club rides secretary and no longer feel obliged to turn out so often

And one or two bootcamp sessions depending on work (and recovery from the previous one – been off since Nov with a niggly shoulder and achilles so easing back in now)

I find these really good, lots of mixed efforts, cardio and strength, out in all weathers getting filthy and wet in the mud, but the best bit is doing it with a real mixed group with no judgement. If it was just me some days I’d have just felt ‘Nah, don’t fancy it’ but as a group it’s shared suffering and that’s fun, to be able to moan about it together.

@Poopscoop

I think I’m just on Zwift as C.Lapsley. I’m currently sticking to a threshold power training plan, which can be a bit frustrating at times as everyone goes whizzing past, but I’m enjoying the structure of it. Quite happy to be the lantern rouge in your group. I’ll wave as you wheech past!

@Beagleboy
Are you in Scotland or USA mate? Lol

Ive added the Scottish one based on assumption! 🙂

Just finished Sand and Sequoias 3R race, came 4th out of 10 in D in Zpower. Best result ive ever managed.

No last minute thrilling sprint I lost out on im afaid to say…. I dragged my sorry but over the line 1 1/2 mins behind 3rd.

Timewise I beat 2 C’s which Ive never done either but guessing they had a bad day.

Pooped now.

Very little owing to long-term injury and also (sadly-increasing) care-provision duties. But! Am beginning to make progress with kick-bike and a planned (next week honest guv) return to bi-/tri-weekly lap swimming.

TBH the kick-bike has been the kick up the arse I needed as opposed to cycling (with gears), as the latter can easily mask a whole lot of weakness as one eases into slow winching and lots of freewheeling using little other than the already-muscle-bound legs. My wimpy upper flab was getting nothing by way of work.

With the kick-bike every (even-imperceptibly) slight incline becomes a much greater workout, ie aerobic/cardio and core-strengthening. Gets many funny looks so luckily I only really get to do it much after-dark.

#phantomofthehopera

Doing weight training has massively improved my mountain biking.
Once I accepted I wasn’t going to go out off-road more than two or three times a month (cos life and living in a city), my mountain biking wasn’t going to get much better with what I was doing.

But building strength and endurance to handle long downhills has been a revelation.

Spent the last two years on a hardtail riding flats too – building skills and line choice etc – now moved to an enduro style ebike and SPDs – so much faster downhill – actually crashing now!

Will do a couple of skills days early this year too

Really interested in this thread as traditionally I’ve only ever done loads of running and road cycling and consequently am a skinny whippet. I’m 38 now though and really think I need to do some strength training and conditioning or I feel like I’ll end up physically decrepit but with a great Vo2 max, which would be pointless.

I’ve also found now I’m a bit older I seem to get some type of post-viral cough that lasts for ages (like months) after I get a run of the mill cold in Winter so strength training would be more appropriate when this happens I think, rather than running or cycling for miles in the damp Manchester weather.

Been really ramping up my climbing over the last couple of months so biking has really taken a back seat, usually just getting out on the road bike once a week to aid with weight management.
Currently at the climbing wall / bouldering wall 3x a week, a couple of nights I’ll run 4-6 miles and a couple of days do some body weight exercises and conditioning along with fingerboard sessions.
I know I should, but I don’t really have many days off.
Oh, and I’m still pretty shit at climbing!

Local boxing gym 1-2 a week.
Run 1-2 a week
Bike/Zwift 1-2 a week

Little workout daily with the dumb-bells

Okay. Two gym sessions a week, sessions have got easier working round a bad shoulder. Rubbish work gym but have 30kg dumbells for chest/back and a pull-ups bar. Started doing a 25min GCN workout on the exercise bike after weights. Mtb Tuesday, one or two rides at the weekend, road/mtb/xbike conditions and other people dependent. Do more in summer on the bike and work round surf, which takes priority. Recovering from a session now. Holding it together okay, but I’m 57 and wondering how much longer I’ve got…