Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

Nah, you're fucked. The end is nigh.

Hmm..I Feeling shivery and slightly like the onset of a fever... Either I have overdone the training or I'm about to get I'll. Trouble is the symptoms are pretty identical.

Didn't do my turbo session today and probably won't do tomorrow either. Then I have an 11hr flight on Thursday and will be away for 2 weeks without a bike so going to have to do some running to avoid detraining.

Running won't do much, very different to cycling.
Run up and down stairs 2 at a time. That'll do. As not so dissimilar muslce recruitment.

But good you're going away if your I'll, take a week off.

Just got a bit emotional during a v02 max session. My housemate walked in to find me panting "why the *^%# am I doing this" and generally cursing everything related to 105% intervals. Assuming I've overtrained or this normal 7 weeks into a build phase?

HRM strap (garmin ver. 3 strap seems to do well).

Well this is awkward.

In a private thread we've been trying to decide how best to break the heart aids news........

wouldn't be surprised ¯_(ツ)_/¯

i have been having a few similar turbo sessions in the past couple of weeks. one day i can ride with no effort, 2 days later and the moment i go over my ftp its like my legs are in treacle

And then just bluetoothing to my phone?

Yes - if your phone has ANT+

Check. It doesn't really, but with a custom rom, it can be enabled

I'm resting before intervals and using the Training Peaks PMC to monitor my fatigue - might help you? But they are still totally nuts.

You know it's bad when you are praying for an easy day of 2 x 20 95-98% sweetspots.

Soooooo.

I smashed myself for a week in Mallorca. Burried myself untill my TSB hit -106.

Obviously last week was pretty much all recovery. Just spinning the legs out, and going for swims.

Today I did few FTP interval sessions and suddenly put an extra 6bpm on my old maxHR.

Mental.

I read abt 20 pages of this thread until I realised that I didn't have a fecking clue what anyone was talking about... FTP? TSB? Z-something? Feels like the first day at school... def no idea how to get in this club!

Anyway, I have a race in September and I'd like to be competitive with some of my better mates at the very least. I have a bike, a HRM and a speedo (no power meter, turbo or anything like that). I commute to work every day, abt 10km each way and once or twice a week stretch that to a 22km route there or back with some steep hills. Most weekends I get to do 65-120km. Last week I averaged 31.5kmph over 65km with an ave HR of 150 and a max of 180 - so, as you can see, I am of average bike fitness... Weight 95 kg, would like to get to 86 kg , 195cm high.

I understand that intervals are the right thing to be looking at, just looking for real world examples of how I go about doing something whilst not on a turbo. Thanks all!

What's the race in September? Are you racing in a team with your mates or all solo? Where are you aiming to place in it?

We have a loose cycling group (rather than a club). About 15 of us who routinely go out most weekends. In order to notch it up we had are going to have bi-annual races over one of our usual loops. There is are three winnable categories - sprint, climb and combative. We are all of roughly equal standard with a couple of guys who are stand out (compared to the rest of us). A couple of weeks ago I was competitive in the sprint but was whipped on the climb by some of the smaller guys.

Stick with what you are good at then, sprinting.

I'd say buy a new bike. Possibly even three.

Lose weight, that'll be your most effective approach.

@Pifko Agreed. That or drugs.
@andyp if I can get to 85kg I will be skeletal... that's the plan.

Edit: Just did the BMI calculator thing and turns I can get to 77kg and still be classed by the WHO as normal... juice cleanse anyone?

Someone posted this a few pages back... http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2014/06/common-but-confusing-training-terms.html

Don't listen to andyp! He's a mud-lover and a fatist!

Depends on the nature of the course, innit.

When in doubt, buy speed.

good read - thank you

fatist

You can't fight your fate, it's just bigger and stronger. :)

Obviously lose weight, or get more powerful, and you will Climb faster. But you can also Train it. For me there are 2 important factors.

Climbing is all about dealing With constant resistance at the pedals. You have near zero momentum to carry you through any weak spots in Your stroke. So if you havent trained climbing, or spent time doing high resistance intervals on the turbo. You'll fatigue the muscles you usually by-pass via momentum when on the flat.

The second factor is pacing. Climbs are finite. So decide how much you can hold and ride up at a constant effort.

I'm not a great climber or anything. I just do a lot of it.