China Diary

pprendeville

I'm spending the next 10 months over here and hope to keep a regularish diary going to help keep me focused. Trying to network with some cyclists at the moment and building a bike shortly once frame arrives. Brought over my turbo trainer in the suitcase so I have that to train with on the days of very bad AQI (Air Quality Index). So far I've been able to get in touch with a group that does rides at the weekend up the mountains to the west of Beijing. these rides can have up to 4000m of climbing so that should be good for my endurance. I've also managed to get in touch with a few people on Strava who train near the Olympic track.

Had a decent racing season in 2013. Highlights were doing The Newry 3 Day, taking first A3 in Ballivor and getting in a 70km break in the SERC GP. Not getting back til June next year means I will be missing a fair bulk of the early season so I want to be race ready on return and hope to get in some racing here. Main goals training to help me be in good shape for next season include:

• getting a good base for this winter/spring
• lower my body fat from just under 17% to 8-10% if possible (ambitious lack of available dairy here should help my cause)
• strengthening my core (using Tom Danielson's book which I highly recommend)
• increasing my power lactate threshold

The 1st goal should be manageable with the opportunity to get in long weekend rides. I brought a scales with me for body fat measurement. I weigh about 66kg at the moment, down from 73 at the start of this year and hope to maintain that weight. The core strengthening will be good for improving m power to weight ratio. Have been reading up on it a bit recently and graham Streets podcasts emphasised the importance as well. Will do some turbo work and focus on short HIT sessions for power improvement. Hopefully if I'm consistent in the aforementioned items then I'll be in good enough condition to get an upgrade on merit next year to A2.

Squidgy Black

Sounds deadly, 110% jealous. Definitely gonna follow the thread.

bcmf

Jesus Phil..66kgs. Must be nothing of ya left.
Deffo subscribe to this.
Enjoy the forden soil and bring us back a pressie.

pprendeville

Have had a bad dose of the scutters since day 3 here so I've had to seriously cut back on eating Chinese food for a while which doesn't leave me with too many options (lots of porridge and fruit). Morning weight down to 64.6kg and body fat at 16.5% Apparently they use lots of dodgy oils and there's lots of fake food (even some of the meat was found to be fake) so I'm being extra careful and going to buy some sort of thing that will heat up and I can boil my own food. We're not supposed to cook in our rooms but for the sake of my arse I' have to.

Did one core session on Saturday for 30 mins and my legs were in bits on Sunday after it. It as only a posture correction workout but I guess there were muscles that hadn't been used in a while. Was told I had poor posture recently and the cycling slouch so trying to be conscious of the way I sit and stand. Can spot others with the same condition a mile off now (even non-cyclists).

Did my first ride tonight down by the Olympic track. Passed the birds nest and the Olympic swimming building on the way and they were all lit up. Really cool. Thought the ride might be handy but it was tough. All flat roads so that should be good for my power. Did a few pulls on the front and nearly reached my MHR. Had to drop off on the last lap. Good to be back on the bike. Unfortunately it was a rented bike I was on. My new frame arrived on Sunday only to have a cracked chain stay. Something had hit the box I reckon as the plastic support in the dropouts was bent as well. Sent it back yesterday so hopefully I'll have the replacement soon.

Seen a few funny things during the week in general. One guy having a smoke before setting off cycling tonight was probably the pick of the bunch. Was on the MTR the other day and what did I see on the tv advertising only Moore Street and FX butchers. Then they had temple bar on it today. Hoping to see Limerick on it next.

pprendeville

Had a good week of training and racing along with a bit of study. Wednesday was a pastor correction session Thursday was the second ride at the Olympic Park. Wasn't as organised as last week it was still pretty enjoyable. Got in about 25 km of hard riding.

Had a race on Saturday and I wasn't sure what to expect beforehand. It was organised pretty well. Registration was online. When I got there I had to sign on and there is a big huge list of names in mine was one of three foreign names. We had race numbers for our jersey one for the bike and a timing chip which went on the fork using zip ties provided. I rode the Cat 3 race which was 28 km of a closed circuit. The service was terrible for the first 300 m. There was a sharp steep climb at about 12% for 200 m, then a descent with some hairpin bends and then about 300 m steady claimb at 5% Followed by more hairpin bends and back to the start. Road was pretty dusty on the bends so It was pretty dodgy going around them. The Chinese don't seem to know how to ride in a bunch. Completely different to an Irish race. Anyway, 2 guys got away on the first lap And went on to take first and second. Another guy managed to break away and get third. I came fifth overall so second in the bunch sprint. Highest heart rate I've ever recorded so that was interesting. Won a Specialized Expert saddle and got interviewed in Chinese afterwards. Hope that video doesn't make Youtube. The heat is a killer over here.

Sunday was another posture correction workout so I have been consistent with them and they can feel the benefits.

New frame arrived yesterday. 80% built at this stage. Just need to add bartape, trim the cables and adjust gears and get some screws for the bottle cages. Going to test it this evening at the Olympic Park ride.

Weight is stabilising and 65 kg but my body fat is down to 16%. Hope to start a Pilates class soon.

killalanerr

Good man Phil so you wont be making the 8.30 for a while then ?

pprendeville

No direct flights to Dublin I'm afraid. Otherwise I'd be the first one out there.

pprendeville

Got the bike fully built and delighted to have my own one again. Lovely light machine but hasn't been tested properly yet. Just one spin on the road but it feels super responsive and light so looking forward to getting up the mountains hopefully next weekend as we have a week off college for national hols.

Got in a few solid turbo sessions. Found it hard to stay on the bike for an hour though so cut them short but managed to find ITV highlights on the 2013 tour which helps to kill the boredom. Also invested in a good fan which is brilliant. Don't know how I did without it up until now. haven't really got a structure to my winter training yet so just doing some VO2 max stuff. Todays session was the first where I lasted the full hour and got in 8mins @ 320W. Need to make out a training plan soon though. The core strength work is going well although haven't done a workout this week.

Goals for this week are to get in at least 4 workouts on the bike including 1 long ride and be able to complete 10 mins of the VO2 max workout. Also, min 4 posture correction workouts. Good luck to all in Leinster champs today.

Inquitus

Nice looking machine Phil.

pprendeville

Good week of training this week. Got in 4 sessions on the turbo.

- a leg speed session which was focusing on cadence
- an Over/Under session again focusing on high cadence
- 2 x VO2 max

Got a good program on the net and going to try and follow it for the winter as much as possible. VO2 max /sessions nasty, short and intense but in comparison with training at LT so it is the best option for me given my limited time as they are relatively short. 1session was a VO2 max test so 5 mins all out which hurt big time. Second one was 10 x 30 sec sprints (30 sec on/30 sec off). Really dislike these but they are great for simulating breakaway attempts. Did them when I was doing a fitness test in Trinity and they really are powerful workouts.

Had planned on a mountain ride yesterday (Sun) but air quality index recommended avoiding strenuous activities (even indoors) due to air pollution. Can even feel it in my lungs as I got a cold this week and the chest is not in the best of condition. Plenty of hot water and lemon juice. Also got in 2 x 20 min core sessions (had planned 4 in total).

Some stats for the week
Avg resting HR up by about 10 beats from summer at 55
Avg weight of 65.2kg
Avg body fat of 16.2% so still lots of scope for a reduction
39 mins training in Z4

Plan for this week is to get in another 4 turbo sessions on the VO2 max program. There's 14 in total. After that I'll switch to more endurance work and focus a bit more on core strength. Will try to get in 3 core workouts and see if I can get the average weight and body fat down by 0.5kg and 0.3% if possible. Reasonable goals I think.

Tour of Beijing is just around the corner and I might be able to get out and ride with the pros. I bought some wheels from an Aussie who helps organise the event and he is looking for people of reasonable fitness to help out with these pro rides. Despite not having a clue of the local roads up the mountains I am putting my name in. Hope Roche and Martin come along and the air clears up. Really smoggy out the last 2 days unfortunately.

pprendeville

Didn't have a great week this week although I got out in the hills for the 1st time and found a really good interval training hill. Got out with an Irish guy who knows Beijing quite well so that was enjoyable. Was managing to keep the weight down but it spiked towards the end of the week from a combination of poor diet and lack of bike time as the end of the week was family time. Also no core work done this week. Need to make out a weekly plan on what I want to get in.

Got in 70km on Tues and that included 2 x 10 min at about 95% VO2 Max as we went he'll for leather up the climb. Two ways up to top of Fragrance hill. 1s tis a steadyish gradient that peaks at the end at about 16% and the second is much steeper for the duration. Was really wrecked by the end of the 2nd one but a great workout. Turs was a handier version of Tues on same climb and just did it the once on my own at just above threshold the whole way. Found another lovely route which is a bike/tourist path so no cars and will try and do it this week once and see what it's like.

Stats for the week:
Avg HR 53
Avg weight 65.2
Avg body fat 17%
Z4/Z5 45/1

Goals remain same as last week but this week I'm going to put them in on a timetable and try and stick to it.

pprendeville

Up and down week. Three turbo sessions, one on the road and one core workout. Got gastro spasms from oily/contaminated food. A few KOMs.

Tues - VO2 Max, 3 x 5mins at 95% (280W)
Wed - VO2 Max, 1 set 40s 95%/20s 50% (30 mins due to bust tyre and cramp)
Fri - 1 leg cadence drills
Sat - Long Endurance spin
Sun - Posture Correction core workout

Tues was best session I've done on turbo since arriving here. Intense and had to drop watts to 260 for a bit but could ramp up for last 2 mins. Under 5 mins in Z1/2 HR so that was a tough one. Ate out after it and food was oily. Big mistake after such a hard session.

Wed session was unbelievably hard. I hate those sessions and 40s seemed like an eternity. Only did one set. Trainer tyre already had a cut on it and it got worse so I had to stop. Big bulge in it. Finished off last nights dinner which I brought home from restaurant and felt really rough an hour later. Was crippled the next day with gastro pain. Hospital visit required.

Fri felt much better and did an easy session focusing on cadence. Right leg is much weaker than left so did 60revs on left leg and 80-90 on right alternating the whole time.

Sat was a good spin in the hills. Went up Fragrant Hills from the steep hospital side and had gradients up to 21%. Never killed myself and felt strong out of the saddle. Rode out to Miaofengshan where stage passes through today in Tour of Beijing. Only rode to about 400m altitude and came back. Too late and I was wrecked.

Weekly Stats
Avg 54
Avg weight of 65.3
Avg body fat of 16.7
Z1: 95min, Z2: 142mins, Z3: 84, Z4: 59, Z5: 1.5

Definitely need to get in more core workouts this week. Despite being only 20 mins long I put them on the long finger. Can feel their benefit in the hills big time so must do them. Keep going with VO2 max sessions. Repeat day 4 but be well rested for it.

pprendeville

Having a consistent week this week with 2 long endurance spins so far and one core workout. Weather starting to get nippy so hopefully make the most of the next few weeks before it gets really cold.

Wed - Climbing Endurance 110km, 1100m
Fri - Posture Correction workout
Sat - Climbing Endurance 133km, 1600m

Went out on my own on Wed and wasn't feeling great at the beginning of the climb. Twas the one used on the queen stage of the recent Tour of Beijing. Not overly tough but grades up to about 9% for bits made it hard. tried to ride just a little over threshold but no more for the majority and put in a kick for the last km. Will be hard to beat AG2Rs Romain Bardet's times of 46mins, 400+Watts though. I'm 9 min off the pace

Fri was some core work. Have been a bit lazy with it recently but a mate has bought the same book (Tommy Danielson's book) which gave me a bit of extra motivation. I also did a wall squat of 3min 44sec so its a good benchmark test of my leg strength. Will try to repeat at least monthly to see where I'm at. legs felt sore after pac mans.

Sat was another climbing endurance spin with an Irish lad who knows the roads really well here. Took a different road to top of Miaofengshan. broken up into 3 sections of 5.4km, 6.8km and 2km. Tough little cookies and legs were feeling it after Wednesday. Beautiful scenery up there though so well worth it.

Hope to get in an easy turbo spin tomorrow.

Weekly Stats
Avg HR: 55
Avg Weight: 65.1
Avg Body Fat: 16.2%
Z1: 100mins, Z2: 240mins, Z3: 135mins, Z4: 111mins

Interesting to note that my body fat is always lowest the day after a really long spin. I guess there is truth in the LSD training theory after all.

Lusk_Doyle

Average hr 55???

pprendeville

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Average hr 55???

I take my heart rate in the morning along with weight, body fat and %H2O and at end of week divide by 7 for an average. The HR measurement is a good way of seeing how well rested or not I am. Weight and body fat are pretty obvious and the H2O tells mY hydration levels. Yellow urine is usually the sign some is not but its interesting to keep track of these things when you have the time. All sounds a bit scientific but once you get in the habit of doing it it just becomes routine.

Lusk_Doyle

I thought it was a typo and should have read 155 for average during activity.

pprendeville

Had a bad training week last week. Trip to my wife's home and back again was 12 hours too many on a bus. Traffic the equivalent of the M50 outside the room window didn't help either but enough excuses, I was a bit lazy. Still the key is being consistent and as long as I don't do this too often I should be ok.

Mon - hamstring stretches and some light skipping
Tues - L1W2 posture correction, hamstrings stretches and skipping
Wed - hamstring stretches. Hill Climbing, 55km, 580m
Turs - skipping


Monday was a rest day but got in some stretching. My hamstrings are really inflexible and I've reading up on it. Could be any number of factors but I think mine could because of tight glutes. Found some good exercises online which I want to get in most days and only takes 5 mins. Also, got me a skipping rope and this is great for the lower legs and cardio in general.
Tues my hammers were really tight so I used a foam roller to work them out. Painful when used correctly but good. Feel its time to move on to next level of Tommy D's exercises.
Wed hill climbing session was good. Went almost full gas up a steep climb and can feel the core workout benefits especially on the really steep slopes where before I would have had pains in lower back on 15-20% gradients but now feel much stronger and ride out of saddle much longer. More hammer stretches also but right hammer sore.
Turs was some handy skipping but went downhill from here to Monday. Meal out with friends and devoured 2 days worth of food at a Korean BBQ restaurant and then back to wife's home and more grub there and no exercise and throw in long bus journeys and I felt like crap.

Weekly Stats
Avg 53
Avg weight of 65.5
Avg body fat of 16.7
H2O 60.8
Z1: 21min, Z2: 66mins, Z3: 24, Z4: 20

This week was much more consistent although much lower mileage. My goals are going to change in terms of cycling commitment time wise. Really need to focus on language acquisition now in college and cutback on the long rides til holidays. Also, going to try to prioritise core work, stretching and diet. Really want to lose this bit of a belly I'm carrying which I can't seem to shake off. Trying to really cut back on eating after 6 in the evening.

Mon - rest
Tues - light skipping
Wed - over/under endurance turbo session, 30km
Turs - cadence drills, L1W2 posture correction, 24.9km
Fri - light skipping
Sat - ab workouts, skipping
Sun -

Mon was a rest day as I stayed up half the night watching The Pacific HBO series which I hadn't gotten round to finishing off last time I was here. Great series. War sucks.
Tues and I was still wrecked after the weekend and just got in some skipping.
Wed got in a good o/u endurance session. The rest had me refreshed actually and I felt great on the turbo. Usually anything around the hour mark and I'm wrecked but not this time although I sweated bucket loads as usual. The fan is great though. Don't know how I went without one back home.
Turs got in a good cadence drill session while watching Quintana almost taking Mount Ventoux in the Tour. What a class rider. Shows no signs of stress while on the bike. These basic sessions are really important. My right leg is still much weaker than the left so I'm focusing on strengthening it and including right leg on cadence drills and right legged skipping. Got in hammer stretches and a L1W2 posture correction. Did a wall squat of 5min 4s, up from 3.5mins last week.
Fri was rest day and loads of study with some skipping to break up the study.
Sat was similar. Got in loads of study but broke it up with skipping and some ab work to try and break down the fat. Friend who's big I to body building gave me some good ideas and as a result my abs are killing me now. Did an endurance session on the bike but didn't feel great so only lasted 35mins. 17.5 mins at 230W had me on the floor. Felt really weak.
Sun was my last of the Level 1 posture correction workouts. First time I did these was really hard especially the prone snow angels and the chair squats but have worked hard and its time to move onto the next level 1 workout - Stability and Bike Handling.

Weekly Stats
Avg HR 55
Avg weight 65.5
Avg body fat 16.7
Avg H2O 60.8
Z1: 18min, Z2: 75min, Z3: 42min, Z4: 18min, Z5: 0min

Goals for upcoming week are:
- be consistent again with core workouts and try get in 3off
- get the weight down and reduce carb intake as I'm not training as heavily
- hydrate better
- one endurance workout and the rest form workouts

Ole Rodrigo

Do you have any diet strategy for maintaining your weight, Phil ? I'd be eating everything over there.

Peking duck...mmm.

pprendeville

Not as such. It's much harder here as the food is much different as well as the means of cooking so I have to accept what's available and most of the time I eat out as in the college canteen. I'm not great at cooking my own stuff. I'm trying to eat a balanced diet to be honest. Enough of all the essentials. Trying to cut out any crap. Ditched a jar of peanut butter and jam the other day as they are unnecessary and also cutting back carbs a lot after 6pm but apart from that I don't have many diet restrictions. Obviously I'm not scoffing chocolate or other refined carbs. This time last year I was 72kg so I've made a lot of progress. I just need to be really meticulous to drop the last few kg to be at optimal weight. What I'd love to be able to do here is consult a dietician but my language skills aren't developed enough yet for something like that.
PS: have had the Beijing duck and it's nothing to write home about. Give me a leg of Irish lamb any day. Irish food is seriously underrated in my opinion. Also, Chinese restaurants use a tonne of oil in food (apparently not as much in households) so I've switched to Korean food which I can BBQ right there and then on the table in front of me. They bring along these hot coals and lob em into a kind of stove, put a metal grate on top and bobs your uncle. Throw the meat on top of it and watch it sizzle. I'm making myself hungry here. It's savage stuff.

Everything Italian

Are you noticing any impact (good or bad) of what is presumably a much, much lower dairy content in your diet? Specifically anything that you might be able to put down to that alone, and not the result of changes in exercise routine etc?

pprendeville

Short answer - No. That last few kgs I'm going to have to lose by the old equation of more calories expended than consumed I think and also a bit more core work. I found some kerrygold butter here believe it or not and I have some cheese as well but you're right, my dairy intake is much lower but I don't think it has had a positive/negative effect on me.

killalanerr

them last few kg are the hard ones to move i have have started each season lighter up to now and up to know with the increase in my mileage and keepin a eye on the diet i have managed to get it off but this year its not moveing but with the big base i like to put in just starting and with keeping a better eye on What i eat i hope to shed a bit in the next few weeks. No quick fix for this one Phil just keep tellin yourself that each kg is equal to 10k worth of bike parts

pprendeville

Ya, it sure is hard to shift. I've never been in this position though of weighing in consistently at the 65-66kg mark in November (usually 70plus) so I hope that with persistence and willpower I'll finally get rid of the spare tire. Going uphill another 2kg lighter would be brilliant. I can also feel the core strengthening work is really helping me as well on the bike. man I miss the Saturday morn spins though.

pprendeville

Had a good start to last week but a visit from the familia killed me. Brain says no to any form of exercise for some reason and yes to all sorts of lovely Chinese food. When I’m on my own it’s way different so I’ll have to plan ahead for the next visit and be a bit more disciplined with diet and workouts.

Mon – Hill Climbing, 52km, 580m (got back my KOM)
Tues – Light Skipping (10 mins)
Wed – Skipping, push ups, chin ups, light stretching
Turs – Skipping, pull ups, push ups.
Fri-Sun – Lazy Rest

Mon: There’s a Chinese lad who keeps taking my KOM every time I set a new one on a 2.4km climb to about 400m. Said I’d hit it hard today. Got in a good warmup and went flying up from the start. There’s a gate where you must dismount. They were fixing the road and I had to walk about 150m so it added about 30secs to my overall time but I still nabbed a KOM by about 6 seconds so pretty chuffed with that. Hard to do a full gas effort when the lungs are not used to it.
Tues-Turs: Taking up the skipping was a good idea. Use it as a means of breaking up the study and try to isolate the right leg and can feel it’s stronger already after only a week.

Weekly Stats
Avg 54
Avg weight 65.4
Avg body fat of 16.3
Avg H2O 61
Z1: 14min, Z2: 44min, Z3:30min 24, Z4: 27min

Didn’t meet any of the goals I set for the week but at least I’m ticking over while I’m here.

Lusk_Doyle

pprendeville wrote: »

Mon – Hill Climbing, 52km, 580m (got back my KOM)
Tues – Light Skipping (10 mins)
Wed – Skipping, push ups, chin ups, light stretching
Turs – Skipping, pull ups, push ups.
Fri-Sun – Lazy Rest

How many???!!!

pprendeville

My pull ups are terrible v my chin ups. 2 pull ups max at the moment v 6 chin ups.

Edit: now up to max 3.5 pull ups. Yuppee.

yop

Good read, a diary where someone is actually training right

U have some great rides in there, sounds class.

pprendeville

2013/14 Week 12
Got in another good start to the week but faded towards the end. These visits to the countryside will be my downfall. Week consisted mainly of the next level of core workouts and one easy ride.

Mon – L1W3 #1: Stability and Bike Handling core. Light skipping and abs.
Tues – Easy ride w/8 sprints, 39km
Wed – L1W3 #2: Stability and Bike Handling core. Skipping, pull-ups and abs.
Turs – L1W3 #2: Stability and Bike Handling core. Skipping, pull-ups and abs.
Fri-Sun – Rest

Moved onto the next set of workouts in Tommy D's book. Old ones were getting easy so that's a sign to move on. 2 tough ones in this are the mountain climbers were I get into a press up position and bring one foot up towards my chest and back and then switch. Really works the abs. It's goal is to teach core muscles to stabilise the pelvis while legs are in motion which results in less wasted energy going uphill. The other difficult one is called the superman where you lie face down and lift up your arms and legs about 6 inches while squeezing glutes. Goal is to teach glutes and hamstrings to fire during hip extension. Good for the low back apparently which is where I used to suffer on steep hills (10-20%+ gradients) out of the saddle but not so much anymore. There was a similar exercise in L1W2 so these exercises are definitely paying dividends.
Got in a handy spin on Tues. Lovely day so got out and did just under 40k. Did some Sprint work as well and the legs are feeling much stronger and I'm able to hold my sprint for a bit longer as well I find.
Got in 2 more L1W3s and my abs were in bits after them. Keeping up the skipping also which is great. Trying to set mini goals each time I do these little exercises. Did 600 consecutive skips on Wed so next week I'll aim for 650. Also got in 5 pull ups so that's progress.

Weekly Stats
Avg HR: 54
Avg weight: 65.5
Avg body fat: 16.5
Avg H2O: 60.9
Z1: 36min, Z2: 49min, Z3: 9min 24, Z4: 2min

The weight is really hard to shift. I suppose seeing as I'm not out on the bike as much it will definitely just come down to me eating less calories. In saying that I'm not going to track my calorie intake as I'm tracking enough of things. I'll just eat when hungry (belly hunger not head hunger) and try to limit carbs after 6pm.

Goals
- at least two turbo workouts
- at least 3 x L1W3 core sessions
- aim for 800 consecutive skips

Ole Rodrigo

If you're not counting calories, or following something like HFLC a good tip is decrease your starch portions ( white rice ), increase vegetable portions and keep meat as lean as possible. Its fairly doable without making significant changes.

He said while munching on pastry :pac:

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 13

Mon - skipping and pull ups/chin ups.
Tues - TT16: Cadence Drills 3. Skipping, pull ups/chin ups.
Wed - TT17: O/U Endurance #3. Skipping, pull ups/chin ups.
Turs - Rest
Fri - LIW3 Stability & Bike Handling #4. TT18: Cadence Drills 5 @120W
Sat - Z3 Endurance Spin (bad legs)
Sun - Light skipping, pull/chin ups

Mon was a light exercise day. Just some skipping (600 consec) and chin ups/pull ups. Getting a bit stronger at these. Good to put my school bag on when I'm doing them but it makes it much harder. Feel like a 5 yr old saying school bag.
Tues was a solid cadence drill turbo workout. Up to now my right leg was much weaker than the left. Before after about 40 revs of the pedal with my right leg only (left leg resting) my form started to waiver but now it's almost on par with the left leg and I put that down to the one leg skipping. Had really focused on right leg drills for about a week. Again it's great to see progress being made as it motivates me to keep doing all these small simple things which don't take up too much time. 10 press ups as well.
Wed I got another little shipping record today with 800 consecutive skips. Finding this much easier recently also, could only do about 200 skips 3 weeks ago and I was wrecked. In the habit of doing these everyday after having a bite to eat in the canteen. Also got in some pull ups/chin ups and 12 press ups. Have stopped taking elevator and using stairs. Live on 5th floor and it's a great way to get the HR up by just ascending as quick as possible. Works the quads. Also got in a good Over/Under endurance workout on the turbo. Felt really strong in Z4 efforts. Actually enjoyed this workout.
Turs was a rest day.
Fri my 4th L!W3 of the series. Mountain climbers still hurt the abs big time especially on the 2nd set and super mans are tough as well. Increasing TT position hold from 30 to 45/50 secs so improving that core position. Also did some skipping, leg lifts&cross overs for the abs, 20 push ups and a 3 min wall squat. Did a handy 30 min cadence drill workout at 120W.
Sat was a Z3 endurance ride with some climbing but at a snails pace. Felt like crap on the bike. Had a bit of a chest infection plus the air was crap today and had a big 3M mask on for most of the ride. Felt terrible anytime HR went over 150 and legs just didn't want to respond going uphill. Maybe the long wall squat didn't help yesterday. Had loads to eat but still didn't help much.
Sun was just some pull/chin ups as I got my own bar now so anytime I pay a trip to the jaxx try and do 3 of either. Did about 6x3 pull ups and 6x4 chin ups throughout the day and some light skipping to break up the study.

Weekly Stats
Avg HR: 59
Avg weight: 65.9
Avg body fat: 16.7
Avg H2O: 60.6
Z1: 63.5min, Z2: 160min, Z3: 101.5min 24, Z4: 30min

Bit annoying to see the weight & body fat going the wrong way so will have to arrest this this week. Hit most of the goals for the week but was wrecked last night and didn't get in the 3rd core workout but still last week was consistent with sufficient rest built in.

Goals for this week are lots of mini-records.
- at least two turbo workouts & a Z3 workout at the weekend
- at least 3 x L1W3 core sessions
- 900 consecutive skips, 25 consec pushups, 6 pull ups, 7 chin ups, 1min TT position holds and a 4 min wall squat

De Bhál

Fair play, excellent commitment

pprendeville

thanks coach.

Lusk_Doyle

ror_74 wrote: »

If you're not counting calories, or following something like HFLC a good tip is decrease your starch portions ( white rice ), increase vegetable portions and keep meat as lean as possible. Its fairly doable without making significant changes.

He said while munching on pastry :pac:

Telling a man in Asia to lower his intake of rice is like telling an American to lower his intake of McDonalds. It ain't going to happen!

pprendeville

Today I had a bowl of rice porridge for breakfast, the new McDonalds rice burgers for lunch and plan on getting the new KFC Kentucky fried rice for supper.

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 14

Mon - straight after doing the diary I did my 25 consec push ups so that's one goal achieved. Glad I started the diary as it's keeping me motivated. Otherwise I'd be getting lazy. Lets hope the rest of the week is good as well. Did 7 pull ups and 8 chin ups and also got in 900 consecutive skips but got tangled up loads at the end as I was sloppy, arms were wrecked. Did a L1W3#5 core workout as well so today was a good core day.
Tues - good turbo workout. 10 min WU, 15mins @ 230W, 7min easy spinning and then the harder stuff. 1st set of 2min 45sec at 230W followed by 15sec @330W. 5 reps and each rep the 15secs went up by 20W up to 410W. 2nd set was the same only started at 410W and back to 330W. Much tougher starting at a high wattage and working backwards.
Wed - rest.
Turs - L1W3#6. super mans a lot easier today but mountain climbers still kill the abs. Must do them a bit more. Max 9 chin ups. Skipping.
Fri - got in a good workout in the hills today. Didn't really intend on going hard up them but I seemed to be on good form and shaved 4 seconds off my PB on the hospital side of Xiangshan. Strava records will have to take a backseat me thinks for a while and just focus on form. Headed out for the first time since I got here on friday night and I definitely made up for the last 3 months of relative confinement.
Sat - mother of all hangovers after last night had me bedridden for the day. I had forgotten how bad a headache I get after drinking vodka. When the vodka is being given out for free it doesn't help. Cue lots of self pity and promises of "I'll never do that again".
Sun - Rest and recovery. I will never drink again.

Weekly Stats
Avg HR: 57
Avg weight: 65.8
Avg body fat: 16.7
Avg H2O: 60.9
Z1: 13min, Z2: 69.5min, Z3: 67min, Z4: 78.5min

Goals for this week
- More PRs slated - 30push ups, 8 pull ups, 9 chin ups
- 3 x L1W3 core workouts
- 3 easy turbo sessions

IS_a_Class

Hello Phil,

Metro German Supermarket do an organic range of veg, and they have tons of imported stuff and also 'good' quality chinese food. For example, you can buy giant bags of pasta, and huge tins of tuna etc.

IS_a_Class

I'd beware too much Chinese rice or fruit/veg - as the water quality is so bad. Metro, again, is your best bet, plenty of imported rice etc

pprendeville

I haven't heard of that crowd. Will have a look for them. Carrefour is my usual supermarket of choice but I only get some fruit, porridge and milk, occasionally some cereal (I usually end up eating all the cereal in a day or 2 though so I limit that). I usually eat in a Korean restaurant which seems good. The way I judge a good restaurant from a bad one is whether or not I get the diarrhea. So far so good with the Korean ones. I've stopped going to Chinese restaurants as they add too much oil and MSG. All food ends up tasting the same and leaves the mouth as dry as a cork the next morning.

I actually just got a Brita water filter. I was drinking boiled tap water but I noticed this sort of residue/scum on the surface which probably wasn't doing me any favours. The filter gets rid of it and then I boil it for safe measure.

IS_a_Class

Carrefour is okay in a bind. Metro is a tad cheaper though for most goods. It was a lifesaver to me in my time over there. Addresses available here:

http://www.thebeijinger.com/directory/metro-cash-and-carry

When you go there first, they might make you register for a card(bring ID) as it is a cash and carry, so chinese people need a business licence to shop there. A side effect of this is that it is usually nice and quiet! Where I lived, they always just scribbled a number on a temporary membership card so i never signed up for a card.

Korean restaurants kickass! And are usually good value, wish Ireland had a few genuine ones.

pprendeville

Thanks for the heads up. There's one near me in Haidian district. Carrefour isn't great at all, mainly processed stuff and the meat is gammy apart from the pork. I'd would really love some proper roast lamb. The aul Korean BBQ food is great alright. I'm really missing things like stew or bacon and turnip though. Will bring along me passport so to Metro during the week. What brought you over here?

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 15+16

Week 15 was complete rest. Was wrecked all week after the night out on Fri. Probably needed to blow off steam but I won't be going as mad the next time.

Week 16 was all about building it up gradually. Still not feeling very energetic. I'm not sure whether college is taking its toll. Studying Chinese is draining. I can't wait to get over this first semester and actually have a chance to review instead of constantly learning new characters.

Wed - cadence drills. All done at low resistance of 150W. Easy does it.
Turs - cadence drills. Just upping the time slightly on the turbo to ease back in. Included some fast spinning.
Sun - leg speed. Hunger knock on the turbo after 25 mins. That's a first.

Need to look at my diet here actually. The quality of the food is definitely not the same as back home plus I mainly eat out. I need to get some proper home cooked stuff. I'm going to start a 12 week program shortly which should get me in good condition for March when a race series starts up here in Beijing. I just need to be consistent with it. I won't be able to put in as much of a base as last year as temperatures have plummeted recently here and going out in freezing weather on my own isn't very appealing. I found a good plan on training4cyclists.com which sounds pretty good. Aimed at those whose time is limited. Again, consistency will be key so I need to get back into doing the core workouts again shortly and building things up slowly but surely.

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 17+18

Energy levels seem to have come back. Exams done and dusted so have some time to spend with the family and relax a bit from the books for a bit. Have started cooking a bit more for myself having discovered a few places that sell decent pasta here. Diet consistency will be key over Christmas. Being out of Beijing usually means I have no access to the bike and in-laws think I'm weird when I refuse to eat loads and loads of rice and deep fried food. I also want to steer clear of over indulging for once as I have been pretty disciplined the last few months and don't want to let it all go to waste. Started the training4cyclists winter training plan this week with some testing to determine power zones.

Mon - Cadence drills #8 @ 150W on turbo, easy does it. Watched Keane v Vieira while doing these. Pity Vieira's English wasn't a bit better as I thought he wasn't able to express himself as clearly as he'd have liked. Can totally associate with that feeling.
Tues - L1W3#7. Good strength session and watched Roche win stage 2 of La Vuelta. He did it in some fashion as well. What a Vuelta he had. Hard to keep track of the skipping, push ups, chin ups but I'm continuing to do them but not being as obsessive in recording them.
Wed - Winter training Week 1/12: 30min performance test. Was targeting an average of 240W for 20 mins and hit the mark. I think I could manage 260 on the road or if I had a bit of encouragement. Doing these tests on a turbo is 80% mental strength find. Got in an excellent warmup though which really helped set the tone.
Turs - L1W3#8. Lesson to self - don't do intense turbo workout late at night as I don't sleep well after them. Supermans are getting easier as are the side planks. Found a place that serves gorgeous pasta today. Also indulged in some homemade whole meal bread from a bakery nearby ( thoughI really miss the home baked stuff my wife used to make plus my Mams home made bread with lashings of butter). Hamstring stretches.
Fri - WT Wk 1/12: 5 min Performance Test. Again set a target before doing this test and managed to hit it. 340W for 5 mins. Asked a friend to drop in to keep me motivated as I knew it would be absolute suffering for those 5-6 mins. He's big into his bodybuilding and fitness so was a useful addition to the exercise. Again, a really good WU in which I ramped up the power and them onto the test. Did 3 mins at 330W and up to 340 and 350W for the last 2 mins. Excruciating pain but well worthwhile. Have my zones now for intensity training.

Weekly Stats
Avg HR: 57
Avg weight: 65.9
Avg body fat: 16.9
Avg H2O: 60.6
Z1: 3.5min, Z2: 74.5min, Z3: 34.5min, Z4: 35.5min Z5: 3min 20s

Achieved all my goals for the week apart from the push ups. Got in those chin/pull ups somewhere, completed all my workouts, hit my power targets in tests and ate/slept/drank well. An excellent start to the program.

Week 18 was always going to be a much quieter week training wise. Lots of family duties to fulfill and travel. At the same time I should probably be planning ahead for these type of weeks and trying to sneak in a bit of stretching/jogging if possible. Will have to address this problem as it will no doubt be something that comes up again.

Tues - WT Wk2/12: 5x5min sub threshold. Only bike workout of the week. Good session. Not too taxing but not too easy either. Changes in pace are good.

Major complaint for this week has been my diet. Gone out the window and put on 1kg as of today. Talk about feeling guilty. Pringles, chocolate and too much of everything in general. So, from today, I'm back to being strict as the bloated feeling makes me feel like crap. Going to try and get in a few runs this week as I won't be back in Beijing til the new year. Might be good to get some different type of exercise in as well. Will carry over week 2s training to the new year as I have time to catch up.

Weekly Stats
Avg HR: 56
Avg weight: 66.9
Avg body fat: 17.5
Avg H2O: 60.3

Goals for this week
- get in 2-3 30min runs (stretch really well in advance and after)
- 3 x core sessions (which should have me ready for the next set)
- not eat excessively

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 19 (WT:Wk2/12)

Very consistent week. Lots of core work and 2 bike sessions, good diet and rest.

Mon - L1W3: Stability & Bike Handling #10
Tues - L1W3: Stability & Bike Handling #11
Wed - Rest
Turs - TT27: 6(4+2) subthreshold/active recovery
Fri - TT28: Endurance, 1*15min subthreshold. L1W3: Stability & Bike Handling. 6(1*3) chin/pull ups
Sat: 7(1*3) chin/pull ups. 6(1*100) skipping. 2(1*15) mountain climbers.
Sun: L1W4: Endurance workout. 6(1*200) skipping.

Moved on to next set of workouts and hope to get them finished in 3-4 weeks. Not a big step up in difficulty but they are quality. Focusing on reps on other exercises. The endurance workout was really heard. Done on the turbo and included 20, 20 and 15mins at 200W which I found very hard. Had some fast spinning in between and my quads were killing me come the end of the 90mins. Had planned on a few runs but never got round to them. Have started using Joe Friels Cyclists Training Diary and Trainingpeaks to track my progress. It's a useful tool to keep me motivated. Have the next 11 weeks of workouts planned and all I need to do is do them. Makes it easier having a plan.

Goals for this week
- complete all scheduled sessions early in the day
- maintain good diet
- include more fast spinning in recovery periods

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 20 (WT:Wk3/12)

Another consistent week completing all scheduled workouts.

Mon - TT29: Cadence Drills
Tues - TT30: 3(10+5) Sub-threshold/Active Recovery
Wed - L1W4: Endurance #2
Turs - TT31: 8(4+2) Sub-threshold/Active Recovery
Fri - L1W4: Endurance #3
Sat - TT32: (1x15) Sub-threshold Endurance
Sun - L1W4: Endurance # 3 (planned)

Think I need to retest my threshold as the workouts are getting a bit easier. Pencilled in for next Tues and Turs. Completed all workouts this week and eating well managing to bring the weight down to an average of 65.5kg this week.

Goals for this week
- see if I can average 250W on 30min FTP test
- try average 350W 5mins
- average 65.3kg for the week

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 21 (WT:Wk4/12)

Mon - L1W4: Endurance #4
Tues - TT33: 4(3+2) Sub-threshold/Threshold
Wed - L1W4: Endurance #5
Turs - TT34: 8(4+2) Sub-threshold/Active Recovery
Fri - Rest
Sat - Rest
Sun - TT35: Z2(4xZ3 bursts)

Good intervals this week which I hadn't being doing this time last year with a mixture of high cadence and slower cadence. Should stand to me for when I get back racing. I remember getting dropped on so many climbs last year when if I could have hung on for another few hundred metres I would have been in the mix. Upper body strength is improving a lot as I can do 7 pull-ups now as opposed to 3 max about 1 month ago. Slowly does it. Good diet all week for once apart from Sun night when I ate like a pig. The guilt afterwards.

In terms of goals, I didn't get round to doing the retesting so I just added 10 watts to my intervals. Averaging 65.5 on the scales the whole time which is still a good weight for January considering it was my racing weight mideseason last year. Was reading Matt Fitzgerald's book (also called Racing Weight) and it has some really motivating stuff in it. Diet is so important when you consider how much cyclists spend just to shave a few hundred grams on carbon components when it would better to shave it off the bellies. But that's why marketing exists.

Have a trip to Taiwan planned for March which will take in the Taipei bike show and get in some major climbing here and here. Really looking forward to it.

Goals for this week
- 8 pull ups max
- Do 1min 130-140rpm cadence reasonably comfortably
- Fish on Mon, Wed & Fri

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 22 (WT:Wk5/12)

Mon - TT36 8(3+1) Subthreshold/Active Recovery
Tues - Misc. core # 16
Wed to Sa - Rest
Sun - L1W4: Endurance #6

Not much time on the bike this week unfortunately as I've an assignment to finish which involves a mountain of reading and a PEST analysis of China. Actually quite interesting what I've learned so far. A trip to the sticks to my wife's family on Thursday will have here until 6 Feb to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Have to be careful not to indulge as much as Christmas. Good news is that I'm averaging really low weight and eating healthy. Had a low of 64.6 kg on Wednesday and 65kg today after 3 days here in the countryside. It currently sounds like mad here with the amount of crackers being set off, like a good Halloween night in Finglas except it will go on for another 4 days at least. That and the 2 stroke Diesel engines passing by outside are enough to drive anyone mad. Will have to work on the core while I'm here and try to get in some running on e I get this assignment finished.

Achieved my goals of last week. Got in 8 pull-ups which is a tough on the shoulders so as long as I'm consistent in doing them I don't need to be going much higher. Great from upper body strength and balance when climbing out of the saddle. A getting more comfortable in the higher cadence ranges and incorporating them into workouts better. Also had plenty of fish last week in the form of salmon. Not sure if it's farmed though. They say the farmed stuff isn't as good for the omega 3 oils.

Goals for the week
- keep sane in the place
- 5 core workouts minimum this week moving onto Level 2 by next weekend
- 2 runs and watch the diet

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 23 (WT:Wk5/12)

Mon - rest
Tues - L1W5: Endurance Workout #6
Wed/Turs - rest
Fri - L1W5: Optimum Performance #1
Sat: L1W5: Optimum Performance #2
Sun: L1W5: Optimum Performance #3

Haven't done much this week apart from the core work and watching my diet. Freezing cold here and if I go for a run I have no warm shower to look forward to when I get back unfortunately (that's my excuse). Not showering for 2 weeks is uncomfortable to say the least. Diet is pretty good though. Am being very conservative with what I eat seeing as I'm not working out on the bike. New low of 63.7kg on Wed. I still am hovering between 15-16% body fat mark however and am far from skinny so there's still plenty of scope for another 3-4kg weight loss but it's really encouraging to see it going down week by week. A pyramid diet works well for me where I have a large breakfast of mainly oat porridge or yellow rice porridge which is a mixture of yellow millet, soybeans, tartarian buckwheat and white rice. Full of goodness and very filling is the Chinese porridge. Taper the intake then for the rest of the day and try not to eat much after 6 but drink plenty of fluids like Chinese tea, water or a lovely sweet drink made from walnut. Heading back to Beijing tomorrow and will ease into the bike again. I'm not really in a rush to be race ready so I can afford to take my time and be peaking for June when I get back. Temperatures are moving up at last so it will be possible to get out on the road soon.

Goals for the week
- Minimum 3 x high cadence short workouts
- 3 core workouts
- Target a low 63.5kg

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 24 (WT: Wk5/12)

Mon - rest
Tues - Misc Core: #17
Wed - L1W5: #4
Turs - L1W5: #5, Misc Core #18, TT37: Cadence drills #10, 20 mins
Fri - Misc Core: #19,
Sat - Rest
Sun - Rest

Didn't get much done either this week as I had one of our girls with me in Beijing so it's entertaining her mainly but she deserves it, similar recipe for the upcoming week. They've adapted really well here and deserve to be spoiled a bit. Just watched the diet mainly. Contacted Beth McCluskey from Peak Endurance who is going to do up a nutrition plan for me. Again, diet has held me back previously and it is probably the biggest factor if I can't get in the hours on the bike so it's worth paying attention to it in more detail. The core workouts are definitely easier and I managed 60 straight mountain climbers twice without keeling over. They really hurt the abs towards the end.

Didn't hit my targets of 3 workouts as I just can't find the time. Had forgotten how time consuming being with kids is. Fair play to anyone doing a RAS with a few babogs (actually fair play to the other half more so). Hit 63.9kg low but back up to 65 again due to lack of routine more than anything else. So easy to just say I'll just eat have a few of my daughters sweets, it won't make much difference. Only problem is I'm doing the same thing an hour later so I'll have to knock that's on the head this week and get into good habits.

Goals for the week

- Minimum 2 x high cadence short workouts
- 3 core workouts
- Target a low of 64kg

couerdelion

pprendeville wrote: »

Contacted Beth McCluskey from Peak Endurance who is going to do up a nutrition plan for me. Again, diet has held me back previously and it is probably the biggest factor if I can't get in the hours on the bike

Have you used a nutritionist before? What is she doing for you?

Interested in this - probably my weak point. I fully understand nutrition and what to eat and don't eat crap, but I find getting the weight down awfully hard.

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 25 (WT: Wk5/12)

Have never used a Nutritionist. As it turns I have to look for another nutritionist unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances. I had been looking forward to getting a plan with Beth.

Had my worst week in a long time training and eating wise. Had our eldest daughter with me in Beijing this week and did no core and ate lots of rubbish, KFC in particular. Planning ahead is the secret here and if I had the nutrition plan it would help so I'll have to sort something out soon.

Lowest weight I hit this week was 64.1kg but I'm half afraid to stand on the scales now. I don't want to become obsessed with weight however and hope to get back on the bike this week and start back up with the training plan which has stalled on week 5 for the last 3 weeks. Family takes priority though.

Goals for the week
- get back into the training plan on the bike
- get a nutrition plan sorted
- 3 core workouts

pprendeville

2013/14 - Week 26 (WT: Wk5/12)

Mon - TT38: 8(3+1) SubT230W/AR120W
Tues - Rest
Wed - Rest
Turs - TT39: 2(8+4) SubT230W 2min bursts/AR120W
Fri - Rest
Sat - Misc. Core #21
Sun - TT40: High Intensity Endurance

Had a good week despite the sessions being relatively short. Was expecting the intervals to be much harder but surprisingly they were ok and I was really focused on each one. Got in some quality high cadence work which took me into HR Z5 for just under 5 mins. Added some bursts into the mix for Thursdays session every 2 mins. I find the more I vary the intervals and not have them drag on for too long in the same manner the easier it is mentally to complete the session. Would love to have the Wahoo Kickr and do Strava segments and be able to plan sessions better but the aul Tacx will have to do. Had a very tough endurance session today. Will need a good rest after it.

Signed up with with Barry Murray for nutrition (optimumnutrition4sport.com). Looking forward to seeing the results. Monitoring my diet for the next few days before submitting a report to him. The 3 main improvements I would like for my nutrition to make are:
1. To lose 2kg by improving quality of diet, not necessarily reducing quantity
2. To bring body fat down to 10% over 3-6 months (currently hovering at 16%)
3. To be aware of what to eat, how much and more specifically when to eat it (have a fair idea already - fresh veg, lean meat, fruit, plenty of water and supplements when required)

Only got in one core session which was mainly sets of pull/chin ups followed by push ups and mountain climbers. Whenever I'm below 65kg I find the pull/chin ups so much easier. So losing 2kg would make the hills much easier provided I don't lose power in the legs (W/kg etc). Reqd in Matt Fitzgerald's Racing Weight book about this weightless running machine he tried. Fit into boots which adjusts your weight (used mainly by athletes when injured so as not to put as much stress on the joints). Even a 10% weight reduction felt like a massive difference. So this is a good area to home in on if I can't get in much time on the bike.

Goals for the week
- 3 core workouts but spaced throughout the day
- Finally get onto week 6 of the winter training bike plan which has stalled for the past month
- Earlier to bed (no studying Chinese after 11pm as my brain does be having characters floating around preventing me from sleeping)