Winter Training

CormacH94

Topic has probably been done to death, have scanned through a couple previous threads about it, but am still a bit confused?



Is it better to do long, slow rides in a small gear over the winter (for cadence and base) as opposed to HIIT training on the turbo? Or is it a purely individual specific thing?



Is this where joining a club over the winter can help? Doing 80/100km spins at under 30kmph?


For example, would 1 session of 1 hour threshold/max intervals on the turbo with 2 long spins at the weekends be a decent aim for keeping/building on fitness gained over the past few months or would that be considered a bit much?



Don't have a very normal work schedule due to working shift so trying to get a plan that is flexible in place for the next 3/4 months.

JimmiesRustled

CormacH94 wrote: »

Topic has probably been done to death, have scanned through a couple previous threads about it, but am still a bit confused?



Is it better to do long, slow rides in a small gear over the winter (for cadence and base) as opposed to HIIT training on the turbo? Or is it a purely individual specific thing?



Is this where joining a club over the winter can help? Doing 80/100km spins at under 30kmph?


For example, would 1 session of 1 hour threshold/max intervals on the turbo with 2 long spins at the weekends be a decent aim for keeping/building on fitness gained over the past few months or would that be considered a bit much?



Don't have a very normal work schedule due to working shift so trying to get a plan that is flexible in place for the next 3/4 months.

I guess the first question to ask is, what do you want out of it and where are you starting off? As in what fitness level would you be at?

Do you train with power, heart rate or rpe?

mirrormatrix

GCN had a video on this pretty recently where they argued that 2 hours training a week with lots of max interval efforts gave the same gains as 10 hours training at Z2.

Should be fairly easy to find with a quick google.

CormacH94

Goals for 2020 would probably be to start racing, Galway charity cycle and Wicklow 200/Evil 200.

Pretty good fitness level if I'm not being too big headed, don't' train with any aids atm, it's all perceived effort, hoping to invest in a HRM and cadence/speed sensors at Christmas.

Interesting with the 2 hours max intervals, will check the video out

Macy0161

TrainerRoad podcast and forum have discussed this a good few times. The problem with long and slow is the time you have to spend, or rather have available (with life/ work/ family). They push the "sweet spot" approach for most, even though they have traditional base plans available.

Some very strongly disagree with that approach (e.g. the velo news fast talk bloke).

btw I'd say most clubs club spins would be under 30kph?

dahat

I'd also recommend using the winter period to work on things like cadence, pedal stroke efficency with any other weakness you think you have as when the season gets going these things get left behind.

TGD

You have to develop basic aerobic capacity no matter what approach you take.
A problem with starting high-intensity work this time of year is lack of motivation from mid-summer on - many people just can’t do quality high-intensity work year round.
If going racing, PLEASE join a club and learn some craft from experienced racers - there are away too many crashes in recent years from guys who don’t have a clue.

CormacH94

What types of exercises/workouts constitute building aerobic capacity?

One of my intentions over the next week or two is to join a club, I'm not too keen on writing myself in an amateur race.

I'm getting the idea that this is a very personalized aspect of cycling, one that would probably benefit from tests/coaching tailored to the individual's needs/fitness level

Macy0161

If you have an indoor set up, something like TrainerRoad would probably work, although they now have outside workouts. Just add in club spins instead or as well as the planned workouts. imo, paying a coach may be overkill at this stage if you're only starting out.

dahat

Macy0161 wrote: »

If you have an indoor set up, something like TrainerRoad would probably work, although they now have outside workouts. Just add in club spins instead or as well as the planned workouts. imo, paying a coach may be overkill at this stage if you're only starting out.

+1

Traineroad is a fantastic starting point for the OP if he has the indoor set up.