isuffer

My friend's cycling coach has him cycling 7 days a week. His "rest" days are easy 1 - 1.5hr of easy riding. He's not suffered fatigue by doing this. Any of you NOT take a rest day? I think riding 7 days a week could lead to burnout much faster.

Cypress

I take a day off 2 days before a race. (I ride the day before a race)

I also take a day off if I feel like I'm a zombie in the afternoon. You know, no matter what, you can't seem to stay awake and your hearing eventually goes out the door...

marin1

I always go for a 1 hour spin the day before a race to get rid of nervous energy and clean out the legs. I always thought you should have a day off a week just for the mental benefits of not riding every day. I would hate my bike by the end of summer without some time off.

dl613

I take 2 days off/week but never the day before a race for me. My legs need to be active for a spin or light ride for about an hour. I usually throw in a couple of high cadence/low torque bursts just to get stuff moving.

note: my off days are spent playing hockey so I still workout it's just not on the bike.

ElJamoquio

+1 for no rest the day before a race. I need about a half-effort ride for whatever reason; if I take a day off I'll have dead legs.

A 1-1.5 hour easy spin really isn't that tough, by the way. I'm usually time-limited, so I'll try to do a 30 minute - 1 hour easy spin if circumstances warrant. I do take days off, but that's due to mental fatigue + limits on time rather than physical needs.

BlessedHellride

I need to have at least 1 day a week off the bike. During race season I seem to feel the best with 2 days off. Monday and Thursday, race on Saturday. I also need to ride the day before a race. Easy spin with about (4) 1 minute hard intervals.

bssjackson

I had to learn to take day's off and not hammer it everytime I ride. I hit a wall last week and had to take three days off, I went out and bought a heart rate moniter so I can pace myself on recovery rides. Im so new to the sport I thought you just had to go out there and hammer it everyday, but cycling it seems has alot of ups and downs. I saw improvement everytime I would ride so the next ride I would try to beat my old time/avg speed your body needs time to recover and if you dont let it, it's going to make you.

merlinextraligh

Assuming your friend has a job, and a family (or at least a relationship, or a desire to find someone with which to have a relationship), your firend needs a new coach.

A 2 hour time comittment (1.5 hours, plus the transition time) on your easiest day is not a realistic schedule for someone racing the distnaces we race in U.S. amateur races, with work and family comittments.

Your training schedule needs to consider your total stress load, both physical,and mental. What's appropriate for someone who rides, and then lays on the couch is verydifferent than it is for mostof us with multiple additional commtiments.

Pizza Man

I average 1 day completely off per week. Most weeks I ride 6 days. Every 3 or 4 weeks I don't take a day off. Every 3 or 4 weeks I'll take 2 days off, usually a designated rest week.

cmh

I usually have 2 days off per week and sometimes 3, but that is due more to time commitments than need for rest. I would probably take 1 day off per week if I had nothing better to do.

92degrees

I didn't think the advice to do active recovery days was that unusual. I've been doing that this year and have been finding it helpful. The rides can be as short as 30-40min and riding in your recovery zone is not particularly taxing or draining.

Enthalpic

For me, it was a recipe for stagnation; I was never fresh enough for a “breakthrough” workout. Plus my place got really messy because I was always too tired to clean.

Currently Monday is easy and I take Thursdays off.

ElJamoquio

I can relate to that.

Snuffleupagus

15 hours a week on the bike, two night classes, getting up for work at 4:30-4:45am and off work at 5pm = filthy apartment.

grebletie

But yet there always seems to be just enough time to clean and maintain the bike. Only the bike, though.

'nother

After a "ride lots"/unstructured training program last year that resulted in season-ending knee injuries, I'm trying a Friel-based structured program this year. It includes one day completely off the bike each week, and lighter days before races/events (though, not "effort-free"...usually it calls for doing a few hard but short efforts the day immediately before).

Last year I do remember some periods of feeling a bit of burnout, fatigue and constant muscle soreness. So far this year I am feeling okay. Unfortunately my race results aren't much to show for it, but it is my first season racing so I don't really have a baseline. I suspect I'd be even worse off if I was on the ride-as-much-as-possible plan.

zimbo

I'm pushing 40 so for me it's 2 rest days (one of which may be an easy spin) per week and one rest week per month. Any less rest than that and I start getting grouchy and sore.

--Steve

Enthalpic

My colleagues can relate to that.

NomadVW 

1 day off/week January-March so far this year. Extra day off in February due to work.

2 days off in April, though. Great riding last month.

Mondays are typically my day completely off the bike with Friday or Saturday being 1.5 hr recovery spinning or recovery spinning with some 10 second sprints thrown in.

Vinokurtov

One or none. A day off if it's a giant hassle to ride (weather, work, or just not wanting to ride) is about my max. Otherwise my body returns to its actual age. But if I do 7 days at least two will be cruiser rides.

timmhaan

i take 2 days off, sometimes 3.

i have trouble sleeping, so i really try to make sure i'm getting enough rest time. 2 or 3 days of riding when i'm getting little sleep is less benefical than 1 or 2 quality rides with more rest.

days off for me make me really want to get on the bike again. so, motivation stays pretty high.