Training & Nutrition - At a wall in my training

I seem to be hitting a wall with my training guys. Since I started training this year I made progress in leaps and bounds. But now I seem to be stuck in a rut. I've done many interval workouts, gone on hilly rides, and taken up doing leg weight lifting 1 day a week, but I still haven't gotten out. Is this just a part of training?? I know I'm not overtraining, I have a HRM, I eat well, and I get enough rest. So what do I do?

There are lots of things you can do...

1. Do your training regimin backwards - that is if you have a set routine whether it be daily or weekly - do it in reverse.
2. Change your training!
3. You could take a week off from training.

I dunno, what else do ya think?

How wolud taking a week off help?

I wish i could offer advice, do you feel like your not making any progress? Or are you getting bored of training?

Maybe its time to enter a race, and find out what you really need to work on.

I feel like I'm not making any progress. I've been riding at the same performance level for months now, and despite my efforts I can't seem to step up a notch. There is a mock-up crit tomorrow that I'm going to. I figure I'll get a little experience, and I can see how I measure up, plus I'll come out stoked as ever. I'm waiting for registration to open on a crit in NC, and there are a few TT's I'm going to hit soon too.

Originally posted by fubar5
How wolud taking a week off help?

Because sometimes, your body needs a week to rest. I'm talking weight training for sure - cycling training not so sure..... better ask a cyling trainer.

I think there are normal "plateaus" that are reached in training cycles. When I was a competitive athlete, it happened to me on a regular basis almost every season. Don't stress about it. Just "coast" for a few days or maybe even a week --don't push too hard-- while doing your normal routines, your body will adjust and then you'll start seeing breakthroughs again. It's a bit frustrating, but it can be overcome.

Part of it also is a sign of over training and your body is telling you to take it easy --coast-- for awhile. The idea is to reach peak performance on race day. That performance CANNOT be maintained constantly. The body will start to break down. Pulled muscles, constantly tired, lethargy, all kinds of unimagined maladys begin to occurr... You might start to get colds for no reason.

You must learn to listen to your body. It knows what it is capable of doing even if your head doesn't.

Fubar, you'll be OK. Relax. Take it easy. Get rid of some of that stress through other outlets.

I took the entire weekend off, no riding at all. I felt really good today but still nothing I haven't done before. I've got to go somewhere for two weeks this month, so maybe I'll take it easy then.

Just remember that while training you will hit plateaus. Some times they last a short while and other times it takes time to get out of it. As previously mentioned, try changing up your routine, the time of day you train, milage, do it backwards, etc. etc.
There are many differant ways to change your routine. Every one is different so just keep trying untill you find what works. May be try some elses routine.
Good luck
Sliante:beer:

I am sure that overtraining applys to cycling. Depending on the intensity and the amount done. 1 week off could definately help you break past that point in your training. Anything physical can show the symptons of overtraining. :)

It's impossible to say what you can/should do without knowing a bit more about your training plan. Do you have a microcycle? What kinds of training do you do at what days of the week?

If you train by going out fast and hard the same way every day, then of course you're burned. You have to alternate different high-intensity rides on diferent days [sprints, hills, intervals, long-steady-fast] with lower intensity rides. You also must make a point of taking one day off the bike every week. That's as much psychological as it is physical.

I do two hard days(85+% max HR), two endurance days(70-75% Max HR), and a rest ride(60-65%Max HR) every week, I think rest is the best thing right now. After taking this weekend off I have felt uncommonly good on the bike for the last two days, so maybe I'll take some more rest days, then do some hammering.
I motorpace this morning at 35mph, for about 2 miles, which isn't long, but the car I was chasing turned off.:rolleyes:

the longer you ride the slower the significant strides come. but in terms of your plateau, that isn't all bad. let your body adjust to the load that you are throwing it. muscle and fiber memory can be long lasting but allowing your tendons and ligaments to catch up to your muscle growth is good.

i remember when my 35-40 mile rides used to avg. ~16-17mph. now those are my recovery rides. but my 20 mph rides now are only 15% better all these years later. that is like a few % points better per year.... yes, it has been hard to even make those gains, and now the gains come in small ways. but in all.... i learned a lot in those plateau's while my body adapted to the load i was throwing it.
remember, over training is in reference to your entire life, not just the part you spend on the bike.

Fubar. Maybe you are reaching the buffers of your natural potential. You started from a low fitness base, so early training made a large difference, raising you closer to your potential.
Once you are close to your potential, you can only take leaps to reach peak fitness. From a peak, there is only one direction, and that is down.
You shouldnt expect your fitness to continue to rise indefinately. You will probably spend the rest of your athletic career rolling up and down a plateux. If you can figure out how to time your peaks with big races you will be in very good company.
Trying to maintain a peak will result in a crash right off Mount Performance back to the Valley of Sloth.

Originally posted by fubar5
I seem to be hitting a wall with my training guys. Since I started training this year I made progress in leaps and bounds. But now I seem to be stuck in a rut. I've done many interval workouts, gone on hilly rides, and taken up doing leg weight lifting 1 day a week, but I still haven't gotten out. Is this just a part of training?? I know I'm not overtraining, I have a HRM, I eat well, and I get enough rest. So what do I do?

I assume that you have ruled out overtraining. What you probably have hit is a training plateau - in awhile, you probably will improve again.

If you start out from couch potato, your progress can be incredible. I made the biggest percentage gain in my conditioning in my first year - something like 1000% gain in maximum mileage ridden per day and a 100% gain in my avg speed. I will never ever see those gains again (unless I injure myself or something and reset at zero).

The thing is there is probably a certain level of performance that your body can do and that is it. The notion that anyone can train to the performance of Lance Armstrong is absurd. Armstrong is a freak of nature. With training you can approach your theoretical peak level. When you are at say 10% of your performance level going to 20% is easy and intoxicating. And those rapid gains can be a positive feedback to continue improving. But once you get into say the 80% range, well further gains are tough. Also you have to train reasonably hard just to stay in shape.

There are some things you can think of doing. One thing is you might be improving but you are not measuring your performance accurately enough to notice the improvement. You could do things like time yourself on particularly hard climbs. Another thing is you could get more discipline in your training regimine. There are plenty of resources on training disciplines - on line cycling coaches, local racing teams etc. At first, just riding will improve you quite a bit. After awhile, you need to get scientific about it. That is if you want to improve.

But remember, eventually you will hit that point of diminishing returns. That is where training 50% more will only give a small return if any return. And the question is "Is it worth it?". When I hit that level, I realized I could get really disciplined and perhaps turn cycling into a chore. I have some cousins who were competitive swimmers and after their college scholarships ran out, they never got back into the pool again. Swimming had become an abhorrent drudgery to them. I prefer to be a fit recreational cyclist. Sure, I ride hard. But it is even more important to enjoy myself.