? About Building an Endurance Base
02-12-08, 01:57 PM
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? About Building an Endurance Base
A short bit about me: I'm not a complete beginner to recreational road bicycling-- I've been riding probably around 1000 miles per summer for the last few years. I have, however, been off my bicycle since the late fall. I want to have a stronger, longer, faster season this year. I'm not looking to race, just to keep up with friends and maybe do some club riding. I love being on the bike and want to be able to do more without risk of injury.
I started riding indoors two weeks ago on a fluid trainer for about 45mins, three times a week, at avg. 60% of my MHR. I also XC ski at moderate pace for a few hours on the weekend when there is snow.
I've read in a few places that when you begin training, you need to build an endurance base before moving on to interval training etc. I often see certain mileages thrown around as constituting the necessary base: something like 500 or 1000 miles.
What I'm wondering is, How can you measure the necessary endurance base in terms of time on the trainer as opposed to miles? Should I do a month riding 3-4 days a week, 45-60 mins each time, at 50%-60% of my MHR? Two months? If I were shooting for a certain mileage I could just get to 500 or 1000 miles and start doing intervals, but it's hard to know what my base should be when measuring it in terms of time on the trainer.
Thanks in advance for the help.
I started riding indoors two weeks ago on a fluid trainer for about 45mins, three times a week, at avg. 60% of my MHR. I also XC ski at moderate pace for a few hours on the weekend when there is snow.
I've read in a few places that when you begin training, you need to build an endurance base before moving on to interval training etc. I often see certain mileages thrown around as constituting the necessary base: something like 500 or 1000 miles.
What I'm wondering is, How can you measure the necessary endurance base in terms of time on the trainer as opposed to miles? Should I do a month riding 3-4 days a week, 45-60 mins each time, at 50%-60% of my MHR? Two months? If I were shooting for a certain mileage I could just get to 500 or 1000 miles and start doing intervals, but it's hard to know what my base should be when measuring it in terms of time on the trainer.
Thanks in advance for the help.
02-12-08, 03:19 PM
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Actually, really good cyclists train based on saddle TIME, not miles. So you're not off base riding your trainer using time instead of miles as a measure.
A good training reference is Joe Friel's "The Cyclist's Training Bible". Friel explains the science behind needing a strong base, and how to develop a training program using an hours-per-week formula.
OTOH, if you are not planning to race, you don't really have to follow a structured training plan. Just ride consistently, and follow a riding schedule something like this:
1. One endurance ride per week.
2. One hills ride per week.
3. One fast-paced group ride per week.
You can get pretty strong just by following a simple riding plan like the one above. The key is consistency. Too many folks find too many excuses to skip rides ("too hot", "too cold", "too windy", "blah, blah, blah", whatever....), which is the real reason they can't seem to improve.
Bob
A good training reference is Joe Friel's "The Cyclist's Training Bible". Friel explains the science behind needing a strong base, and how to develop a training program using an hours-per-week formula.
OTOH, if you are not planning to race, you don't really have to follow a structured training plan. Just ride consistently, and follow a riding schedule something like this:
1. One endurance ride per week.
2. One hills ride per week.
3. One fast-paced group ride per week.
You can get pretty strong just by following a simple riding plan like the one above. The key is consistency. Too many folks find too many excuses to skip rides ("too hot", "too cold", "too windy", "blah, blah, blah", whatever....), which is the real reason they can't seem to improve.
Bob
02-14-08, 05:29 AM
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Actually, really good cyclists train based on saddle TIME, not miles. So you're not off base riding your trainer using time instead of miles as a measure.
A good training reference is Joe Friel's "The Cyclist's Training Bible". Friel explains the science behind needing a strong base, and how to develop a training program using an hours-per-week formula.
OTOH, if you are not planning to race, you don't really have to follow a structured training plan. Just ride consistently, and follow a riding schedule something like this:
1. One endurance ride per week.
2. One hills ride per week.
3. One fast-paced group ride per week.
You can get pretty strong just by following a simple riding plan like the one above. The key is consistency. Too many folks find too many excuses to skip rides ("too hot", "too cold", "too windy", "blah, blah, blah", whatever....), which is the real reason they can't seem to improve.
Bob
A good training reference is Joe Friel's "The Cyclist's Training Bible". Friel explains the science behind needing a strong base, and how to develop a training program using an hours-per-week formula.
OTOH, if you are not planning to race, you don't really have to follow a structured training plan. Just ride consistently, and follow a riding schedule something like this:
1. One endurance ride per week.
2. One hills ride per week.
3. One fast-paced group ride per week.
You can get pretty strong just by following a simple riding plan like the one above. The key is consistency. Too many folks find too many excuses to skip rides ("too hot", "too cold", "too windy", "blah, blah, blah", whatever....), which is the real reason they can't seem to improve.
Bob
02-14-08, 10:21 AM
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Even on the long rides, you may even begin to mix it up. That is, step up the pace for a short while, like a burst of speed and then settle down to your slower pace. Do this a few times during long rides. This is like a transition towards intervals.
You need to discover your capabilities and sometimes think outside the box.
You need to discover your capabilities and sometimes think outside the box.
02-14-08, 10:54 AM
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You're not doing much of anything at 60%, so not much is going to happen. Kick it up to 70-75%. Once a week do a session at 80%. That will build base. Say Monday off, ride Tuesday zone 1 (60-65%), Wednesday zone 3, Thursday zone 2, Friday zone 1 or 2 depending on tiredness, Saturday off, Sunday club ride or zone 2 again.
Think about how many hours/week you might like to ride your bike, or how many miles, if that's easier for you. Then think about how you are going to get from here to there, not adding more than 10% time or mileage per week. I wouldn't even think about intervals. Just go out and ride. Hills will easily take care of the necessary "interval" component.
I wouldn't worry about "base," either. You could go on a club ride right now. Just pick a level you know you can do, and you might hurt a bit afterwards, which is good. You don't say if or when weather will permit you to ride outside. I don't ride outside during the week until daylight savings time kicks in, so I'm still indoors except for weekend rides.
Most good club riders I know don't do any structured training at all. They just go on club rides. But for that to work, you have to be somewhere with a serious bike club. If you do club rides Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, you'll have a great time.
If you want to ride with stronger riders, hey, then you're getting competitive and you'll need a program and to put some thought into training. But you're not there yet. As others said, just concentrate on consistency and on riding your bike well, with good form. If it looks like this year you'll ride 3-4,000 miles or so, think about starting a training plan in October. So you've got some time to think about it.
Think about how many hours/week you might like to ride your bike, or how many miles, if that's easier for you. Then think about how you are going to get from here to there, not adding more than 10% time or mileage per week. I wouldn't even think about intervals. Just go out and ride. Hills will easily take care of the necessary "interval" component.
I wouldn't worry about "base," either. You could go on a club ride right now. Just pick a level you know you can do, and you might hurt a bit afterwards, which is good. You don't say if or when weather will permit you to ride outside. I don't ride outside during the week until daylight savings time kicks in, so I'm still indoors except for weekend rides.
Most good club riders I know don't do any structured training at all. They just go on club rides. But for that to work, you have to be somewhere with a serious bike club. If you do club rides Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, you'll have a great time.
If you want to ride with stronger riders, hey, then you're getting competitive and you'll need a program and to put some thought into training. But you're not there yet. As others said, just concentrate on consistency and on riding your bike well, with good form. If it looks like this year you'll ride 3-4,000 miles or so, think about starting a training plan in October. So you've got some time to think about it.
