Originally Posted by
jwible
I need advice. My Thursday group ride (which has turned into a Cat II grudge ride) is kicking my butt. I hung for 15 minutes last night and dialed it back when my HR reached 190bpms. I've been back on the bike for just under a year from a 5 year layoff so I realize I have a long way to go to be able to hang with the big boys.
What I'm seeking is advice on getting muscular force and endurance increased as efficiently as possible. Reading through Freil it seems hitting the weights two times a week could be beneficial. Squats, extensions, calf raises, and core work. These seem to increase ME as well as raise LT. What's the consensus?
Also what's the recommended on bike regime to increase LT and raw AC power? Hill climbs, ZCIs, WRIs, 20 minutes, JRA???? I can dedicate about 7-10 hours a week right now to training.
In my experience, weight training is a waste of time. It is cool being able to squat more than guys who have actual bulging muscles, however.
Here's something you
could try if you feel like putting your future in the hands of an anonymous stranger from the intertubes...
Mon- OFF
Tues- 1.5hrs, 4X5min all outs...really at 6min effort pace, but that's super hard to judge. (you should feel like your lungs are bleeding afterwards. If my mouth doesn't taste like pennies, I know I didn't do these hard enough.)
Wed- 1hr easy easy
Thurs- group ride (I assume you'd want to keep doing these)
Fri- 1hr easy easy
Sat- 2hrs, 2X10' @LT (increase to 2X20's over the course of a few weeks)
Sun- 2hrs Z2
IMO, this gives an okay mix of Vo2 work, LT power work, endurance, and all out WTFAMIDOINGTOMYSELF work. Keep in mind I generally don't know wtf I'm doing, but I did stay at a holiday inn express at some point in my life so I guess I'm good to go.
When I'm not racing, I tend to do the hardest workouts at the beginning of a week because its when I feel freshest. As the week wears on, I do longer, less "painful" intervals as by that point I'm less fresh and therefore its a bit harder to be able to fully reap the benefits of, say, 4X5's.
Generally, I wouldn't do the same workouts week after week, as you wind up neglecting the things you aren't working on. Maybe throw some 5X1min's in there at some point, along with sprints, etc. This is just a general sort of look at the type of stuff you probably should be doing to increase your
MAXIMUM GUADDAGE.
edit: Recovery is very important. Easy days should be very easy. If they aren't, you limit what you can do on your hard days, and thus slow down your progress.