canflyboy

Facts: I'm a 50+, 200+ recreational road rider that started to ride again last spring.

Goal: To start the season in better shape and not be dropped (as often) this year with our group.

Typically ride around 200 - 300km a week during the peak (summer) with mileage decreasing into the fall. Big ride on weekends with friends, 30-35 k.p.h. average. I can hold out for about 2 1/2 hours and then tire.

I'm lucky to have a gym where I work and can get just over and hours worth of excersize in daily and I've built my program around this fact.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Weights - mostly lower body, some lower back and abs (if I have time at the end. Started November and December with low to low medium weights, 15-20 reps. January, February - increase weight to medium high/high - lower reps. March - back to higher reps and lower weights.

Tuesday and Thursday: 50 minutes on a stationary bike and then about 20 minutes of stretching. Tuesdays average 120 watts and Thursdays average 150 watts. I'll throw in four or five sprints the last half of my ride. I'll go hard until HR reaches 95% and then go back to normal (HR aprox 80%)

Saturdays: Spin Class - started just with just an hour - now I'm doing a double (two hours)

Variables: I follow the above at about a 90% success rate. Sometimes on the weekend, I'll do some riding/training at a nearby indoor Velodrome, so I'll pass on Saturdays spin class.

What am I doing right or what am I doing drastically wrong?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Canflyboy

palookabutt

In my completely inexpert opinion, I'd say you're doing pretty well. About the only comment I'd have is to make sure you're giving yourself ample opportunity to recover -- 4-5 days of high intensity work on the legs (3 days of weights, a spin class and intervals) sounds a bit much to me.

I'm about your age and I do best with 2-3 rest days per week, but of course that's a personal thing. If you find your legs are sore every day, you might want to back off by turning Wednesday into a rest day.

canflyboy

That's the funny thing, although my legs "feel it" for a couple of hours after the workout, I can't say they're "sore". Only after a double spin class are my legs "sore" and I'll take the next day off.

My concern was with the balance between weights and aerobic. Will the weight traning pay off in the spring for a guy like me or should I be spending more time on trainers to increase my endurance. Not looking for speed, but endurance this spring.

Thanks

Canflyboy

ericm979

Your program doesn't have any endurance work. If you want to be able to handle long rides you have to do long rides.

fuzzthebee

I would drop one of the weights sessions and replace it with time on the bike. If you're doing 150w for
50', try doing 2 x 20' at ~190w, with 5' easy spinning between reps. Your HR may be in the 85-90% range for these, but use the power output, not HR, as a reference. If 190w is too easy or too hard, adjust the wattage as necessary. It should be a bit of a mental struggle.

Carbonfiberboy 

Are you doing the weekend group ride now? IOW, is your total riding time 3:40/week or 6:40? If it's only 3:40, that's not nearly enough, and way too much weight time. Cut your weight workouts down to 1/2 hr. each and ride the bike first. You should be riding every day Tuesday-Friday and then a fast group ride on Sunday. Or some such schedule. Some of your trainer rides should be steady state Z2, some high cadence, some low cadence high power. An ordinary exercise gym bike won't do, but a spin bike works. Say 5-8 hours/week total bike time, including one long one. Vary the length of the time by periodizing your workouts.

The reason you crap out on the group rides is not enough time spent on the bike in base. Weight training won't help that.

wfrogge

Far as sitting in the saddle for long periods then yes but raising his FTP will keep the OP from getting dropped.

michaeldmanthey

Hello, You are doing many things right. If you want to become a better cyclist then you need to work out perfecting your pedal stroke, controlling your breating and doing workouts in all your Heart Rate Zones. If you are doing the same thing every week then you will only progress so far. You have to switch up your training all the time. Remember that Functional strength workouts are far superior then weight lifting for cyclists.

PSPSARGE

I have heard over and over again that a gym bike is different than a spin bike but I do not understand why by setting watt level you can't do same thing on gym bike. Please explain.